#come on Azula's are way too light in the comics actually

[blorboazula]

every time I see a fan art of Azula, or Zuko, or any Firebender really, with those glow-y gold eyes I'm like: Edward Cullen? Is that you?

[linkspooky]

What in particular inspired you to write Burn This City, Burn This City Down? It's a very unique fic.

Oh man I hope you're ready to take my hand and go on a journey with me because this is going to be long ride.

The first version of this fic came from 1) the ending of the Search where Azula runs off into the woods and we were just left on that cliffhanger for years. The first story that ever gave me the inspiration though was Katanagatari by Nisioisin, especially after I read the translated light novel for the first time.

Katanagatari is a story of a former princess who wants revenge teaming up with a human who was raised as a weapon known as Yasuri Shichika who comes from an entire family of martial artists living on an island. She takes Shichika out to the world and they gather twelve magical swords for the shogunate government. Basically, it's easy to see how you could put Azula into this scenario. Except instead of swords it was just going to be Azula wanting to resolve different political issues or, my earliest idea was killing members of the red lotus in the colonies far from Zuko's jurisdiction.

Lio came from this initial idea and he was one, a person in the forest that Azula met, and two a very strong martial artist who is unhealthily devoted to her. Basically it's what Azula thinks she wants in a relationship, a perfect solider who follows her every order and is unconditionally loyal. That relationship eventualyl breaks apart though as Azula eventually has to go back to her real friends, because Lio mirrors like all her bad flaws at her.

I had serious trouble coming up with an overarching plot though, because Katanagatari's plot is just "go to the place, fight the guy, get the sword" and it was just hard to come up with 12 seperate guys for Azula to fight. Also it wasn't feasible because she'd basically spend all her time away from canon characters. I tried to throw Jet in too so it wouldn't just be Azula and this OC, but it never really got past the planning stages.

There were a few manga I read that were also Azula adjacent that helped further my ideas along. I've referenced Akatsuki no Yona before, and TGCF too, but those were a little bit too much like Katanagari. I liked the idea of like Azula roaming the country side with a partner character improving things by herself for awhile like Yona does with Akatsuki no Yona but I ran into the same problem again it would be 90% Azula and this oc with no canon interaction. I did like making Hua Cheng really weird though, and that became Lio like, developing entitled, posessive and borderline stalkery behaviors.

I'm sure you've noticed the fic hasn't become incredibly surreal and weird yet. So the actual tone and the way the fic portrays mental illness comes from three works in praticular. Tokyo Ghoul, which is kind of where I got my start on this blog, Kara no Kyoukai, and Tsukihime. The idea to make Lio a disassoicative disorder personality so Azula would have someone to sympathize with her and understand she's hallucinating came from a character named Shiki Ryougi who is also a character who has a system.

The prose style that is lowkey horror comes from my best attempts to write in a Nasu style in Tsukihime. Basically part of the reason the fanfic is so surreal is because I want to use elements of horror to add to the surrealism in order to make the audience viscerally fear the feel that characters like Azula do when they lose control over the reality in front of them.

When going in the forest for the Search I wanted to lean heavily on the Suicide Forest or the Forgetful Valley being an actually terrifying or unnerving setting to be in. I also thought the Mother of Faces was a cool idea for a spirit that the comics completely blew. So one of the improvements was making Mother of Faces a genuinely terrifying inhuman entity where the entire forest is basically her playground and humans are her puppets. It's a continued trend I want to do in this fic to make spirits like genuinely terrifying, and at the most indifferent to humans and at the worst extremely hostile.

The second was making the forest an actually scary and confusing place to be in. The forest is the head, and Azula is the head, and she's dreaming the forest. The forest is a metaphor for how Azula is lost inside her own head and trapped because no one in the world empathizes with her or tries to understand her, and like, Zuko sees her run into that huge forest twice and just watches her go even though she could end up dead in a ditch.

There's two big inspirations I took for describing the forest itself. The first was the book roadisde picnic and the movie STALKER which are about a zone in Russia which is fundamentally altered by aliens where nothing in that zone follows the laws of physics and instead follows their own abusrd laws. The second was from the book and movie annihilation. In annihilation the strange zone where strange things happen is nature actively like, retaking the earth, and changing the humans who enter that territory into something else.

As for Azula's narration itself and the way her mental health is depicted, I basically got her narration style down especially in her trippy points by reading Girl, Interrupted roughly one hundred times. My general rule of thumb is that Azula's narration is incredibly dry and mechanical and straight to the point, and her prose is very minimialist until it's not. Azula is very high functionning until she is not. Then the self-loathing, and the paranoia, and the voices begin to creep in. Yet on the surface Azula will do absolutely everything to pretend she is not loosing her grip of things until she has, full on meltdowns. This pattern continues ad infinituum, Azula just gets better at hiding her sympatoms and appearing more functional. Girl, interrupted though with the very detached kind of narration, the anachronistic order I employ a lot in this fic.

So the fic rewrite existed for awhile, like there were ten different drafts of the first chapter where Azula just finds a masked man in the woods after running away from Zuko.

