#but it was possible for me to fall in love with a zuko

[lyriclight]

"refusing to acknowledge this is disrespectful not just to Katara's character, but all the real life women and girls forced into similar roles who see themselves in Katara."

THANK YOU. Thank you!!

For me, a personal reason I am uncomfortable with Kata/ang is because I've been in a situation just like that, in the role of Katara. Voluntary "mom friend," yet somehow one of the boys I was 'meant to be taking care of' kept trying to pursue me while maintaining this dynamic. Blergh. (Given, I'm nonbinary, but the person who was Aang in this situation didn't respect that)

I've had other friends who went through a similar thing too, in varying fashions. What we see in canon with Katara, which is that she has an undeniable maternal trait, but everyone except for Zuko just goes along with it and doesn't attempt to help her.

Boys who think they deserve to be waited on/doted upon by the girl, just because she's the girl. (Early Sokka, and even Sokka later on because he didn't help cook or anything/Aang)

Boys who think they can ask and take over and over again and don't understand why it's wrong, even when the girl explains it.

Worse, when he makes the girl feel like it's her fault for his disappointment. When her lack of consent is viewed, by him, as a problem.

We can make it even worse! Like I said earlier, with what I went through, we could even say that Aang was trying to pursue a romantic relationship with someone who he still expected to act motherly to him! (Invasion kiss → the rest of season 3, where it is not shown that he makes any effort to help Katara with the cooking or organizing, or basically shift their dynamic in any other way)

How is this ship okay with anyone? Okay I'm getting a little of topic now. Ahem

Ignoring some of Katara's traits and highlighting others just to fit her into a ship is awful. Especially when it's traits/a ship that take away her autonomy as a character and treat her as a prize in the narrative. She's a fighter. She takes care of the gaang and has a great responsibility, and she does it well! Even if it's hard. Kata/ang waters her down (no pun intended) and skips over—maybe even undoes—parts of her arc, leading the finale kiss to feel out of place, shallow, and a slap in the face to anybody who's ever been in Katara's place.

So then what ship completes her arc, without skipping over parts of her personality? I think we know the answer to that.

Katara and the “Mom Friend” Trope

Both in-universe and among fans, Katara has always been identified as the “mom friend.” While often used as a joke, the trope does reveal a deeper and more tragic aspect of Katara’s character: the way the war has forced her to grow up quickly and take on a parental role at a young age.

This is a frequently misunderstood part of Katara’s character, despite it being central to her arc. Since the show first aired, Katara has been the butt of many jokes and has always been one of the most hated characters by fans. From tasteless jokes about how she talks about the loss of her mother too much to accusations of being too emotional and bossy, Katara’s character has always been under attack by fans.

In past years, and still in certain parts of the internet, this behavior was blatant, but lately I’ve noticed a more subtle spin on this. As it becomes slightly less socially acceptable to say blatantly misogynistic things about female characters—particularly here on tumblr—I’ve noticed fans express the same negative sentiments about Katara, but dressed up to appear more progressive. The most common way I see this sentiment expressed is fans downplaying Katara’s role as “team mom” and trying to make it seem as if Katara is less mature and responsible than she really is.

Of course, these individuals would have you believe that their reasoning for these opinions is that they really care so much about Katara and want to “let her be a kid.” But in reality, when you ignore the way that Katara is forced into a parental role in canon, you also ignore and disregard the context for many of her character traits, leading into the accusations of her being bossy and overly emotional that I mentioned earlier. It erases, and therefore minimizes, a huge source of stress and trauma that weighs on Katara throughout the series.

The idea that Katara fans created the concept of her being a “mom friend” is ridiculous. This is mentioned so much in canon that it’s practically a running joke. Toph accuses Katara of acting like everyone’s mom in The Chase. A similar conflict arises again in The Runaway, when Sokka even admits that he thinks of Katara as a mother figure, despite him being her older brother.

Katara seems pretty hurt by this too, and it’s still never properly addressed again.

In The Headband, Katara actually pretends to be Aang’s mother.

And looking at everything we know about Katara, it’s very clear how she assumed this role. Think about what she says in the exposition of the entire show:

Katara: Ever since mom died, I've been doing all the work around camp while you've been off playing soldier! I even wash all the clothes! Have you ever smelled your dirty socks?

The moment Katara is introduced, the audience is given a critical piece of information about Katara—that she’s lost her mother and essentially assumed her role. While Sokka is more or less playing and occasionally hunting (we hardly ever see him do this in canon by the way), Katara is doing the overlooked, underappreciated labor that keeps everything moving. There is a great post here by @theotterpenguin that details this and the inherent misogyny in devaluing the kind of work Katara does, and how many fans tend to do this.

This trend continues throughout the course of the show. Katara is always the voice of reason who keeps things moving. She reigns in Sokka and Aang, who are constantly getting themselves into trouble.

There are countless examples, but to name a few:

As early as The Warriors of Kyoshi, she’s trying to get Aang to behave and not endanger himself to look cool. And having him mouth off when she gently suggests that he help with a minor chore.

In The Storm, Katara warns Sokka not to take a risky job, which he ignores and nearly gets himself killed.

In The Blue Spirit, Katara is trying the whole time to do something productive via Momo, remaining vigilant despite the sickness wearing her down.

In The Chase, being the one to politely ask Toph to help out, and honestly doing a pretty good job of keeping her cool as long as she did.

The entirety of The Desert episode. While everyone else was drugged up, hopeless, and even outright hostile, Katara kept everything moving and saved everyone’s lives.

Whenever Aang goes into the Avatar State, it’s always Katara tasked with calming him down, despite how dangerous and volatile the Avatar State is when not properly controlled.

Additionally, there are so many small details that add to this picture. Katara is always the one we see getting food, preparing food, doing chores, everything of that nature. Everyone else would be completely lost without her.

And sadly, this is something never properly addressed by the narrative nor acknowledged by fans. There is a great post here by @ecoterrorist-katara explaining the tragedy in this. Katara is constantly burdened with the responsibility of keeping everything moving and doing the invisible labor that is never appreciated but keeps everyone moving, which is the reason why she’s viewed as being in a maternal role. Because that’s what she very clearly is to her friends.

This really wasn’t meant to be a ship related post, but it is kind of the elephant in the room here. I know a lot of the motivation in downplaying Katara’s “mom friend” role stems from shipping discourse, in particular, the hatred of the idea of Katara and Zuko acting as team parents. Some people associate Momtara as a Zutara trope and as a result, relentlessly bash it as they do anything even tangentially related to Zutara. But did you ever consider why it’s a Zutara trope? Because a lot of fans recognize everything I mentioned previously, and enjoy the idea of someone helping to share that responsibility. Sokka, Aang, and Toph clearly didn’t, so that leaves…guess who.

Zuko: You should get some rest. We'll be there in a few hours. You'll need all your strength.

It’s tiring seeing this trend from people who clearly don’t care about Katara or her character. Sure, you might try to act like you’re downplaying Katara’s maternal role and how a huge part of her canon character was the war forcing her to assume that role out of “wanting her to be a kid” but you really aren’t that different from more blatantly misogynistic fans who call her immature and annoying. You don’t recognize or respect the work she’s constantly putting in to protect those around her, and then you have the audacity to get mad at fans of Katara who actually like the idea of someone taking some of that burden off of her shoulders?

Same Katara hate, different font. She is forced into this material role, and refusing to acknowledge this is disrespectful not just to Katara’s character, but all the real life women and girls forced into similar roles who see themselves in Katara.

[melzula]

Can you please write jealous Zuko? It can be however you like😊

a/n: i love jealous zuko! however this ended up being more angsty than i intended😭 hope you enjoy!

summary: a party at the palace leads to a deep revelation for zuko

He was miserable.

The palace didn’t throw parties very often these days, but the recent conquering of another Earth colony was deemed a call for celebration, and so all of the noble families in the Capital City were invited to attend. A grand feast was held and praises were showered upon Ozai throughout the night. It was one of the rare times Zuko didn’t have to worry about his father’s wrath, and so he should have been enjoying himself.

But he couldn’t, not when he could see that across the way another boy was flirting with you right in front of him.

You were Zuko’s everything- his childhood best friend that he’d always held harbored feelings for. During his banishment he thought of you constantly, and upon his arrival he immediately asked you to be his girlfriend. You were sweet and friendly, easily approachable and always able to cheer him up despite his moodiness, you were perfect. And apparently this other boy could see this too.

You smile out of politeness and nod along to the boy’s rambling story about his fire bending skills and high IQ, not very interested in listening but too nice to brush him off. It infuriates Zuko to see someone else take advantage of your kindness, and he’s unable to just sit back and watch any longer.

A harsh hand lands upon the boy’s shoulder, startling both of you in the process. Zuko’s eyes are blazing with fury, his palm scorching the fabric of the boy’s robes and scaring the spirits out of him in the process.

“Can’t you take a hint? She doesn’t want to talk to you!” the Prince bellow angrily, prompting a few guests nearby to turn their heads curiously towards the commotion. A bit embarrassed at the sudden attention, you gently pull Zuko’s hand away and drag him out to the gardens before he can escalate the situation any further. The last thing you need is for him to cause a scene at his father’s party.

“What?” Zuko says defensively as you wordlessly walk through the palace hallways. “I was helping you!”

“You were acting jealous again,” you chide gently.

“No I wasn’t!” He argues defensively only to shrink under your pointed gaze. “…I was.”

“I love you, Zuko, but I don’t love how jealous you can get sometimes. I’m your girlfriend, don’t you trust me?”

“Of course I do!” He interjects quickly, almost offended at the notion.

“Then what is it? Why do you act this way?”

Zuko is silent, his eyes casted sullenly to the floor as you patiently wait for his answer. You take his hands in your own and give them a reassuring squeeze to let him know you’re there for him, and the act seems to coax him out of his stupor.

“I’m afraid you’ll change your mind about being with me, and once the right guy comes along you’ll realize you’re better off without me,” he admits quietly, almost ashamed to voice the thought out loud.

“Zuko…” you utter sadly, heartbroken at the fact that he could even believe such a thing.

“Why do you want to be with a boy who’s been exiled from his own country before? Whose own father burned his face? Who’s so messed up in every way possible?”

Gently carefully cupping his face in your hands, you tilt his head upward to meet your sincere gaze. His eyes are glossy with tears he refuses to let fall, and your heart aches for the poor boy before you. You wish you could take away all of his hurt in agony, but you can’t, so you do your best to take away his insecurity instead.

“I wish you could yourself the way I see you,” you tell him lovingly. “You are more than enough for me, more than I could ever ask for. You’re strong, you’re brave, you’re smart. You’re you. I love you, Zuko. No one’s ever going to get into the way of that.”

He says nothing in response but simply yanks you into his arms for the tightest hug you’ve ever possibly received. You know he isn’t the best at words or emotions, but his embrace conveys that he is grateful for every word to come out of your mouth.

He knows he may be jealous at times, but he also knows that he doesn’t have to be anymore.

Because you’re not going anywhere.

| atla tags: @sirkekselord @niktwazny303

| zuko tags: @thebluelcdy @royahllty @the-firebender-girl @ilovespideyyy @yiyibetch @eridanuswave @lammello @a-monsters-love @knaite-solo @taeeemin

[bluespiritshonour]

I think what's even sadder is that Azula, at some level, is aware that Ozai doesn't love her.

It was Zuko who was the naïve one that needed to realise what their father actually was like. But Azula always knew.

She knows he doesn't love anyone. And she's okay with it—or rather, she tells herself she's okay with it. She probably saw their mum love Zuko and craved the same but she never received it—so she buries that desire deep inside. She considers love foolish because no one ever loved her—but her vulnerability around their mother tells us that she, again, knows that it's possible.

Her breakdown in the end comes about not because she realises Ozai doesn't love her. She always knew that and never asked for more because she's the perfect princess and the perfect daughter who doesn't ask for more than she is given.

But because even after she did everything right, it wasn't enough. She let her person hood erode away chasing perfection. She did what was required of her even after her bestfriends betrayed her and she was very clearly hurt—she tried to bury it and push forward.

She knew the moment she falls short of expectation she would be cast aside like Zuko was. And she considers it his fault, not their father's. (Zuko goes even a step forward in this nasty direction that he blames his fate on Azula and not their father).

Except, she was cast aside the moment she served her purpose, even though she did it excellently.

Even after all that it wasn't enough. The “You can't treat me like Zuko” says it all. She spent all her life not being like him. She went above and beyond. She did everything that was humanly possible and maybe even little more than that. And yet, in the end, it didn't matter.

[zukosdualdao]

(forgive the somewhat poor quality screenshots, especially on that third one. wifi is still out at my place post-storm so i took these from youtube and am writing from my phone. alas, alack.)

this is one of my favorite blink-and-you’ll-miss-it facial expression moments in atla. the animators 100% did not have to include this reaction shot of katara, sokka, and suki watching zuko rise back up on one of the war blimps and face off with azula, but i’m really glad they did. i also love the differences in their reactions.

suki’s is the most straightforward to me. she and sokka share similar posture, both of them leaning forward slightly and bracing an arm against appa’s saddle to support themselves. but suki looks almost disdainful, with her eyes narrowed and brow heavily quirked and sort of defiant. i think she’s a lot more focused on the azula of it all, since azula captured her and just last episode she was saying how “this is a rematch [she’s] been waiting for.”

sokka shares suki’s posture but katara’s wide eyes here. his mouth isn’t agape, but it is parted, suggesting in this context some amount of surprise or worry. though they’re all waiting to see what happens, there’s more of an air of… excitement isn’t the right word, because i do think he’s concerned, but anticipation, maybe, of the fight that’s about to come. he fought azula with zuko last ep, after all, and though i do think he’s worried for zuko here, i also get the sense that he has a lot of belief in zuko’s ability to fight her off at this point.

katara’s definitely registering the most shock, with her wide eyes, mouth open in surprise, and raised eyebrows. the most notable thing about this, of course, is that she was only minutes ago deriding zuko for pushing her out of the way of falling rocks, and now her expression actually suggests a lot of concern for him, which is reinforced by her pulling him onto appa’s saddle once he and azula fall. i keep wondering what exactly she’s so shocked about, though. at first i thought it was because they saw him fall and were surprised along with azula to see him alive and still ready to fight—but they were getting everyone onto appa and trying to figure out how to flee, so i’m not sure they would have seen. aang did seem very concerned when zuko told them to go on without him, so it’s possible they weren’t really expecting him to survive in general, even without seeing him fall. (which, fair. facing off against his set-on-murdering him sister alone does not seem conducive to zuko surviving.) but i also wonder if it has something to do with seeing zuko fight azula on their behalf considering the contrast it makes to his siding with azula in tcod. there, he chose azula’s side and katara felt betrayed, which is why she hasn’t been able to forgive him even as he proves he’s on their side. but here, he’s risking his own life to protect them, and while he’s done that before with combustion man, i think this is the first time katara is able to consciously acknowledge to herself that it’s not really about trust anymore. (but later, that only makes her angrier, because she’s still hurt, even though she knows he’s on their side, because she connected with him and wanted to trust him all the way back in tcod.)

