#basically zutara raises the avatar together | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

marlasomething · 2 years ago

Text

He compartido 4468 publicaciones este 2022

¡Son 3361 más que en 2021!

100 publicaciones originales (2 %)

4368 reblogueos (98 %)

Estos son los blogs que más he reblogueado:

@khaleesiinatardis

@a-mag-a-day

@little-lamb-lyosha

@trajektoria

@p1nkwitch

He etiquetado 194 publicaciones en 2022

#magnuspod: 62 publicaciones

#fanfic: 59 publicaciones

#the magnus archives: 56 publicaciones

#tma: 52 publicaciones

#writing: 44 publicaciones

#fic: 39 publicaciones

#ao3: 38 publicaciones

#fanfiction: 29 publicaciones

#self-promo: 22 publicaciones

#a mag a day: 22 publicaciones

Longest Tag: 53 characters

#right after i finished a tma episode...it was...weird

Mis publicaciones más populares este 2022:

Well, I have finished Dracula ONCE AGAIN...am I crying? Maybe, yeah.

This has been the time I enjoyed most right next to the very first read (because I obviously didn’t expect Dracula to be THAT).

I KNEW, I BLOODY KNEW that the last parragraphs basically put Mina in the status of main hero of the novel and YET, it caught me

21 notas. Fecha de publicación: 7 de noviembre de 2022

Zutara Month (Day 23): This Isn't My Idea

Hello there!

As usual, I cannot see a "challenge" and let it go so...Zutara month it is! First time writing for the fandom, I won't be able to do ALL DAYS (today, for example, I wrote this still on the nick of time, but now it is already technically the 25th...eh, sorry @zutaramonth)

I promise to write something Zutara based after this month a bit longer, I swear.

As usual, do please forgive my quick tipper and non-native speaker mistakes, MarlaAllons-y!

Also in AO3

Everyone in every corner of the world agreed: Katara was a Hero, with capital H.

Not only had she helped The Avatar himself to finish off with the worst dictator that humanity had seen in ages, but she was now sacrificing herself by marrying off to his son; so the peace with the Fire Nation became even more undeniable and, therefore, unbreakable.

Obviously, everybody knew this was just an arranged marriage for, as much as Prince Zuko (he still insisted he wasn’t ready yet to be King Zuko ), he was still the man that once had been every person fighting for freedom’s foe.

Also, she was the best friend of Aang; it was crystal clear they ought to have been in love. This was a tale as old as time: best hero-friends always fell in love.

Still, as much as they commented how mad and sad it made them the two heroic figures ending up together, they understood and thanked the now already young woman (no longer a teenager) for taking up such heavy weight over her shoulders.

