#Zuko and Azula going to war just to go on vacation

[the-genius-az]

What do you think Ozai would be like if he were a good father?

Ironically, he would be very overprotective.

Is Zhao bothering his son? Banishment with a burn on the face!

Is someone flirting with your daughter? Torture and exile!

Are they threatening her two babies? Murder!

And because he is a good father, he would also have a good relationship with Ursa, if it is not romantic then it would be like two best friends who have two children.

Although she will still send her two babies to war, obviously with a lot of protection, until she realizes that the two have fled and have their own army (Mai and Ty Lee), she immediately becomes worried and sends for them everywhere.

And when he sees that his two sons don't want the war, he immediately ends it and makes an excuse about how his nation doesn't need more people dying.

[shortprince-cos]

A list of my ATLA AUs so far!

Hidden Masks

Zuko wears a mask since he got his scar, so no one from the gaang recognizes him, causing him to infiltrate the group to try and catch the Avatar

Just a Man

Zuko is kidnapped by Hakoda as a baby on vacation at Ember Island. Hakoda raises him as his own.

Jet Sucks (name wip)

Jet kidnaps Zuko and Sokka, causing them to become reluctant allies that escape together.

Of Pirated Princes

Zuko gets kidnapped by pirates and is sold to Hakoda and crew, though they don't believe that he is actually Prince Zuko. They offer to take him home and end up keeping him while they look for his uncle with him.

A Flame Snuffed Out

Zuko gets amnesia after hitting his head too hard in the North Pole. The Gaang convince him that he was planning on teaching Aang firebending and take him with them for book two.

Salvage/TAOB w/Sokka (name wip)

Zuko gets purposefully captured by the Southern Water Tribe in order to get information about their war efforts, only to bond with Chief Hakoda and his son Sokka.

The Blue Spirit of Ba Sing Se

Zuko is permanently banished from the Fire Nation, so his uncle takes him to Ba Sing Se to live as war refugees. Zuko eventually becomes the vigilante known as the Blue Spirit.

Lying with Honor

Azula stands up to Ozai after he burns Zuko and ends up banished in her brother's place.

Moon Spirit Sokka

Sokka and Yue are swapped. Zuko is tasked with taking down the Northern Water Tribe and ends up falling in love with their prince.

Its a Long, Long Way to Ba Sing Se

After Katara decides to take her mini vacation away from the gang while they go to a library, she runs into Zuko in the Misty Palms Oasis. Before long, they both get chased by two random men (were those Toph's teachers?) and have to team up and travel to Ba Sing Se together.

[zuko-always-lies]

Azula's Strong Emotional Empathy Skills

Often times, people assume that Azula is bad at empathy, or at least emotional empathy. However, I would dispute that, and argue that her compassionate empathy skills in particular are actually extremely strong and off the chart, at least when it involves someone she cares about.

ATLA gives several examples of Azula showing off her empathy skills. The first comes in "The Crossroads of Destiny":

Azula: We've done it, Zuko. It's taken a hundred years, but the Fire Nation has conquered Ba Sing Se. Zuko: I betrayed Uncle. Azula: No, he betrayed you. [She stands up from the throne.] Zuko, when you return home, Father will welcome you as a war hero. Zuko: But I don't have the Avatar. What if Father doesn't restore my honor? Azula: He doesn't need to, Zuko. [She puts a hand on Zuko's shoulder.] Today, you restored your own honor.

She notices Zuko is uneasy, and does a pretty good, if not entirely successful job trying to reassure him and make him feel better.

Next we come to "The Awakening":

[Meanwhile, back at the Fire Nation Capital, Zuko feeds turtle ducks in a lake with some bread. Azula joins him.] Azula: You seem so downcast. Has Mai gotten to you already? Though actually, Mai has been in a strangely good mood lately. Zuko: I haven't seen Dad yet. I haven't seen him in three years, since I was banished. Azula: So what? Zuko: So, I didn't capture the Avatar. Azula: Who cares? The Avatar is dead … [Zuko looks away.] unless you think he somehow miraculously survived.

It's easy to miss out on this with where the scene ends up going, but what's actually the inciting reason for the scene to happen in the first place is that Azula knows Zuko is out of sorts, and wants to reassure him. She knows exactly where he is likely to go when he's sad or anxious, the turtleduck ponds which reminds him of Ursa, and easily finds him there. However, in her attempts to reassure him, she begins to suspect that he's hiding something from her, and the scene gets derailed.

Next up is "The Beach":

Zuko: [Cut to closer view of Zuko and Mai. Angrily.] Doing nothing is a waste of time. [Rises from his seat next to Mai.] We're being sent away on a forced vacation. [Walks over and grips the railing of the boat.] I feel like a child. Azula: [Frontal view.] Lighten up. So Dad wants to meet with his advisors alone, without anyone else around. Don't take it personally.

Azula instantly tries to reassure Zuko here, although she's less skillful about it than in some other cases.

Next up is the famous "Azula apologizes to Ty Lee" scene. As I've argued elsewhere, Azula is very skillful in comforting Ty Lee there. She knows exactly what she needs to say and do to make Ty Lee feel better.

Then, after Zuko gets kicked out of the party, we get this scene

Azula: I thought I'd find you here. Zuko: [Side-view.] Those summers we spent here seem so long ago. So much has changed. Azula: Come down to the beach with me. Come on. This place is depressing.

Azula's empathy is really impressive here. She apparently not only realized that Zuko would end up in a bad funk and cared enough to do something about it, but she also knew exactly where he would go in his depressed emotional state.

We then have the famous "fireside" scene. Azula isn't always the nicest person here, but her ability to understand the emotions of others is on full display:

Zuko: [Turning around.] For so long I thought that if my dad accepted me, I'd be happy. I'm back home now, my dad talks to me. Ha! He even thinks I'm a hero. [Close-up of Azula, who smiles.] Everything should be perfect, right? [Aerial view of campsite.] I should be happy now, but I'm not. [Turning back to the others.] I'm angrier than ever and I don't know why!

Azula:[Frontal view.] There's a simple question you need to answer, then. Who are you angry at? Zuko: [Close-up.] No one. I'm just angry. Mai [Side-view of the three girls.] Yeah, who are you angry at, Zuko? Zuko: [Close-up.] Everyone. I don't know. [Becoming frustrated.] Azula: [Frontal view.] Is it Dad? Zuko: [Close-up.] No, no. Ty Lee: [Frontal view.] Your uncle? Azula: Me? Zuko: [Close-up.] No, no, n-no, no! Mai: [Close-up.] Then who? Who are you angry at? Azula: [Camera pans left, past Ty Lee, to Azula.] Answer the question, Zuko. Ty Lee: [Close-up.] Talk to us. Mai: [Extreme close-up.] Come on, answer the question. Azula: Come on, answer it.

Finally, we have this scene from Nightmares and Daydreams:

Azula: Hello, Zuzu. If you've come for a royal hair-combing, I'm afraid you'll have to wait. Zuko: So I guess there's a big war meeting coming up, huh? And apparently I'm not welcome there. Azula: What do you mean? Of course you're welcome there! Zuko: Oh, yeah?! I guess that's why no one bothered to tell me about it! Azula: Oh, Zuko. Don't be so dramatic. I'm certain Dad wants you there. You probably just weren't invited because it's so obvious you're supposed to be there. Zuko: Well, were you invited? Azula: Of course! I'm the princess. Zuko: And I'm the prince! Azula: Exactly, so stop acting like a paranoid child! Just go to the meeting. Zuko: Forget it! I'm not going!

Although Azula instantly moves to try to comfort Zuko, this is in many ways her least successful scene. She struggles to contain her frustration with Zuko's behavior.

Still, overall Azula displays an impressive record, and shows very strong compassionate empathy skills. However, it's only toward the people she's close to, as she has no reason to display them toward enemies.