[wakkass]

It's impossible to put into words how much I love designing characters, especially for AU.

Yes, I recently had an avatar AU, and I really wanted to draw Katara from there (and also Zuko). I usually draw a static pose in order to display all the details of the clothes. This is such a kind of character sheet that helps me to better imagine the scenes in my head.

If you're interested in reading about the AU itself, then there will be some information about it.

I apologize in advance for mistakes in the text, English is not my native language. But, I hope, this will not interfere with understanding.

In general, my AU concerns the ending of the series, because at some point it seemed unrealistic to me. There is too much positivity with the obvious problems of the post-military space, as well as little logic in some moments (for example, I don't understand what Zuko was doing in Ba Sing Se. Did he abandon his newfound throne to the mercy of fate with the risk of a palace coup? Did he not feel the effects of a lightning strike? The longer I think about it, the surreal it seems to me).

At some point I thought, "this is all like Aang's dream, in which everything is intentionally good. As if this is the ending he wants, but it's unattainable." And then it dawned on me. But it really looks like his fantasy about the future after defeating the root of evil. This explains why Zuko recovered so easily, why everyone is just relaxing and having fun without a drop of post-trauma. Because Aang wants everything to be so naive and simple after defeating the Fire Lord. Because he's dreaming about it.

I know this is a very hackneyed narrative technique. It's pretty easy to say "this is someone's dream" to deny any events. But I found it curious, especially against the background of the episode "Nightmares and Daydreams", where Aang's dreams already simplified the reality around him. For me, it's like a lead-up to the finale, where he actually sleeps.

You ask, "but why is he sleeping?". I also asked this question, and the answer to it killed me. Because during the battle with Ozai, when the stone hit Aang in the wound, he fell into a coma. His body was paralyzed because his brain perceived it as a repeated lightning strike, again fatal. The avatar's state was the only one that did not allow Aang to die, but only to fall into a coma. And instead of an epic battle, we have a little helpless boy spending a huge amount of energy just to maintain his life.

The second Aang collapsed, he disappeared, leaving Ozai alone with the remnants of his temporary power. And no one else saw the avatar…

I'll leave the intrigue for you about this, but for now I'll tell you about the concepts from the art.

Naturally, everyone searched for Aang, and, naturally, they did not find him. Katara and Zuko were the only ones who did not participate in the search, for several reasons:

Zuko was rehabilitated for a very long time after being struck by lightning, and Katara nursed him (I'm sure there are a lot of fics about this topic. The only difference is that there is no romance here. The focus of my AU is not on it, but on the problems of the consequences of the war). He survived, but he had major problems with his heart, digestive system and spine. Who noticed the cane in his hands? Yes, Zuko couldn't walk without it. From now on and forever. He was physically unable to leave the palace, and Katara maintained at least some of his condition.

Even after Zuko's rehabilitation, it was necessary to keep the power in his hands. Imagine what a shock the Fire Nation experienced when not just the former Fire Lord was overthrown, but the country's policy changed dramatically. Now Zuko needed to keep power in his hands and establish a new regime as soon as possible, before his opponents raised armies and people against him. This boy, who recently sat quietly at a military meeting, needed to show unprecedented strength and power to everyone: both officials sought to turn the situation in their favor, and the people who wanted stability and prosperity. But how to do this if Zuko couldn't even breathe normally, and getting out of bed required tremendous effort? It was impossible… Anyone else would have given up, but not Zuko. He has never given up without a fight and has never turned his back on danger, even if he risks dying.

It hurts me a lot for him, too. Fate has never stopped pushing Zuko against obstacles, but this time he couldn't rely on himself. He almost couldn't bend, his body almost didn't obey. He was an easy target and there was nothing he could do about it. This helplessness irritated him, saddened him, oppressed him. The only thing that wasn't broken yet was his spirit, and Zuko was barely able to maintain it in such conditions. If it wasn't for Katara, I don't know if he would have coped in the end. She was now his only support, his only ally in these cold oppressive walls, the only rational grain in his doubts.

You ask, "Where is Iroh? Where is Mai?"

Iroh, along with the White Lotus, took on a mission to liberate the Earth Kingdom from the Fire Army and establish relations with the kingdom. In fact, Iroh now shared power with Zuko: uncle was engaged in foreign policy so that his nephew could focus on domestic policy.

With Mai, everything was much simpler: after getting out of prison, she was completely disappointed in the guy who always left her. She sent him a letter, where she finally ended their relationship, and left with her family somewhere far away. Perhaps she and Zuko will cross paths again and will be able to establish a relationship. But not now.

Katara remained to help Zuko not only with treatment, but also with his policy. As a resident of an almost disappearing tribe, as well as an able leader, she helped him with projects and plans to improve the quality of life of the population and actively participates in them. She performed those missions that Zuko can only entrust to her. After all, she was a friend he could rely on and to whom he could open his feelings.

In her design, I wanted to reflect the combination of two cultures: Fire and Water. I was based on the designs of the "12 Kingdoms" (if you haven't watched this gorgeous anime or haven't read ranobe, I strongly recommend doing it. This universe is no less interesting than the avatar's world, I'm sure you'll like it), because the palace intrigues and the plot with winning the respect of the court reminds me very much of the story from there.

One day Zuko's legs finally gave up, he could not get up. All the stress he was going through was breaking his body so much that at some point the Katara's treatment stopped working.

It was a very difficult moment for both of them. Zuko has just started to promote his ideas and defend his rights to the throne, and Katara sincerely did not know what to do. If the truth about the true state of the Fire Lord had come out, all the ill-wishers would not leave this opportunity and attack, this couldn't be allowed. They urgently needed to create the appearance that everything is in order, but how?

Zuko came up with a very brazen idea. He asked Katara to use bloodbending on him to simulate walking. It was a very difficult request for her, because this skill represented the worst face of the war, it was created to torture people. And the last thing she wanted was to torment Zuko. She hesitated for a long time, he saw it, but he couldn't wait. He couldn't stop, it wasn't a luxury he could afford. Therefore, he went out, trying not to get up and move much.

Naturally, at some point his weakness was noticed at the most inopportune moment. Naturally, at this moment Katara couldn't let Zuko fall. Imperceptibly under her sleeves, she moved her friend's body like a puppet, causing him as much unbearable pain as most would not stand. But Zuko was not like that. He stood it.

It looked like this to me somehow:

They were both very depressed that day. He was suffering physically because of Katara's bending, and she could not believe that she had caused the suffering of a person dear to her. It broke and scared her, she opened the way to the Hama's madness, and was very afraid to fall into it.

Zuko assured her that it was impossible. Hama didn't have people to guide her, while Katara has friends. Maybe Zuko didn't consider himself the best moral mentor, but he promised to be there in the most difficult moments for Katara, and now he won't leave her.

This encouraged her and opened her eyes to her own cowardice. She was afraid of the darkness of Hama, and instead of curbing it, Katara hid it in herself, ignored it. And that's what it led to: the person who needed her help suffered. But she didn't want to run away anymore. She wasn't going to give up without a fight and turn her back on those who needed her.

At the beginning, Katara trained on herself, experiencing the same pain as the victims of bloodbending. Careless movement of blood through the vessels could cause internal bleeding at any time, it was very dangerous. The Hama's voice in her head pressed on her conscience, saying that innocent people felt all this pain, and only Katara was to blame for this.

Later, she learned to control the flow of water on puppets, like Hama. The point was to pass water through the threads without bursting them. Absolute control was required here, and Zuko taught her the techniques of firebending for self-control. This was necessary for Katara, because the Hama's voice in her head did not subside and did not allow her to correctly distribute her forces. It seemed like Katara was about to stumble, but Zuko wouldn't let her do it.

Gradually, Katara mastered this skill and tried to draw blood on Zuko's legs. The effect was unexpected. Her great willpower and desire to help him resulted in healing. Zuko began to feel his legs, and Katara discovered the reverse side of this bending. No, she didn't heal him completely, it's too early for him to get rid of the cane. But maybe one day she will become so strong that she can do it.

Katara realized that there was no evil magic, there was only evil intent. This was her first step towards learning to look inner demons in the face, and not to hide them in herself when it was possible to hurt others.

But what about the other design?

Katara's father sent her a letter asking her to return. Her family needed her help, because she was the last waterbender, a carrier of culture and skills, as well as a healer of a new level, the daughter of a tribal leader.

At home, everything was not the same as before, moreover, everything taked shape as a Northern Tribe. I really like the idea of the comic "North and South" about the problem of assimilation. Only here has Katara accepted all aspects of its culture, even the most unpleasant ones, and she would not give up so easily when this newfound knowledge was in danger of disappearing.

Actually, I wanted to draw her outfit of this arch. I wanted to redesign the costume for myself, because I like to do it. I kept the front strands of Katara, we don't talk much about them.

I would really like to describe the path of the rest of the team and what they do, of Aang and what happens to him. But I'm already tired of typing, and you probably read.

After all, the post is more about designs, and not about the AU itself, so the goal to reveal some of my ideas has been achieved in principle. Maybe sometime later.

Hope you enjoyed reading this :3

[phsychobanana]

Denial is a river in..... Kyoshi Island?

Pairing: Zuko x Reader

WC: 1.1k

Summary: No chance, no way, she won't say it, no no!

A/n~ Totally WASn't listening to I Won't Say I'm In Love while writing this 🤭

The air was thick with panic as the ash falls from the sky in flutters around the island. People trying to seek shelter while their homes were being burned right before their very eyes. The Kyoshi warriors trying their best to protect their people in the midst of the panic, while the gaang tries to come up with a plan to stop everything.

I grab Zuko's arm and look up at him, worried. When Iroh tried to stop him on the ship, he didn't listen to him. Which meant it was now my turn to try. Or, that's what Iroh said, at least. And Iroh's only sometimes wrong.

"Zu," I pause for a moment to make sure he looks at me while i speak, "we should go. You're destroying these people's homes. How is this any different than your father?"

Whoops, definitely not what you say to someone with daddy issues and anger problems...

"You're right," Zuko nods.

Excuse me?

"Excuse me?" *My brows shoot up in surprise.

"We should go back to the ship. We'll have other opportunities to capture the avatar. This can just be a warning of what'll happen if he doesn't comply. Let's get you to safety," Zuko speaks in an even tone, ushering me back to the ship as he does so.

I've never been more confused in my life, but if he's willing to listen, who am i to complain?

Zuko is practically sprinting with me, trying to get to the ship as fast as possible for some reason. But again, not complaining.

"Uncle, we're going," Zuko nods at Iroh, his tone stern.

"Ah, i knew you'd agree with her. Alright, let's retreat," I raise a brow at the older man's words, but don't say anything.

The horn blows, calling Zuko's troops back to the ship, to which they all come running back. Talk about effective.

And just as soon as we were there, we were out.

Zuko leaves, presumably to go brood in his chambers, leaving me to play Pai Sho with Iroh all alone.

"So, did you two finally confess?" Iroh asks randomly, causing me to choke on my spit.

"H-Huh?" I manage out through my coughs.

"Y/n, i had you talk to him for a reason."

"Which is..?"

"You're not just his best friend, you know. He cares about you much more than you know."

"Yeah, that's what friendship's about."

"No. Beyond friendship. Beyond the relationship you both have now. You are meant to be. Twin flames."

I raise an unimpressed brow. "Right. How much tea have you had to drink?"

"You're in love. Even if you don't know it yet."

Stupid Iroh and his stupidly true words. NO. I'm not in love. Never. That's gross. Especially not in love with Zuko. He's like...emo.

"Sure... Let's just keep playing, alright?" I look back down, only to find that he's beaten me.

"Good game, Y/n." Iroh smiles cheekily. Damn old man...

***

No matter how long ago it was, i never forgot that conversation with Iroh. Zuko and i had swapped sides, found his destiny, stopped his father, everything. We'd done it all. Together. And as much as i hate to say it, i enjoyed being with him so closely.

Suki had invited the gaang back to Kyoshi island for a nice getaway/vacation, since everyone had gotten so busy and stressed out due to existing. With Aang being peace to the world, and everyone trying to come back together as a whole, we've all been busy. Especially Zuko and i, trying to get rid of the brainwash wrapped around the Ozai defenders.

So, here we were. Sitting on the sand, chatting, drinks in hand, and all the couples being way too touchy for my liking. Aang was making flower crowns with Katara, and Suki and Sokka were just making out. And considering they were doing that the entire way here, i'd say my poor eyes need an insane amount of disinfectant.

At least Zuko, Toph and i were able to hang out without third wheeling anything.

Zuko left to go use the bathroom, leaving Toph and i to talk.

"So, when are you going to grow the balls to confess your feelings?" Toph asks as she draws in the sand. Granted, the drawings weren't good, but hey, she was trying.

"What do you mean?" I ask, playing stupid. Did everyone just know? Did that mean he knew, too? Oh, spirits...

"You know what i mean. Don't worry about him not liking you. He likes you so much, it's getting disgusting."

I chuckle at that, and glance over at Zuko, who's now walking back.

"I don't like him." I say, though my stuttered breaths, rapidly beating heart, and lovesick eyes say otherwise.

"Right. And i can see." Tops retorts with a scoff, making me push her face first into the sand.

"Seriously, Toph. Back off." I huff.