They just wished Prince Zuko was more as he was trying to be in public lately than the way they all still pictured him in their minds…

~~~~~

As the doors closed behind them, Zuko buried his face in Katara’s shoulder, who just laughed, with relief.

“I guess now we can stop pretending we are just good friends without risking demonstrations all around every nation.”

He smirked at her comment and raised his head to look into her eyes. He still remembered the first time those eyes had truly seen him, back when they were still rivals and, yet, she had trusted him…

“I guess so…You know, I would have understood, if you hadn’t wanted to keep them. We are still young and now for a lot of people you are going to just be Zuko’s wife.”

She punched him in the arm.

“First of all; it is more hat you are going to become Katara’s husband and, secondly…I…I mean, we are only in our early twenties, but we have lived so much I feel ready to be a mom…as long as Iroh is around to help.”

Both laughed.

“How could he not be?” he held her hand. “Still…I am sorry so many people are going to think this is just an arranged marriage.”

“Well, I mean, as Toph said…all marriages need to be arranged, whatever the reason for said arrangement, that is our personal fucking business.”

And theirs was as good as they came.

25 notas. Fecha de publicación: 25 de abril de 2022

MARLA’S 2022 AO3 MASTERLIST

Hello there, Marla here!

This year I won’t be as messy as last year with my writing organisation so I am doing a 2022 Masterlist of everything published on AO3 to be updated as new stuff arrives! Yaih! All my nonsense at your disposition!

And, if you want to see what I wrote the previous year, not to worry, here it is my 2021 AO3 Masterlist

Now, with further ado, allons-y!

Long life and prosperity,

Marla

(The) Amelia Project

Amelia Caller: Dawn of the Characters: script I based my phone call recording ON THE AMELIA FEED on

Manage Your Clon-ishgo: Cocoa Challenge 2022 (Day 1)

This Could Be Me: Cocoa Challenge 2022 (Alternative promp)

Last of the Real Ones: Cocoa Challenge 2022 (Day 2)

The Fools Who Dream: Cocoa Challenge 2022 (Day 3)

Louder than the Weather: Cocoa Challenge 2022 (Alternative promp)

Goodbye To My Life: Cocoa Challenge 2022 (Day 4)

It’s the Hitmen’s Life: Cocoa Challenge 2022 (Alternative promp)

Fakenniversary: Cocoa Challenge 2022 (Day 5)

Everything Just Here All At Once: Cocoa Challenge 2022 (Alternative promp)

ATLA

Go Now: Zutara Month 2022

This Isn’t My Idea: Zutara Month 2022

Tea Nation: Zutara Month 2022

...Let Your Heart Decide?: Zutara Month 2022

Lonely Nation: High-school AU Zuko-centric

(The) Evil Dead

The Sorta Kinda Winding Road: Original Trilogy + 2013 Film crossover-ish

Good Omens

So Unaware Of My Status: A Visit From Miss Crowley Challenge

The Sound Of Leathered Women!: A Visit From Miss Crowley Challenge

Girl With A Tongue: A Visit From Miss Crowley Challenge

Descúbrela

43 notas. Fecha de publicación: 5 de enero de 2022

Lucy’s (My) Mom

Ok, a lot of people have already commented this, but from the very first time I read Dracula as a teen (right when I was starting to discover ‘sometimes parents do harmful things and even if the intentions are good there is no compulsory reason to automatically forgive them) I just couldn’t help but being extremely UPSET about Lucy’s mom.

It is not only this whole garlic incident, that is the equivalent of, for example, ‘I don’t understand why you keep going to the psycologist if you are not depressed anymore’: it doesn’t matter wether you have all the data or not, if someone is doing something that is ‘out of the usual norm’ and is very clearly related to a Health issue...let it BE or try to understand it, don’t take matters into your own hands and then BE PROUD OF ACTING OUT OF IGNORANCE.

The worst part, though, it’s all the previous behaviour. The whole not letting her sleep with her when it was clearly something HER DAUGHTER NEEDED, her being upset about Lucy’s FRIEND taking care of her (likely bcs she believed she knew better than her own daughter the people around her and their true intentions -again, been there-)...

...so yeah, I dislike her and, even though it is true more could have been communicated to her:

a) it is a horror story, lack of communitacion is almost a must

b) none of her actions should be done, no matter how much you know about the matter

69 notas. Fecha de publicación: 13 de septiembre de 2022

Mi publicación más popular de 2022

About Dracula Daily..

I know I am constantly saying this but...I am in TEARS about how much people are enjoying Dracula for the first time. It is one of my favourite novels of all times, I have read it three times and a half (I am counting Dracula Daily as the Fourth) and I usually having such a hard time trying to convince people about how AMAZING this(these) story(ies) is(are).

Fuck, whoever began Dracula Daily...I owe you my soul (and, please, we should do this with more classical pieces of literature)

Also, for today’s update: Farewell dear Captain, you will be remembered

247 notas. Fecha de publicación: 4 de agosto de 2022

Descubre tu resumen del 2022 en Tumblr →

#tumblr2022 #resumen del año #mi resumen del 2022 en tumblr #tu resumen del año en tumblr #year in review #my 2022 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review

2 notes · View notes

addictofreading · 5 years ago

Text

@zutaraweek

Zutara Week 2020 Day 3: Fuse

(Part 2/?)

Zuko had never been known for his calm and even temper. Even before his exile it wasn’t uncommon for him to blow up at someone when provoked. That it was a trait shared by most of his immediate family didn’t help him feel any better about it, especially when he knew half the palace staff was scared to even pass him in the halls when word got out he was angry. It was something he was working on and he usually accepted it as a process that took time.

Katara was not known for her temper. The other diplomats knew her as someone who was fiercely just, bold, confident, and passionate about her job. The palace staff treated her with proper respect while somehow still talking to her like she was one of their own. All smiles and gossip.

Obviously none of them had ever been on the receiving end of Katara’s fury when she was angry, but Zuko experienced enough to understand what she was really like.

The first time they had fought after they started dating he’d been scared he had ruined everything. That two people with short fuses could never make a happy relationship together and it was his fault for not having better control. The fight had been about something small and stupid, something that he would have tried to ignore but would definitely still eat away at him the longer it went not talked about. She had been the one to bring it up. The arguing started and then the yelling and then— to his amazement— the talking, a compromise and then before he knew it, laughing. The day had continued normally, only without the festering thing in the back of his mind from before, which had been replaced with another layer of appreciation for Katara.

They’d had a few small arguments since then, but they were easily worked through since their basic understanding was that they both really liked each other and wanted to stay together. Knowing that usually helped them not jump to any harsh conclusions.

But all this is to say that Zuko learned exactly what Katara was like when she was upset. Which was why, when she stormed into his office that morning all red faced glares and stomping feet (which probably would have looked adorable any other time), his first instinct was to rack his mind for anything he could have done to piss her off. His second instinct was to take stock of any liquids he had nearby as she had a tendency to waterbend without really thinking when her emotions got the better of her.

He couldn’t think of anything he did to get this reaction, so opted to stay quiet as he eyed her, slowly pushing his tea tray farther away from the papers on his desk.

She caught the action and stopped her pacing long enough to raise an eyebrow at him. He shrugged. She rolled her eyes and resumed pacing. Feeling like that was enough to confirm her ire wasn’t directed at him, he ventured to ask, “Katara. What’s wrong?”

“Aang. Aang is what’s wrong!” Oh. It had been three days since the Avatar and the others had arrived. Three days since Zuko and Katara told them how they were dating. And three days of Aang keeping his distance from them both. To be fair, he was still doing his part as Avatar and helping to moderate some important discussions about reparations with the Earth Kingdom, which was the original excuse for his visit. Aside from a few cool looks directed Zuko’s way, he was able to remain surprisingly professional and fair.

Though to be honest, Zuko had been less worried about Aang than he had been about Sokka. Aang may be the Avatar and Katara’s closest friend, but Sokka was still her brother and Zuko knew he still looked out for his little sister. It turned out there was no need to worry, though. When Zuko had approached him about it in private Sokka simply shrugged and said matter of factly, “I’m gonna be honest with ya, buddy. After the year and a half I just had, my little sister dating the new ruler of the Fire Nation is not the strangest thing to happen.”

So there was that.

“Didn’t he agree to practice waterbending or something this afternoon?” Zuko asked now. Katara stopped pacing again and the look in her eyes could freeze steam, no waterbending required.

“He cancelled. Said he had “important Avatar business” to do. As if I wouldn’t know anything about Avatar business!” She threw up her arms in frustration and Zuko’s tea pot rattled ominously. He casually shuffled some documents to the other side of his cluttered desk before standing and walking to her.

“I thought we were going to give him space to work through… things.”

She sighed and walked away to his open balcony. “It’s been days! And I’m no good at giving space. I just want us to be able to talk through it. We should be able to do that. We’re still best friends.” She hesitated. Hugged herself and sort of shrunk inward. Zuko was there, wrapping his arms around her before he even realized he stepped outside. “At least I still consider him my best friend. Zuko, what if he never forgives me?” She whispered.

He hugged her tighter and felt her lean into him. “We’re talking about the same kid who lectured us both on the saving power of forgiveness during a hundred-year war. I think you might be overthinking this, just a bit.”

She huffed out a laugh and actually smiled up at him, though ruefully. And he took a moment to feel the thrill of knowing he could make her smile, help her relax the tension building in her shoulders and brow. Especially now, when she was so upset and needed cheering. All he’d known for so long had been anger, so he never used to think he could do cheering. But for her he wants to become an expert.

“Fine, maybe you’re right,” she said reluctantly. “But if he doesn’t talk to me soon I’m going to sick Toph on him. And we all know how scary she can get.”

——

The length of this one kinda got away from me, sorry! My goal is to keep the ficlets somewhat short, but I kinda build the story up in my head while drawing and it sometimes becomes more than I originally intended. I tried to hide the text under a cut, but I only have my ipad and I can’t find the option to do that with the app. :/

Anyway, I’m loving all the beautiful works people have been posting! I love this fandom!

#addictofreading #fanart #zutara #zuko #katara #avatar the last airbender #ficlet #atla #zutara week 2020 #Fuse #zutara week

1K notes · View notes

siremele-blog · 3 years ago

Text

I have a craving for a long-ish fic that doesn't exist and I can't write it myself because of:

1 ADHD never let me finish longer projects;

2 My English is not that good, so the story would just be a mess os mistakes.

Here it is what I dream of reading about Zutara nowadays, but first, I need to stress something: I don't hate Aang, for me he's not a horrible person, but for me he is TOO childish and I agree with all that points about why he is not a good match for Katara.

Now that I stated what I think of Aang, the fanfic is, long story very short: zutara, but on a non-monogamous setting, where canon relationships can co-exist with zutara and everything can be fine in the end for everyone.

This summary is really what I wish to read, so basically I would love to read anything that applies to that. BUT I considered writing it myself, so I will put the points I imagined here, so if anyone wants ideas, I will casually drop some of them here and hope someone catches it.

*Maybe Zuko and Katara had a relationship in the corners of canon. You know, Ember Island, Air Temple, maybe the time Zuko was disguised as Lee. That moments we all love.

* Maybe they broke up for some reason.

* Maybe Zuko marries May because legacies and what-nots.

* Maybe Katara marries Aang because she still believes she is The Mother of the group and Aang is The Lost Child and well.

* Maybe Katara and Zuko reunite and all feelings come back in a rush. Or maybe they got over it, but then a drunken night... Maybe they already have kid (s) with their respective spouses.