[itslenagain]

My thoughts on episodes 1-3 of Netflix ATLA (SPOILERS):

1. Commander Zhao has middle-aged white guy manager energy. I feel like this man is about to lead me in a team-building exercise

2. Aang having his origin story changed irks me! He ran away impulsively in the original show and got stuck in the ice. In this version, he fully monologs to Appa about his fears, but then just leaves for a joyride and gets stuck. It takes away from the significance of Aang leaving in the first place. When Kyoshi berates him for running away, it doesn't feel right because in this version, he didn't really run - he just got stuck in the wrong place at the wrong time

3. The Zuko that stood on an iceberg during a full Moon and challenged Katara to battle would be absolutely enraged at the Zuko that ran from the conflict in Omashu

4. Also, the fact that Zuko has not mentioned honor yet? What the fuck?

5. Seriously, Commander Zhao has a LinkedIn. He's got great networking skills

6. I miss aggro Katara. This version is way more subdued (though we do get a sibling fight in episode 3) and somehow listening to Aang's weird circular philosophy helps her learn how to waterbend and I don't get it

7. Seeing Aang be joyful is a nice change from the movie that shall not be mentioned

8. If Gram-Gram putting the waterbending scroll in Katara's bag replaces the storyline where Katara says fuck cultural looting and steals one I will scream

9. It's interesting to see Azula so early in the story, but I'm bummed we missed out on the whole blackmail thing with her & Ty Lee

10. Do you think Commander Zhao pays his employees a fair wage? Do you think they have health insurance? 401k matching? Vacation time? Sick days? What kind of benefits does his company offer?

11. This version of Sokka is definitely not silly enough

12. I feel robbed that Aang got to transform into a magical girl but we didn't get a magical girl transformation sequence

13. Also, we were robbed of Sokka crossdressing as a Kyoshi warrior and they are so rude for that

14. The graphic murder of the Airbenders felt. Weird? Wrong? I don't think we needed to see that. The impact it had when Aang arrived at the temple to find all of them gone in the original show felt heavier than in this version. We saw what happened, we know they're all dead. As a kid watching ATLA the first time, I remember feeling hopeful for Aang that maybe he wasn't really the last one. We don't get to feel that with this version

15. They did not understand Uncle Iroh at all. His character is so weird. Maybe it gets better???

16. The pacing is weird but maybe that gets better too???

17. I have never related more than when Ozai just burned that Earth nation dude who was about to start monologing, please shut up in my presence

18. Apparently everywhere has names?? Who decided on these names?

19. As a lesbian I also get horny on main immediately for girls who could definitely kick my ass, Sokka was so real for that

20. Overall I think they lean into the idea that the audience for this show is primarily older than the audience for the original (they're not totally wrong!) but I worry about it losing some of the messaging along the way. Part of the beauty of the original ATLA show was tackling these big, complex issues in a way that both kids and adults could relate to and understand. Anyone who knows me knows I also love Bluey for this, along with a few other shows that do it well. Media like ATLA that tackles the ideas of colonization, genocide, war, and so many other important issues is crucial! I hope that these topics are handled just as well as they were in the original series.

Am I going to watch the whole thing? Probably, yeah. Will I enjoy it? I hope so! It's not terrible, but it's also hard to do a show that has so much nostalgia attached to it in a way that will please all viewers.

If you haven't watched it, I think it's worth a shot. Just don't expect it to be an exact retelling of the original story.

[balanceoflightanddark]

Monsters We Create Chapter 20 Update

Apologies for the delay. Again. I...broke my foot and it took me a while to get myself together. That and I'm going on vacation to Alaska next weekend so...yeah.

But I do have Chapter 20, which is roughly about 50% done. Maybe. So to hold everyone in the meantime, here's a little snippet of the chapter as a sort of appetizer. Forgive me if it's a little rough.

They walked a good distance away from the war tent. Yet not once did Kori let her guard down. Zuko, Mai, and Ty Lee. Three names she had a lot of good reason to be wary of. One was the Fire Lord, obviously. It wasn’t too long ago when he nearly got Yu Dao destroyed out of his own stupidity. The other two? She could understand Azula being difficult, yet to turn their backs so suddenly and completely was beyond her.

When they came to an abandoned training ground, Zuko turned around. “Alright. We’re here.”

“If you think you can get me to stab a knife in Azula’s back-”

“Listen! I’m not here to talk about Azula. At all. I meant it when I said she’s going around unbound. It’s just…well, you know how she is! I can’t trust her with all these rogue armies running around. Somebody’s got to keep tabs on her,” Zuko explained.

“Besides, we’ve got Mai here if Azula needs some knives thrown at - OW!” Ty Lee rubbed her arm after Mai gave her a swift and rather hard elbow.

Zuko simply sighed from their little spat. “The point is, if you can keep Azula in check, that’s great. I only have the guards there so it can keep those generals off my back. And hers. They wanted her thrown back into that asylum.”

“You could’ve just told her that, but whatever,” Kori muttered. It amazed her. He says that he wants to do good, but then has some secret or leaves some lasting remark that invalidates it. No wonder he and Azula were so dysfunctional. Seemed like the only way they could even interact was through backstabbing, betrayals, and fighting. If this was what they were like when they were allies, she didn’t want to see how they were when the pleasantries failed and fire was being thrown.

Agni help her no fire was thrown today yet. She certainly didn’t see it in the Fire Lord’s eyes right now. They were…well, dull. His shoulders were a bit slumped. It was as if he aged a few years in the span of a few days.

“Can we forget Azula for a few minutes? It’s not why I called you out here.” Zuko swallowed as he collected himself. “I know you’re part of that movement the assassination attempt came from. Your father talked quite a bit about what you’ve been up to.”

“I assure you, our movement was to protest and prevent innocents from being harassed by Fire Nation guards! None of us had any intention of murdering anybody!” Kori still couldn’t believe it. Who’d be stupid enough to make an attempt on the Fire Lord’s life? She wasn’t a fan of his either, but nothing he did indicated he was personally overseeing what was going on in Yu Dao. A bit ignorant and heavy handed, but not responsible. It’s one thing if he stepped in personally and started threatening people.

Yet an attempt at his life without any solid reason for? That was inviting for the army to come in and stomp on their movement. Who knew how many civilians would be caught in such an escalation?

“I know. It’s why I want you to look into it.”

Kori, out of surprise or bafflement, let Zuko continue. “I get it. The Fire Nation hasn’t done Yu Dao much good. I’d even wager you and your people have done more for the benefit of this city in a few months than my country has for over a hundred years.” His eyes went downward for a moment, as he swallowed a lump in his throat.

Yet it only lasted for a moment before he took another breath. “Figure out what’s going on and who sent that kill order. I’ll do things on my end with the assassin. Maybe together we can bring whoever did this to justice.”

The rebel wasn’t sure what to say. It sounded too good to be true. Indeed, after running his proposal through her head, she saw the problem. “I appreciate the offer, Fire Lord. But as long as that captain and his thugs roam the streets, there’s only going to be more violence. Whoever’s doing this wouldn’t be able to get away with it if the guards didn’t build this pyre of theirs.”

“They will be brought to justice,” Zuko responded. “I’m going to try and override this curfew and get a tighter leash on the officers. If you can work on your end and help me bring this mastermind down, that’ll give them less incentive to crack down on your people.”

When he ended, he once again remained silent and waited for her response. Mai and Ty Lee stood on the sidelines watching the whole thing, giving Kori more eyes that were on her. Truth be told, she still couldn’t trust him. Who could? Everyone said he had the hallmarks of his father right down to how he ascended to the throne. And who could say they bring peace when they wear a crown drenched in blood.

Yet he didn’t wear the crown now. No grandeur. Nothing. He was baring his true intentions out to her. If nothing else, she could trust that. “Alright. All I can say is there might be some Fiery Raptors within their ranks.”

Ty Lee snorted. “Of course, Azula would pull something like that.”

“It’s not what you think,” Kori interrupted, making sure they all had her attention. “I wanted some people to back us up in the protests in case things got violent. She offered to have some of her men to back us up and I said yes.”

“Can’t say I blame you there. You go up against soldiers, you’re going to need some muscle.”

“Who’s side are you on?!” Ty Lee yelled at Mai, her frustration with her reaching a boiling point.

The emotionless girl just gave a noncommittal shrug. “I’m just saying it as it is. From what I’ve heard, the Mayor hasn’t exactly done a good job of keeping the peace on his end. Can’t blame Azula for taking advantage of something that was already there. We certainly did.” Ty Lee promptly shut up from Mai’s assessment, looking a bit downcast herself.