"I'm just sayin'. Denial's a river... and you're drownin' in it." Tops shrugs, and spits out a mouthful of sand. "You may deny it, but truth is, you're falling for him. Hard. So just tell him."

"Tell who what?" Zuko asks as he takes his seat beside me once more.

No chance, no way, i won't say it, no no...

"Hey, you. Don't worry about it. Heh..." I punch Zuko's shoulder lightly.

"Uhm...hi?" He rubs his shoulder, a clearly confused look on his face.

Spirits, he's cute when he's confused. And when he's mad. And happy. He's just always cute. And handsome. And hot. Pun very much intended!

Get a grip, girl!

I clear my throat awkwardly, and turn away from him. I glance at Toph, and can practically feel her urging me to confess.

I glare at her. I look over at Zuko with a smile, trying to act normal. My heart immediately skips in my chest at the sight of him.

No way, no how, i won't say it...

Zuko look over at me and smiles back, and i swear that time freezes around me.

No chance, nuh uh, i won't say it...

"You've got sand in your hair..." His voice is quiet, and soft, and flustered, and woah.... He reaches out to gently pick the bits of sand from my hair.

Get out my face, i won't say it...

"Thanks." I swallow, and look away.

Zuko ruffles my hair affectionately and leans down, so close that i can feel his breath fan over my face. Way closer than friends should be.

Get off my case, i won't say it...

"So..." He trails off.

"So..." I repeat.

At least out loud, i won't say i'm...in love...

[xkaidaxxxx]

Zuko x chubby reader

Mentions: body shaming, foul language, angst,aggression, lying, fluff?!

Simple! :) sorry for errors.

“You look very beautiful y/n.” Katara mentioned "Thanks. I decided it's time for a change." You replied. Katara's complement made you blush. Sokka was surprisingly good at cutting hair. He gave it layers and added braids that held your hair back. “ I agree with Katara” Mai spoke. You instantly felt horrible with the new hairstyle. Mai isn’t the one to express her feelings so that comment made you believe otherwise. Perhaps cutting your hair shouldn't have crossed your mind.

Aang noticed you playing with the charm bracelet you wore. It tells him a lot about how you feel. He noticed you'd touch a certain charm with the emotion you were feeling, such as anger, happiness, sadness, anxiety, etc.“Katara is right y/n. It suits you! Sokka did a great job.” He spoke. He had that nice big smile. “ New hair cut? Looks nice” Zuko said patting your back. You’ve been dating him for 4 months and you’re very thrilled about it. He’s very kind and romantic when alone with you.

The day went on by. Everyone was calm. You can hear the ocean tides and feel the wind blowing. “Tell her. I’m tired of hiding.” Mai said. Zuko rubbed his temples. “It’s not that simple Mai. I can’t dump her out of the blue.” He responded. You heard them. “You don’t even like her. Why did you agree on dating her?” Your tears slipped. You didn’t want to hear his answer. “Because…she’s saved me many times..and I felt bad. It looked like she was going to cry if I said no.That and how many guys do chubby girls date? Almost never. I’m giving her a little hope.” You cried silently. You felt sudden saddens and hate. Running towards the ocean Katara called out to you. “ Y/n we’re making lunch! Wanna come help?” You ignored her walking back and forth. The waves following your movement. You made a fist. Your anger was so out of control you created a storm. “ Hey! Y/n you created a problem here!” Sokka yelled as Aang used his air bending to keep the water from drenching them. “Sorry!” You took a few deep breathes calming away the storm and the crazy waves.

“What’s got you so upset?” Katara asked giving you a tight hug. “ I keep losing my arrows. Haha. I overreacted.” She knew you were lying. She’s your most trusted person. Katara understands your personality, sense of humor, and the way you just are. She whispered. “We can talk about it later.” You smiled and nodded. Lunch was yummy. Everyone’s stomach was content.

Another 3 months went by. All the same apparently Zuko still loves you and wants to spend was much time with you as possible. It was such bullshit. You heard him leave with Mai at midnight. You saw how they treated each other. The little things showed everything.

The ride on the ship was wild. Not because there was a storm or someone was throwing arrows,fire rocks or trying to drown you all. Simply because an argument started.

“ you have no right to be upset. I’ve known him longer. You don’t get it.” Mai said with a straight face. You couldn’t believe what she said. The fire nation is insane however a regular family took you in. You eventually met Zuko. “ Have no right to be upset!? Are you kidding me? Yeah, he was your childhood sweetheart or whatever but who followed behind him when he was exiled !? Me! Which one of us cared to help him emotionally? Me! I’ve given him all my love and support even if it meant I’d be killed on the spot for betraying the fire nation. You did nothing but hide underneath Azula’s shadow and power. Yeah, I have every right to be upset.” You replied tears falling down your cheeks. Everyone was witnessing this mess. You were smarter, stronger, and more reasonable than her. “Zuko out of all the mistakes you’ve made. Cheating on me is the worst one. I know I’m beautiful even if I’m skinny or not. Not many chubby girls get boyfriends you sure were right about that. You should’ve rejected me from the start because I don’t need your pity.” You spoke finally feeling relieved. You said everything you’ve been wanting to say. “You heard us that day? Why didn’t you confront us then?” Zuko asked looking Towards Mai and then at you. “I had hope that along the way you’d realize what you did was wrong and you’d fall in love with me. 3 months later it’s the same. Clearly, I was wrong. I’m done. I’m dumping your ass. I hope you feel guilty for body shaming and lying.” You replied holding onto Katara’s arm. You couldn’t help but do so. She’s your best friend since you’ve met her. “ One day there will be an amazing man who will fall in love with you. He’ll love everything about you.” Katara said. You smiled and hugged her. “ Awe!” Aang and Sokka said in unison.

Pt.2 is posted !!!

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

While "the network wants an episodic kids show, the authors want an epic dark complicated narrative" would explain A LOT about ML's problems, I'd still like to note that there are kids' shows that can do both, going full range from "mostly episodic with a sprinkle of narrative" (Kim Possible, MLP), to "heavily narrative but with episodic breather/filler episodes" (Gravity Falls, WITCH, the Owl House), with many variants in-between.

Even the transition from "fully episodic" to "more narratively-connected" that ML attempted to do can be done successfully - the aforementioned Gravity Falls and WITCH were more episodic in season 1 and more narratively driven in season 2.

However, I'd say there are a few other key problems that can be inferred from what we have:

The show tries too many things at once - as you have pointed out repeatedly. Magical girl and rom-com, single-hero, duo and team stories, wacky comedy and serious trauma, even trying to give several characters a redemption and a damnation arc at the same time (and failing with either). Apparently, it's not just TF vs writers: it's writers severely disagreeing with each other (see Thomas and Vincent's opinions on Chloe), and also trying to one-up the fans. Also, simply thinking too much of the work, which leads us to...

ML's total lack of self-awareness. Another famous case of a show that was almost entirely episodic is Phineas and Ferb. They use the same formula (the brothers build, Candace busts, Doof makes an Inator and is thwarted by Perry) over and over for four seasons. And by mid-season 1, the authors have been making fun of the structure, lampshading it, spoofing and twisting it, playing with "What if" episodes and never taking itself too seriously. When ML tries to be self-aware, it becomes either insulting to the fans (Animaestro), horrifically dark (Chat Blanc) or plain cringe (Simpleman). This is exacerbated by Astruc's arrogance and inability to ignore critics.

Is it possible to make a highly complex, genre-busting, yet kid-friendly story and succeed? Yes. But it needs to be better thought-out - if not from the start, then at the moment the network allows one to deviate from the formula.

And if all else fails and the story becomes too complicated and too repetitive at the same time... Well, self-awareness and the ability to make fun of one's own work can turn a sad mess into a hilariously fun disaster.

P. S. Love your posts as always, you are the main reason I'm still in the fandom!

Thank you for the kind words! I'm so glad that you're enjoying my stuff and I agree with all the things you brought up.

A big part of the reason that Miraculous is so fascinating to me is that there ISN'T a single cause of the issues. There are so many valid ways to discuss the show's problems. It's a masterclass in bad writing and what not to do!

It's why I'm able to run this blog. If it was as simple as, "here's the single reason why it's bad and here's how you fix that" or if the show never had any potential, then there wouldn't be much to talk about. But it did have potential and there is no single reason why it's bad. The causes are multitudinous as are the potential fixes! It feels like investigating some complex wreckage or an elaborate murder mystery in order to understand what the hell happened, which is really fun if you like talking about writing.

I find it much harder to discuss writing in an informative way if you only have good examples to draw from because that path risks stifling creativity. Just because a popular story did a thing well doesn't mean that story showed us the only way to do the things or even the best way to do the thing, but that's often the lesson people seem to learn. They see a thing that they like or even just a thing that audiences liked and want to copy it without understanding the full nuance of why they liked it.

A great example of this is Zuko from Avatar the Last Airbender. He was such a well-written and popular character that all these properties started copying him even though the properties in question did NOT have a setup that worked for a Zuko. Praising Zuko won't really tell you all the ways that Zuko could have failed. Meanwhile, a case study of Chloe vs Zuko or even just a general discussion of Chloe lets you actually talk about the various styles of redemption arc and what you have to do to make them feel real. It's also far more interesting than talking how Zuko could have failed because Zuko didn't fail so why are we even talking about this? It's also far more interesting than talking about a bunch of properties that did redemption arcs well because that would require you to have seen all of those properties. But Chloe is from a single property and she did fail and people understandably have wildly different feelings about what the failure was because the writing was so bad, which means that digging into her writing is way more likely to hold your interest and teach you something.

This gif really does sum it up perfectly:

[Image description: scene from the movie Knives Out where the detective Benoit Blanc exclaims "It makes no damn sense! It compels me though" to explain his feelings on an ongoing murder mystery that he's trying to solve]

As does the old adage, "failure is the greatest teacher." Of course, no one ever said that it had to be your failure!

[discordiansamba]

jin's waiting for him after work the next day.

lee hangs up his apron, says goodnight to the owner, and goes to meet her. she meets his eyes, but her expression is unreadable as she asks if she can talk to him. he takes her back to his apartment so they can have some privacy, and makes her some tea.

she asks what she should call him.

"lee," he says after a moment, "-it's still who I think of myself as."

jin hums, taking a sip of tea. lee does the same. they sit in tense, awkward silence for a long moment before jin sighs, setting her teacup down with a loud thud. she asks him if he meant what he said. that he really does love her. that it's not just... something he was manipulated into thinking he did.

lee tells her he does.

he also admits he may only love her because of who he is now. but who he is now made that choice on his own. she makes him happy, and he can't think of a life without her... but if she wants to break up with him, he'll understand. he just hopes she doesn't regret dating him entirely.

jin just huffs. she points out that when she'd first caught his interest, he'd still been zuko. she says in hindsight him being a firebender makes so much sense. she'd always wondered how he'd lit the lanterns so quickly during their first date. lee blinks, because he doesn't remember that at all-

-it must show on his face, because jin's face falls.

"you don't remember that, do you?"

"i remember our date," lee tells her, "-i just... remember the lanterns being lit when we got there."

she's silent for awhile, then asks him if he can show her. lee breathes in and breathes out, holding his hands out in front of him like lady mai had shown him. it takes a bit of concentration, but a tiny flame eventually flickers to life in his hands. jin stares at it, transfixed and-

-calls it cute. it's so tiny.

lee flushes. it's the best he can do! he doesn't remember how to firebend. up until a month ago, he really did think he was a nonbender. she looks up at him and asks him that if he knows all this, why was he still brainwashed? you something about it being possible to reverse it. lee shakes his head and says he just... hasn't made up his mind yet.

"i didn't choose to become lee," he says, "-but i'd like to be the one to choose if I stay as him or not."

jin frowns, and admits she has trouble wrapping her head around the idea of wanting to stay brainwashed. lee laughs. yeah. he can see how from the outside looking in, his situation is terrifying. he can't even fully deny that it is. but he's had a lot of happiness as lee, that he doesn't think he ever had as zuko. so they idea of going back...

...it's scary. he doesn't know zuko. lee is comfortable. familiar.

jin holds his hands. she tells him that whatever he chooses, she'll support him. her lips twitch in a playful grin as she jokes about having the chance to brag about dating a prince. she wonders if she'd look any good in fire nation red. lee laughs and tells her he's pretty sure she'd look good in anything.

lee's face falls. he tells her that if he decides to go back to being zuko, there's a good chance he might fall out of love with her in the process. she looks hurt by that- but then makes him promise that if he does, he'll at least let her break up with him. after all, how many girls from the middle ring can say with their whole chest that they broke up with a prince?

"whatever you do," jin says, "-don't let that decide for you what you want. you make me happy, lee. I want you to be happy too."

lee nods. jin asks him how long he has to make up his mind... and stares at him when he confesses he only has until the end of the week- and that he still has no idea who he wants to be.

cutting it a little close there, aren't you?

...yeah. he can't deny that.

(he ends up making dinner for himself and jin. they sit next to each other. he tells her about the beach on ember island, and she listens with wide-eyed fascination. there were no beaches in ba sing se. she makes him promise to take her there one day- and you're not getting out of it if zuko falls out of love with me.

okay, he says, we promise.)

[demaparbat-hp]

what is your Lee and Kya AU based off of ATLA

I've always been a little bit obsessed with Zuko's journey through the Earth Kingdom in Book Two, especially the time he (and the Gaang) spent in Ba Sing Se. The city, the people, the Dai Li, the conflicts... Everything is amazing. I love Jet's arc, and I never get tired of seeing Zuko (however briefly) feel happy and complete with a humble life.

There's beauty to the simplicity of life, and I'd like to explore that with ZK.

Book Two AUs will always be my go-to. From reluctant-travelling-partners to Bluetara-in-Ba Sing Se—I love all of it, so it's only natural the Lee and Kya from the Tea Shop AU came to exist.

The AU itself is only a bunch of scenes in my head so far. Of all my AUs, it's one of the most focused on the vibes and characters than the plot itself. That's not to say there's not a story involved. It's just not my main focus.

It's one of the most common Book Two AUs ever. Zuko and Katara are separated from their companions, find each other and travel together to Ba Sing Se, learning how to work together and falling in love along the way. Nothing new there, except for a few scarce scenes that are so precious to me and, by extension, to the AU itself.