(Here I need to open a big parenthesis to talk about polyamory and non-monogamy)

Polyamory and non-monogamy are basically the idea that you can love more than one person at a time. You don't have to have a One True Love to fulfil all your needs. If you have more than one friend, and each friend support you and have fun with you and make your life easier in different ways, why this should be different with love? I'm going very superficially about this, but all I need to stress is: people can love more than one person at a time. Society may make this overcomplicated, and we're raised in those cultures that see all of that as wrong and not-true-love, so the people that decide to follow this path need to constantly think about their own feelings, about societal norms, about a lot of things. Or they go nuts lol.

(Closing big parenthesis)

* Maybe Zuko and Katara consider to break up with May and Aang. But hey, legacies. But hey, diplomatics + who will be my mom? Maybe this is a good place for drama. Maybe Zuko and Katara are discovered together. Maybe May choses to ignore it? Maybe she threatens to leave Zuko. But oh, politics and legacies. Maybe Aang acts up like a child and run away when he founds out?

* Maybe Air Nomads had in their culture that people who didn't lived monk-like lives were non-monogamous. Maybe this can put a huge crisis in Aang's life (oh, and if the fanfic have adventure/political tendencies, maybe this is a point where Avatar State should not be broken or maybe diplomatics were depending critically on Aang). Maybe this is a great opportunity for Aang growing up: learning that he don't own Katana in any way.

* Maybe Fire Nation nobility will never be okay with that. But Uncle Iroh is, as long as everyone is happy.

* Maybe Aang comes to terms with the idea that Katara can love him and can love Zuko too.

* Maybe Katara break up with Aang because at first she is annoyed because she is only the Avatar's spouse + he treats her like a mother. Maybe after that she discovers she loves him too, as much as she loves Zuko, but for different reasons. Maybe she never breaks up with Aang, she's already aware of her feelings.

* Maybe ancient Water Tribe traditions were more community-centered than couple-centered and they can begrudgingly support Katara's decisions

* Maybe Zuko have a big hard time with all of that. Because cheating on May is dishonorable. But how can he not have his relationship with Katara. Maybe he is super against all his Uncle talk about love not being pie, that if you divide, each person have less pie. Maybe love is fire and when you light a candle, you don't have less fire, you have more fire.

*Maybe when Zuko comes to terms with this, he still have a very uptight Nation to rule, so Maybe Katara will remain hidden.

* Maybe May super likes that secretly because she had a crush on Azula all along and now Azula is better so, well. Or Maybe she truly doesn't care that Zuko is with Katara.

* Maybe more drama ensues: how will everyone deal with public opinion? Maybe Katara just reinforce that her life and her body and her choices are hers, and she loves both of them, so that's not a problem for her.

Well, I don't know how it ends. See, my suggestions end abruptly. The fanfic would end abruptly too. So, YOU, please write it. Follow my suggestions or not. Just please give us this twist on Zutara stories. Put non-monogamy in the mix, and please give them all a happy, polyamorous ending, with Zutara being absolutely happy because even if they got separated by life for some time, now they are back together. And maybe add some steambabies!!

#Zutara #Zuko #Katara #Avatar the last Airbender #atla fanfic #fanfic prompt #writing prompt #prompts #story prompt #nonmonogamy #polyam #ethical non monogamy #poly #May #Aang

8 notes · View notes

eleyctra · 4 years ago

Photo

Zutara Week 2020 Day 7: Rebirth

Long note on worldbuilding here...

First, Zuko and Katara’s condition was merging with Uki’s energy from her sacrifice out of love. They were put into a chrysalis (Because Uki was a nature spirit with caterpillar identity), and inside the process physically changed them. Believe me when I say that upon opening the cocoon, it was icky and goopy and nasty as they ‘shed’ their old skin. Literally. Hence why their hair is gone temporarily (it’ll grow back!). Uki gave them a ‘second chance’ at life together to share their love as she had witnessed. But her essence gave them a little extra something which you’ll find out in later posts when I continue this for another 4 parts of Zutara week.

Second, Zuko and his family dynamics. Namely his relationship with his only daughter Izumi. Since Bryke left us with only some info on Izumi in the artbook, I headcannon that she has a distant relationship with her father because of her upbringing. Fire Lord Zuko’s early reign didn’t give him a lot of free family time trying to rebuild a nation with the damaged world. Uncle Iroh basically raised her when Mai passed on early in her youth (I also headcannon that Mai died a handful of years or less after Izumi’s birth due to declining health from childbirth). I like Mai, but she always seemed like she didn’t eat enough or kept healthy habits. So, Izumi has a distant relationship with Zuko, but when her son was born, Iroh II (which she named after her main caregiver), Zuko had more free time to dedicate to family. He basically helped raise Iroh II while Izumi began taking on more political duties. In the end, he has a strong relationship with his grandson - and this part is cannon per Bryke.

Third, the Avatar world knows of Lord Zuko and Master Katara’s condition because camera’s and radio are a new developing technology globally. This plays a part into how they will interact with everyone going forward.

Part 1: https://eleyctra.tumblr.com/post/625220339567345664

Part 2: https://eleyctra.tumblr.com/post/625776694742122496

#Zutara #zuko #katara #Zutaraweek #zutara week 2020 #Tenzin #Ikki #jinora #Fire Lord Izumi #General Iroh II #Iroh II

182 notes · View notes

ruffboijuliaburnsides · 5 years ago

Text

OKAY so last night i said something in tags about “ask me about my thoughts on atla post-canon polyamory” 99% because I had typed a bunch of shit in the tags and then accidentally CLOSED THE TAB thus losing said tags, so that was a bummer, BUT like 3 different people reached out wanting to hear about it so HERE GOES. (thanks to @taibhsearachd for rambling this out with me last night)

SO. this started bc we got somehow on the topic of how much we really disliked the whole Aang/Katara kiss at the end of the show. Not because we’re against them kissing (Aang had to already have turned 13 by then, an innocent kiss is perfectly reasonable for a 13yo in my opinion), but because the placement of the kiss made it so... CENTRAL. We were talking about how we would’ve liked the kiss to have been earlier, preferably before the big finale, and then like... they still could’ve had a soft romantic moment on the balcony but it could’ve been like. Hand holding or sitting together with Katara’s head on his shoulder.

And Birdie mentioned she’d always liked Zutara back in Ye Olde Tymes because the whole “Aang and Katara get together when they’re barely 13 and 15″ thing just seemed... really untenable if we’re going with endgame, AND it made a lot of sense to get Katara and Zuko together politically, especially since there’s nooooo princess up north anymore since she turned into the moon and all. But the resurgence of the fandom (thank you for once Netflix!) has opened our eyes to ZUKO AND SOKKA and that’s fuckin amazing but now we’re back to square one in re: Aang and Katara. But then I realized that we can fix all of this with a) allowing for healthy breakups of relationships that don’t work yet but might work when the people involved have grown/processed things, and b) extensive polyamory.

And so here’s my thought:

Aang and Katara break up for a while probably not long after the end of book 3. They’re fucking kids, they’re traumatized kids no less, and they both have a lot of shit they need to deal with both personally and in the world that isn’t really conducive to “baby’s first serious relationship”. They’re still friends, they view it as “well... let’s maybe try again in a few years if we’re both still interested”. All their friends are aware of this and supportive and in the end it’s healthy for both of them bc their traumas and coping mechanisms didn’t always play nice with each other even BEFORE all the fallout from the finale and having to take on more responsibility in the world and such.

Zuko properly gets with Sokka and Suki during this time, though there’s no talk of like. Marriage or anything. Yes, Sokka’s politically got the same sort of appeal as Katara, but the thing about politically advantageous marriages at that level is there’s sort of the assumption that you’ll be, y’know, having heirs, so Sokka’s not really cut out for that and Suki flat out refused to be official Fire Lady or whatever.

So once Katara and Aang are older, like Aang’s 17 and Katara’s 19 and Zuko’s sitting over here at 21, and his advisors are all “ok but seriously Fire Lord Zuko, we really should look into at least a BETROTHAL of some sort” and he just sighs, and they’re bringing up all these Fire Nation ladies and he’s like “no it’s gotta be more diplomatic than that, she shouldn’t be Fire Nation” and so one of them’s like “well, uh, that water tribe lady you’re friends with, she’s set to be a pretty strong leader as she gets older, that would be a good way to do it. Or that blind Earth Kingdom--” “NOT TOPH.” “ok but seriously, tho, think about it your majesty”

So Zuko’s torn because he really does like Katara, and she’d be an amazing Fire Lady in addition to being an amazing... whatever her title would be down in the Southern Water Tribe (I definitely picture her and Sokka basically being the leaders of the pan-tribal council - he handles military and adjacent stuff and she handles the rest). But Katara’s with Aang again FINALLY not that they’ve made a big deal of it outside their friends. BUT he knows that y’know... people can be with more than one person. Hell, look at him and Sokka and Suki, right?

So he goes to talk to Aang like “I want to make sure I run this past you so she doesn’t have to try and do it, because I’m the one even bringing it up, and it’s obviously up to her, BUT here’s the sitch”.

And see, the thing about the Air Nomads is it really doesn’t make sense to me that they’d have the same kind of ideas about like. Monogamy and parenthood and relationships as other nations, ‘cause like.... the kids are clearly raised communally. Like, I vote ‘you probably know who your parents are but really all the adults are your parents, maybe you get an extra cake from them on your birthday but that’s about it’ for the most part. And y’know being with who you want to be with sort of thing. Sure you’ll have people you might be more committed to, but by and large the general consensus is “love who you love, whoever and however many people that is!”

So Zuko’s all prepared to angst for even ASKING if Aang would mind playing technical second fiddle in an heir-producing/marriage/inheritance/etc sense to HIM, ugh what if Aang hates him for even thinking it? and Aang’s just like “oh yeah that’s cool dude, if she’s down go for it! You wanna talk to her together? I don’t mind being there to reassure her it’s ok, and that you weren’t asking me permission to ask her so much as you were making sure it wouldn’t upset me if you did, and all that” and Zuko’s like “...what. I. Ok sure?”

And Katara does like Zuko, she just y’know, also liked Aang and didn’t want to GIVE UP Aang, but Zuko’s like “it’ll be good for our people, and I’d never make you stay in the fire nation full time you have your own responsibilities and also you don’t have to stop being with Aang or even like hide it or anything, it’s not like people don’t know I’m with Sokka and stuff, it’s just, y’know, OFFICIAL HEIRS and stuff” and so she’s like “Oh! Oh, yeah, that’s good, we can have a couple kids and stuff”

But ofc they end up a lot closer than “just a couple kids” but it’s sweet! She has kids with Zuko and kids with Aang and really as long as one of them turns out a firebender (can the avatar have a kid of any bending type? NO ONE KNOWS but Zuko’s advisors are prepared to accept it at this point) so long as they end up with A VIABLE HEIR that Zuko will claim etc etc.

And of course Zuko and Sokka and Suki have a couple kids whose parentage is uncertain not that they really CARE, and Suki and Aang aren’t really into each other romantically but when they’re a bit older they discuss it and decide to have a kid just so they can have a shot at a potential airbender baby, because heck yeah rebuilding the airbenders, might as well get some extra genetics up in this ish.

And these kids are all largely raised together in this big pack of like 10 kids of varying ages who move between 2 or 3 different homes, and Zuko rules the Fire Nation and Sokka and Katara lead the southern water tribes, and Aang does his Avatar thing, and they all spend as much time together as possible with the kids and Suki and some of her girls from Kyoshi Island are the main people ALWAYS THERE for the kids.