Kori also had a harsh truth slapped in her face. Her father. Mayor Morishita, the one most responsible for Yu Dao’s woes. He’s the one who ultimately had control of the garrison and determined who was in charge. If it weren’t for him, that captain and his goons probably wouldn’t be able to run rampant and bully the citizens into submission.

Still, it was a hard truth to swallow. Needless to say, his actions were part of the reason her mother left a long time ago. True, she made her peace with it when she saw what her father’s cronies were willing to do. Yet it still hurt too much to ignore.

Something that Zuko noticed. “You know your father’s going to have to go on trial for what he’s done. Right?”

Forcing down her queasiness, Kori crossed her arms and tried not to look like she was hugging herself. “I understand.”

“Good.” Then, the Fire Lord did something rather unexpected. He walked up and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. It was…surprisingly warm. Kori wasn’t sure what to make of it before she saw the scar on his face. Seemed as though she wasn’t the only one who had issues with her parents.

A similar story was told with Mai and Ty Lee, who gazed at her with soft eyes. Kori wondered: what was it about the Fire Nation that equaled parental issues? She had her father. The girls had their parents. Agni help Azula and Zuko for getting stuck with Ozai as a father.

Azula.

“Before I agree to this, there’s something you need to promise me,” Kori declared.

Zuko looked a bit surprised but then gave an uneasy nod. Having got his attention, the rebel dropped the ultimatum. “Give Azula a chance. Stop treating her like she’s the worst thing in the world. And stop treating her like a bomb about to go off.”

“...you know I can’t do that,” he admitted with pain in his voice.

Yet Kori stood her ground. “Nobody’s asking you to forget. I’m simply stating that if you want this thing to work out, you need to uphold your end. That means no threats. No harassments. No lies. And no dangling her over a cliff. Got it?”

He shuddered when she threw out that last demand, but that didn’t soften her glare. Especially when she saw Mai and Ty Lee paralyzed in shock. Oh yeah. Azula told her about his little stunt that almost got him killed. She didn’t care if it was a low blow or not. If it meant he wouldn’t pull the same garbage twice, then so much is the better.

As for Zuko, he didn’t say anything for white seemed like an eternity. Then he gave a defeated nod and said, “Alright. As long as she isn’t a problem.”

Satisfied, Kori turned to rejoin her friends. Since that’s what friends do after all. Though not before she said one last thing. “I do mean it. You try anything without any incentive…just remember what happened with Godzilla. It won’t end well.”

And so she left, leaving the trio behind. Truth be told, she didn’t enjoy having to lay out the cold truth. Yet Zuko struck her as somebody who needed to be slapped in the face and have a rock hammering into his skull in order to get the point across. Agni knows how many of those blockheads she had to put up with growing up.

Mentally she kicked herself for having to go from one blockhead to ANOTHER blockhead. If there was one thing Azula and her brother had in common, it was digging in and covering their ears when they didn’t want whatever ideas they had in their head to be challenged. Sort of made things a bit depressing that it took a kaiju of all things to get them to cooperate.

Let’s just hope they haven’t killed each other by the end of this, Kori prayed.

[queensofthefirenation]

I know This blog hasn’t been active for a while, but on the of chance you see this, I wanted to ask something about Urzula.

How would Ursa and Azula get together after the war? At some point several years later. Who makes the first move? How would they get together?

I also wanted to ask your opinion of the Kyatara ship. Which is a sort of canon divergence ship we’re Hakoda is sacrificed instead of Kya and she survives. Which eventually leads to Katara and Kya realizing their feelings for each other some time after the war and getting together. Similar to Urzula in that respect.

What your option on it? Also if your view is favorable on the ship, how do you think Katara and Kya would get together?

To ask a slightly NSFW follow up question,

Who do you think would be the more dominant partner in either ship dynamic (in the bedroom)

They get together almost by accident a few years post war. They feel as if the fire Nation has passed them by at some point. While they both are important figure heads how the end of the war marked them. Ursa’s time in exile marked her as different from her peers in the Fire Nation and she doesn’t relate well to them due to her experiences. Azula is cast aside by Zuko’s regime. So she’s not really a path in and her old friends have abandoned her.

Loneliness leads them to spend more time together. They take vacations and all just as mother and daughter. It’s Azula who makes the first move on ember island, kissing Ursa. Both are horrified and back off, trying to pretend it didn’t happen. Trying desperately to make new associates and maybe lovers. But they float back towards each other, retreat again, but go a little farther each time. Until they stop retreating and stay with the other as girlfriends. Though in secret.

Haven’t thought much on Kya/Katara before. It would work differently then Azula/Ursa. Kya would always be around when Katara was growing up until Katara leaves for her adventure with the Avatar. Probably be about them making mistakes when trying to maximize their limited time together post war. I see Kya staying in the SWT while Katara continues traveling with Aang. So perhaps it’s a bit more of an affair. Katara is with Aang, but in secret her mother as well. Not really a ship for me but I can see it’s appeal.

Ursa is more dominant to Azula. Azula usually starts off strong but quickly cedes to her mother. Ursa is all too happy to makes sure her daughter feels great, but also enjoys telling her what to do. After all Azula is such an obedient girl.

Katara is dominant over Kya. Aang is quite a soft lover so Katara wants some more action in her love making with Kya. Usually doing the things that Aang refuses to do with her.

[goldenavenger02]

i'm just getting color back into my face

second chapter to "I will die in the house that I grew up in", linked below.

The solace of the bird calls and the few rays of sunlight illuminating the wooden planks grounded Zuko as he isolated himself in his morning meditation on the porch of the family beach house.

He hadn't been here since before Sozin's Comet, training Aang in the art of firebending as fast as he could before he had to face Ozai alone.

Now Aang was as happy as he could be, raising Bumi and Kya with Katara within the safety of Air Temple Island while Zuko was stuck with the ever-growing anxiety wondering if Izumi would ever be able to feel safe in her own home.

Mai had sent a few people here to clean it up before their impromptu vacation so it wasn't coated in the imprints of the abuse he suffered from for years and now Izumi would never know how this place had looked when he had been sent away on his own forced vacation with Mai, Ty Lee and Azula all those years ago.

Zuko had burnt most of the pictures the last time he had been here, but Katara had still found the one of Ozai as a baby when they had arrived so there was a high chance that he had missed more than the one.

Despite the emotional turmoil he had been in on that vacation, he couldn't help but wonder if the stuff Lo and Li had said back then about how Ember Island was magical and smoothed out even the most ragged of edges was true.

He had seen Aang do otherworldly things, but that had to do with the spirit world; if any part of the Fire Nation had a connection to the spirits after the war, even if it was the seemingly peaceful Ember Island, he wouldn't be surprised if they were still holding a grudge despite the progress he had made since taking the throne.

Or, if they knew that something was going to be his breaking point and would set him on the same path that his father had once walked upon himself.

Zuko's pondering was interrupted by the soft 'pitter patter' of six-year-old feet as they grew closer and closer to the front porch before finally stopping on his right side, followed by the quiet sound of someone sitting down and pulling in a deep breath.

He opened one golden eye, unsurprised to see Izumi sitting beside him, mimicking his position with her eyes squeezed shut.

Zuko couldn't help but smile and shut his eye again, pulling in a deep breath just to hear her pulling in a smaller, higher-pitched version shortly after; like him, Izumi had always risen with the sun, giving him the chance to bond with her while Mai slept.

He had a strong feeling that she would find her inner fire just like he had, but he also knew that if she did, it would only lead to more chaos within the walls of the palace.

Until he knew for sure, Zuko was more than happy to have his morning meditation interrupted by his own ray of sunshine.

"Good morning, daddy!" She smiled as soon as he opened his eyes and rested his palm on her shoulder to let him know that he was done.

"Good morning, turtle duckling," he smiled as she climbed onto his lap, pushing a few strands of hair out of her face, "you do know we're on vacation and you can sleep in, right?"

"I wanna go to the beach."

Even with her pleading golden eyes that matched his own, he had to turn her down for now, "it's still too dark outside, Izumi. How about we make some breakfast first?"

She pondered his suggestion for a few minutes, allowing him to grab the hair tie out of the pocket of his robe and pull her hair back in a low bun so she didn't get it tangled.