They get help from Uncle Iroh and the White Lotus to get to Ba Sing Se, but they go alone (he'll eventually join them, just not for a long while). No Uncle Iroh = no Jasmine Dragon = more time in the Lower Ring.

There's also a lot more of Jet (and his antagonistic, one sided crush on both Kya and Lee), and possibly some spy/informant work for the White Lotus. Also short hair Zutara because we need more of that.

For some reason, Katara isn't searching for the rest of the Gaang (maybe she believes them dead, or perhaps they were forced to leave her behind at the Swamp and her deeply ingrained abandonment issues resurfaced).

Zuko is Tired with a capital T. Tired of the war, tired of trying, tired of everything.

Uncle Iroh is off on some obscure White Lotus business, and he trusts them both enough to draw them into the Order and ask for their help.

So, a little drama, some spy shenanigans, and lots of fluff.

[zvtara-was-never-canon]

Who treated Mai worse, Azula or Zuko?

Guys, be serious, I love Azula and I love her dynamic with Mai, but come the fuck on, it's REALLY difficult for ANY dynamic between ANY characters to be as unhealthy as Azula's dynamic with literally every character in the story.

The first thing Mai says to Azula is a joke about possibly being murdered by her. When she refuses to follow orders in "The Drill", Mai says Azula can shoot all the lightning she wants at her. And at the Boiling Rock, Azula literally says "You know the consequences" and then they only don't have fight, potentially to the death, because Ty Lee intervenes.

Compare that to Mai ending things with Zuko when he's being too much of a dick, or simply her feeling free to call him out on his bad behavior, without feeling any fear of "consequences."

She knows Zuko would never use his position as a prince to have leverage over her. She never bows to him like she does to Azula, she never gets ordered around and side-eyes him like it happened with Azula during "The Headband", and we never see Zuko WANTING Mai to fear him so he can get her to do as she's told, or sending her to prison after they had a falling out

Azula treats Mai with far more respect than she does most people, but the power imbalance is still very much there and Azula takes advantage of it ALL THE TIME. She WANTS Mai to be too afraid to truly stand up against her or so much as say "I don't wanna be friends anymore because I don't like how you treat me."

No amount of typical teenage overreaction to jealousy can compare to "I don't trust that you won't banish, imprison, hurt or kill me if I do something you don't like."

Zuko is Mai's flawed, but caring boyfriend. His status as a prince/Fire Lord never comes up except when it is to her benefit (being spoiled by servants or getting out of jail). Meanwhile, Azula is Mai's tyranical princess that happens to think of her as a friend, but doesn't actually treat her with the basic respect a friend should.

[antispopausandstuff]

SPOP and the problem with "you vs. me"

.

you know the drill, this will be very long and may be scattered.

in attempts to show a more completed picture, i will be referencing arcane to compare sibling // familial dynamics and how the respective medias represented them.

.

as adora is our main protagonist and catra was an main antagonist, a lot of the show's focus is on their characters and arcs ( or a lack thereof ). however, because of the blatant favoritism of catra over adora, rather than it being relatively equal or at least addressed in a more healthier way, this results in both the show and fandom diminishing adora's trauma and showcasing catra's.

the "you vs. me" conflict is a standard trope in fiction and is very much a struggle relationships have in real life, due to many issues including, but not excluded to, honesty, deceit, manipulation, accountability issues, anger issues, victimization, villainization, etc.

in fact, in terms of it being a trope, you could say that almost all of fiction relies on this, especially with protagonist vs. antagonist scenarios, such as batman & joker, superman & lex luthor, sonic & eggman, aang & ozai, korra & kuvira, or, in this case, adora & catra.

but when i'm referencing this trope, i'm specifically referring it to be in a familial context, such as zuko & azula, eda & lilith, vi & jinx, and so on and so forth.

now, what makes adora and catra so different from most other relationships that fall under this trope is because of one problem:

inconsistency.

despite the abuse being the center reason why adora and catra are separated and at odds with each other, the show is more focused on the effects of catra's trauma rather than the cause.

she is flippant with shadow weaver, doesn't hold her in very high regard as an authority or maternal figure, and just generally doesn't show any possible affection or positive emotion towards shadow weaver unless it has something to do with proving her wrong until s2, when s1 already establishes a hostile relationship between the two and catra explicitly stating she doesn't need shadow weaver.

now, this isn't to say that the cycle of abuse is a straight line. the writers can have catra show animosity towards shadow weaver and still make a relationship where she ends up being the victim of manipulation and hostility. but how they did it is the issue.

let's compare her story to jinx's.

parental situation - unlike catra, powder did not have a negative relationship with vander. but it wasn't a necessarily positive one, either. it was more awkward, silent, and not really given a chance to grow and develop into something more loving.

i don't doubt vander cared for powder, but it wasn't the exact way he cared for vi. the only thing they had in common was that they loved vi, but even that was in different ways ( parent // sibling ).

meanwhile, catra's relationship with shadow weaver has no actual room for plausible deniability on either end, but more importantly, catra's end.

there's no mother gothel-esc scene where shadow weaver love-bombs and gaslights her, no 'loving' manipulation, there's barely even a power imbalance, it's just animosity on both ends in the establishing season.

all of those scenes are towards adora instead, creating a rapunzel // mother gothel dynamic, like mentioned, as shadow weaver groomed her, used her for power, and raised her to be the perfect child soldier.

akin to mother gothel, after adora left the horde, shadow weaver become hyper-focused on getting her back and returning to the status quo, and both abusers do this by manipulation, sabotage, gaslighting, and instilling fear into their victims.

we don't get this with catra until s2.

the reason why this doesn't work is because:

catra is fully aware of the horde

catra is fully aware of shadow weaver

catra references // insults adora for being manipulated

catra establishing she doesn't need or want shadow weaver

catra broke shadow weaver's mask // source of power

all in s1.

which is why, when you watch s2, you might be wondering "why did she fall for that?" if you recall earlier scenes of basically admonishing adora for being a victim of abuse herself.

"she was desperate!" you say. but just because catra was desperate doesn't mean that she had to change her tune, especially since shadow weaver has literally no power over her.

it'd make a lot more sense for her to make a deal with shadow weaver rather than suddenly questioning shadow weaver on why she abused her, then begging her to help.

maybe, if the writers still wanted to continue with the cycle of abuse, the deal could've been a way for catra to be slowly manipulated and throw her off, anyway. because she was once on equal footing with her abusive mother, but now is beneath her for xyz reasons.

writing wise, it just makes no sense for us to be sympathetic to catra in s2 when it's been shown several times that any chance of a less than hostile relationship is impossible between them because they both hate each other.

origin of villainy - now, from catra's perspective, she blames adora and sometimes shadow weaver for her 'downfall', but simultaneously continues to have her own independence and choice to become evil. this is something the show states bluntly, despite still being wishy-washy in s5. catra chose to stay. catra chose to be evil.

the true origin of her choices lie in wanting to be powerful and ruling over the horde as revenge for who looked down on her ( shadow weaver, mainly ).

in fact, she pretty much says so in this line ( in 'Promise', s1 ):

"i don't WANT to leave. what don't you understand about that? i'm not afraid of shadow weaver anymore, and i'm a better force captain than you could've ever been."

catra desires power over love, but relied on adora to get that power through several years of abuse that continues on in their older teen, young adult lives.

what's the first thing that catra does when adora strays?

she electrocutes her, twice, and threatens to do it again.

she portrays it like it was an accident, but her face right after she shocks adora the first time is pure anger. when the moment passes, there's no apologetic look, she looks more 'awkward, if anything.

then when adora tries to get up, she shocks her again and justifies it by saying it was a "reflex". while i think she's full of shit, i do think this line holds at least some truth, as catra's had a clear pattern of putting adora in physical harm when she gets 'out of line' ever since they were kids.

like catra, powder does believe that her source of villainy ( if she even sees it as that, at first ) is also from vi leaving her. however, powder has more reason to believe she was abandoned than catra does.

why?

choice.

catra had a blatant, clear, on the table choice to join the rebellion and leave the horde, have a healthier, happier life, and stay away from shadow weaver. every time adora asks ( 3 times ), she doesn't push catra once she says no, but accepts it, however disappointed she may be, which is a stark contrast to how catra reacts to rejection.

neither vi or powder had the choice of staying together and running away. vi had a reaction that most people would have when powder accidentally killed basically their whole family, but she showed immense regret and walked away to take a breather.

but, as she wasn't able to communicate that, powder saw that as vi leaving and not coming back.

and then silco came in. vi was going to go back, going to try to save powder, but then marcus got involved, knocked her out, and took her to prison.

basically, fate fucked around with them. it was all just bad timing. neither vi or powder could play with the cards they were dealt with.

catra basically said "no, fuck you" and then turned around and victimized herself over and over, while still trying to maintain her own autonomy at the same time.

developing villainy // spiral - powder turning into jinx is tragic because it all started from an accident. because powder was a child that didn't mean to hurt or kill anyone and was taken advantage of in her time of need. because while suffering from psychosis and abandonment, silco preyed on her ( i'm not going to debate this with you, don't start a fight in the comments ).

catra turning into a horde general is visually displayed as devastating in s4, but it's very weak, writing wise, once you take a look at the full picture for all of its amateurish details.

catra participated in all of this willingly. it's very difficult to sympathize with someone who knows what they're doing and doesn't give a damn about who they're hurting.

catra's already had spirals. s1, s2, and s3. if you take off the rose-colored glasses, this gets exhausting and feels more pathetic than anything else.

catra's worst was in s3, not s4. and it was only about shadow weaver for maybe five minutes until it went back to being about her obsession for adora to be her meat shield. you can't really get any worse than destroying the entire universe, engaging in extreme sadism, and killing a monarch all out of spite for one person.

this was, supposedly, her wake-up call season, but catra doesn't change until s5 and the 'wake-up call' is garbage, telling us that she didn't mean any of the things she did or said, she didn't mean to hurt and abuse people, she didn't mean to send entrapta off to beast island, she didn't mean to threaten scorpia multiple times, yada, yada, yada, while also potentially victim-blaming her, and also saying "well, fuck you, it's all your fault lol". it's sloppy.

she had a mental breakdown because scorpia left her? oh no. how sad.

she starts hallucinating scorpia's laugh and thinks she's coming back? oh wow. tragic.

she starts pushing people away, for the millionth time, and victimizing herself again? aww. who woulda thunk it.

all of it falls under "what did you expect?" when you look through the many holes in SPOP's story.

and yet, despite it all, despite the fact that she committed universal genocide, death of a monarch, aggravated assault // attempted murder, attempted murder // suicide, etc., etc...

she's 'redeemed' by a hallucination in a ship that somehow tells her that she was the one who drove adora away, when she fucking knows that already.

jinx is eventually aware of herself and vi, as much as she can be, and continues the path to villainy because she's already gone too far. vi may forgive her, but she's killed a lot of people and is a criminal. not a petty thief, but a murderer.

the show helps us sympathize with jinx, but they don't erase what her actions, they don't erase her crimes, and still embrace writing her as a villain // antagonist that can't and won't go back.

catra has bare minimum sympathy from me. it's terrible that she was abused, but the show doesn't write it well or consistently enough for me to fully care and go "it's really sad that she's become a bad person", but rather "if you died, i'd be thankful".

that's harsh, maybe, but i don't see any other option, except for her being jailed for life, as a satisfying conclusion for her. because i don't care enough to wish a better life for her in canon.

the "you vs. me" problem in SPOP is that catra is constantly pushing this ideology in almost every single situation, even when it is not applicable, and it forces fans to view it the same, if not worse.

it's not specifically about shadow weaver, but more about what can give catra control in whichever situation that can allow her to victimize herself and // or dominate the other party.

and, as a result, to this day, catra is still seen as the biggest victim of the entire cast.

[imagines--galore]

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

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

Pairing: Zuko x OroraOC (ATLA)

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

Previous Chapters - Masterlist

A/N: We are so close to the Ember Islands and I am SO EXCITED!!!! Cuz that means a lot of downtime for the Gaang and I cannot wait for all of them to just be teenagers and not be at odds with each other and just pure Gaang fun. With of course lots of romance. :3

"Where's Suki?"

The question, or rather judging by the tone of voice, the demand, was followed by a disgruntled sound as the owner of the voice, Sokka, nearly tripped over the still sleeping Chit Sang. Grumbling under his breath, the Water Tribe boy righted himself before approaching his sister and Toph who were getting breakfast ready for the day.

Or rather Katara was getting breakfast ready while Toph lounged about.

"Relax Sokka." She called out, playing with a couple of rocks by throwing them in the air before catching them. "Your girlfriend woke up early and wanted to go explore, so Orora volunteered to show her around."

The boy frowned, though the effect of it was ruined by the pout that accompanied said frown. "But I was supposed to take her for a tour." He moaned, dropping onto the floor next to Toph with his arms crossed over his chest, pout still present.

"Now don't go hogging your girlfriend Sokka. She has to have her own friends." Hakoda called from where he was just returning after a brief walk. He too had wanted to go explore, but ever since he hurt his leg during the Invasion, and the lack of medical attention he had received afterwards, he didn't trust himself to walk around too much. Plus their escape yesterday and all the running around they'd done had really taken it out of him.

Katara smiled at the sight of her Father. "Morning Dad!" She said as the man hugged her tightly. Sniffing the air, he grinned. "Smells good Katara. Hopefully some breakfast will help improve your brother's mood." He joked, playfully nudging his daughter who giggled. She couldn't help it. Truthfully, her heart was bursting with joy at having her father around once more.

Toph, sensing Sokka's still less then happy mood, decided to play with him a little. "You know Suki sure is lucky. I mean she had her best friend bust her out of jail." Sokka's frowned deepened, if that was even possible. "I busted her out!" He yelled, causing Chit Sang to let out a sleepy sound of annoyance.

"I'm talking about Orora, Feathers for Brains." The Earthbender clarified. "Geez, its like you're annoyed at the both of them reuniting."

Silence followed the blind girl's words. And though she couldn't see the expressions Sokka and Katara shared, Toph did sense something was up.

"What?" She asked, her head swiveling from one heartbeat to the next. Katara frowned. "Toph, Suki and Orora have never met before."

