#also gotta love that earth bender stance there

[everyryuujisuguro]

[e-e-e-s-the-avatar]

SOmething explained in the Kyoshi book is how similar earth and firebending are. They both have a more obvious disciplined approach when learning compared to air and water. Both have a huge emphasis on the power of a good horse stance (which we see azula, toph, aang, and zuko all display). The bending overlaps are so facinating!

Definitely definitely definitely!  I mean, "The greatest illusion of this world is the illusion of separation," right?   

About similarities in bending, I love the connection between discipline and staying rooted for both earth and fire!  I also think firebenders and airbenders are the only ones we see meditating, which might have something to do with how intangible their elements are in their natural state, or how they’re both very connected to breath.  I think Katara shows Aang some yoga meditations, which are much more kinetic - an interesting difference.  

I’m sure there are tons of connections like that between the four elements! I mean, when Roku shows up to smack some sense into Jeong Jeong, he says the avatar has mastered the elements a thousand times in a thousand lifetimes.  This world has a long, rich history, and 100 years of separation won't erase that.  I think it makes total sense that the bending disciplines would have similar techniques based on similarities in their elements.  Some of them might even be techniques that benders developed together, that then became a part of their own respective elements' canons as the years passed.

That’s with bending in general.  

What gets to me is singling out Iroh or Zuko as the only ones (besides Aang) borrowing from and adapting other bending disciplines, and that almost all their bending is inspired by the other elements.  That’s when it feels like we’re getting carried away, and it makes me cranky because it keeps happening and: 

1) I don’t know that any of those close readings of Zuko’s moves in the Agni Kai are based on anything more than broad generalizations about the disciplines, like spinning = airbending and squatting = earthbending.  We gotta be a lil more specific for me to buy it.  Show me the move, and show me that Zuko saw it and had never done anything like that before but started doing it after.

2) Nobody seems to be checking to see if those moves might actually be firebending moves that are being ignored in favor of confirmation bias around quasi-avatar Zuko.

 and 3) why must we assume that almost everything Zuko or Iroh does is taken from other elements?  They’re firebenders, and it’s ok to let them be firebenders sometimes.  

Look, i get it’s an exciting idea, but labeling everything they do as moves from other elements feels overly simplistic and speculative and it also feels like it’s discounting firebending and i am not here for that and i will probably continue to be cranky about it until someone can actually prove to me that Zuko and Iroh are using a whole new universal bending lexicon.       

Sorry for getting cranky about atla and quasi-avatar Zuko.  I just have a lot of thoughts.

Also, I really need to get ahold of the Kyoshi novel - it seems like there’s a ton of lore tucked in there.  I hope it’s really good!

[sassycassie-s-writing]

South Pole Wedding

By: SassyShoulderAngel319

Fandom/Character(s): Avatar: The Last Airbender/Zuko, Aang, Katara

Rating: PG

Original Idea: Nothing in particular. An argument could be made for This Imagine even though it’ll be used in more depth later

Notes: (Masterlist)(By Character)(About Me) This one is a doozy. 2,500 words long! Hope you like it! @welovegroot

^^^^^

I shivered, teeth chattering. “W-we do-on’t belo-o-ong h-here,” I managed to get out through my shaking.

Zuko didn’t seem quite as perturbed by the environment as I was. “Really? What gave it away?” he asked with his wry, dry sarcasm.

“We-we’re F-Fireb-benders.” I held myself and tried to keep warm. This was ridiculous. “Wh-why c-c-couldn’t A-Aang ‘n’ K-K-Katara g-get mmmmmarried at the S-Southern Air T-Temple? It’s wwwarmer there.”

Zuko wrapped me up in a hug, pulling his cloak around both of us. There was an amused grin on his face. Didn’t matter that I had the same number of layers on as he did and was also a master Firebender, I couldn’t get warm for some reason. “Better?” he asked. Under his cloak it was comfortably warm and my shivering eased out, teeth ceasing to chatter.

I nodded. “Much,” I said. “How come you and I are wearing almost the same thing but you’re fine and I'm freezing?”