"Okay," she finally agreed, getting off of his lap so he could stand, "can I have mango juice?"

"Of course, Izumi," Zuko nodded, getting a cheer in response as he stepped into the small kitchen to start the kettle for the tea, "while I work on this," he started as he grabbed the bag of oats from the pantry, "can you go wake your mom?"

"Okay, daddy!" Her wide grin as she raced down the hall had him yelling out, "gently!" behind her, but he knew that Mai was not going to be happy regardless.

Sure enough, by the time the gruel had started bubbling and he had two filled tea cups and a glass of mango juice on the counter, he was met with Mai walking in while rubbing her eyes that were fixed into a good-natured glare.

"Good morning, my love." He offered, trying to soften any sort of malice for disturbing her sleep.

"I can't believe that I married someone who rises with the sun and gave birth to a fire ferret who jumps on me every morning."

"I did tell her "gently "."

"I have no idea how Aang and Katara handle two kids."

"I'm sure we could handle two," Zuko offered as he passed her one of the teacups, only to be met with a real glare this time, "if we wanted two, that is."

"I have two. Fire Ferret over there," Mai paused to point at their daughter who was oblivious to their conversation as she sat at the table, swinging her feet under it, before returning her attention to him, the glare having been replaced with a smirk, "and her identical clone of a father."

"You wound me, Mai." Zuko placed a hand over his heart with a smile on his face for a few moments, waiting until she pressed her lips on his for a brief moment before letting go of his act and turning to grab the spices for the gruel.

…

"Are you okay?"

Zuko peered past his fingers covering his eyes from the sunlight as Mai sat back down beside him while looping her fingers around his other hand.

Izumi was only a few feet in front of them, waving every few minutes to Zuko, as she constructed her sandcastle with expertise and a small patch of her tongue sticking out in concentration.

"Why do you ask?" Zuko asked, wondering if she could indeed read his mind or if she could tell that the stress from the assassination attempt was still crawling under his skin.

It seemed like Izumi heard her mother's voice but not the words as she looked up and waved while shouting, "hi, mommy! Isn't it great?!"

"It looks amazing, keep it up!" Mai shouted back, a rare smile dancing on her lips for a few moments before she turned back to Zuko as soon as Izumi turned away, "you seem…distant. Like you were before you left."

Neither of them liked talking about the eclipse when it came to their relationship, no matter how many years distanced them from it; while it was the beginning of Zuko finally stepping up to claim his crown, it seemed to spell out the end of their love.

He knew that if she was the one bringing it up, then he really wasn't hiding his inner turmoil as well as he could have and that the mask of happiness that Izumi had received ever since they arrived wasn't big enough to fool someone who had known him for over twenty years.

"I've just had a lot on my mind." He admitted, pulling his knees to his chest and looking down at individual grains of sand that creeped out from the towel he was sitting on.

"We had "no more secrets" in our wedding vows for a reason," Mai stopped to push back a few strands of hair from his eyes, "but, if you need more time to process things-"

"No, no, you're right. I promised not to keep things from you any more, I just…I don't know how to say this." Zuko sighed, his fingers wrapping around the edge of the towel as he inhaled the smell of salt lingering in the air and thankful that the three of them were the only inhabitants for miles on the sprawling beach.

'How do you tell the person that you love the most in this world that you might be turning into a monster?'

"The day of the assassination attempt, I spared his life. I knew he needed to go to trial, that he could give us information about the New Ozai Society to finally get one step ahead of them. He didn't hurt Izumi, he didn't hurt anyone but…" Zuko swallowed, refusing to make contact with the light gray eyes that knew him better than he knew himself, "but I wanted to hurt him. I wanted to make him hurt for trying to hurt someone I loved."

"But you didn't."

"He got on his hands and knees and begged for his life," Zuko spat with a wet bitterness as tears started to build in his eyes, "I begged for my father's forgiveness on my hands and knees and was punished for it, I couldn't do the same."

Mai's lips were pressed tightly together when he finally found it in him to look up, but her silence with a gentle squeeze around his bicep allowed him to continue bearing his soul for her to see.

"But when the guards arrived to take him away, I still threatened to end his life. I told him that if he looked at my guards the wrong way, I would go back on my word."

The subtle catch of his breath, the one sign that the dam was going to burst, and Mai instantly pulled him into her shoulder; it was a system they had developed over the years on the off chance that someone would catch the Fire Lord, or their dad, in a moment of weakness that he wasn't ready to divulge the details of.

Zuko wasn't sure how long he spent against her chest, tears continuing to flow down his face and dampening her swim top along with the sand, but when he finally emerged with red eyes and pink, damp cheeks, the sympathetic glance he got accompanied by a "feeling better?" almost made him feel like himself for the first time in a week.

He nodded, allowing her to lean against his shoulder as Izumi put the finishing touches on her sand castle.

"You're never going to be like him."

"You don't know that," Zuko shook his head, forcing her to lift her head, "my father wasn't always the way he turned out to be."

"Ozai," she started, putting enough emphasis on his name that made him realize that he had reverted to calling him "father" like he was a teenager again, "forced your mother to marry him, focused on overthrowing your uncle as soon as word that your cousin had been killed reached the palace, abused you and your sister for years and continued an era of fear and destruction. If there ever was a speck of good in that man, it was crushed as soon as he put on that crown."

Mai stopped for a moment to wave at Izumi yet again before pushing her hair out of her eyes, returning her gaze to him with a soft smile.

"But you helped end the war, you ushered in an era of peace and kindness and I noticed that even the oldest members of your staff haven't cowered at the mention of the "Fire Lord" since Izumi was born," she returned her hand to his, resting her head against his, "you might have Ozai's DNA, but that is all you inherited from that sorry excuse for a father. I know it's going to take time for you to realize that, but you need to understand that."

He wordlessly pulled her into another hug, resting his head on her shoulder for longer than he intended until he felt a crushing force against his right side and turned to see Izumi hugging him.

"Are you alright, Izumi?" He questioned, partially expecting to tilt her chin upwards and see a gash across her forehead, but she just shook her head and held on tighter.

"You looked like you needed a hug."

Zuko chuckled and scooted away from Mai just enough so Izumi could weasel her way in between them.

Even if the moment of tenderness was broken a few moments later by Izumi breaking out of the hug and grabbing Zuko's hand, dragging him away from Mai to marvel at her impressive sand castle, he could have sworn he heard Mai whisper something about "maybe we could handle two" but she would admittedly deny it while they made out behind a closed door long after Izumi had fallen asleep.

And as he drifted off that night with Mai curled up against his bare chest, he found himself starting to believe in the alleged magic that existed within the confines of Ember Island.

[ninacytosis]

For the time lost

Summary: Zuko wants to erase every reminder of his past mistakes, and Katara will take him on a journey to, quite literally, heal both of their scarrings.

Contains: Angst, Fluff, Katara has burns scars from Aang's first attempts to firebend, Katara tries to get over her resentment towards the FN, Zuko doesn't hate Azula.

Dear reader: I hope you enjoy it! <3 Let me know if you want me to continue posting

Find chapter one here and chapter three here.

┊┊┊┊☆┊*🌙*┊☆┊┊┊┊

Chapter Two

Katara thought about her students while folding clothes. A decent amount of people decided to move to the Southern Water Tribe after the war ended, and she knew a lot of families took this as a chance to start over. For now, she was in charge of nurturing the minds of the young benders that arrived. Even though she loved this new job, it was time for her to take a break.

“Hey, what’s with the sunglasses?” her dad asked, taking them off the nightstand and putting them on. “I know it’s summer but we’re still in the South Pole, kid”

Katara smiled. “I’m just packing them for tomorrow”.

His dad offered to help her, but she was almost done when he arrived, so she thought of two plans for her trip instead. Plan A, she would eat at the first rotisserie that appeared on her way to Zuko’s fancy royal mansion/palace/casa. Then, she would go to his house and even though she insisted on staying in a hotel nearby, she would eventually agree to stay. She would get a Fire Nation royalty-style spa day, Zuko’s treat (it’s important to clarify that, at least half of this plan was stolen on Toph’s visits to the Fire Nation. Though it is quite obvious). After all of that, she would ask him (preferably during a beach day) why he is visiting the North Tribe so much. And right before leaving, she would spend a day at Iroh’s shop.