And there’s at least one kind of each bender in the group (bc you can’t tell me it’s 100% you have to have a bending parent, considering neither Katara’s mother or father were benders, so one of Suki’s kids is DEFFO an earthbender) and they’re a chaotic bunch and sometimes the Gaang forgets which one of them provided the genetics for which kid but really it doesn’t matter bc they’re ALL the kids’s parents, and all the kids are ALL their kids, and it’s a big happy messy disaster of a polycule that the Fire Nation nobility and advisors despair over, but they can’t deny that it seems to be working out pretty well and that the Fire Lord is good at his job and pretty damn happy, so they don’t bitch too much about it.

...Also at some point Sokka and Toph discuss dating and end up sort of doing it for a while but then going back to being friends, but she does ABSOLUTELY get him to father one of her kids, which she then declares firmly she made out of a rock and bended to life, and most people are preeeeetty sure she’s full of shit but can’t fully discount the possibility and only the Gaang knows the truth.

so yeah that’s my avatar polyamory thoughts, it is not canon-compliant with legend of korra but who cares this is my imagination and headcanon and LoK doesn’t play into it at all. *nod*

#also toph doesn't become the founder of any sort of police force bc WHAT?#that never made sense to me #they just wanted metalbender cops i think #but it was imo a bad character choice #atla #polycule of doom!!!!#or win #or both!#taibhsearachd

137 notes · View notes

ihopuhopwehop · 4 years ago

Note

I like to see your take on one of this: we need more of this prompt

🔥Zutara 🌊

The Ember Island Players doing a play for the Fire Nation's Most Beloved Relationship, Firelord Zuko of the Fire Nation and Master Katara of the Southern Water Tribe, but the craze doubled when they didn't get together, or did they???

Basically, the whole Fire Nation and selected people from both the Earth Kingdom and Water Tribes creating a system that could get them access to other fan works of the two.

Sokka started it. He lives for a good dose of chaos.

Hello! Thank you so much for being so patient with me as I finish finals! I took my last one yesterday and submitted a ten-page essay :D I am now done!! And as such, I just finished this! I hope you enjoy it!!

I present...

ZUTARA: A MUSICAL

THIS WEEKEND ONLY, FREE ADMISSION TO THE EMBER ISLAND PLAYERS RENDITION OF THE MOST THRILLING TALE OF ROYALTY AND ROMANCE, ZUTARA: THE MUSICAL. DOORS OPEN AT 7:30 PM. COMPLEMENTARY FIRE FLAKES WILL BE SERVED UPON ADMISSION.

Sokka had done a good thing today. Or rather an entertaining thing. He sold his sister out. That’s right, her and Firelord Zuko want to have a secret relationship behind his back while he’s out training warriors in the South Pole, then they’re gonna get what’s coming.

Really, if they had just told him themselves he would have been fine with it…eventually, but having them trust him enough to tell him would have helped him get over it a lot quicker BUT NO instead he found out through Uncle Iroh making an offhanded comment about their children being called steambabies and Sokka being understandably confused and Uncle Iroh nonchalantly mentioning that they were a couple now.

Sokka, at the time, had been so surprised that he spit out his bite of fried armadillo bear meat, which was unfortunate really because Fire Nation cuisine had so many new and delectable flavors. Uncle Iroh had looked alarmed when he realized Sokka had not been told yet, but Sokka really wasn’t paying attention to Iroh’s supposed to-be soothing parables as he figured that must have been why Katara had decided to stay in the Fire Nation this time around instead of coming back home with him. It must also be why Aang had been in a particularly foul mood the last few weeks.

Sokka was brought back to the present as the man at the booth handed him a plump bag of coins.

“Thanks for the tip kid, this play is sure to be a hit. So many people shipped them together already.”

Sokka inwardly blanched at that, knowing that must mean Katara and Zuko were out in public together a lot, but he pushed that thought aside to continue the conversation.

“No problem. Let me know how it goes. Oh and if you could send a script over to King Bumi of the Earth Kingdom, that’d be great. He’s always looking for romance novels to read.”

The greasy man looked at him like he was crazy to suggest sending a king this type of play but nodded his head none-the-less.

“Will do. —” The man paused, “Say, aren’t you Master Katara’s brother?”

Sokka smirked, “That I am. That I am, kind sir.” Sokka then realized he couldn’t let his sister know it was him who released the play, so he held up his boomerang and pointed it at the man’s head, “But you can’t tell her anything! She’d kill me if she knew I told.”

The man’s eyebrows raised in surprise, “So it’s true? Firelord Zuko and Master Katara of the Southern WaterTribe are dating?”

Sokka reeled at that, “No, no! Er, no, I mean, maybe? Who knows, only time will tell, bye now!”

And with that he turned on his heel, proud of his recovery of that conversation.

Katara stormed into Zuko’s meeting room the minute the last fire sage ambled out.

“What the spirits is this?” She asked as she slammed a flyer for ZUTARA:THE MUSICAL down on the large marble table.

Zuko raised an eyebrow as his eyes swept over the page. He was about to respond to her inquiry when she continued in her rage, “Did you tell someone?!?”

Zuko stepped back a space to put a little more distance between her anger and himself, “No of course not! Did you?”

She ran a hand through her dark curls, narrowly avoiding getting them caught in her braids, “Would I be this mad if I told? Of course, I didn’t tell! I haven’t even told Sokka yet!”

That was when Zuko remembered something that he knew would cause a problem from them. He sighed loudly and drug a hand down his face, “We need Uncle in here.” He turned to his assistant standing a few paces behind him in the corner, “Could you please tell my Uncle his presence is requested in the Peace Meeting Room?” As the assistant nodded and turned to leave, Zuko offered a kind ‘thank you’ and turned back to Katara.

“I think Iroh knows.”

Katara looked shocked but then composed herself, realizing it would have only been a matter of time before he knew since they were always working in close quarters anyway.

“What makes you think he knows?” She asked as she moved to sit down in a previously vacated seat.

Zuko didn’t answer for a minute and Katara realized he looked a little embarrassed. “What Zuko? Why would he know?”

“I believe he was having tea in the garden when we were watching the turtleducks last week. I hadn’t noticed he was there until he mentioned during our weekly tea time that sleeping by the pond may not be the safest thing to do, but he was glad I had a waterbender by my side to do it.”

Katara groaned, “Of course Iroh knows! He’s too smart not too!” Katara then paused as she remembered the day by the pond. Her and Zuko had gone to watch the turtleducks and fell asleep in each other’s arms. Then when they had woken up, her and Zuko chased each other around the pond, which ended up in her pushing him into the pond with his full Firelord Regala on. It was hilarious watching the turtleducks swim up to him as he pouted in the water.

She giggled a little as she thought of his face and noticed Zuko’s features soften in real time.

“We’ll figure it out Kat. Plus, he was bound to know sometime right? As long as he didn’t tell anyone else…”

“But who told! Do you think it was one of the guards? Or your assistant?”

“They’ve been instructed not to, I highly doubt they would disobey my orders on something like this.”

She raised an eyebrow, “’something like this’?” She questioned.

Zuko grimaced knowing he had said the wrong words, “Something that isn’t relevant to war, peace, or the outcome of humanity. Us dating isn’t a big deal unless we get engaged or the public finds out too soon.”

Katara pursed her lips, “Maybe not a big deal to you, but I had to turn down the Avatar. That’s bound to have some repercussions if people find out.”

Zuko shook his head, “You turned down Aang, our friend.”

Katara was starting to get angry, “Yeah, our friend, The Avatar, who thought it was his destiny to marry me! You don’t think Aang would have told just to get back at us do you? I don’t think he would but if he was hurt enough…” Katara trailed off worriedly.

“I highly doubt he had time to tell anyone. He went with Toph to the Western Air Temple to restore the architecture, he would have had his hands full with that.”

Katara nodded slightly thinking over who could have told, but the only people that had appeared to know were the palace workers, Iroh, and Aang.

Zuko sat down beside her, putting a hand over the one she had resting on the table. “We’ll figure it out Kat. For now let’s talk to Uncle and see if he knows anything.” Just as he leaned forward to give her a kiss, he noticed his Uncle shuffle through the large, oval doors. He pulled back and tried not to smirk at Katara’s disappointed face.

His Uncle chuckled, “Don’t stop on my account Nephew. I got an eyeful last week.”

Zuko scowled at him, “Uncle, tell me you didn’t tell anyone?”

His Uncle took on a guilty face causing Katara to bang her head on the table and Zuko to groan.

“Uncle!”

“It was an accident! I was having lunch with Master Katara’s brother upon his arrival yesterday, and he pulled it out of me! He is a master of persuasion that one.”

Katara chuckled, but then stopped as she realized this meant that Sokka knows. “Sokka knows? As in, he knows?!”

She stood up abruptly, “What did you tell him?!”

Uncle Iroh looked sheepish, “Er. That your children would be called steambabies.”

Katara gaped while Zuko flushed in embarrassment, “Uncle! You didn’t!”

“Ah. But I did. So sorry Zuko, but a friend of mine from the Northern Water Tribe sent me a scroll that a student of his had written about you and Lady Katara that mentioned the clever name. Apparently, many people are speculating on your relationship. Some even encourage it by writing.”

Zuko furrowed his brow, “What do you mean “encourage it by writing?”

His Uncle smiled, “I mean romance scrolls, nephew.”

Zuko banged his head on the table while Katara gasped slightly. “You mean people are writing stories about us! What kind of stories! How did they even know? I hope my dad hasn’t heard about this yet.”

“Ah, the soul of the world is always searching for new love. Especially when a good story, such as two royals come about. Adds dramatic effect.”

At this Zuko grabbed the previously forgotten flyer and slid it harshly towards his Uncle, “Did you have anything to do with this Uncle?”

His Uncle beamed, “No, but I wish I had. A musical! How creative!”

Katara and Zuko both groaned.

After a short pause of her and Zuko thinking, and Iroh requesting a pot of Jasmine tea, Katara spoke again, “We need to speak to Sokka.”

------------------------------------

Sokka strolled happily back up the steps of his sister’s boyfriend’s palace and was met with a guard and a servant.

“Master Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe, your presence is requested in Lady Katara’s living quarters.”

Sokka smirked, knowing he was about to tease his sister beyond belief. That, or freak out, depending on what she was doing with Zuko when he got there.

“Alright, is she, alone, by chance?”

The servant hesitated before answering, “I believe she is with Firelord Zuko and Royal Advisor and Dragon of the West, Iroh Sozin.”

Sokka furrowed his brows in confusion over Iroh being there but didn’t think much of it as he ascended the steps towards her bedroom.

He slammed both doors open as he strutted through the door, “Hello Princess Master Katara of the Southern Water Tribe, daughter of Chief Hakoda, sister of the handsome Master Sokka, friend of the Avatar, and girlfriend to—”

Katara interrupted his speech unfortunately, with Uncle Iroh watching in pleased amusement. “Alright we get it, you know. But did you tell anyone Sokka, because if you did, so help me…”

Before she could roll out any threat Sokka interrupted her, “Excuse me! If you had just told me yourself this wouldn’t have happened!”

Katara’s eyes narrowed as Zuko raised his brow in surprise, “What wouldn’t have happened Sokka?”

He stuttered, “Er- uh, I wouldn’t have choked on my armadillo bear meat?”

Iroh nodded sagely, remembering the night before.

“Sokka,” she said in warning, drawing out the last syllable of his name.

“Ok, alright fine! I implied you were dating but I didn’t confirm it! I left it up to the viewers discretion!”

Katara and Zuko both looked surprised and then turned to anger.

“Sokka! —” Zuko started.

“You did this?!” Katara finished punctuating her sentence with thrusting a paper at him.

He looked down at the paper to see a flyer for the musical, “Man, word travels fast here.” He mumbled under his breath.

“Yeah word does travel fast here, and because of you people know that their nation’s leader is dating the daughter of the Southern Water Tribe! Do you know what this could do?! Other nations could be mad that they found out so callously, think that the Water Tribe will get more resources because of our relationship, or Agni, even be mad she’s not dating the Avatar! Why would you do this?!” Zuko asked raising his voice.