His amused grin widened. He shrugged. “Men tend to be warmer in their limbs. Women in their cores.”

“Rude,” I muttered.

“I'm not meaning to be rude, darling. I'm just saying that’s why I seem warmer.”

I grunted, snuggling against his chest. “Zuko, you’ve been the Fire Lord for almost ten years,” I said. Well, about eight. But whatever. Eight was, by definition, almost ten.

“Yes I have. What’s your point?”

“Do your advisors and whatever keep nagging you to get married and have an heir?”

“Are you asking if it bothers me that Aang is four years younger than me and getting married before I am?” he asked, almost playfully.

“Well… that wasn’t what I was asking but now that you’ve brought it up I want the answer to that too.” I giggled and held him tighter. I felt him chuckle in his chest as his hand cradled the back of my head.

“Yes, my advisors have been talking about it for a while. I’ve gotten pretty good at ignoring them and brushing it off. And no, it doesn’t bother me that Aang is getting married before I am. It’s a bit odd because I still see him as an awkward, irritating twelve-year-old sometimes, but it doesn’t bother me.”

I giggled. “I’ll take your word for it.” A thought struck me, and I started laughing.

“What?” Zuko asked.

“I just imagined your advisors—bunch-a stuffy old nobles telling this young war hero that he needs to settle down and get married while they all turn beet red in frustration at their leader’s blasé refusal.”

That got him to chuckle too. “Yeah it is pretty funny,” he agreed. “They get so huffy about it.” He rubbed my back. “C’mon. I'm going to show you a Firebending trick that’ll keep you warm down here.”

“Oh goody,” I said.

^^^^^

“Katara! Aang!” I shouted when our ship touched down at the Southern Water Tribe. It had grown bigger and more prosperous since the last time I saw it. I ran down the front ramp of the boat and staggered through the snow to reach them. Gosh I hated snow, but it was so good to see our friends again.

The bride- and groom-to-be both whirled around and rushed toward me—and Zuko who was following behind a little slower. They threw me into a double-hug. “It’s so good to see you!” Katara said.

“You too, guys! Gah. I missed you so much!”

“We missed you too,” Aang agreed.

Zuko caught up. “Hey,” he greeted.

“Zuko!” Katara and Aang dragged the hug over to include him too. “How are you buddy?” Aang asked.

“Doin’ alright. Thanks,” Zuko said, a little rigid in the hug.

“I heard you two are together now,” Katara said, releasing us from the hug.

“We… we are,” Zuko agreed. His hand rested on the small of my back.

“How’s that going?” Katara asked.

“Great!” I replied brightly, beaming at them. “So? Excited? Nervous?”

“All the above?” Aang suggested.

The four of us laughed.

“Where’s Sokka?” Zuko asked.

“Trying to wrangle Toph into wearing shoes for the wedding,” Katara answered.

We all snorted.

“Even here? Where there’s very little earth—if any—and it’s coated in freezing-cold snow?” I asked.

Katara shrugged. “You know Toph,” she said.

Yeah. The most stubborn—and powerful—Earthbender on the planet.

“Listen, Katara, Aang, I’m sorry we couldn’t come earlier to help out more—” Zuko began, before getting cut off.

“Don’t be silly,” Katara interrupted. “You have a country to run. And I'm sure this one—” She nudged me with her elbow, hard. “—is busy doing everything she can to help you. We understand that you can’t take that much time out of your lives to come down here. It’s a lot of work.”

“Thank you for understanding,” I said quietly, putting my hand on her arm to get her attention. She gave me a smile.

“Of course,” she said quietly.

“Come on!” Aang said, beckoning us closer to the village—that was really thriving as more than a village now. “Let’s get inside. It’s warmer there!”

Thank the lion-turtles.

Looping my arm through Zuko’s elbow, we followed after Aang and Katara. I glanced over at Zuko. “Remember the first time we came here?” I asked quietly.

He chuckled. “How could I forget?” he replied.

^^^^^

“Prince Zuko, this is a bad idea,” I said from the safe warmth inside the ship.

“NO! That light came from an incredibly powerful source! It MUST be the Avatar!” Zuko retorted.