However, it seemed like she had to go with plan B. Sure, it wasn’t a bad plan B, but it definitely involved fewer massages and face masks than the original, and Katara was just a girl who wanted a little self-care. Can anyone blame her?

“I like what you’ve done to the place” Katara stared at the wooden panels on the wall. She was too shy to confess her feelings about fire hazards, she didn’t even know if it was offensive for him.

“I tried to make it a bit retro, you know?” Iroh explained. “Everything is changing so fast, I’m afraid the world forgets its roots. But I guess that’s not a big preoccupation for younger folks”.

The words of Iroh resonated in her head on most occasions, especially since she was aware that he was Azulon’s firstborn. Even if he had spent more than a decade fixing his past actions, it was still weird for her to share the same table as a guy he had resented from the moment she gained consciousness. It’s hard to get used to this new era, and it’s probably the reason she barely went to the Fire Nation, even if it meant fewer hangouts with Zuko. In the last months, Aang helped her a lot to channel her antipathy into different, less draining emotions. Today’s emotion is: curiosity.

“I think I know why you are here, Katara” he offered her a cup.

“Well, we both needed a vacation”, she said. ”Zuko’s told me how busy these last weeks have been for him… plus I missed swimming without the risk of dying of hypothermia”.

“Then you’re certainly going to love the beaches down on Chaisee’s island” Iroh gave her a warm laugh. “Oh, the times I had there when I was your age!”

Katara took a sip on the cup and smiled.

“But be careful, Zuko’s skin might be sensitive after last week”, Katara cautiously nodded, “as a water bender yourself, you know how the healing procedures work”.

Healing procedures? Katara nodded again. Could Iroh tell she was nervous?

“Yeah…. I totally forgot. It’s such a sensitive procedure!” she said, having no idea about this healing thing. “And I wouldn’t want to hurt a Fire Lord, they have a history of heated arguments don’t they?” Apparently, it was impossible for Katara to shut her mouth. “Anyways, promise I won’t interfere in the treatment. Don’t know how I forgot, Zuko told me all about it on my way here… I mean, on a letter of course. He wasn’t on the ship. I guess you know that” shut up shut up shut up.

Iroh widened his eyes and made a frown that immediately told Katara that her attempts to sound unbothered and casual failed, as usual.

“Did I say something I shouldn’t?” Iroh covered his mouth his hand.

Katara tried to comfort him. “Well, he technically told me about his trips to the North Tribe, so it was a matter of time until I figured out what was going on”, honestly, she never even considered the idea of him wanting to get rid of his scar. He hadn't mentioned since he was sixteen. “I have a few questions now, though”

“Maybe you should ask him directly, I’m sure you’re going to notice the change once he arrives. A healing process is slow, and you know Zuko: he wants everything fast”, Iroh sighed, “but in his last letter he told me that this healing session was quite intense”.

He poured the water into two cups.

“The thing is,” he cleared his voice, “Zuko doesn’t understand that there are some parts of a wound that can only be healed by him.”

[haroldtea]

For the fic title ask game: leading threats

hmmmMMMmmMmMmm

ok first off, apologies for such a late response. i had a hard time coming up w something for this one! and then i got completely carried away. hope you enjoy!

it’s an au where the war ended early and everyone’s aged up a bit. sokka is the highest ranking representative of the SWT other than hakoda and he goes on a diplomatic mission w yue and arnook to the fire nation where they are to meet with fire lord iroh and work out something fairly innocuous like naval trade routes.

the reason they’re having a fancy in-person summit for something innocuous is because it’s been awhile since leaders of the water tribe met w that of the fire nation and it just looks better diplomatically to have personal meetings like this from time to time. although the war ended early and there is peace, the nations do not necessarily feel the warm n fuzzies about each other yet. they decide on the fire nation rather than one of the tribes because the dates they agreed upon coincide with a fire nation holiday the fire lord can’t miss - and the holiday gives the opportunity for a public appearance of the two nations’ leaders together.

sokka has never actually been to the fn before and it’s not like he’s heard the most amazing things about it back home, but he’s gonna be with yue, and katara and aang are going to meet up with them in time for the holiday after aang is finished with his pre-planned visit with the earth king. he’s there as a representative of the SWT, yes, but this visit is mainly business between the NWT and the fire nation (cuz of where the waters they’re discussing are, idk) so he’s essentially just here to keep up appearances, and to offer his input when needed, which is why hakoda felt it appropriate to send him in his stead. so… some political stuff, but this is mostly just going to be a vacation for him. (there probably already is some kind of au like this out there tbf)

they arrive and are welcomed by fire lord iroh and his family. son and crown prince lu ten, as well as iroh’s brother prince ozai and his wife and children. the overall first impressions are…colorful…but iroh receives them warmly and lu ten seems cool enough for a crown prince.

they’re not to start negotiations until the next day, so iroh tasks his nephew zuko with giving yue and sokka a tour of the palace. he thinks it’s a wonderful idea because zuko is around the same age as yue and sokka, but it becomes apparent very quickly that tour-guiding is not one of zuko’s strengths (although sokka wagers he’d still rather have him as the tour guide than his sister azula, who clearly did not have the warm and fuzzies for any of them). he tries to make jokes in such a dry tone that yue and sokka can’t tell that they’re jokes. he’s prickly when sokka offers his own sarcastic commentary and then when he realizes sokka was being just that, sarcastic, tries to make up for it by overcompensating with another terribly timed joke.

he relaxes a little when yue starts to ask light, but thoughtful questions that get thoughtful answers out of him. they have being royal children in common and find out they share a distaste for the same things that come with the title. by the end of the tour, he’s wearing an easy smile as he asks some palace staff to see yue and sokka to their rooms to rest before dinner.

sokka does not retain much from the tour (seriously, there’s only so many times one can say “and this room is the ___” with no other details as the 3 of you just stare into an empty room before moving on) other than being totally smitten with zuko.

yue clocks this immediately and sneakily arranges them to sit together at dinner. and by “arranges” i mean “pretends the cushion on her seat is too soft for her liking and asks sokka to switch seats with her loud enough that sokka can’t refuse without everyone noticing and thinking he’s being rude to the princess, which puts him right next to zuko.” the cushion is fine. what does “too soft” even mean? he grumbles as much to himself, which zuko overhears and lets out a surprised little laugh at, and that interests sokka much more than the cushion. “you know, i’m something of a prince myself back home…”

they continue to talk and laugh throughout dinner, zuko having relaxed that much more since the Tour That Shall Not Be Named, and later sokka feels eyes burning into the side of his head. he turns, expecting to catch yue being not subtle at all, but instead finds prince ozai, zuko’s dad, leering at him from down the other end of the table. sokka assumes that he’ll glance away once he knows he’s been caught, but ozai’s eyes just grow darker as he holds his stare.

unnerved, sokka turns his attention back towards zuko, who doesn’t seem to have noticed the interaction as he continues telling sokka about something called the ember island players while he pokes at his food. (i do think zuko is burned before this but i can’t think of a way to have that be true and have iroh be fire lord without ozai being dead or banished so… just let that be a plot hole in this fake fic. maybe it happened while azulon was still alive so iroh couldn’t do anything about it at the time. sure idk)

the negotiations begin the next day and sokka sits dutifully at yue’s side during the meetings, but zuko’s there too sitting next to lu ten and they quite literally can’t stop glancing at each other with furtive smiles, so much so that lu ten even elbows zuko to get him to pay attention. yue hides a laugh in her sleeve and disguises it as a cough.

they break for the day and zuko sidles up to sokka on their way out and asks if he’d like to see the palace gardens, which he didn’t get the chance to show him and yue yesterday. yue’s already gone off somewhere with arnook and iroh, and although sokka reallyyyyyy doesn’t want to relive any more of Zuko the Tour Guide, he won’t pass up the chance to spend time with zuko one on one. it ends up not exactly being one on one, and not really a tour either, as they end up at the turtleduck pond and find zuko’s mother already there. they spend some time with her, ursa teaching sokka how to get a turtleduck to come to him (a work in progress) and then lending him a scroll of old fire nation poems he might like. eventually zuko invites sokka back to his quarters for tea and they leave the pond.