“Hey! If you guys had just told me from the beginning that you were dating, no one else would have had to know! Instead I find out because you are having steambabies!”

“I was planning to tell you when you got here, but Iroh beat me to it! And besides, we just wanted some privacy before everyone else found out! Is that so bad?” Katara asked, feeling guilty for not telling her family yet, but knowing she wouldn’t take back the last few weeks for anything.

“How long has this been going on?” Sokka asked angrily when he noticed Zuko reach out to touch Katara’s elbow. His eyes flashed between the two of them.

Katara hesitated while Zuko answered quietly, “about a month and a half.”

Sokka blanched, “Before I even left! What, you couldn’t even write me a letter Katara or or—explain why you didn’t come back with me?! I had to explain to the tribe that their princess was staying with the Firelord for some unknown reason! And not to mention Aang stopped by and was moody all week leaving everyone to believe something happened between you two, and I still had no idea why my sister wasn’t there with me.”

Sokka realized he wasn’t hurt because they wanted privacy, he was hurt that Katara had chosen not to tell him why she was abandoning their trip back home.

Sokka was pulled out of his head when Katara placed a hand on his shoulder, “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you the reason I wasn’t going back yet. I just wanted some time alone to sort things out with Zuko and figure out the best way to tell you and the tribe I was dating the Firelord. Can you forgive me?”

Sokka thought about it for a second before nodding petulantly.

Katara quirked a smile, “Good. Because I need you to meet my boyfriend.” Katara was now smirking and Zuko was beaming at her.

Sokka gagged, “Gross! Don’t go all googly-eyed in front of me Sparky!”

Katara laughed, “Then you’re really not going to like this!” Katara let go of his shoulder and crossed the room to kiss Zuko passionately with Sokka gaping and Uncle Iroh chuckling.

“Eww! Oogies! Stop, stop! You just told me, ease me into the affection won’t you!” Sokka covered his eyes and only looked up when he heard Katara laughing and Zuko turning red from embarrassment.

“Like you and Suki don’t kiss all the time!” Katara waggled her eyebrows as Iroh stood up.

“Ah, young love. Lovely to be but hard to see.” He said as he ambled out the door with a short wave to them all.

They all burst out laughing at his odd parable and then continued chatting into the night, including Katara explaining what happened between her and Aang and Sokka giving Zuko a warning not to hurt his sister.

----------------------------------

A servant walked up to the throne of Earth King Bumi and bowed as he bestowed a scroll to him.

Bumi quirked an eyebrow at the unexpected mail and snatched it out of his friends’ hand.

His eyes widened in joy as he read the title of ZUTARA: A MUSICAL. His hooting laugh and a few snorts echoed throughout the room as he continued reading the dialogue between Master Katara and Firelord Zuko.

“Zu Li, send a copy of this dialogue to Piandao of the Fire Nation, Pakku of the Northern and Southern Water Tribe, and…Toph Beifong of the Beifong Family. They will be sure to enjoy this script.” He continued snorting as the servant made to take and copy the scroll.

----------------------------------

Master Piandao was not surprised to learn that his former pupil and current Firelord, Zuko, was dating Master Katara of the Southern Water Tribe. Before the final battle of the war, they had seemed very close to each other. He was only surprised it took them this long to figure everything out. None-the-less, he thought it a good idea to stop by the play, especially since Ember Island was not far from his vacation home. He could use a good vacation and a play to lighten his spirits.

He packed up his carry-on, including a sword gifted to him by Sokka, created by his metal bending friend, and boarded a faery across the way.

----------------------------------

Mater Pakku of the Northern and Southern Water Tribe scanned the scroll King Bumi had sent him, wondering why on earth the crazy king would choose to send a play about his granddaughter dating the Firelord to him. Was this a hint? He thought. Did King Bumi know something he didn’t?

There was only one way to find out.

Attend the Musical that would be played in two days’ time. Hopefully the fire nation will be able to clear a few things up for him. He packed up his things, kissed Kanna goodbye, saying he had business to attend to in the Fire Nation, and readied the ship that would take him to Ember Island. He decided not to tell Kanna about her granddaughter’s happenings unless something was actually happening.

----------------------------------

Aang brought a scroll that had been delivered to the Western Air Temple for Toph, over to her handmade earth house and walked in without knocking.

“Toph! You have a letter!” He called as he moved into the house and rummaged through her cabinets for some fresh fruit.

“Twinkle Toes, we’ve been over this, I’m blind! You’re going to have to read it to me.” Toph said as she moved into the kitchen to sit at the table across from where Aang had sat to eat her food.

Aang sheepishly rubbed the back of his head, “Right. Sorry. Um, okay…” He went to unroll the scroll and promptly frowned at what he saw. ZUATARA: THE MUSICAL? Had Katara and Zuko already announced they were dating? He knew they were but they had said they would give him a warning before they told everyone so that he would be prepared for the questions about his and Katara’s own failed relationship.

“What is it?” Toph asked curiously as she noticed Aang heartbeat pick up.

“Um.” He had yet to tell Toph that Katara and Zuko were dating and he wasn’t sure it was his place to do so. But if they can publish a play about it, surely he could tell Toph.

“King Bumi sent a script of a play. Um, a musical to be exact.”

Toph’s face brightened, “Really! What is it this time!? He sent me a few leaflets a few weeks ago, I’ve been waiting for more!” [pretend that braille is a thing back then and that king bumi normally sends her stories made with earth that has braille on it :)]

Aang scratched the back of his head again, “Zutara.” He mumbled quietly. He was surprised when Toph’s smile got even wider.

“No way! Did they finally get their crap together? Or is it just another romance scroll that ships them?”

Aang spluttered, “another romance scroll? You mean there’s more of Zuko and Katara?”

Toph schooled her features, “No. There is none of Zuko and Katara. Speaking of which, how are you and Katara doing, by the way?”

She noticed his heartbeat pick up again and wondered if that was a good or bad thing.

“We uh—well we broke up I guess? We were never really official, but I had assumed we would be together, but she rejected me several weeks ago because she said her and Zuko were dating…” He trailed off at Toph’s excited, “Alright!!”

He stared at her for a moment until she continued, “I mean. I’m sorry you and Sugar Queen didn’t work out Twinkle Toes, but really it’s for the best. No offence. Zuko and Katara have been dancing around their feelings for each other for ages and then when he took that bolt of lightening for her, I just knew they would be together! But anyways, how are you handling this?”

“I mean, I’m okay now. It was hard at first because it was so unexpected but then they said they would wait to tell everyone so I could have some time to get myself together. Guess that only meant a few weeks though if they are okay with a musical being made about them.”

“No way, this has Snoozles written all over it. I bet he found out and wanted to mess with them.”

Aang hadn’t considered that Sokka did not know yet, but if he had found out, he was sure Sokka would do something to cause drama. There was a lull in the conversation as Toph and Aang both thought about what the musical meant.

“There’s only one way to find out if they’re telling people.”

Aang sighed, “We have to go, don’t we?”

Toph let out a decidedly more girly grunt then Aang had ever heard her make and she jumped up from the table, “Let’s go see a musical!!”

Aang smirked, “You’re blind Sifu Toph, you can’t see a musical.”

“Spirits, Aang, you can see, can’t you? So my point still stands! Maybe we’ll even get a seat on the ground floor so I can see!”

Aang shook his head while Toph ran back towards her room to begin packing. He was excited to be getting a short break but seeing a musical about how his forever girl chose someone else was not what he had in mind. Oh well, Toph would need someone to steer Appa.

----------------------------------

Uncle Iroh had bought 2 extra tickets for the musical. He had received letters from Piandao and Pakku stating they would be coming this weekend to catch the musical. He wrote back saying he secured a seat for them both, while ignoring Pakku’s questions about his nephew and Pakku’s granddaughter’s relationship. Pakku would find out soon enough.

He also secured enough bags of fireflakes to enjoy throughout the play, along with some ginseng tea for himself. Dinner and a show were Iroh’s cup of tea.

He noticed that Sokka had also secured two extra tickets, though Iroh was not sure whether it was for Toph and Aang or perhaps Suki and someone else. But he would find out soon enough.

----------------------------------

Katara’s POV:

Zuko and Katara had debated on whether or not they should go. If they went, they could play off the musical as a joke, but if they didn’t there would be no news to confirm it either. In the end, Sokka had convinced them to go so he could brag about his playwriting skills, even if Katara thought it was weird that her brother wrote a romance play about her.

Sokka had also warned her that Aang and Toph would be coming, which worried Katara, at least for Aang’s sake, but also upped their credibility if they decided to play it off as a funny musical with no truth to it.

None-the-less she was excited to have almost the whole gang together again, even if for something as stupid as a musical. Though, Katara thought it was a better reason to be together than because of a raging war.

----------------------------------

It was now the first showing of ZUTARA: A MUSICAL and Sokka was thriving.

He was an hour early to his written show and already half the auditorium was filled. He had also gone backstage to see how the Ember Island Players created costumes and such, and they had done spectacular, though Zuko’s scar was still on the wrong side. Sokka thought that added comedic effect so he left it be.

Just then someone punched him in the arm, making his spill his bag of fireflakes.

“Ow! Watch it— oh, its you.” He said to Toph petulantly.

Toph grinned, “Hello Snoozles. How’s the play coming?”

Sokka grinned, “It’s great the costumes are amazing! They left Zuko’s scar on the wrong side like before.”

Toph chuckled, “Classic. Now where’s Sugar Queen and Sparky?”

“Zuko’s coming with Iroh later and Katara went to the bathroom. She thought it’d be better for them to come separately.”

Toph raised her eyebrows, “Wait so they aren’t dating?”

“Shh!!” Sokka whispered, though no one was around their families seat since Zuko let them sit in a Royal Suite. He then leaned closer to Toph to continue their conversation, “They are dating but they don’t want to announce it yet. And anyways, where’s Aang? I thought he was coming?”

“He went to get some more fireflakes.”

Sokka pouted, “I wish I had fireflakes, but somebody just had to punch them out of my hand!”

Toph snickered, “Stop whining. You’re a guest to the FireLord, just order someone to get some more for you.”

Sokka looked aghast, “I’m not going to order them to do it, I’ll just ask Aang for some of his. We can share like old times.”

Toph smiled lightly, “Hopefully this play will end better than the other one.”

“If they kept my ending the same, it should.” Sokka assured.

Just then Katara, Aang, and Pakku walked in. Sokka was surprised to see his step-grandfather in the fire nation.

“Pakku?! What are you doing here?”

Sokka stood to greet him and noticed him eyeballing Katara and Aang chatting amicably in the doorway.

Pakku smiled slightly, “I came to see if the rumor about my granddaughter was true, though judging by her and Aang, I’d say they are not.”

Sokka replied after he hugged Pakku, “Oh no. They are, the people just don’t know it yet, so if you could keep it on the down low that’d be great.”

Pakku looked at Sokka like he was 400-foot-tall purple platypus-bear with pink horns and silver wings.

“What do you mean they’re true!?! Katara is dating Zuko, the FIRELORD!?” Pakku’s outrage was met with four people shushing him before Katara came over to explain.

“Pakku, I’m sorry we didn’t tell you sooner, but we wanted to work everything out first and then tell the tribe. No body else knows besides those in this booth, so please don’t tell anyone else, not even Gran-Gran.”

Pakku opened his mouth to argue until Aang came up and hugged him. “Long time no see Master Pakku. How are things in the Poles?”