I sighed. “Alright. If you insist,” I muttered.

“You just hate the cold,” Zuko spat.

I shrugged. Nothing I could say to defend myself that wasn’t a lie. “We’re Firebenders, sire,” I said instead. “We don’t belong in the cold.”

“Keep going. We’re going to capture the Avatar.”

“Yes, sire.”

^^^^^

“Toph! It’s great to see you again! You too, Sokka!” I said when Aang pulled us into a remarkably warm igloo that was two stories high and made of ice.

“Hey guys!” Sokka greeted, throwing me and Zuko into a bone-crushing hug.

“Oh. Hi Sokka,” Zuko ground out through the hug squeezing his lungs.

“Been a while,” I said.

“No kidding!”

I wriggled out of the hug to give Toph one. “Hey Toph,” I said.

“Hey, will you tell this lily-liver I'm not wearing shoes and I don’t care what he says?” Toph snapped.

“Good to see you too. Hey Sokka, Toph says you’re a lily-liver and she’s not wearing shoes no matter what you say,” I said, keeping the same friendly, but sarcastic tone throughout. Zuko escaped Sokka’s hug and stood behind me, putting me between him and Sokka. The two of them had always been close pals since Zuko’s change of heart, but Sokka’s hugs could be intense.

“Thanks,” Sokka said sarcastically. Zuko and I snickered.

“So. Is there anything Zuko and I can do now that we’re here?” I asked Katara.

“We could always use a hand lighting the torches and the fireplace in the great hall where the ceremony’s taking place,” Katara said.

“Right. Because Aang isn’t the Avatar and couldn’t do that,” Sokka muttered under his breath.

“Sokka,” I soothed. “Aang’s the one getting married. He’s busy and stressed. And lighting torches and a fireplace something Zuko and I can do with no problem. Come on, babe.” I grabbed Zuko’s wrist and followed Katara out of the igloo—back out into the freezing cold but Zuko’s Firebending trick worked like a charm—and through the town to the great hall.

“I gotta say, this place has come a long way since the first time I saw it,” Zuko said.

“No kidding,” Katara and I agreed at the same time. We giggled. “Jinx! Jinx again!” We kept laughing all the way to the great hall—which wasn’t terribly far away from the igloo that I assumed was someone’s home.

“Wooow!” I said when we got into the great hall. It was long and tall with torches between the sheer ice windows at regular intervals. “Y’know, I'm a little surprised you’re not getting married in Republic City.”

Katara shrugged. “This is home,” she said.

“I understand that. I always thought that if I got married I’d want to do it in the Fire Nation capital. Home,” I agreed.

“Really?” Zuko asked.

“Well sure,” I agreed. “Hey, babe, how about I get the fireplace and you get the torches. You’re taller and your fire reaches higher.”

His hand rested on the small of my back. “Good idea,” he said before moving to get started. I crossed with Katara to the fireplace. I bent down and aimed my fist at the piled-high fuel.

“So,” Katara said quietly. “What with all this talk of the wedding, when are you and Zuko getting married?”

My fire choked before it even appeared, a trickle of smoke drifting toward the ceiling. “Wha… what?!” I demanded softly. Over her shoulder, Zuko was shooting tongues of flame up to the torches, lighting them without any trouble.

“Well you’ve been together for a while, right?”

“I mean… well… yeah…”

“So? I'm sure he’s under pressure to get married, being the Fire Lord and all. So when’s it happening?”

“I… I don’t think either of us are ready yet,” I said. “I mean, yeah he’s under a lot of pressure from his advisors and court and the nobility and stuff to get married but there’s still so much work to do with Republic City and demilitarizing the Fire Nation and peacekeeping and, heck, just keeping the country running. There’s just no time for a wedding right now. Especially the Fire Lord’s. It’d require so much planning and preparation and it’d take forever and we don’t have a minute to spare yet.”

“Hey, listen. No one’s ever completely ready. Aang and I are both nervous,” Katara said as I dropped back into my stance and hurled a fireball at the fireplace. It caught the fuel and flames roared merrily. “But there’s never a right time. You just have to take the dive. If he asked you, would you say yes?”