finally alone, sokka thinks to himself when they reach zuko’s rooms. zuko brews them some tea, making small talk about how his uncle taught him the best way how, and pours some for sokka and then himself before sitting down at the table.

they sip their tea for a little while, chatting aimlessly, and sokka tries to act cool and collected while feeling anything but. eventually there’s a pause, and zuko gently places his teacup down and says, casually, “i actually don’t really like tea.”

sokka’s heart rate picks up as he places his own teacup down and says, “me neither.”

their eyes meet, another pause, and then the two of them scramble out of their seats to create their own meaning of diplomatic relations rather enthusiastically.

the week continues on like this, daytime political negotiations followed by a deeply satisfying rendezvous in whatever secret corner of the palace zuko brings him to next. or one of their rooms. beds are usually a good fallback. sokka is very much enjoying his first visit to the fire nation. he will absolutely be recommending it on trip advisor.

the vibes from ozai get increasingly whack, though, as the days pass. there’s a tension coming from his end of the table at dinner every night that only sokka seems to notice, although he does catch zuko minutely shrinking under his gaze once or twice. he’s not going to ask zuko about his dad issues, but something tells him there’s something bigger going on with ozai.

so in between his meetings of the political kind and his meetings of the… carnal kind, sokka snoops.

this is where the “leading threats” part comes in (finally, you’re thinking). sokka finds out in ways i do not feel like figuring out or describing that ozai is planning a coup to overthrow both iroh and lu ten so he can take over. he’s planning on using the visit from the water tribe officials as a cover — he plans to frame iroh and lu ten’s deaths as murders by the water tribe, then kill the water tribe officials themselves so they can’t clear their names. not only will this get ozai to the throne, it’ll give him a clear cut motive to restart the war that his brother ended.

sokka also discovers that ozai is not acting alone — he’s roped azula into masterminding much of the logistics of the coup, but also he’s coerced ursa into being involved with the actual murders (she poisoned azulon in canon right? or something? whatever it is, ozai is having her do that to iroh and lu ten) under threat of zuko’s death.

so yeah, sokka’s secret boyfriend does not have a chill family.

i think sokka would not immediately tell zuko (or anyone else) because 1) he doesn’t want to risk the consequences of being wrong and 2) he’s not sure if he 100% trusts that zuko isn’t also involved, even if it is coercion like ursa. not wanting to risk the consequences of being wrong is also why he doesn’t alert the rest of the water tribe or iroh & lu ten. this is a hugely serious accusation against ozai and by association, the fire nation, and if sokka’s wrong the diplomatic fallout would be catastrophic. beyond repair.

so he decides to try and usurp ozai himself and catch him red-handed. it does not go well. he’s quickly apprehended by azula and ends up becoming ozai’s hostage. ozai probably says some mean shit about zuko and their relationship. i think it’d be really evil if he told sokka that he’s gonna kill him and make it look like zuko did it. etc. (this would also confirm for sokka that zuko is definitely not involved)

not sure exactly how we get from point a to point b but i imagine sokka either finds a creative way to escape and alerts the others, and/or this is when aang and katara arrive and aang swoops in and takes care of business (this is, let’s say, the day before the holiday i mentioned), and/or ozai is intercepted by zuko, lu ten, and iroh because sokka is not as subtle as he thinks (the bar is low, okay? his best friend is yue) and zuko picked up on something being off. maybe it’s a big fight scene combining all of these things. let your imagination run wild!

“dude, your family is kinda…” sokka would shout to zuko while they’re fighting side by side (idk i imagine ozai has some other buff lackeys working for him too, guards he turned to his side, what have you).

“yeah, i know,” zuko would respond sheepishly.

“it’s okay, i still think you’re hot!” sokka would reassure him.

it ends with ozai being imprisoned. i think because this coup was a more short-term plan than ozai’s whole plot in canon, his claws aren’t sunk so deep into azula that she has the same mental break that she has in canon. i say she and ursa are sent to ember island for awhile on “house arrest” as like, diet banishment. not full banishment. azula is a child and ursa was clearly under extreme duress and truly believed ozai would kill zuko if she did not comply (he would have). azula and ursa can work on their shit while they’re away.

the next day is the fire nation holiday, and the royals & officials make a lovely public appearance as iroh formally begins the festivities. the trade negotiations are settled, so all there’s left to do is party. aang, katara, sokka, yue and zuko hang out around the festival, checking out performances and trying new foods.

eventually zuko pulls sokka away from the rest of the group and they hide behind a larger tent. “you know, i don’t actually care if people know. i just figured it wasn’t the best thing to advertise during the, y’know. diplomacy stuff,” sokka says, taking zuko’s hands.

“me too,” zuko replies. “but also, it’s kinda fun?”

“definitely,” sokka agrees and then pulls zuko into a kiss.

later (much later), sokka and zuko are meandering through the festival stalls, swinging their clasped hands between them, when zuko sees a stall selling messenger hawks. “do they receive mail in the southern water tribe?” he jokes, reaching up to stroke under the chin of the closest hawk.

“you know, i’ll have to get back to you on that one,” sokka says, rubbing his chin and pretending to look unsure. zuko elbows him. “you’d better write me. i know where you live, you know,” sokka adds.

“and you’d better write back. i don’t know where you live, but i’m told i’m pretty good at tracking.”

“tempting,” sokka hums. “that would be one way to get you down to the southern water tribe, i guess.”

“you know, my uncle has mentioned recently that i should probably do more traveling. get to know more about the other nations so i can help lu ten when he’s fire lord,” zuko says casually as they pass by another stall.

“he has, huh?” sokka tugs zuko into his side.

zuko smiles. “yep.”

“he has a point. international diplomacy is invaluable. just ask aang.”

“right,” zuko says, staring at sokka’s mouth. “international diplomacy.”

sokka thinks he says something like mhmm or uh huh in response but he quickly loses track of anything that isn’t zuko kissing him, so he lets it go.

the next day, zuko grabs a sheet of paper and goes to his desk with a fresh well of ink before sokka’s ship has even dipped from the horizon.

-

[if you can stand me writing more insanely long shit like this, weeks late, send me a title and i’ll tell you what kind of fic i’d write for it!]

[hybrid-angelic]

Okay here me out in this okay- me and my man watch Elemental recently, and like- one of the key point yanno was like “oh yeah temper can be from something you aren’t ready to hear or something you don’t wanna do blah blah blah” right, got it- good….

I’m

Then I realized… there is a specific set in of characters… in a really specific show…That fit this perfectly.

These three, while they aren’t the only ones. These are perfect examples of it!!!

Katara’s temper was always there, up until she FINALLY came to terms with her Moms death, with Tophs antics, and with her father leaving. When she FINALLY spoke on those issues and worked through them, and finally said what she didn’t want to hear. That violence and revenge wouldn’t fix what happened to her mother, that Toph had just as rough of a time, but in a different way and was coping in her own way too, and that her dad didn’t want to leave, but that he was so proud of who his children had become and wished so badly that he coulda been there. She’s the perfect example of someone who could function with the temper, but didn’t want to face it.

Zuko constantly argued with his uncle, and even when he admitted that his uncle might be right, he did so begrudgingly. All through season 1, he was hotheaded and angry, because he, unbeknownst to him, was fighting for something he didn’t agree with, never taking the time to ask what he wanted. In ba sing se, his temper went away because finally, he could be a kid, he could do casual life stuff, he could relax! But- it came back when he went back home. To where he was expected to live a life he didn’t want. Zuko NEVER wanted to fight on this side of the war, he did so because that’s what his father wanted for him, he did so because that’s what was expected of him. Iroh was right. He did lose his way. And it took a lot of work, but he found it again, and realized the reason he was truly happy after his fever had passed in ba sing se, was cause he did something not just for the good of himself, but for the good of someone who was, in all accounts, innocent. He found his purpose again, and found what he truly wanted. Not his honor, but to be loved, and to love.