That was enough to distract Pakku for the moment, which Katara was thankful for.

----------------------------------

Zuko had on his casual FireLord Tunic, instead of the entire ensemble. Uncle Iroh had said casual wear would be fine for the night since it was not a peace meeting or something like it. It was just a night on the town.

Even so, Zuko kept fidgeting with the edge of his sleeves. He was so nervous. He didn’t want to make a mistake and accidently kiss Katara in front of everyone and he also didn’t know how the play would turn out. It was nerve-wracking, especially knowing Pakku and Piandao were also here to see the play about a rumored romance regarding himself.

He thought it really weird.

As he walked beside Uncle and Piandao into the Ember Island auditorium and up the steps to the royal suite, he couldn’t help but get more nervous as camera’s shuttered around them. [I don’t know if cameras were a thing back then but if LOK can have everything they did, surely some type of camera would have been invented, even if it’s a crappy one]

He made sure to stand tall and not look directly at them so he could avoid any unwanted questioning and when he made it into the suite, he sat in between Sokka and Uncle so that no one would suspect anything of his and Katara.

But it was so hard.

He really wanted to hold her hand or something, but with Pakku behind him and the possibility of someone seeing him, he didn’t risk it.

And it seemed Sokka was enjoying his torture because he kept throwing slick glances his way and then failing to suppress a smirk.

----------------------------------

Katara chewed on her lip as the lights finally went down. She was worried about Pakku threatening Zuko, about the play, and about what the public would say. She hoped they would accept them being together, but she knew it wouldn’t be that easy. Especially because she was a waterbender from the South Pole.

Either way, she pushed these thoughts aside to focus on what Sokka called his “creative genius”.

His creative genius disappointed her as her character’s first song was about hope. She threw Sokka a hard glare as she noticed both him and Zuko trying to suppress their laughter. They weren’t very good at it, and when Toph starting laughing loudly, they too burst into uncontrollable laughter. She smacked both of them on the back of the head and then faced forward with her arms crossed. She thought she even heard Aang giggling and that just made it all worse.

----------------------------------

Several scenes later and now Katara was the one smirking. The play had Zuko’s character singing about teen angst and turtle ducks, which she found hilarious because only Zuko’s friends would know that the angsty Firelord truly adored turtle ducks.

Her, Sokka, and Aang all shared a look before glancing at Zuko and when his face shifted into a scowl, they couldn’t help but burst into raucous laughter, with Uncle Iroh, Piandao, and Toph joining in.

Zuko scowled even further.

----------------------------------

It seemed Sokka had based a lot of the story from real life events that were dramatized.

Instead of Aunt Wu predicting she’d marry a “powerful bender”, he changed it to a “powerful firebender” but then ended that scene with Aunt Wu being wrong about everything so Katara wasn’t sure why Sokka would even change it if he was just going to discredit Aunt Wu anyways.

He had Zuko save Katara from falling rocks, but instead of her real reply of “Okay, you can get off me now!” Sokka changed it to, “Oh Zuko! You have given me rock hard hope!” Causing everyone to groan and Katara to flick Sokka on the harm.

Instead of Zuko saying “I’m never happy”, Sokka changed it to “I’m only happy with Katara.” The actor for Zuko had added a dramatic hair flip after he said the line, which had Katara giggling.

At one point, Sokka had written Zuko singing a song with the phrase, “That’s rough buddy” after each character of Team Avatar revealed something that had happened before Zuko joined the group. Both Zuko and Sokka had shared a glance and a laugh when that happened, though Katara wasn’t sure what the significance was.

Really, the play was overly dramatic and ridiculous, but it was quite funny, especially if you knew what actually happened and knew Sokka changed it to be lighter than it actually was at the time. It helped Katara think back on those hard days without as much sadness as she normally had when she thought about them.

Nearing the end, Katara was thankful that Sokka had not included Zuko being struck with lightening from his own sister…Katara didn’t know if any of them could handle that, but especially not the members of the Fire Nation Royal Family.

The closing scene was very ambiguous, which Katara was grateful for. It would make playing it off as a joke much easier.

It ended much how the end of the war had, with Zuko and Aang speaking to the crowd and Suki, Sokka, Toph, and herself holding hands behind them while they finished their song about peace.

The final note ended and the entire theatre blew up in applause and whistles. Eventually, the audience stood up and continued their praise, with Sokka bowing theatrically even though no one knew he had written the play.

Katara politely clapped while she caught Zuko’s eye. He nodded his head at her and she smiled back at him.

As the group descended the stairs from the Royal Booth, they were surrounded by a large crowd of people asking questions. The main one being if Katara and Zuko were a couple. One person even asked if Toph and Aang were a couple, which had both of the young teens blushing furiously.

Zuko’s only comment was that the musical was very well written and he hoped that whoever the playwright was, they had more in store for the Ember Island players.

Katara said the play was dramatic and that the humor was a lot like her brother’s.

The group thought they were in the clear and headed towards the main doors…

until Uncle Iroh stopped Katara in front of the ostrich horses they rode on and very publicly asked her if she would be joining his nephew for dinner tonight, leaving everyone to groan and the reporters to swarm again.

THE END :)

also, thank you to @clarensjoy for teaching me how to do the “keep reading” thing lol it helped a lot.

#zutara #not canon compliant #ember island players #uncle iroh bc i love mr. tea man #make tea not war #atla #gaang #hehe #:)#thanks for the prompt

32 notes · View notes

likeabxrdinflight · 4 years ago

Note

idk if you're a big fan of katara, but what do you think katara, disregarding the comics and LOK, would do, including rebuilding her tribe

Yay I love Katara! Was hoping people would ask about her haha.

I know I read North and South about the development in the Southern Water Tribe but tbh I don’t fully remember what even happened there lol, so that’s easy enough to disregard. I do not like what LOK did with Katara, basically fridging her into the role of healer and mom. That ain’t Katara, not the Katara who loudly declared she didn’t want to heal, she wanted to fight! Not that it’s impossible to mellow with age, but I cannot conceive of a world in which Katara is content to sit around being a healer, even in her 80s.

Now I don’t pretend to have any expertise on what it’s like to restore a culture that was on the brink of extinction, but I imagine Katara is eager to step up as the last Southern waterbender. The comics have been around so long now it’s hard to remember what I used to imagine the gaang would do after the war, but I think after Zuko’s coronation she’d want to go home for a while. It’s been such a long time since she’s seen her people and Gran-Gran. She, Sokka, Hakoda, and the rest of the Southern fleet must be dying to see their families again. So that’s what I think they’d all do first- go home and just celebrate. Relax a bit.

...I’m debating how much to include Kataang in this analysis because my feelings about how that ship works in canon are a bit complicated...I don’t mind that they eventually get married at all, I can even get into older Kataang if it’s done right, but I have a hard time suspending my disbelief that a fourteen-year-old and a twelve-year-old get together at that age and stay together until one of them dies. That’s...I mean my middle school crushes ranged from “boy who gave me a pokemon card that I convinced myself I had to like because comphet” to “That One English Teacher” that every baby gay falls for. This is not exactly the age range in which peak romance happens.

...I think I’m just gonna ignore romantic Kataang for that reason then...but romance aside, eventually Katara will want to see her friends again. She and Aang do have an incredible bond, however you interpret it, and I think part of her would view her place as by his side helping him restore peace. Romantic or not, as one of the Avatar’s closest companions, she’s in a unique place to serve alongside him helping to restore harmony. After some time back home, she’s probably going to get restless again.

I think this is why Fire Lady Katara has some problems, if you’re into Zutara. And I do have some fondness for Zutara, I was super into it when I was 16, but the older I get, the less I see Katara settling into the Fire Nation and just not leaving. You can probably make Zutara work without trapping her in the Fire Nation capital forever, but I still think she’d be prone to traveling back home and then around with Aang. It...might be a marriage with some challenges. But Katara is a dedicated, hard-working person. She’s got her motherly side, for sure, but she’s not gonna just sit around and raise kids, no matter who she ends up with.

Anyways, so I think what would ideally happen is that Katara splits her time hopping around the world, helping out where she can and going where she’s needed in between trips home. When she’s home with her family, though, I suspect she takes a lead role in helping to re-build the tribe, as daughter of the chief. When Hakoda makes plans to construct new homes and new buildings, Katara is probably right there helping build them. When some Southern Water Tribe child is finally born as a waterbender, Katara is the first to start training them. She trains every Southern Waterbender she can in an attempt to pass on their specific culture and style of waterbending (including what she learned from Hama minus bloodbending, because damnit, Hama was still the only other Southern bender she knew...). Assuming Hakoda passes the chiefdom down to Sokka when he dies, Katara is always his best and most valued advisor.

(...actually you know what, how come Tonraq is the Southern chief by the time of LOK if he’s of no relation to Sokka and Katara? Did Sokka appoint him as heir since he had no children? But shouldn’t it have passed to Katara, or her children if she didn’t want it? Why isn’t Bumi the Chief? How does the chiefdom work in the Southern tribe anyway?)

...this is a plothole I didn’t intend to open up.

Anyways. My point being that Katara is someone who wants to help wherever she can, whenever she can. Chief Katara headcanons are kinda popular, and I get it, but I dunno...I don’t know if she’d be content settling in one location. She’s seen so much of the world now, and regardless of whether or not Kataang is endgame, she’d want to help Aang as much as her people. So yeah, I think that’s what I see for her, splitting her time between Aang and helping him with Avatar stuff and working to rebuild the tribe.

#specifics tbd because worldbuilding is not my strong suit haha #Anonymous

5 notes · View notes

ahumanintraining · 7 years ago

Text

re: Hurricane Irma — taking commissions!

Hello friends! For everyone checking in on me, thank you for your kindness and for your thoughts. I definitely got the better luck of the storm and it could have been a lot worse. I don’t have power or proper cell service, but I have not been displaced and having a place to sleep is more than I can ask for. My community is generous and we are slowly getting back into the momentum.

Unfortunately, some of my classmates and my community members have not been so fortunate: they’ve been flooded, lost valuable items, and are stretching their pockets for hot food to eat. We’ve put together some gofundmes, but I thought I would try opening commissions in order to raise money as well. In fact, even after much of the rebuilding/renormalization happens, I’m thinking of continuing to have commissions open to go directly to charities or various non-profits in the future.

Anyway tl;dr I’ve finally decided to open commissions for donations! Exciting! I’ve never done this before but let’s see where this takes us! Without further ado, below is more details!

P R I C E S:

drabble (100-500 words): 1 USD — (erlu) (sasunaru) (yonalili)

+NSFW: +0.50 USD — (shallura) (crackpair haikyuu)

oneshot (up to 1k words ish): 3 USD — (klance) (jerza) (viktuuri)

+NSFW: +1 USD — (hakyona) (jaeha/hak)

oneshot (up to 2k words ish): 5 USD — (erlu) (kakashi/ayame) (shallura)

+NSFW: +1.50 USD — (jerza) (crackpair fairy tail)

longer pieces (up to 10k words): 10+ USD — (zutara)

Examples are linked next to their respective categories, listed as their ships. Feel free to scroll through my ao3 or fanfiction account to see more examples!