“Of course,” I said. “I love him. He knows it. But… ah man.” I ran a hand over the top of my hair, smoothing down flyaways. “We just can’t right now.”

“Well. Maybe this’ll put him in the mood.”

I snorted. “Don’t say that out loud. You might jinx it.”

Katara grinned and giggled.

“What are you two ladies talking about?” Zuko asked as he made it to our side of the great hall. “Ooh. That bonfire feels great. Nice work, darling.”

“Thanks,” I said. He planted a kiss on my temple. “We’re just talking about the wedding.” He moved to light the next torch.

“And when yours might be,” Katara added mischievously.

Zuko’s fire choked the same way mine did. He dropped his fist and turned to stare at her. “What?” he asked.

She shrugged. “I just asked her when you two might follow suit.”

“And I said there’s no time right now,” I put in.

“That’s the truth,” Zuko muttered. “We all knew the end of the war wasn’t going to be easy.” He punched with his other fist, a jet of fire shooting up to the torch and catching it.

“But maybe that’s what the world needs right now,” Katara said.

“Katara,” Zuko said seriously. “The Avatar is getting married today. I think that’ll be enough for a good long while.”

“I'm just saying,” Katara said. She put her hands up and moved to leave the great hall. “See you guys back at the igloo.”

“See ya,” Zuko and I said at the same time.

Zuko sighed and dropped his hands before lighting the last few torches. “Maybe she has a point,” he muttered. “A show of… solidarity. Life in the Fire Nation is still going on as normally as it can—even with the demilitarization and the establishment of Republic City and everything that entails.”

“Zuko,” I said, taking his hand and arm in both of my hands. “Don’t rush into something like that for political reasons. If you want to marry me, make sure it’s for the right reason.”

“Darling, if I wanted to marry you, it’d be for love. I love you. I do. But I can’t always think just about me. There’s going to be a political angle on almost everything I do. It’s just part of being the Fire Lord.”

“I know. But don’t think we have to get married tomorrow because it would look good.”

“No I know. And I don’t think that. But it is something to think about.”

“Wait until you’re ready. Wait until we’re both ready. We’ve been together for nearly a year now, but that doesn’t mean it’s the right time.”

“Is there ever a right time?”

“As the Fire Lord? Maybe.” I brushed my fingers over the sides of his face and into his hair. “It’s a conversation we should have when we get home—or at least back on the ship. We don’t want to sully Aang and Katara’s wedding with our own worries.”

Zuko perked up. “Nope. You’re right. Let’s go.” He held his hand out for me. I took it and together we left the great hall.

^^^^^

The ceremony was great and the party afterwards was fun, and the next morning Aang and Katara had taken off on Appa for a honeymoon and Zuko and I were back on our ship heading home.

We found ourselves in the empty captain’s cabin galley, watching the water out the porthole.

“So I had a thought after Katara and Toph talked to me at the party,” Zuko said.

“Yeah?” I asked. I wondered what was coming. It could have been about maybe getting married, but with Zuko I never knew for certain. His mind was quick and tended to jump around as wildly as mine did. That, and I had no idea what Katara and Toph had talked to him about since I’d been on the other side of the hall talking to Sokka and Suki.

“We’re not ready to get married. Katara mentioned that no one’s ever really ready.”

“Right…”

“But, I can think of nothing better than spending the rest of my life with you,” Zuko said. I liked where he was going, but I stayed quiet to listen to the rest. “So, I was thinking, maybe we could get married next summer solstice? Is that enough time?”

“I… I think we can make it work,” I said. “Whether we and the world are ready or not—when it comes to politics.” I twiddled my thumbs. “If this is your way of proposing, by the way, it’s a little lackluster.”

“Well… I was going to wait till we got back to the Fire Nation and things settled down but… things will never settle down. That’s not how life works. Not ours anyway. So I might as well ask now.” He shoved his hand into his pocket and pulled out a beautiful red box. “Will you marry me on the next summer solstice?” The box opened to reveal a beautiful gold ring with a red stone.

“Of course.” I leaned forward and kissed him.