Azula though? She’s never got that arc. Her temper came from a very similar place that Zuko’s did, but was groomed and honed at a very young age, drilled and taught that no matter what, she had to do what was expected. She was 14, and already using fear and violence to get what she wanted. But- she was always angry. Even if she didn’t show it. But it didn’t truly take hold until after their vacation to ember island. She was snappy and rude when talking to Ty Lee, but then admitted she was jealous. A lot of people chalk that up to manipulation but, I think that was genuine- she genuinely wanted advice, and even used it with Chen! Chen rejected her after she tried to use fear again though, and she snapped at Zuko shortly after, until she confided in her view on her mom. But then the Boiling Isles happened. When Mai told her she loved Zuko, more than she feared Azula. Azula didn’t want to hear it. She couldn’t fathom that love could beat fear and hate. Because that’s not what she was told her whole life. Because, again, that’s how she thought her own mom thought about her and zuko. So, she started doubting what she wanted- she even seemed hesitant to accept the role as firelord, and became more angry, more unstable. Because she never had that person to bring her back. She was groomed to be a monster at such a young age, so when her world view was challenged, she had no where to go, no support to tell her what she needed to hear. A temper that flared out of control-

I stand by the fact that this show is fucking genius.

[hello-nichya-here]

What is your opinion on Katara as a character. How do you think she should develop after the show ends. Many were upset at her comics portrayal almost as much as Azula.

As I've said before, the comics are just Yang's fanfic, with Zuko being his self-insert into the story. I do not take it as canon.

As for Katara in the original show, I actually had a conversation about it with @dragomer very recently. Our conclusion was basically that she is mostly a good character that we still like, but there were moments when the writers dropped the ball simply because of lack of attention.

She starts off struggling to bend, especially when compared to Aang, then suddenly she can put up a pretty good fight against Pakku, becomes Aang's teacher, and is basically shown as a prodigy.

We see her steal from pirates and use the fact that they stole all the stuff they have as an excuse, then berate Toph for doing the exact same thing in "The Runaway"

Again, it's nothing too major, say like the complete character assassination everyone went through in the comics, but it could have and should have been done better, especially in the later seasons (I give book 1 a bit of pass since the writers were still kind of figuring the characters and world out).

For her future, I imagine that she will still be with Aang, and they'll spend half of their time in the South Pole, trying to rebuild it with her family, and the other half flying all over the world to help people, or to visit their friends, or just because they want to go on a vacation somewhere nice. Whenever she's not on work mode, she's playing, being goofy, just relaxing a bit, or enjoying some quality time with her loved ones.

She'll be a known healer and fighter, and will sometimes teach some special classes in the North Pole, but mostly her focus is on helping the waterbenders of her own tribe as it grows once more.

I see her and Aang getting married in their early 20s, but only having kids much later on (mid to late 30s), when they're more mature and the world doesn't need their help as much as it used to on the years immediately after the war.

I see her, Aang, and honestly the entire Gaang, being the kind of old people that are trouble makers, way more than they ever were as kids, because with the world almost completely stable, and their children fully raised and independent, they don't owe shit to nobody anymore and will do whatever they want.

Katara will be probably be the kind, loving granny that will just say some wild shit about her life when she was younger to bait her grandkids into begging her to tell them about how awesome and badass she is and she will go "Well, if you insist... here's how I literally I brought your grandpa back to life, saving him, the Avatar cycle, and the world all at once"

[elcias-diary]

I like to think Zuko does eventually quietly hand Azula documents from the Father Lord's era that reveal how poorly the country was being run behind the war front and little Miss Hyper Efficiency Perfectionism simply can't help herself.

Like, she probably starts doing the mental math and soon she's torching her desk because, like, the Fire Nation had been on a fast track to wide spread food shortages or something.

And that would have been before Ozai's comet fueled slash and burn tactics he'd basically prompted her to voice for him. Y'all remember the Painted Lady episode right? Think of that village as just one of hundreds outside the capital or the rich people vacation hot spot of Ember Island. (he who burns the fall crops in the land he is trying to take over when the home country's productivity is being slowly smothered by the environmental impact of war has no right to be so proud of himself).

And Azula further loses it at the number of incompetent bootlickers her father had running the non-war related offices. She sends for a document or some other information and none of the old men running around bowing can answer her questions. She tells them she wouldn't trust them to keep tabs on a single toddler (Mai's parent's level of competence comes to mind) in a private palace courtyard let alone the day to day running of her country and fires most of them on the spot.... (With only minimal blue flames involved, won't Zuzu be so proud of her). Soon half the domestic affairs offices are being run by much younger people. People who almost meet her unrealistic expectations. Not surprisingly many are female. Only slightly surprisingly (given her use of the Di Li) many are colony kids of mixed heritage.

Many, many of the old regime and their sympathizers are not pleased but who's going to argue with the pet dragon keeping Fire Lord and his 'I have shot lightning with intent to kill before, hope you have the Avatar's healer girlfriend on speed dial' sister?

Azula as Zuko’s Royal Advisor is where I see her ending up after everything is said and done. And yes I am ignoring the messy trash that is the comics. 

Zuko hands Azula his regency seal and then foists all his paperwork off onto her as revenge for trying to kill him. She swears up and down that this is much worse then what she put him through; he just laughs at her.

[zuko-always-lies]

Every Single Time Azula Insults or Criticizes Zuko

"The Avatar State":

Zuko:[Angrily.] What are you doing here?

Azula: [Holds up a shell in her hand.] In my country, we exchange a pleasant hello before asking questions. [Rises and walks toward Zuko and Iroh.] Have you become uncivilized so soon, Zuzu?

2.

Azula: You know, Father blames Uncle for the loss of the North Pole. And he considers you a miserable failure for not finding the Avatar! [Cuts to Zuko, who is panting heavily.] Why would he want you back home, except to lock you up [Cuts back to Azula.] where you can no longer embarrass him?

"Zuko Alone":

1.

Young Azula: You waste all your time playing with knives. You're not even good!

2.

Young Azula: [Sits back down, and looks at Zuko out of the corner of her eye and whispers.] You'll never catch up …

"The Chase":

Azula: [Coolly.] You mean you haven't guessed? You don't see the family resemblance? Here's a hint. [Covers her eye and deepens her voice, imitating Zuko.] I must find the Avatar to restore my honor! [Aang remains silent; back in her normal voice.] It's okay, you can laugh. It's funny.

"The Crossroads of Destiny":

Azula: You're so dramatic. What? Are you going to challenge me to an Agni Kai?

"The Beach"

Zuko:[Cut to closer view of Zuko and Mai. Angrily.] Doing nothing is a waste of time. [Rises from his seat next to Mai.] We're being sent away on a forced vacation. [Walks over and grips the railing of the boat.] I feel like a child. Azula:[Frontal view.] Lighten up. So Dad wants to meet with his advisors alone, without anyone else around. Don't take it personally.

2.

Zuko:[Frontal view from behind the girls. Losing it now; furiously.] I'm angry at myself!Slamming down with his clenched fists he causes the camp fire to turn into a pillar of fire, the girls recoil from the flames. Cut to close-up view from above of Zuko. Cut to a wide-view of the entire campsite as the flame dies down. Zuko turns away. Azula: Why? Zuko[Close-up.] Because I'm confused. Because I'm not sure I know the difference between right and wrong anymore. Azula: You're pathetic.

"The Avatar and the Firelord"

1.

Azula: It's never too early for a sitting with the court painter, Zuko. Make sure he gets your good side.

2.

Zuko: But how did he die? Azula: [Turning toward Zuko.] Didn't you pay any attention in school, Zuko? He died peacefully, in his sleep. [Cut to a shot of the full room, as Azula walks away.] He was ancient.

"Nightmares and Daydreams"

Azula: Hello, Zuzu. If you've come for a royal hair-combing, I'm afraid you'll have to wait. Zuko: So I guess there's a big war meeting coming up, huh? And apparently I'm not welcome there. Azula: What do you mean? Of course you're welcome there! Zuko: Oh, yeah?! I guess that's why no one bothered to tell me about it! Azula: Oh, Zuko. Don't be so dramatic. I'm certain Dad wants you there. You probably just weren't invited because it's so obvious you're supposed to be there. Zuko: Well, were you invited? Azula: Of course! I'm the princess. Zuko: And I'm the prince! Azula: Exactly, so stop acting like a paranoid child! Just go to the meeting.