This is just a list off the top of my head, so if you have other kinds of requests or are not sure how your piece categorizes, please feel free to shoot me an ask and I can give you an idea of how much I would expect the work to be. All of the above mentioned are one-shots, which is basically all I write, but given enough time, multichaps are not completely out of the game, so definitely don’t be shy if you have questions!

(more info below!)

I N F O:

What do I write?

Voltron: Legendary Defender, Fairy Tail, Naruto, Noragami, Avatar (both tLA and LoK), Akatsuki no Yona, FMA:b, or other animes that you know that I’m familiar with (if you don’t see it, please feel free to ask!)

or your original characters and settings! (prices may vary)

all gender pairings, all types of relationships, or general fics

any genre, SFW or NSFW

Give me as much information/details on what you want as you can so there’s a higher chance that I’ll end up writing what you have imagined. The more specific a request, the more likely you will like the piece! I encourage you to send me prompts, pieces of dialogue, situations, or even headcanons (especially for alternative universe commissions). Our discussions will be kept entirely confidential, especially if it’s a commission you wish to keep to yourself.

And if you’re requesting a commission to gift for someone else, definitely give me as much information so I know how to best make your recipient happy!!!

Payment will be through PAYPAL. I will send you an invoice/ask you to send the money after I started writing your commission, or after I’ve finished it if it’s short.

I reserve the right to post my work through social media (such as tumblr, archive of our own, fanfiction) and other websites UNLESS you specifically ask for it to not be posted. You don’t need to tell me why, and I completely understand if you prefer to keep your commissioned work to yourself. You can also choose to permit me to publish it but I will not tag you in it or keep you anonymous.

If you’d like to see your work posted before a certain deadline, let me know. I reserve the right to add additional value to my work if I need to complete it before other priorities. Otherwise, if you request something from me, I’ll give you a proper estimate of when I can complete it, and we’ll take it from there!

I reserve the right to reject any request that makes me uncomfortable in any way.

C O N T A C T:

If you’re interested, please feel free to contact me through tumblr (@ahumanintraining), twitter (@napsbeforesleep), discord (@ahumanintraining#2153), or through email (send me an ask for it).

Anyway, enough from me! Let’s hear what you have! I’m really excited to start writing what you’re thinking about, so thank you so much for reading this post and for sharing it with others that you feel may be interested!

Thank you all! I appreciate you all so much.

#commissions #ahumanintraining #cat.txt #<3 you all! thank you!#eek this is a completely new thing for me #>_<#turning a page to a new chapter!#but this will be good i think #i've been trying to find a way to contribute more #and write more #so this is a good happy meeting between the two

45 notes · View notes

themomentofdavyprentiss · 8 years ago

Note

Could you please write your essay on the zutara, kataang and maiko analysis? I would like to hear what you have to say...

Yes! Okay so I recently reblogged this post about Yin and Yang and how Zutara does not represent it, but Mai/ko and Kat/aang do. As I said in my tags, as a zutara shipper I do have a lot of thoughts on the interpretations of these three ships written in this post.

The interesting thing about this anti zutara analysis and the reason I reblogged it is that I almost completely agree with everything said about zutara.

In the original post, OP goes on describe the two most popular ways that people associate yin and yang with zutara and refute them:

I have seen two flavors of the yin and yang argument for Zutara. The first is the somewhat grounded point that Katara is a female waterbender and represents yin, while Zuko a male firebender and represents yang. The second is the completely clueless assertion that Zuko is “dark” and therefore yin and Katara “light.” therefore yang.

I could not agree more. So many anti zutara shippers (and even a lot of casual zutara shippers) like to picture zutara as the good girl/bad boy ship and I really hate that because the ship is so much more complex than that. Katara is not a goody two shoes pure angel, and Zuko is not an evil badboy who needs Katara to redeem him.

The first of these arguments, of female, water-associated, yin Katara and male, fire-associated, yang Zuko is true as it goes according to the traditional concepts of yin-yang, but it’s incomplete, outdated, and even dehumanizing in my opinion. It’s basically saying two people are right for each other based on what they are, characteristics that were inborn or cannot be changed, instead of who they are, their personality and individuality. Their actual personalities tell a very different story, as I will discuss below…

…Also frankly, the parts about masculine yang and feminine yin are the products of heavily sexist societies from two millennia ago. They reflect archaic gender roles where men are expected to be aggressive and assertive and women to be submissive and supportive….

…That’s why I don’t like the “female waterbender and male firebender are yin and yang = instant romance!” formulation. It’s sexist and heteronormative, and literalizes what were meant to be symbolic representations…

…If you’re actually interested in applying philosophical yin-yang to individuals and their relationships, it may help to think of yang as “drama” and yin as “chill.” Yang is starting things, getting in people’s faces, wearing your heart on your sleeve, raised voices. Yin is resolving things, calming down, contemplation, quiet conversation or just silent contentment. Everyone has some drama and some chill, but some people have more of one or the other. If one person in a relationship brings tons of drama, it strikes a good balance if the other can bring the chill. In this understanding of yin and yang, it should be clear Zuko and Katara are both drama llamas, that is yang ascendant. “But female waterben-” shush. Katara is more than her gender and element. Also the gender and element are symbolic representations of yin anyway, not the actual thing.

Based on what OP has written (I recommend reading the original post, even though the quote above is very long, I cut a lot of good stuff out for length) I completely agree that Katara and Zuko are both Yang. Up to this point in the essay, I 100% agree with everything written about Zutara.

Here is where I start to disagree…

Zuko and Katara, then, don’t personify the yin-yang balance at all. They both have too much fire, too much drama, and that’s why their interactions can spin out of control and bring out the worst in both. Remember “The Southern Raiders?” Where Katara set out to murder a war criminal and Zuko egged her on? It was Aang’s calming words, his chill, his yin that ultimately moderated her rage and helped her remember her better self. Aang is the yin to Katara’s yang.

Countless essays and analysis’ have been written about how ‘The Southern Raiders’ does not, in fact, bring out the worst in both Zuko and Katara, and so I’m not going to directly respond to the above statement. I will respond to the statement about Aang and Katara, however.

If you take Katara and Aang’s individual personalities, traits, and mindsets, I absolutely agree that Kat/aang could be a wonderful representation of Yin and Yang. Aang’s role as Avatar is to be a mediator and to bring peace. Keeping in mind Katara’s fiery personality and emotional drive, I think that the two could have had a really amazing balance if written well. The issue, however, is that we don’t see this at all, which can all be boiled down to the fact that Aang doesn’t understand Katara. Let’s look at the scene between Aang and Katara in ‘The Southern Raiders’:

Aang: Umm… and what exactly do you think this would accomplish? Katara: (sighs and shakes her head) I knew you wouldn’t understand. (She begins to walk away)Aang: (Cut to a close up of Katara as Aang and Sokka look on behind her) Wait, stop, I do understand. You’re feeling unbelievable pain and rage. How do you think I felt about the sandbenders when they stole Appa? How do you think I felt about the Fire Nation when I found out what happened to my people?Zuko: (off screen) She needs this, (everyone turn their eyes towards him) Aang. This is about getting closure and justice. Aang: I don’t think so. I think it’s about getting revenge. Katara: (off screen) Fine! (Cut to an angry and frustrated Katara) Maybe it is. Maybe that’s what I need. Maybe that’s what he deserves. Aang: Katara, you sound like Jet. Katara: (defensively) It’s not the same. Jet attacked the innocent. This man, he’s a monster.

These are not calming words. Rather than see Katara’s determination and anger and calm her, Aang riles her up even more. He doesn’t try to understand where she is coming from. He just assumes that he already knows. And then he delegitimizes her need for closure. Rather than try to empathize, Aang tells her she is wrong and refuses to see where she is coming from. He even goes so far as to accuse her of being a murderer.

The ultimate irony here, I think, is that when Appa was stolen, rather than show the sandbenders forgiveness, Aang entered the Avatar State and almost killed them. He would have, too, had Katara not been there to calm him down and be his yin.

The way Aang tries to be there for Katara mimics how Mai tries to be there for Zuko. Let’s look at this Mai/ko conversation in ‘Nighmares and Daydreams’:

Mai: Zuko, it’s just a dumb meeting. Who cares? Zuko: I don’t. Mai: Well good. You shouldn’t. Why would you even want to go? (Cut to shot of Zuko and Mai standing in the window, the Fire Nation Palace before them. Mai puts her arm around Zuko) Just think about how things went to the last war meeting you went to. Zuko: (sighs)I know.

Zuko has been completely distraught about not being invited to the war meeting. This is a huge deal to him, he wants to be the perfect son to Ozai, and he feels like a disappointment and an oversight. Mai can’t understand why this is a big deal to Zuko, and rather than try to understand, she invalidates it and acts like it’s the stupidest thing in the world to be upset over. On top of that, she throws in his face one of the biggest shames of his life, all for the sake of making him feel bad for caring.

Let’s compare these two scenes to two scenes of Katara and Zuko supporting each other. First, Zuko supporting Katara in ‘The Southern Raiders’

Katara: But, we were too late. When we got there, the man was gone. (voice cracks slightly) And so was she. Zuko: (Cut to a sorrowful Zuko) Your Mother was a brave woman.Katara: (Cut to a front shot of Katara as she touches her necklace) I know.

Katara just opened up to Zuko about one of the most traumatic moments of her life: the murder of her mother. Zuko doesn’t make this about him; he doesn’t talk about the disappearance of his own motheR. He doesn’t try to defend the Fire Nation, his home or tell her not all Fire Nation people. He hears what happened to her, accepts how awful this was for her, and affirms that her mother was a wonderful woman.

Now for Katara supporting Zuko in ‘The Old Masters’:

Katara: Are you okay? Zuko: No, (turning his head away from Katara) I’m not okay. My Uncle hates me, I know it. (Katara lowers herself to the ground) He loved me and supported me in every way he could and I still turned against him. How can I even face him? (Cut to a sideview of a regretful Zuko with Katara looking on.)Katara: Zuko, you’re sorry for what you did, right? Zuko: More sorry than I’ve been about anything in my entire life. Katara: (raises her shoulders) Then he’ll forgive you. (Zuko looks at her) He will.

Zuko considers betraying Iroh his greatest regret. Iroh is the father figure Zuko never had growing up, and one of the most important people in his life. Right now Zuko is terrified out of his mind that the only adult figure who has ever loved him and supported him is now done with him forever. He is convinced Iroh will reject Zuko, and he doesn’t even want to face his uncle. Here enters Katara. She sees the regret and fear in Zuko. She knows there isn’t anything to worry about, that it’s ridiculous to think that Iroh wouldn’t forgive him. But Katara doesn’t say any of this. She doesn’t tell him to suck it up, or that he’s being dumb. She allows Zuko to reaffirm his sincerity and then reassures him that everything will be okay.

In these interactions, you can see that even though Zuko and Katara’s personalities are traditionally ‘yang’, when they come together like this, they find a perfect balance. They don’t egg each other on or bring out the worst in each other, they bring out the best, most vulnerable, and their truest selves.

This is what I love about zutara. It isn’t about ‘opposites attract’ or ‘good girl saves bad boy’. It’s about two people with very similar, but ultimately complementary, personalities coming together on equal playing grounds and supporting each other in the most positive way they can because the level of understanding between the two goes beyond words. It’s just natural for them to know exactly what the other needs.