The news rendered the younger girl speechless for a few seconds. "What?" She repeated, though this time word was laced with disbelief as Sokka nodded. "Yeah. We've all met Suki before, but Orora only met her at the Boiling Rock." He added, a little confused as to why Toph would think they'd met before.

"So you're telling me, those two." She pointed in the general direction of a hallway. "Have never met before!" As she spoke, voices began to echo down the corridor. Obviously it was Suki and Orora.

Every seeing eyes turned in the direction of the two approaching girls, who were chatting and laughing as if they had known one another for ages.

"And that concludes our tour for the day." Orora was saying, as she walked beside the Kiyoshi Warrior. "Hope it was enlightening." She added with a flourish, that had Suki laughing to herself

"For sure. I never realized Air Nomads lived in such amazing places. I mean I just thought they traveled around cuz, well, they're Nomads." Anyone could see that freedom agreed with Suki. It hadn't even been a day and already the girl looked happier and more vibrant then she had been in the Prison.

Orora winced, though the playful smile was still on her face. "I know what you mean. I mentioned it to Aang and he kind of sat me down and chewed me out on that." She confessed, prompting the other girl to grin. "Really? Aang? He doesn't seem like the kid to lecture." The Waterbender rolled her eyes.

"Oh trust me. Its a hidden talent of his."

Their chatter continued, both of them completely oblivious to the stares they were getting. Though as they neared the rest of the group, Suki broke the conversation. "Breakfast! About time! I'm starved!" She exclaimed, quickly walking over to where Katara was holding a bowl, ready to pour in the stew she had made. As she passed Sokka, the girl dropped a quick kiss to his cheek along with a greeting.

Though Sokka was a little too stunned to respond.

As Suki chattered with Katara, and Hakoda moved to ask Orora about her arm, which was still in a sling as a precaution, Toph turned to Sokka with a grin.

"It doesn't matter if they've met before or not, cuz Sokka? You've got competition." She cackled, delighted at the turn of events, and the obvious disgruntled expression the boy was sure to be wearing.

                                            ————————-

Breakfast that morning was a lively affair.

With so many of them, everyone was chatting and catching up with what had happened since the Invasion. Chit Sang, still a little awkward about his place in the group, would comment every now and then, but he was mostly sitting silently and enjoying his food, which was far better then the slop they served at Prison. Katara had smiled proudly at that.

Until Toph pointed out that she doubted there was any competition since......well.....Chit Sang was comparing the stew to prison food.

The entire circle of twelve, minus Katara, had a good laugh out of it.

However, even Katara couldn't stay mad for long. Not when her Father was back and everyone was safe.

For the time being.

Aang, who had been up early training with Zuko, and getting chewed out for not practicing his forms more diligently by the irritated Firebender, was gobbling down his stew like a man starved. And truthfully, he was. Zuko was a much stricter teacher then he would've thought. Which is why he was sitting next to Orora, hoping to talk to her into getting Zuko to lay off him a little bit.

Not because he couldn't raise the point himself. He could. It was just Orora was better at making Zuko see reason behind stuff he would deem unreasonable.

Not much of an explanation, but Aang was just too tired to think more on it.

"Hey Orora?" He asked, his voice low amidst the chatter from the rest of the group. The girl in question paused from where she had been smiling at Toph and The Duke being awkwardly adorable around one another. The Duke was trying to convince Toph to go for a walk with him, but so far could only mumble out what he wanted to say. It didn't help that Toph was focusing on the boy's heartbeat and thinking there was danger around.

I mean what else could cause someone's heart to go so fast, she reasoned.

"Whats up Aang?" She asked, turning slightly so she could give the younger boy her undivided attention. It took only a moment before Aang burst with what he had wanted to say. Out of all the people, other then Katara, he always found it easy to speak to Orora about, well, anything. She was always there to lend an ear or a shoulder if anyone needed it.

And honestly, with so much weighing down on him at times, and his nature to not burden others with his problems, it was nice to have someone he could trust and who wouldn't think of his worries as a burden.

"So, you think you can ask Zuko to just go a little easy on me? I mean, I know I have a lot of things to learn, but I'm sure I have plenty of time." He added. "Plus with Toph battering me with Earthbending practice almost everyday, I'm starting to get a little sloppy." A look of guilt flashed across his face, which had Orora nodding.

"I'll talk to him." She said, watching how the younger boy brightened instantly, though her next words had him wincing. "But why can't you talk to Zuko about it yourself? I mean you've always been able to address your problems on your own before."

Letting out a nervous laugh, a hand rising to rub the back of his head, Aang glanced in Zuko's direction, who was sitting just across from them, parallel to Orora and speaking to Chit Sang about the living conditions inside the Boiling Rock.

"Well........" He trailed off, a pitiful expression on his face as Orora frowned at him. Suddenly, something clicked. Her eyes widened. "Wait! Does he scare you? As a teacher?"

The boy reached out, clamping a hand over Orora's mouth, muffling whatever words she was about to say. "Not so loud." He hissed, his grey eyes darting about nervously before he slowly removed his hands from her mouth. "And I wouldn't say he scares me." The Airbender admitted, looking a little annoyed. The boy's next words had the older girl suppressing a smile. "He just makes me nervous. Besides if I say something like that to him, he'll just work me even harder, I know it."

Alright, she could agree with him on that front.

Though her insides were bursting with laughter, Orora reached out to pat the boy on the shoulder. "Its alright Aang. I get it! I used to have a teacher who terrified me too." She reassured him. "Then again, I was only six at the time and she was the stuff of nightmares." She continued, a smile pulling at her lips. "You have to admit, its funny how when you were enemies you weren't scared of him, but now that he's your teacher you are." She couldn't help the giggle that burst out of her, prompting Aang to scowl at her.

"So will you talk to him or not?" He asked, his voice sounding every bit annoyed and irritated as he looked.

Pursing her lips, Orora nodded. "I promise." She squeaked out. For her response, the girl received a gust of wind to the face from a slightly embarrassed, yet relieved Airbender.

                                            ————————–

"How's your arm?"

The question had Orora glancing up from where she'd been carefully bending the water along the surface of the bowl to clean it. Bending one handed did have it's limitation, but it was just another learning opportunity.

Besides, she could see how Sokka, who had been on wash up duty that night, was eager to hang out with his Dad. So, she'd pushed him away, telling him to go before she changed her mind. The girl was surprised by the quick hug Sokka had given her, before running off.

Zuko stood beside her, holding the pot that the food had been cooked in. Smiling, Orora paused in her bending and used her uninjured hand to push away a few flyaway hairs from her face. "Its alright. It'll take a couple more Healing Sessions before its completely healed." She raised her arm away from where it was resting just against her abdomen. "Katara already gave me a little Healing Session this morning before I went off with Suki, so that helped."

Raising an eyebrow as he set the pot down, Zuko gave her a slightly nervous look. "And how did that go?" He asked, knowing he was the reason for the discord between the two sisters. He didn't like how Katara still didn't trust him, despite playing a big part in getting her father back with Sokka.

What more could he do to prove to her that he had changed?

Orora pursed her lips, before lifting one shoulder in a delicate shrug. "It was alright." She said softly, her mind drifting to the conversation the older girl had shared with the younger waterbender.

                                            ————————–

Removing the bandage from around her shoulder, Orora frowned. The bruising was obvious, she just hadn't expected it to be this bad. Poking at the skin, and wincing at the thrall of pain that originated from there, she moved to bend water from the pot in front of her. Holding her arm at a rather awkward angle, she turned her head, trying to see what area was more bruised.

Of course she wouldn't be able to do that without twisting her neck in a more awkward angle then it already was.

"Need some help with that?" Katara's voice cut through her concentration. The other girl stood not a few paces away from her. Pursing her lips, Orora nodded, holding the water out that she was about to use. Katara bended the water from Orora's hands, and almost immediately the water began to glow. Her touch was gentle as she laid her palm against Orora's injured shoulder. The older girl winced slightly before relaxing as the soothing sensation of water enveloped her.

"Thanks, I never would've healed it properly myself." She admitted, dropping her head to once side so that her shoulder was fully exposed to Katara's healing. No sooner had she finished speaking when Katara burst out with the two words Orora didn't even think she would say to her.

"Thank you."

Ice blue eyes blinked in surprise. And though she wanted to do nothing more then to glance back and question Katara face to face, she simply settled with a quite. "What for?"

Behind her, she heard Katara exhale, her hand still moving as she worked on her shoulder. "For helping Sokka get our Dad out. I know you helped a lot." It was strange just how difficult it was to get just these few words out. There was a time when the both of them would talk and chatter non-stop.

Now though?

Since Orora had decided to accept Zuko, a former enemy, as her Soulmate, a fact Katara still couldn't seem to wrap her head around, they'd barely spoke to one another.

This would be the first proper conversation they'd had since their fight.

Or rather this was the first time they were saying more then a few words to one another.

"It was a team effort Katara." Orora said, hoping to get Zuko in her good graces. "Everyone helped out to the best of their abilities." She wasn't about to say anyone's name. Mostly because she didn't want to be too direct.

But also because, she knew Katara was smart enough to pick up on who she was trying to refer to.

And Katara did.

Though her only response was to give a small hum of agreement.

And that was the end of that conversation.

                                            ————————–

Zuko waited for her to continue, but Orora returned her attention to the dirty dishes once more. He scowled. "That's it? That's all she said?" He asked, the disbelief in his tone obvious as he stared at Orora. The girl sighed before nodding, setting aside the new clean bowl and picking up the next one.

"More like what she didn't say." Another sigh, followed by the splashing of water as her fingers guided the small stream to wipe away the residue stew. "I'm so tired of her treating me like I did something wrong when I didn't." She declared, a scowl creasing her forehead as she did. The water responded to her bending by splashing out a little. "I mean, after everything that happened, don't I deserve to be happy?" She continued, though she was staring straight ahead, her blue eyes unseeing as she vented.

"And you?" Zuko started in surprise, since he hadn't been expecting to be included in.......whatever tirade Orora was so deep in that she barely noticed when he wrapped an around around her shoulders and pulled her to his side.

"You are just as much a victim in this war as anyone else, and yet Katara treats you like you are the root of it all. I mean sure you did some bad things, but who hasn't?! You've more then made up for it! But does she see it that way? No! Of course not! And now! Just because both of us want to try and repair our bond, she has to go and be angry about it because..........because she doesn't like you!"

"Not liking is pretty tame." Zuko added his piece when Orora paused for breath. "I would say she hates me."

Orora pursed her lip in a thin angry line. "Maybe I should talk to Aang about this? Or even Hakoda? Between the two of them she might see that you have changed." She suggested, turning her head slightly to look up at him. Zuko shook his head. "No. I want Katara to forgive me and let go of her anger in my own way." He said.

"I think if someone else speaks on my behalf it won't end well, and there will always be this mistrust between me and her, and I don't want that." Orora blinked, looking up at her Soulmate with a slightly bewildered expression on her face.

Sensing her stare, and noting her silence, he turned his head in her direction. "What?" He voiced, trying not to notice just how pretty her lips looked as they curved up into a smile.

Though seeing her face light up as it did just then did have his heart doing strange flips inside his chest.

"Nothing." She said. "Its just still a little strange for me seeing your more level-headed side rather then your hot-tempered-quick-to-anger-and-make-rash-decisions side." A teasing glint in her eyes, Orora shrugged.

"I kinda miss it." She admitted, stepping out of his embrace, if only to annoy him on purpose, and turning her attention back to the dirty dishes. Zuko crossed his arms over his chest. "So, you would rather me make stupid decisions based on my anger." As he spoke, he moved to stand in front of her, the only thing separating them the big pot of water from which Orora was using the water to clean. "Rather then make decisions with a clear head."

Standing straight, Orora nodded. "Yeah! Cuz now I don't get to tell you off and make fun of you when your plans explode in your face." She sighed in a mournful way. "I miss gloating."

No sooner had she finished saying that when she found her face being splashed by the soapy water. Laughing, the girl held up her uninjured hand to try and shield herself from Zuko's watery attack.

                                            ————————–

Hakoda looked away from where he had been listening to Sokka explain some engineering marvel the Air Nomads had created long ago. His eyes found the source of the laughter and he couldn't help but observe the sight.

A Water Tribe girl and a Fire Nation boy, laughing and smiling together.

It was strange, to say the least.

And yet he couldn't help but feel his heart soften at the innocent game they were playing. It always hurt him to see, how much the war had effected the children and stripped them of their childhoods. Sokka and Katara had experience it first hand. As had Aang. And Toph as well.

And whenever he would catch a glimpse of children just being children, he couldn't help but bask in the innocence of it.

Hakoda smiled, watching the girl his two children had adopted as a sister, empty the entire water pot on the head of the Prince of the Fire Nation. He watched as the water began to steam on the boy's shoulders.

"You needed to cool off!" Orora reasoned, already backing away.

Shaking some of the water from his hair, Zuko leaped over the pot just as the girl took off running.

"You're dead Orora!"

The Water Tribe Chief continued to watch as the two of them raced away, the sounds of Orora's laughter, and Zuko's threats echoing against the bare walls of the Temple.

                                            ————————–

He chased her halfway through the Temple until he finally caught her.

She was fast, he had to give her that. But he was faster. And more agile, if he were to admit. Probably because Firebending required a lot of footwork and movement, while Waterbending was focused on the movement of the arms.

Though, Zuko had to admit, Orora was working hard on using her legs and feet to bend as well, which was only one of the many things he admired about her.

He leaped over a fallen pillar, using the momentum to propel himself forward and wrapping his arms around the girl's waist. She struggled, laughing as she tried to get away from him.

"Zuko! Let go!" She cried, hardly able to speak the words with how hard she was laughing. Twisting her body, Orora tried to wrench herself from his hold, but Zuko held on fast. "No chance." He said. "I'm getting my revenge for that."

Before she could even think of what he could possibly mean by that, Orora felt his fingers dig into the side of her stomach. The shriek of laughter she let out was a sound Zuko had never heard her make.

And yet, he found himself wanting to hear that sound again.

"Did you really think you could outrun me?" He spoke loudly over her laughter, grinning as he felt her try to squirm away from him. But he only held her fast.