"Sozin's Comet Part III":

Zuko: Sorry, but you're not gonna become Fire Lord today. [Jumps off Appa.] I am. Azula: [Laughs.] You're hilarious.

The most consistent things she criticizes him for are being too "dramatic" and immature.

[stitchlingbelle]

Watching Avatar, Part 10

5. “The Beach”: Ok, I know I’ve heard the name Ember Island before, but I was pretty sure it was an episode title, so clearly we’re coming back here? Vacation as liminal space? The teen drama was a bit much for me, having left that behind me many years ago, and a bit much for my kid, who’s just about to hit it and took it a little personally. (Especially Azula’s cruelty. It made me laugh just for being so over-the-top, but my kid was Not a fan.) (“My mother thought I was a monster! I mean, she wasn’t wrong, but it still hurt” was a freaking iconic line though.) Combustion Man seemed like a throwback to the first season, just with more firepower.

6. “The Avatar and the Firelord”: I didn’t know what to expect from this episode title but a history lesson wasn’t it. Great choice though, it was really gripping and ultimately heartbreaking. Really loved getting to see how a “normal” Avatar’s life went, with peeks at the four elements’ cultures before the war. Plus it’s always nice to see Gyatso and Roku in general. (Is Zuko finally going to get it together?)

7. “The Runaway”: Fun to see the writers playing with structure to create tension in this episode—they’re not just scamming the townies, they’re scamming us the audience! Again, Combustion Man just brings Season One Vibes with him. I liked getting to see Katara and Toph bond more and heal a bit from their respective parental trauma. And as always, I loved seeing someone level up their bending—in this case, Katara with the sweat-is-water (where was THAT revelation back in the desert).

8. “The Puppetmaster”: WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK what was this, the Halloween special???? I guess the logical other side of humanizing the Fire Nation by showing they can be good is humanizing the “good guys” of the Southern Water Tribe by showing they can be equally bad, but damn. That was fucked up. I know I said I loved watching the benders level up their skills, but _Not Like This_

[juniperhillpatient]

zuko and azula are emotionally mature or emotionally immature?

This is an interesting question! I would say the fire siblings are both quite emotionally immature to a pretty extreme degree, just in very different ways.

I would argue that Azula throughout the series is more emotionally mature than Zuko is throughout the series. In The Beach, she comforts Ty Lee when she accidentally snaps & says something rude & goes to check on Zuko in their old vacation home, knowing he'll be there & upset. In The Beach, Zuko can't even deal with Mai speaking to another male their age & spends the whole time raging. However, I think Zuko, by the end of the series though, is more emotionally mature than Azula is by the end of the series. This may be unpopular among Azula fans but I think it's true. Zuko rejects Fire Nation ideology ("Growing up, we were taught that the Fire Nation was the greatest civilization in history. And somehow, the War was our way of sharing our greatness with the rest of the world. What an amazing lie that was") & his father's treatment of him ("For so long, all I wanted was for you to love me, to accept me. I thought it was my honor that I wanted, but really, I was just trying to please you. You, my father, who banished me just for talking out of turn. My father, who challenged me, a 13-year-old boy, to an Agni Kai. How can you possibly justify a duel with a child? It was cruel! And it was wrong.")

Azula meanwhile is still stuck in a childlike ideology wherein questioning the values drilled into her head or her father is not an option by the end of the series. This is because she is not given the space to explore the world & learn & grow & gain other experiences like her big brother. I would say that emotional maturity is the ability to understand yourself & others & empathize as well as the ability to make your own decisions & come to your own conclusions about your values.

Both siblings lack emotional maturity because they were raised by a father who values the war effort & his own political power above his family. He pits his children against one another in an unfair competition.

Unfortunately, even by the end of the series, neither sibling has totally broken free of their father's mentality. The main evidence of this? They're still viewing one another through the lens of an enemy standing in the way of what they want. In the finale, when Azula feels dismissed she says "you can't treat me like Zuko." Which is...telling. Zuko hasn't really grown out of seeing Azula as the thing standing in his way of everything he wants either. Is a boy who says he wants to put his sister "in her place" (referring to a potentially deadly battle) really past his jealousy & inferiority complex over her? It's not so different from his mentality all the way back in The Siege of the North ("There's always something. Not that you would understand. You're like my sister. Everything always came easy to her. She's a firebending prodigy, and everyone adores her. My father says she was born lucky. He says I was lucky to be born. I don't need luck, though. I don't want it. I've always had to struggle and fight and that's made me strong. It's made me who I am.")

For Zuko & Azula to truly emotionally mature they would have to reject their father's ideology & treatment of them (which is why I think Zuko is closer by the end of the series) as well as the false narrative Ozai has them believing that they are one another's enemies. Ozai turns Zuko & Azula against one another (calling Azula "born lucky" dismissing her hard work & insulting Zuko in one go & reminding Zuko that he's "lucky he was born") & I think he also contributed to turning Azula against her mother. Azula's similarities to Ozai in attitude, intelligence, firebending skill & ambition are pretty hard to miss & we see how Azula is certain her own mother "thought she was a monster." Sure, that perceived rejection could be all on Ursa, or it could be Azula being delusional. There's not enough evidence to be certain. But we can be certain Ozai pits the siblings against one another so why wouldn't he pit Azula against her missing mother too, isolating her & making her worship him above all else?

This got away from me but my point is that Ozai shows signs of a textbook manipulator & abuser. Breaking away from that mentality & recognizing the lies is a huge step toward emotional maturity & it is possible for both siblings to reach a healthier emotional place but it would take work, time, & willingness to change.

TLDR: the fire siblings are both super fucked up & emotionally immature but with the capacity to change

Thank you for the ask!

[blatantescapism]

Crossover fic prompt:

what if Marcille got isekai-swapped with Aang about a third of the way through both stories. Pissed off lady just wants to get back to rescuing her girlfriend, but the only way to get back is to take on the Fire Nation. Sokka decides the best strategy to avoid panic over the disappearance of the Avatar is to pretend that Aang turned into a girl. Shenanigans ensue.

Marcille gets to enjoy applied academic research as she figures out how to imitate actual bending with her spells. (She also often says fuck it and uses whatever magic is most OP. Toph thinks she’s a hoot.)

Aang gets to have a fun vacation trying monster food. (Senshi immediately is like I’m a dad now, I must protect this child)

Everything seems to be going well…,

(Dungeon Meshi spoilers under the cut! Also Atla spoilers, although we’re rather past the statute of limitations there)

… but:

when Marcille brought her magic into the Atla world, she also brought a part of the Winged Lion with her.

and Zuko and Azula are both burning with unfulfilled wishes.

(The Spirit World is the space between and overlapping the two universes, and the source of both magic and bending. The Winged Lion is essentially a feral orphan Spirit.)

With the Winged Lion rooted in hosts in both worlds, things get messy and the dimensions merge. However, once the Atla spirits become aware of the Lion’s existence, they are able to contain some of the damage. Civilians are not helpless. Everyone’s actions matter. Atla folks are fighting monsters like wtf where did these come from. Political schemers from both worlds are trying to figure out the expanded chessboard. Heroes join forces. Regular folks establish trade. Ozai’s war crimes don’t lose meaning in the face of a larger threat.

It’s important that the spirit apocalypse does not overshadow the importance of individual character arcs. Everyone has to have their cathartic moment of badassery and personal growth, because that is absolutely key to the thesis of combining these stories. It’s about not allowing your self to be devoured by your passions; instead, being passionately true to yourself. Taking responsibility for your own choices, instead of trying to control others.

Zuko channels the lightning without letting it touch his heart. Aang accepts his role as the Avatar, but does not sacrifice his pacifist ideals.

Azula and Thistle both get nibbled on, but have enough personality left that they both get a hopeful ending where they might eventually heal from their shared experience of the “fucked up childhood / impossible parental expectations / toxic amounts of power / lack of normal human friendship / had a mental breakdown / demon ate me” situation.

I feel like Senshi and Sokka would vibe so hard. Chilchuck and Sokka too. It’d take a bit for Chilchuck to get used to his antics, but they would get along so well during strategy time

omg YES and can you imagine Laios and Sokka designing an invention together???

Oh lord, or eating Cactus