#Anonymous #long post #zutara

772 notes · View notes

lykegenia · 8 years ago

Text

Zutara Week Day 3: Steamy

Another year, another Zutara Week, another set of oneshots for my ZKWeek story A Life, Together, which you can find in its entirety here.

@zutaraweek

ZKWeek Day 3: Steamy Words: 2345 Summary: Katara has her first ‘oh no, he’s hot’ moment Read it on AO3

“Ta-da!”

Sokka stood in front of the rest of their group, his hands held out in an expansive gesture of presentation, with a grin on his face so wide it crinkled his eyes and showed every one of his teeth. Behind him stood a circular construction in mismatched stone – likely scrounged from the Western Air Temple’s crumbling masonry – which had a conical roof made of bamboo struts, overlaid with the tarp that used to form the roof of their shelter when they were still camping in the wilderness. Holes in the masonry were plugged with bunches of grass, and the whole thing looked like it would struggle to withstand even the smallest puff of air.

At least it explained his strange behaviour that morning.

“Well?” he demanded. “What do you think?”

“Uh…” Zuko glanced at the others, rubbing the back of his neck. “What is it?”

“It’s a shack,” Toph said. “Even I can see that.”

Sokka gave a disgusted squawk and threw his hands in the air. “It is not a shack!” he protested. “It’s a steam house. It’s a Water Tribe tradition!”

“I’ve heard of these!” Aang chimed in excitedly. “You sit in them and sweat out all the toxins in your body.”

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, Twinkle toes, but we’re all already pretty sweaty. This humidity is going to kill me.”

“It’s meant to be very good for reaching the spirit world,” Aang replied with a shrug.

“Oh no,” Sokka groaned. “We aren’t doing that again. I was weirded out enough the first time, or don’t you remember what happened to me in Hei Bai Forest? No.” He held up a hand and began to count off on his fingers. “First, we are going to sit in there. Second, we’re going to relax and forget for an afternoon that we’re going to have to beat the Fire Lord. Third, we’re going to emerge refreshed and ready to get back to work.” He turned to Katara, the only one of the circle who had yet to speak. “Does that sound like a good plan?”

“Well, you are our go-to plan guy,” she replied, smiling. Despite the improvised construction, the roundhouse really did look like one of the steam huts they had had back in the village, before the soldiers went to war and the struggle for survival meant they had to do away with such luxuries.

“Do you have the camel moss?” she asked. The sweet-smelling lichen was added to the water to add fragrance to the steam, often along with other, more relaxing herbs.

Sokka beamed. “Bato gave me some before the invasion,” he said, and offered her a blue-patterned pouch filled to the brim with feathery, greyish moss. “It’s the real deal.”

“It is!” she cried, inhaling the sweet scent of the bag’s contents. “But… how are you planning to power this?”

“How do you think? We have one master waterbender –” he pointed to her – “One jerkbender –” to Zuko – “And one avatar who can do both. All we need to do is get the coals going and it’ll stay hot for hours.”

Katara glanced at Zuko and found him watching her warily. They had been in a cool stalemate ever since his return from the Sun Warriors with Aang, which had proved once and for all that whatever his reasons, the Fire Prince was no longer out to capture Aang. That made him an ally, and as the others became more accepting of his presence among them, her open hostility became harder to justify. Aang was especially good at throwing her pleading looks that made her feel guilty for being suspicious.

But how else could she act? Down in the catacombs of Ba Sing Se, she had let her guard down, and she was all too well aware how that had turned out. She couldn’t afford to trust him again, if only for Aang’s sake, but being so wired all the time was beginning to exhaust her.

And it was especially hard since Zuko was nothing like she expected him to be, day to day. She wanted him to be a stuck-up prince who left mess and expected others to clear up after him, but if anything, he was more considerate than the others.

“Don’t think I don’t see through this little act,” she had spat when he offered to clean the dishes after breakfast the previous week. “Why on earth would you want to?”

He had shrugged. “It’s not fair that you do everything.”

“Says the prince who’s never done a day of hard work in his life.”

For a beat, he had said nothing, clearly working out the best way to answer – he had taken to not addressing her hostility directly, having learned from Aang that sometimes it was better to circle and let your opponent do the work. That was frustrating, too.

“Believe what you want,” he had told her eventually. “But I lived in the lower ring of Ba Sing Se for months, and there weren’t any servants there.” And he had walked away.

The words had bothered her all day. She realised that between leaving him in the snow at the North Pole and finding him again in a tea shop in the Earth Kingdom, she had no idea what had happened to him. Thinking it might not all have been sunshine and daisies for him rankled, but then so did the fact that his offer to help had seemed genuine, and she had only snarled at him on reflex. Nobody else ever even noticed that she did most of the chores, let alone offered to help.

The next day, she had asked him, quietly, if he could sew. When he had answered, quietly, that he wasn’t very good but could mend basic tears, she knew he understood her sort-of apology, and walked away with a curious kind of twisting in the pit of her stomach. They hadn’t spoken since.

Now, Katara found herself shepherded into the steam house with everyone else. Inside it was snug, the light dimmed by the thick canvas of the roof, and it was very warm. A bucket of water stood on the floor next to a fire pit, the camel moss already steeping, waiting only for someone to ladle it out over the cluster of glowing coals. Sokka already sprawled across one of the benches, his arms and lanky legs spread out in a decent imitation of a starfish.

“Budge up,” she huffed, nudging one of his legs with her foot. “This is great.”

Her brother cracked open an eye to look at her. “You work hard, Katara. You deserve a break every now and then.”

She frowned, unsure how to respond to such an unprecedented acknowledgement of how she took care of them, but before she could dwell on it too much, Toph barged through the entrance, closely followed by Aang, and Katara had to sit down or risk stepping in the fire. Even with just four of them, the circular hut was rather squashed, and she felt an elbow dig uncomfortably into her side as she tried to get comfortable. And then Zuko arrived. Without his shirt.

It shouldn’t have bothered her so much – Aang and Sokka were topless, too, after all, though they were family so that didn’t really count. And neither of them looked like Zuko. In the muted light, the glow of the coals highlighted the fine tone of his physique, and the low ceiling only emphasised how tall he was. How had she never noticed that before? Suddenly self-conscious of how much skin she was exposing, sat there only in bindings and shorts, she tucked her legs up under the bench and brought her arms to rest in her lap, not quite hugging around her stomach. A chill ran up the back of her neck where the skin was exposed to the air.

“You okay, Sweetness?”

She glanced at Toph. “Fine.”

“Yeah, sure.” The younger girl grinned like a cat-monkey with cream, which did nothing to ease the new tension in Katara’s muscles.

And of course the only free space in the steam house was exactly opposite her. Zuko sat down, apparently unconscious of her irritation, and leaned back against the stone wall of the hut. His unruly hair skimmed the roof. Frowning, Katara supposed she should be grateful he was so far away, because otherwise he would have no doubt been next to her. She wouldn’t have been able to see him unless she looked – and she did not want to look, she had no interest in looking – but he would have been pressed against her side in the tight space, all that lean muscle and warmth and the dry muskiness of his scent.

“So how about some steam?” she asked, to distract herself from the shudder that tickled across her shoulders. She wanted to blame it on revulsion, but her heart wasn’t quite in it.

“Allow me, milady,” Aang said with his goofiest smile before she could raise her hand to bend the water. She grinned back at him, and seconds later the hut was filled with a cloud of thick, fragrant steam.

Katara allowed herself to drift, and the others did, too. In the silence, she sank into the soothing aroma of the camel moss, letting it take her back to a time when she was very young and the elders would gather round the long-fire in the big house to tell stories about the spirits. She amused herself by bending the steam into the shapes of fish and great whales, and the lithe, sinuous form of the dragon who was meant to bring thunderstorms in summer. Feeling the corner of her mouth quirk up, she flicked her fingers and the dragon breathed a tiny puff of steam where it circled above her head.

The smile faded when she caught a pair of golden eyes watching her from across the coals. Zuko glanced away, but the look made something itch beneath her skin, so she closed her eyes and leaned her head back, determined to block him from her mind completely.

When she opened her eyes again some while later, everyone else had already left. Most of the steam had escaped through the cracks in the walls, and all that was left was a dry, clean heat that raised prickles of sweat along her skin. Rubbing her tiredness out of her eyes, Katara stood and shuffled to the entrance, a slight headache throbbing behind her eyes brought on by dehydration. The fountain in the nearby courtyard ran with cool water, a perfect substitute for the ice pool traditionally used to clear away the sticky heat of the steam house.

As she walked through the surprisingly cool air of the temple halls, Katara wondered where the others had gone, why nobody had woken her when they left. The sun was low on the horizon, which meant it was almost dinner, and she had done none of the preparations she had meant to do. The worries that just a few minutes before had seemed trivial crowded round her, twining back into her limbs like the vines around the Air Temple itself, and with a sigh she bent the sweat off her body without waiting for the pool and hurried the familiar route back to the hall they used as their main shared space.

What she found left her open-mouthed.

The living space, usually scattered about with spare bedrolls, scrolls, and plans, was neatly tidied with a stack of firewood piled in one corner and their food supplies in another. She could smell dinner cooking, and noticed Sokka frowning over the stewpot. Occasionally, he muttered to himself and gave the fire below a prod with a long, forked stick, while Toph bent the dust out of the cracks in the floor so that the mosaic there gleamed.

“What is all this?” she asked.

The pair froze as if caught doing something they should be guilty for.

“Katara!” It was Aang, sliding to a stop behind her, out of breath.

“Aw man, Twinkle Toes,” Toph complained. “You were meant to keep her busy.”

“I had to feed Appa,” protested Aang, before turning to Katara. “It was meant to be a surprise,” he explained, blushing. “You do so much for all of us, and, well… we thought you deserved a break.”

Katara felt the same suspicion as earlier sneak over her. “Aang, this wasn’t… Zuko’s idea, was it?” she asked. The Fire Prince was nowhere to be seen.

“No!” Aang cried, hurt. “It was mine. Though I was training with him when I had the idea,” he added.

At that moment, Zuko himself emerged from deeper within the temple, carrying a small bag with him. He handed it over to Sokka, who sniffed dubiously before pulling out several small jars of what looked like spices. Katara watched as Zuko gave instructions about which to add to the food already bubbling on the fire, the slight stain of colour on his cheeks the only indicator that he knew she was there. Could he have masterminded this?

Aang was still talking.

“… so we decided to give you a day off, and Sokka said we should make your favourite, so it’s a good thing Zuko said he brought Fire Nation ingredients with him when he came after us. What do you think of it?”

She glanced down into Aang’s grinning face, the grey eyes eager for her approval, and found her thoughts still whirling. She still didn’t trust Zuko, she couldn’t bring herself to forget what he did in Ba Sing Se. There had been too many times when she thought the best of the world and the consequences of her good nature snaked back to bite her in the arm. But still… If her suspicions were correct, then he had done all of this for her, just to be nice, without any desire for his efforts to be recognised.

Her chest constricted.

“Well?” Aang prompted. “Isn’t it amazing?”

“Yes,” she agreed. “It is.”

#zutara #Zutara Week #Zutara Week 2017 #ZKWeek #ZKWeek 2017 #Steamy

39 notes · View notes