"Ha...Zu-hehe-Zuko! Haha.....S-hahaha-top!" Finally wrestling her good arm out of his hold, Orora pushed his hands away. Panting, the girl distanced herself from her Soulmate. Her hair was in disarray, and her clothes were rumpled. She was still smiling though, and her eyes were laughing as she took in his still slightly dripping appearance.

"Well I tried didn't I?" The Waterbender responded. "That should count for something?" An elegant motion of her arm, and she had bended the water off him and flicked it away. He shook his head, running a hand through his now dry hair. "It doesn't really." The tone of voice he used had Orora rolling her eyes at him.

She straightened her collar and shirt. "Will you just let me have my moment?" The girl grumbled, though there was no annoyance behind her tone. Rather exasperation. Trust Zuko to want to take away her win. "What moment?" He grinned, knowing fully well that he was annoying her right then. "I caught you!"

The glare he received was enough to make him hold his hands up in a placating manner as he slowly approached her. "Alright fine. You win." He added, earning a smug grin from her before she reached out to ruffle his hair, making it messier then it already was. However the movement had her jostling her still injured arm, making her wince slightly. In an instant, Zuko's entire demeanor changed.

"I'm sorry. I didn't hurt you did I?" He asked, reaching out to gently cradle the arm that was within it's sling. Orora smiled reassuringly and shook her head. "I'm alright. One more Session, and I'll be as good as new." Not liking the frown of concern on his forehead, the girl quickly leaned up to place a loving peck on his cheek. The frown disappeared, and instead a smile over took his features, prompting her to mirror the smile.

Leaning down, Zuko pressed his forehead against hers, closing his eyes and breathed deeply, almost as if he were trying to memorize the scent of her. "You know, I don't think they'll miss us if we don't go back just yet." She spoke in a low voice, almost as if she were afraid of breaking the moment as she raised her eyes to look at the peaceful expression on his face.

A rare occurrence, one she only saw on his face either when he was asleep, or when he was with her. The last thought had a wave of happiness coursing through her body.

She was the reason that had him feeling so at peace and calm, just as he was her anchor for when things would begin to get turbulent.

Strange how not even two weeks ago she had made peace with the fact that they could never be together.

And now here they both were.

Simply standing there in the presence of the other, and drawing comfort from it. Glancing down, she intertwined their fingers in an embrace that was just as intimate as the look he gave her when he opened his eyes. Zuko didn't move away from where he was resting his forehead against her own.

Rather he began to follow her as she began to walk backwards, until the back of her thighs hit against the cool stone of one of the many benches that lined the walls of the temple, overlooking the yawning abyss beyond. Settling onto the flat surface with her back against the wall, Orora gestured for him to sit beside her. No sooner had he done so, when she leaned against him.

Her head came to rest on his shoulder, while he shifted to tuck her head under his chin. Her soft hair tickled against his skin as Orora took one of his arms and wound it around her waist, effectively trapping herself in his embrace. Zuko wrapped the other arm around her as well, pulling her against his chest, their legs tangled where they hung off the side of the bench.

"With so many people around, its hard to find a moment's peace." He spoke softly, shifting his head so his cheek would rest against the top of her hair. A hum vibrated against him as she nodded in agreement. "You'd think in such a big abandoned temple a person would be able to be alone by themselves, or with someone." She playfully nudged him with her injured arm, making him let out a small laugh.

Orora sighed. "You know, its still so strange hearing you laugh so openly." She confessed, prompting him to glance down at her in surprise. "You were so guarded with your emotions that, now, just to see you express them so freely is.............." She paused, looking for a word.

"An enigma?" Zuko offered with a teasing tone in his voice. One that had Orora rolling her eyes at him. The word came to her, and she smiled, tilting her head back so she could look at him when she said.

"Priceless."

She felt him stiffen against her, and for a moment she did believe that he had gone into shock. But then he shook his head, a small smile pulling at the corner of his lips, despite the sadness in his amber gold eyes. He opened his mouth to say something, probably to tell her how wrong she was. So, Orora simply placed a finger over his lips, pushing herself up so that they were both face to face. "You say anything about me getting sentimental, and I'll give Toph ammunition to make your life unlivable."

A viable threat, since Orora had a lot of stories she could tell the Earthbender. Stories that were fodder for the younger girl since she loved nothing more then to come up with ways to tease other people.

Especially Sokka, Katara, and now, Zuko, as the blind girl had told Orora.

He rolled his eyes, though she felt him smile against her finger. Nodding in satisfaction, the girl resumed her previous position, settling against him with a sound of content. The both of them lapsed into silence, with Zuko dozing of slightly.

The sun had begun to set long ago, and was now well on its way to disappearing. Already the sky was beginning to loose the tinge of remaining yellow and turning darker and darker. He'd been up since dawn, making him tired for obvious reasons.

Thinking this was a good chance as any, Orora slowly sat up so she could turn and face him. "I need to talk to you about something." Her legs rested under her as she did, with Zuko looking at her in question. "Its about Aang." She said, earning herself a look of confusion. "I know I haven't seen any of the firebending you've been teaching him, but I know he's working hard. Maybe you're working him a little too hard."

Zuko pursed his lips. "Did he ask you to talk to me about this?" He asked, to which Orora nodded, feeling a little guilty going behind Zuko's back and ambushing him like she was. "Its just, he didn't say anything, but I think he finds you scary, as a teacher at least."

Raising an eyebrow, the boy couldn't help but speak in a slightly disbelieving tone. "This coming from a boy who faced down against an active volcano?" He muttered, recalling the stories he had heard from Sokka a few days ago. "How am I scary? I can't be anymore scarier then you when you're angry about something. Or Katara for that matter. Sokka's told me how scary she can be when she's mad too."

Was it strange that she found his words a little prideful? Having people be scared of her when she was angry. Now that was an accomplishment. "Well whatever the reason, he just asked me if you'd take it easy on him, so will you? I mean come on, he's just a kid. Besides he's learned waterbending and earthbending within a year. He's talented enough to pick up firebending quickly." She watched as he pursed his lips, before shaking his head. "Its different with firebending. He needs to learn the forms while also learning to control his flames, and that's difficult to learn."

Orora shrugged. "Whats the big deal if he goes a little slow?" A flicker of annoyance lit within him. "He can't afford to go slow. The Comet is only a couple months away. How's he gonna face my Father when he hasn't learned more then half of the firebending forms he's supposed to know?"

His reaction had Orora's inner apprehension raising it's head and sniffing the air. Something was wrong. There was something that was making him be this way. Rolling his eyes skywards, Zuko sighed. The fate of the world rested on said boy's shoulders, which was why Zuko was being so hard on him.

His mind flashed to that fateful War Meeting. One that had him changing his mind completely about the Fire Nation. The War Meeting he had told no one about. "Zuko?" Her voice came, soft and questioning. He looked at her, meeting her blue gaze. Exhaling deeply, the boy reached up, pushing away a few escaped strands of hair and cupping her face. "Orora." He paused, hesitating. "There's something I haven't told you."

He told her everything.

And he watched, as her eyes grew wider, and a look of absolute horror overcame her lovely features. She didn't pull away from him throughout the conversation. Instead she'd reached out and took his hand in her own, almost as if she knew he would need to draw on her strength to reveal what he had kept inside for so long. And he was all the more grateful for her caring nature.

"That's...that's horrible." She managed to choke out once she'd stopped staring at him in sheer trepidation. "Does he not see that all that will be left to rule is smoke and ash? Nothing more?" She retrieved her hand from his to make a fist, slamming it against the hard stone of the bench they were occupying. Her blue eyes gleamed with hatred. "How can anyone be so evil for no reason?" She growled, every fiber of her being exuding her disgust at the monster so intent on destroying the world.

Unable to meet her gaze, and ashamed that he came from such a family, Zuko turned away, drawing into himself. "I don't know why I kept quiet about it." He admitted, thinking that perhaps he should clarify his reason for not speaking lest he loose the trust and the place in the group he had acquired after he had worked so hard to gain both. "I guess I was so focused on getting all of you to trust me that telling you something so horrible about what my Father was planning would've set you against me."

His words acted as the trigger that drew Orora out of her ocean of negative feelings. A scowl marred her forehead. "You're not your Father Zuko." She stated, her tone holding a sense of finality as well as determination to it that had Zuko's heart fluttering in his chest. Did she really have that much faith in him? After all that he had done?

Still, he was skeptical by nature, so of course he wasn't about to let himself feel that way for long. "Would the others have believed that?" Orora opened her mouth to negate what he had said, but then stopped. A look of guilt flashed in her eyes and across her face. Which was enough to make Zuko nod. "Exactly." He gave her a sad smile, before slowly standing up. "It doesn't matter now." He said, though the words sounded unconvincing even to his ears. "Now that I've told you, maybe I should tell the others too."

The Prince made to walk away, probably to return to the camp, but then he felt Orora reach out and grasp his wrist. "No!" He glanced back at her, surprised to see her looking concerned. "No! No, Zuko don't." His Soulmate insisted, to which Zuko frowned in confusion.

"Why not? Maybe if I tell Aang he'll work twice as hard." He suggested, already liking his idea. However his suggestion was completely dismissed by Orora who stood up and shook her head. "No, we can't tell Aang. It'll make him even more paranoid then he already was."

He frowned. "Paranoid? What do you mean?" Pursing her lips for a moment, the girl gathered her thoughts before explaining what she meant. She told him how obsessive Aang's behavior had gotten just a few days before the Invasion. How he would train every waking hour, never stopping to rest and barely stopping to eat. Not to mention the nightmares had had, the hallucinations, the sleepless nights.

And just how scared he had been.

"If you tell him, he's going to revert back to that and trust me Zuko it isn't pretty. Not to mention extremely unhealthy." Her heart clenched in her chest for her little brother. "I don't want him to go through that again." She said, her voice breaking when she spoke the next four words. "He's just a kid." Zuko watched as she swallowed the lump in her throat, inhaling deeply to try and get a hold of her emotions. Wanting to lend her the same strength she did him, the boy reached out to take her hand in his and give it a squeeze.

But that wasn't enough.

A sound of surprise escaped Orora when she felt herself being yanked forward. Zuko wrapped his arms around her shoulders, pulling her closer. Without even a moment of hesitation, Orora had brought up her own uninjured arm to wound around him as best as she could. Her head resting on his chest she let out a sigh. "We can't seem to catch a break." She said, the irony of it all obvious in her tone.

"I wish I could've stopped him." Zuko admitted, the shame he felt finally boiling over into words as he looked beyond Orora's head and into nothingness. "I wanted so much to say something against his plan. But I stayed silent."

Orora pulled back enough so she could raise her head and look at him. Though he refused to meet her eyes. "Its a good thing you stayed quiet." She said softly, her eyes dropping to his scar. Unwinding her arm from around him, she reached up to press her fingers against the marred skin, just under his eyes. The touch seemed to bring him back from wherever his tormented thoughts had led him. His body visibly relaxed and he finally met her gaze. "The last time you spoke against your Father, you still have the scars to show for it." And she didn't mean just the one that everyone could see.

He sighed. "I felt like such a coward just sitting there and doing nothing." The Prince admitted, looking just as bit as the sixteen year old he was. Orora shook her head at him.

"But you are doing something Zuko." She reminded him. "You left your entire Nation, your people, your home, to come and help us." His hand came up to cover her own as he smiled softly at her, glad that he had someone to pull him back from the dark thoughts that would forever plague him. "You're helping train Aang to defeat the Fire Lord. Those aren't exactly the acts of a coward." He sighed, leaning into her touch as she moved her hand to cup the side of his face.

"I suppose I was letting some of my own frustrations out on Aang by being too hard on him during training." He admitted, feeling a little guilty and deciding to cut the boy some slack during their future training sessions. Orora smiled in agreement. "Just lay off a little bit. Remember he's still a kid." She shrugged. "We all are really. Not our fault we don't have the luxury to act like kids and be selfish about things."

Zuko shrugged. "I don't know, I did have a selfish motive when I decided to leave the Fire Nation." He admitted, smiling at his Motive, who only blinked at him in surprise. "Oh? And what was that?" She asked.

"I mean sure I wanted to stop my Father from carrying out his plan and help Aang." He clarified. "But at the back of my mind, I couldn't help but be happy for what I was doing because....." He trailed off, unable to help the slight blush he felt coming on. Finding Orora's blue eyes a little too penetrating, he cleared his throat and dropped his gaze to the floor. "It meant I was coming back to you." He finally admitted.

A moment of silence.

And then a breathless laugh, followed by the words:

"You're making it really really hard for me to not want to kiss you."

Immediately his gaze snapped up to see her smiling at him. She was closer now, or rather her face was much closer to his then it had been before, their noses just barely brushing. She could feel the exhale of his warm breath, while he allowed the scent of her to take of his senses completely.

"Sorry." He whispered, his eyes never once wavering from her own. Bringing up the hand that wasn't holding hers, Zuko gently ran his fingers down the side of her face. She closed her eyes, savoring the contact as if she had been starved for it. Which, to be honest, she always was.

"But maybe," She spoke softly, her own fingers moving to trace his scar with delicate strokes. "I can do something about it."

Zuko frowned in a slightly dazed manner, unable to think properly with her touch to distract him, her presence to rob him of sense, and her scent clouding his mind.

In a practiced move, the girl had pulled off her sling and allowed her arm to hang at her side. It was a little stiff, but there was no pain. Smiling in satisfaction, she turned her attention back to her Soulmate, who was frowning in confusion.

"What're you-?" He was cut off by Orora placing the thin cloth she had been using as a sling against his mouth. It only came up to cover half his nose. Then again, breathing was the last thing on Zuko's mind.

Since Orora was now kissing him through the thin piece of cloth.

His eyes widened to a comical size, and while he tried to gather his senses about him, Orora enjoyed the strange embrace she had initiated.

She felt the warmth of his lips against her own through the cloth. She felt them move, as if he were attempting to say something. She felt his body against her own, and couldn't help but smile at his utterly unresponsiveness.

For once, Orora had been the one to take him by surprise, and she would enjoy every moment of it.

But then, he did begin to respond. She felt his lips slant, as if trying to get a better angle. Since her hands were aloft, holding up the cloth, his came up to grasp her shoulders, pulling her even closer. Chest to chest, no space between them. He could feel her smile against his lips, and couldn't help but bask in the feeling that came with the knowledge that he was the reason behind that smile.

But then the kiss was over just as suddenly as it had began. Reluctantly, Orora pulled back. She lowered the cloth, revealing his still parted lips as he stared at her in utter surprise. Her tongue ran along her lips, savoring the tingling warmth his lips had left behind. His eyes dropped to catch that little act. "That was..........innovative." He said, his voice low and a little hoarse, his dark gold gaze never once moving away from her mouth. Her heart was beating a mile a minute in her chest, despite the fact that their kiss had barely been a kiss. "We can share a real kiss once you take me out on a proper date." The girl promised, as he slowly took her hand.

He was still looking at her in that way, intense and heated. She could barely look him in the eye. Blushing, but smiling, Orora trained her gaze forward as she began to lead the way back to their campsite.

"Wonder when that will be."

"With our luck, it'll probably be months."

                                            ————————–

Whatever semblance of peace they had made during their stay at the Temple was broken the very next morning before they'd even had the chance to wake up.

A loud explosion was what roused Orora from where she had been sleeping next to Zuko. Beside her, Zuko shot up, ready to attack and defend if needed. Everyone was up and staring in horror as several Fire Nation airships filled the space just beyond the fountain. Aang already had his staff out, ready to go on the defensive. With a an air wave, he blocked out the bombs by closing the giant metal shutters that had been installed years before. The entire ground shook as another explosion wrecked the Temple. Followed by another.

Far above, the ceiling began to break away, large chunks of rocks dropping down towards the group. The sound was enough to grab everyone's attention before they ran for cover. "Watch out!" And for Zuko to leap into action and race towards Katara, pushing her out of the way of the falling debris.

They both rolled out of the way, the rocks falling to the ground in a cloud of dust. Orora coughed, her eyes watering as she tried to see where Zuko and Katara had landed.

"What are you doing?" She heard Katara's angry voice as she finally spotted their prone figures on the ground. "Keeping rocks from crushing you." Zuko responded, as calm as could be. "Okay, I'm not crushed. You can get off me now!" With that Katara shoving him off and walked away, pushing past Orora as she approached the pair of them.

"I'll take that as a thank you." Zuko called after her, his hand already out for Orora to take so she could help him up. Haru and Toph quickly created a tunnel using their Earthbending, a safe route for them to escape from.

"Come on!" The girl called as more rocks fell from the ceiling and the metal doors Aang had closed for their protection began to crack. "We can get out through here!"

Even as everyone began to race towards the tunnel, Zuko stopped. Orora, who had been gripping his hand came to a halt as well. "What're you doing? Lets go!" She cried, trying to pull him to safety. Aang, who was struggling to get Appa into the tunnel paused as well. "What're you doing?" He repeated Orora's question, watching as Zuko stood facing the nearly decimated shutters.

The next few words had Orora's heart plummeting in her chest.

"Go ahead! I'll hold them off. I think this is a family visit."

He glanced at Orora once, quickly mouthing the words he knew she would chew him out for later. If he came back.

"I'm sorry."

With that he was racing towards the slowly breaking shutters.

"Zuko! No!" Aang called out in alarm. But his shout of worry was nothing compared to Orora's scream of his name. She made as if to run after him, but strong arms held her back. The girl struggled trying her best to get away, still calling out for Zuko, begging him to come back.

"Zuko! Come back! No! Zuko! Please! Zuko we have to get out! Come back! Zuko!"

Vaguely she heard someone say they had to get out as well, but that only had her struggling harder. "No! Not without Zuko!" She screamed, finally wrenching herself away from Sokka, who had been the one holding her back from following after Zuko.

"Zuko!"

                                            ————————–

Debris continued to fall, but Zuko was sure-footed and nimble as he dodged each and every piece with a precision that would make his Uncle proud.

He could hear Orora call out for him. Screaming for him to come back. But he couldn't. Not yet. Not when he could do something stop who was attacking them.

And he knew exactly who it was.

He was done running away. He was done being unable to protect his Soulmate. And he was going to protect his new friends however he could.

Running towards the airships, he was barely able to dodge a bomb as it dropped several feet from him and detonated. Thick gray plumes of smoke rose to the skies, and after a brief pause, where he shook his head of the dust and small rocks that had landed on him, Zuko emerged from the smoke cover unharmed.

Firebending a large blast as he leapt in the air, he hit his mark as the airship he was aiming for took the hit. He stood at the edge of the temple, watching as another airship rose up.

Only to reveal Azula standing atop a podium life devise with a less then welcoming grin on her face.

"What're you doing here?" Zuko called, anger rising within him as he watched his sister smile almost maniacally.

"You mean it's not obvious yet?" She called, laughing as if she had said the funniest thing in the world. "I am about to celebrate becoming an only child!"

Without missing a beat, Azula kicked a large blast of blue flame at her brother. Zuko dodged the huge ammunition to the best of his abilities and tried to run back to the temple for some cover. He stumbled over a rock, rolling several feet before coming to a halt. The temple structure on which he was began to crumble under him.

Thinking quickly, the boy ran towards the airship, using the shifting and falling rocks as stepping stones. Concentrating with all his might, Zuko blasted several fireblasts at Azula as he jumped towards the airship atop which she was standing.

He slammed against the airship, but the smooth surface provided him with no footholds.

And he fell into the misty, yawning cavern below.

                                            ————————–

Toph, in an effort to keep the rocks from crushing them, and to prevent Orora from going after Zuko had created a cocoon of rocks around the group. Still, dust and smaller rocks rained down around them as Aang, Sokka and Katara struggled to get Appa into the tunnel. Orora was being held back by Suki, who was now holding her friend close, trying to reassure her to the best of her abilities.

"I can't get him to go in there!" Aang called. "Appa hates tunnels!" Shaking her head, Katara looked around at everyone waiting to make their escape. "Aang, there's no way we can fly out of here." She said, only for Aang to cut her off. "We'll have to find a way!" He said, the determination clear in his voice as he looked at Sokka for confirmation.

The boy nodded in agreement. "We need to split up." He announced, quickly running to where everyone was waiting. "Take the tunnel and get to the stolen airship." He said, looking at each person who was to take the tunnel.

And that included Chit Sang, Haru, Teo, The Duke, and his Father.

"No!" Katara suddenly shouted, anger burning in her blue eyes as she stepped towards her father. "The Fire Nation can't separate our family again!"

Hakoda rested a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "It'll be okay. It's not forever." He told her, his voice soft. The young girl hesitated, before hugging the man and running back to Aang. Sokka hugged Hakoda as well, before grabbing Suki's hand as well as Orora's and leading them towards Appa. Toph hung back, turning to The Duke who smiled at her in a reassuring manner.

"I'll see you when I'll see you. Don't worry." He said, reaching out to quickly linking the fingers that had their string tied around. Unable to help herself, Toph pulled The Duke into a brief yet meaningful hug. "Take care out there." She said, before pulling back and stepping away. She stayed there until they ran deep into the tunnel, before quickly making her way towards the front of the rock formation she had created, and pressed a hand against it.

"I can clear that away and we can fly out through there!" She called out before quickly launching herself onto Appa's back.

Suki, who had been making sure Orora was settled in the saddle, gave a nervous look. "Um, there's an awful lot of fire in that general direction." She pointed out, though her observation had Orora breaking out of her sudden stupor and gripping the edge of the saddle. "But that's where Zuko is." She stated, her eyes glancing at her string which was glowing strongly and pulling her finger insistently, reassuring her that her Soulmate was close.

"We'll get through." Aang said with a determined nod. "Let's go."

With a flick of the reins, Appa was flying through the temple and out into the open air. Toph kept his front shielded with a rock formation. Recognizing Azula's figure standing atop the airship, Orora began to look around, her eyes frantic as she searched for Zuko. "Where is he?" She called out, even as Azula tried to shoot down Appa. The shield integrated as it took the brunt of Azula's attack.

Another airship rose behind Azula, atop which Zuko stood unharmed.

"He's there! Aang! We have to turn back!" Orora called as she stood. The sight of her Soulmate seemed to fill the young girl with a new strength. One that had her standing beside Katara who was deflecting firebender attacks from the several other airships surrounding them. With several icicles nestled between her fingers, Orora threw them in the air, the sharp projectile flying fast and true.

And hitting every target where it would incapacitate them.

Seeing the opening, Aang quickly turned Appa around.

Just in time to see Azula and Zuko be blasted over the sides of the airship after a particularly large fire explosion.

Everything seemed to happen so slowly and yet in the blink of an eye, Zuko was in the saddle, pulled out of the air by both Katara and Orora, and they were making their escape.

While watching Azula still falling to her death.

"She's ... not gonna make it." Said Zuko, a strange tone in his words as he watched his sister. But then she firebended, propelling herself towards the cliff wall and stopped her fall somehow. They were too far away to see how she did that. Sighing in resignation, Zuko turned away. "Of course she did."

No sooner had he turned his attention away from his sister, when he found himself being punched and hit within an inch of his life. "Ow! Ow! Orora! What in Agni! Orora! Stop that!" He called in between the hits, having caught a familiar face looming over him.

"You son of a hog-monkey! You idiot! Of all the stupid things to do! Do you have any idea how worried I was?!" She screamed, continuing to hit him wherever her hands or fists would land. "I swear to Tui, La and Agni Zuko! If you ever pull a stunt like that I will kill you myself!"

The rest of the group, as soon as Orora had started to hit Zuko, retreated to their respective corners of the saddle. And tried very hard not to appear as if they were listening intentionally.

Which they were.

Even Katara.

Albeit reluctantly.

Finally, Zuko was able to catch her wrists and pause her attack on him. He raised his head, only to find Orora glaring at him. Though the slight wobble in her lower lip, and the film of unshed tears that shimmered in her blue eyes, had him feeling guilty, for making her worry like that.

He opened his mouth to apologize, to say something, anything that would have her not look at him like that. But she shook her head, before she slowly slumped forward and leaned against him, closing her eyes.

"Don't ever do that again." She whispered, the plea in her voice as obvious as the sky around them. Wrapping his arms around her in a close embrace, Zuko held her to him for the remainder of their flight.

Though he made no promise.

                                            ————————–

Appa flew for more then half the day. The sun had nearly disappearance by the time they found a safe place to set up camp.

Throughout the entire ride, Orora had not left Zuko's side, then again he hadn't let go of her either. But now, as they disembarked and Appa slumped to the grassy floor with a tired groan, she grabbed Zuko's hand and led him away from the rest of their group.

"Ooooooo Zuko's in trouble." Sokka called out, taking one of the several tents they always kept in Appa's saddle. Suki frowned at him in disapproval. "Leave them alone Sokka." She scolded him, before moving to help Aang set up the tents.

Katara stood there, watching as Orora and Zuko disappeared into the dark, an angry scowl on her face.

                                            ————————–

Once they reached a small grove of trees, providing them with a shield from prying eyes, Orora dropped Zuko's hand and turned to him, her arms crossed over her chest.

"Start talking." She said, giving Zuko the chance to explain his reckless behavior. The Prince sighed, already knowing what was coming, but then there was nothing he could do about it.

It had been his fault to run off like he had.

"Look, I had a suspicion who it was, and I just wanted to give you guys time to get away." He began, and knew it was the wrong thing to say, since she narrowed her eyes at him. "I thought I could distract them." He added, starting to get nervous as your gaze turned all the more icy. "I didn't want to have someone be hurt by my Nation."

Every excuse was feeble, and he knew Orora would never take them. She knew him, much better then he knew himself. And these weren't reasons enough.

Sighing in defeat, the boy dropped his head in his hand. "Look." He said, running a hand down his face as he looked up to meet her gaze. "My whole life I've stood by and done nothing to protect the people I care about. I've only ever caused them pain and hurt. And I'm just tired of doing nothing."

She was still silent, watching him. "When Azula attacked, I don't know. I couldn't find it in me to stand by. Not when I knew I could help. Not when I knew I could protect everyone." Reaching out, the boy took her hand from where she'd been gripping her forearm where it had been resting atop of.

"Explain this to me Zuko." She finally spoke. "If you're so busy protecting the people you care about, who will protect you?" She raised an eyebrow at him, stepping forward to poke him in the chest with a finger. "In our group, we protect each other. And that means no running off to sacrifice yourself. We do everything together."

Zuko nodded in agreement. "Alright, I won't do that again." He promised, and once he had given his word, Orora heaved a sigh of relief, the tension in her body leaving as her gaze turned soft. "Sorry if I hit you too hard, but you did deserve it."

The boy smiled. "I kind of did."

A slight rustle in one of the bushes behind them, had both teenagers standing on alert. Only to relax when Katara emerged from the brush, gathering firewood. She paused, catching sight of the both of them standing there, obviously having some intimate conversation. The anger that raged within the girl was obvious in her eyes as well as her scowl. She turned on her feet and walked away just as abruptly as she had appeared.

Watching her leave, Orora couldn't help but sigh. "We both really need to take care of this weird hatred between the both of us and Katara." She said. "I miss my sister." The girl admitted, watching the spot where she had disappeared to.

Zuko glanced at Orora, that all too familiar feeling of guilt settling in his stomach once again.

                                            ————————–

They returned to a camp that was already set up, with the fire going and everyone getting ready to sit down for dinner. Orora caught Suki's eye as she passed by, and simply nodded. The other girl smiled, knowing that she was alright. Sitting down next to Toph, Orora reached out to pat the younger girl's hand. "How're you holding up? I know it can't be easy, leaving The Duke." She said in a low voice, hoping to ease Toph's worries. The girl would never admit to them out loud, so coming to her directly, and speaking to her about it, was the best thing.

"I'm alright." The Earthbender admitted. "A little sad though." She wiggled her finger which had her string tied around it. "I miss him already." Her admittance came with a sad smile, that had Orora reaching out and giving the girl a quick hug. "You'll see him again. I'm sure." She said, as Toph nodded with a determined look about her face.

"Oh I know. He still owes me." Orora raised an eyebrow. "You had some sort of bet going on with him?" She asked, not at all surprised at the knowledge. Toph shrugged. "What? Its how we communicate."

How in the world that worked, Orora had no desire to understand.

Everyone began to sit down around the fire for dinner, with Suki and Aang passing the bowls around, along with cups of water.

"Wow, camping." Aang said as he gazed up at the open night sky. "It really seems like old times again, doesn't it?"

Breaking apart a small piece of the bread he was sharing with Orora, Zuko spoke with a sarcastic lilt in his tone. "If you really want it to feel like old times, I could, uh.......chase you around a while and try to capture you." He offered with a small smile. The rest of the group laughed, with Orora rolling her eyes at her Soulmate.

Well almost all of them laughed.

"Ha, ha." Katara said to herself, the angry scowl still on her face.

Holding up his cup, Sokka grinned. "To Zuko!" He toasted. "Who knew after all those times he tried to snuff us out, today he'd be our hero?"

The toast had Orora wincing a little, though there was a smile on her lips as she watched everyone agree with Sokka. Everyone except Katara that is.

Aang nudged Zuko lightly, while Toph gave him a light punch. The boys smiled. "I'm touched." He said softly, before shrugging. "I don't deserve this." A false observation that had Orora opening her mouth to negate Zuko.

But Katara beat her to it. "Yeah, no kidding." The girl hissed, before standing up and walking away.

Sokka, oblivious as ever to the emotions of those around him asked rather tactlessly. "What's with her?" Sighing in slight frustration, Zuko shrugged. "I wish I knew." Glancing at Orora, who gave him a small encouraging nod, he too stood and followed after the girl.

"What's with him?"

                                            ————————–

The events of the entire day really took it out of her. And as soon as she dropped on her bedroll, Orora was out like a candle. She woke late the next morning, unaware that Zuko and Katara were already making plans.

Emerging from her tent, the girl spotted Aang feeding Appa, while Sokka sat on the ground beside him, fiddling with what looked like a flower necklace. She opened her mouth to greet her brothers, but was cut off by Katara's arrival, with Zuko trailing after her.

"I need to borrow Appa." The girl stated bluntly. Orora glanced in Zuko's direction, silently asking him about what was going on. But the boy only shook his head at her.

Aang grinned. "Why? Is it your turn to take a little field trip with Zuko?" He said jokingly, as he fed Appa some more hay.

"Yes, it is." Again with the cold bluntness. Now Orora was starting to grow concerned for her friend.

Aang too looked surprised as he turned to look at Katara and Zuko. "Oh. What's going on?" He asked, straightening up.

"We're going to find the man who took my mother from me."

Sokka paused where he was fiddling with the necklace, while Orora's entire body stiffened and she blinked in surprise. They shared a look between one another before moving to stand besides Aang.

"Sokka told me the story of what happened." Zuko explained. "I know who did it and I know how to find him."

"Um..." Aang floundered, his gaze darting to Orora and Sokka in turn, before he looked back at Katara. "And what exactly do you think this will accomplish?"

Katara let out a mirthless laugh as she shook her head. "I knew you wouldn't understand." She said, as she began to walk away.

"Wait! Stop!" Aang called out after her, desperate to make her understand that what she was thinking of doing was wrong. "I do understand. You're feeling unbelievable pain and rage. How do 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 was the one to speak up on Katara's behalf. "She needs this, Aang." He explained. "This is about getting closure and justice."

The Airbender shook his head. "I don't think so." He stated firmly. "I think it's about getting revenge."

Unable to keep her anger in check any longer, Katara finally burst out. "Fine, maybe it is! Maybe that's what I need! Maybe that's what he deserves!"

"Katara." Aang's voice was full of cocern as he watched her. "You sound like Jet."

The girl shook her head. "It's not the same! Jet attacked the innocent. This man, he's a monster."

"Katara, she was my mother too," Sokka finally spoke up, not wanting his sister to make a big mistake. "But I think Aang might be right."

His sister snapped. "Then you didn't love her the way I did!" She yelled at her brother, prompting him to whisper her name, hurt and pain clear on his face.

Orora scowled. "Katara, I know you're hurting. But that's no way to speak to your brother. He's only trying to help." Speaking directly to Katara proved to be a big mistake, since the girl turned her anger on Orora.

"What would you know? You're not even a part of our family."

The older girl took a step back, as if Katara's words had physically hurt her.

Aang, hoping to avoid any more hurtful words, tried to calm the situation. "The monks used to say that revenge is like a two-headed rat viper. While you watch your enemy go down, you're being poisoned yourself."

Blocking out the rest of the conversation, Orora turned her attention to Sokka, who stood beside her, looking just as hurt as she felt as he looked at his little sister.

They both watched as she walked away, with Zuko following after her. "She's not gonna give up." Orora said, reaching out to give Sokka's shoulder a squeeze of comfort. He covered her hand with his, returning the squeeze, comforting her in return.

"Then we'll be ready to see them off." Aang said, knowing they had only delayed Katara.

She wouldn't stop until she had her revenge.

                                            ————————–

Sure enough, once everyone had seemingly turned in for the night, Katara and Zuko emerged from their tents. Dressed in complete black the both of them approached Appa, with Zuko carrying the sack of food and other essentials they might need.

Peaking out from behind a rock, Aang, Sokka and Orora jumped out from their hiding place. "So you were just gonna take Appa anyway?" Aang demanded to know, to which Katara replied with a simple. "Yes."

Sighing, the young Avatar gave a small nod. "It's okay." He said in a sage voice. "Because I forgive you." A brief pause. "That give you any ideas?" He asked, hoping he'd gotten through to Katara somehow.

"Don't try to stop us." Katara simply stated, as Orora bypassed her to stand beside Zuko.

"I wasn't planning to." Said Aang, shaking his head. "This is a journey you need to take. You need to face this man." Katara gave him a look of gratitude, before climbing atop Appa's head. "But when you do," Aang continued. "Please don't choose revenge. Let your anger out, and then let it go. Forgive him."

Zuko rolled his eyes. "Okay, we'll be sure to do that, guru goody-goody." A well aimed punch to his arm acted as punishment for his quip. Orora glared at him briefly, before glancing at Katara, who sat rigid and firm on top of Appa. "Take care of her, and watch her back." She whispered, knowing a reckless Katara, was a dangerous Katara.

Nodding in confirmation, Zuko looped their pinky fingers together, their strings glowing, before he climbed onto Appa as well.

As Sokka randomly asked Aang if he could borrow Momo, Orora couldn't help but glance in the direction of the moon.

It was a full moon.

"Please keep them safe Yue." She prayed, hoping she would be heard.

                                            ————————–

Zuko returned with Appa three days later.

The sight of the empty saddle had Aang and Orora nearly pouncing on Zuko, demanding to know where Katara was. He held up a placating hand. "She's safe." He told Sokka, who looked every bit as the concerned brother he was. "She just needed some time alone, so I left her at a safe location."

He looked around. "Pack up the camp. We're gonna go stay at my family's summer home." Toph frowned. "Won't it be a little obvious if we go there? They might check for us there." She added, to which Zuko shook his head. "Trust me, no one will think of looking for us there." He reassured the girl.

Between the six of them, they had the camp packed up and were ready to leave within an hour. Zuko took the reins, guiding Appa where they needed to go.

"So what happened?" Suki asked, knowing Sokka wanted to ask Zuko the very same question but was too nervous to do so. Mostly because he was afraid of what the answer might be.

"We found the man." Zuko said, prompting them all to stiffen in anticipation. "But she didn't do it. In the end, she was too strong to give in to her anger."

Heaving a sigh of relief, Sokka shared a quick hug with Orora, who felt as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

"So where exactly is your family home?" Toph asked, still curious to know where they were headed.

"We're going to the Ember Islands."

                                            ————————–

Tag List - @wavesofchaos​ @violet-potter​ @rennysketch​ @emma-andrea1 @lovesammikinzz @fuzzyfestcat @msrawog @notsaelty @lust-for-pan @aces-tattooartist @jinxxangel13 @lotr-got @bitterspoons @realrintaro @gatorgirl151 @inutheangel @heartfully10 @lucaaahhh @juniper-july19 @anuttellaa @gfksz @bussyvussy @punksnotdeadbutiam @ablofftoneverland-blog-blog @slut-for-menn @vyliie @army-moa75 @juwhls @aqlodun @lovelybaka @glowyruby @niktwazny303

[the-badger-mole]

When Two Friends Realize They Dislike the Same Person

Ty Lee: So, Azula's cool...

Zuko: ...Yeah! I like Azula.

Ty Lee: I like Azula a lot.

Zuko: She's great. Fabulous

Ty Lee: Who wouldn't possibly love Azula?

Zuko: Fabulous.

Ty Lee: Everybody likes Azula. You like Azula?

Zuko: I love her! I don't think anything. You know, Azula can be Azula sometimes, but that's none of my business. I think she's lovely.

Ty Lee: I mean, I wouldn't want to gossip.

Zuko: I know what I'm thinking about Azula, but maybe it's different from what you thought

Ty Lee: You know we don't gossip.

Zuko: We don't do that.

Ty Lee: We never have. But I feel like this is just good journalism.

Zuko: We owe it to Azula to be honest!

Ty Lee: It's not gossip when we're just going to maybe compare some notes.

Zuko: Just talk about it a bit.

Ty Lee: Maybe I'll have some notes, and you'll have notes.

Zuko: Me, myself, I'm a mathematician. I'm just taking data points. You have some points, I have some points.

Ty Lee: I have some notes, you've got notes. We all have notes. It's important to the greater good.

Zuko: And at this point, it would be unfair to the community. It would be unfair if we didn't say what we had to say.

Ty Lee: I think we've all been wondering somethings about Azula, and I think it's important that you and I just share them right now. And then I think the chips will fall where they may.

Zuko: The chips will fall where they may! What can you do?

Ty Lee: What do you want me to say?...So, here's what I know about Azula....

[dont-leafmealone]

Jetko fic rec list

Feel free to add your own recs, and if you do read any of these and like them, comment something nice on it! If I find anyone hassling authors for updates I will drop ferrets down your chimney!

Modern AU

the things we leave behind - Mai and Ty Lee start a ghost hunting channel; their roommate, Zuko, cannot stand their new cameraman, Jet. Meanwhile, Zuko's sister just moved into their shared house, and forms a reluctant bond with Zuko's friend, Katara. Multiship, rated M, 200k, complete, HIGHLY recommend (also check out the rest of the author's works! She's amazing!)

never believed in meant to be - Zuko gets in-school suspension and meets Jet, who's cool enough they spend the day together. It's their first and last meeting. Rated T, 5k, complete. (Check out the rest of this author's stuff too!)

you're built to fall (beautiful) - in between the struggles of figuring out life as sixteen-year-old caretaker of kids, Jet finds himself falling in love with a handsome merman. rated T, 8k, complete. Amazingly written <3

paint it red, they'll cover it up anyway - Jet and Zuko are both kindergarten teachers, and both dealing with a lot of complications in their life. and in love. Rated T, 34k, in-progress

Ba Sing Se

up in the city (until the stars lost the war) - canon divergent AU where Jet doesn't see Iroh heat the tea, and Zuko's a little more receptive to city life. Absolutely gorgeous series. Rated T, 50k, in-progress

(Dont) Lose yourself into me - another canon divergent AU! Featuring rebel shenanigans, betrayal and angst all laid out beautifully. Check out the author's other works too, there's some really good ones! Rated T, 80k, in-progress

clay kids - after a misunderstanding about Zuko's - or rather, Lee's - parentage, he and Jet form a relationship built on lies of omission. Rated T, 35k, in-progress

a lesson in new beginnings - the author's summary probably says it best: 'zuko has bad coping skills, jet has a hella crush, and war is hell. welcome to ba sing se.' Very sweet with plenty of angst, drama, and misunderstanding. Rated T, 6k, in-progress

Post-canon

Like The Fire In Your Heart - Zuko's carriage is ambushed by thieves, and he finds that his old friend Jet isn't as dead as certain playwrights would have him believe. Rated M, 9k, in-progress

Miscellaneous

learning how to use a weapon (& other such tragedies) - flood-based apocalypse au! Beautifully written, possibly one of the first jetko fics I read when I was first starting to like Jet as a character. Rated G, 11k, complete

heat and sand - by the same author as above, au where a race of winged beings live among humans, and wouldn't you know it, they're not exactly welcomed by the likes of Ozai. Zuko finds himself taken in by Jet and his freedom fighters. Rated G, 16k, two completed fics. Honestly check out the rest of the author's catalogue it's all A+

Hearthfire- Jet is taken prisoner by the Fire Nation after his village burns. Rather than be put to work or executed, he becomes the young Prince Zuko's ward and they form an unlikely relationship. rated T, in-progress, 41k, covers canon books 1-3.

Perpetual - Jet, not quite mid-redemption arc, kills a firebender. Zuko can't actually die. Jet decides to make this his own problem. Rated M, 180k, in-progress <3

Sthe song in the secret room - haha second lesbeanlatte work on here 😈 a modern/time travel au based off of the Disney channel show Secrets of Sulphur Springs, if it were PG-13 and involved gator-related manslaughter. Hilarious and heart-wrenching 💚 Rated M, 280k, complete

Some further additions found in this reblog

This list will probably get updated if I remember any more or read anything new. And not to shamelessly self-promote but I have a variety of jetko works of my own, linked here if you're interested at all. :)

[thegaangneedstherapy]

Another zukka fic rec!!

(only if you'd like me to) i could fall in love with you by thatsnotrelevant

“I have an appointment in half an hour!” Zuko huffed. “I need to finalize my sketches and make sure I have the proper gauge needles-”

“Did someone put a stick up your ass? Or did you shove one up there yourself so you had an excuse to be a total prick?” Sokka asked, cutting him off.

Zuko’s scowl deepened. “Go back to making your shitty latte’s or whatever,” he scoffed, waving Sokka off and falling back into his chair.

Sokka and Zuko do not like each other. However, unbeknownst to them, they're actually best friends online, going under the pseudonyms of thebluespirit and boomeranguy15. When Blue and Boomerang find out they both live in Hong Kong, they decide to meet up in person as soon as possible.

Suffice to say, things don't exactly go to plan.