So, okay I lied there is one more inspiration for the way I write Azula which is Zaregoto by Nisioisin and specifically the way he writes the main character IIchan and this very detached narrator voice who like, clearly suffers from some type of schizo-type and will have the most surreal moments of narration. That is primarily a mystery series so that's what gave me the plot in it's final form. It's basically like a mystery series that's led by two unreliable narrators Azula and Lio, and Zuko who let's be honest another unreliable narrator, and then Katara and Aang who are the most reliable narrators but they're also kind of like, they're not as aware of the dark side of the world and are more naive. I basically told myself like, I'll write it like a mystery novel. Instead of solving murders though it'll be political intrigue, where we have to follow two unreliable narrators. Two unreliable narrators who we don't know everything about bevcause the narration skips along their history in anancronistic order, and that'll be a metaphor for the weird way that Azula and Lio both experience reality because of how disordered their thinking is now.

The surraelist stuff started to finalize into like a solid plot when I read another fic. I don't know if I should like, mention this fic. I'm going to complain about it so I probably shouldn't mention it by name. Okay I'm just going to be vague about it. There was a Zuko / Sokka fanfic where Azula has been fully redeemed by her brother and they get along great and she is basically, playing political games in the court for her brother's sake. Sokka however doesn't know this and becomes suspicious of her and becomes embroiled in the politics too. In this version Azula is kind of just Zuko's attack dog which was very funny.

It's a fic where I did like Azula and Sokka's characterization, and like revitalized my desire to write avatar fic but I also had just as many faults in it. Basically my biggest nitpick in any Zuko and Azula fanfic is where they protray Zuko as a compassionate brother who helped Azula in her rehabilitation because like, that's just not what happened. So Zuko kind of just felt like a non character because there's no acknowledgment that Zuko can really be just as bad to Azula as Azula is to him and like... I need that drama in my life.

It also like timeskipped past her entire recovery and like I don't want sane Azula, I want barely functional Azula wearing a mask of sanity and convinced she peaked at fourteen and just trying to feel like the way she did when she was fourteen. I need her to be like "oh yes, I'm fixed now" and then have her start to break down again because she never actually learned to deal with stress.

The other was that the ocs in the fic were absolutely boring, like the villains were one note. It was this grand spiraling political plot but the villains behind the plot had no human motivations and Azula killed them in like five minutes. I was like no, no I can make my own ocs. I will have this new fic have actual compelling antagonists who feel like they are characters in the story and actually move the plot and challenge the main characters.

So to Summarize this long ramble, basically my idea for this fic came from the collective works of Nasu and Nisioisin. It started out as like, a journey through the colonies and help people fic to like, taking place entirely in Caldera City. That's where the current idea of Azula dealing with factions who are trying to take her brother's thrown from her, and also she's trying to play the political game that everyone else is playing comes from. Azula is playing political games but like, also, the people she's playing against aren't one note bad guys they're actually interesting characters.

I also want to basically adapt a kind of like, mystery novel character following the mystery through all the political intrigue and finding the answer. I guess you'd call that "Noir". Like the confusing surrealism stuff in the search part of the story shows how lost Azula is in the forest. The confusing surrealism stuff in Caldera City will now be about how Caldera city is a city of liars, where everyone has their own hidden motivation and Azula has to navigate all of that again.

Okay, I hope that answered your qusetion. I can cite some more sources on scenes that inspired me. That scene where Lio saw Azula and the first thing he thought about was how he wanted to stab her a whole bunch is a reference to Tsukihime where Shiki meets Arcueid for the first time.

The story for Azula, Interupted of someone else framing Azula for killing cats and turtleducks comes from a really brief flashback in Tokyo Ghoul where Mutsuki remembers killing cats as a child and gets made fun of for it. Then she remembers running all the way to where she buried all the cat's tongues, and picks the jar up and cries and begs for the cats to forgive her. I know that's kind of a weird scene, but basically that whole chapter came from my idea of Azula remembering getting slapped by her mom for killing the turtleducks and begging someone to believe her and then it suddenly flashes forward to the future and Azula is still crying about it.

That's all I can remember referencing or getting inspired by for now.

[bluespiritshonour]

Somethings I noticed:

Katara, Suki and Azula are the only ones who haven't ever expressed any sort of misogynistic sentiment.

Aang would come a close second with minor mishaps here and there.

First, the girls:

Ty Lee, while fighting the Kyoshi Warriors: you're not prettier than we are.

Girl, where did that come from?

Mai has several instances of this when she says the Kyoshi Warriors’ uniforms are too girly (I don't mind her not liking how colourful they are; that's totally different) and later lowkey slut-shaming Ty Lee. And while she's rightfully unimpressed with Zuko's seashell (she's right Zuko, step-up your game) she could easily have countered his “Don't girls like these stuff?” the way Suki did with Sokka’s ideas about gendered generalisation. Also, you must have noticed that Mai's feminine too. She's just dark feminine to Ty Lee's light feminine.

Toph: she has absorbed a lot of toxic masculinity that's for sure. She isn't feminine, she light-heartedly teases Katara for being feminine and Aang too. She does give off the “one of the guys” vibes. You know which ones I'm talking about. “Are we going to watch two little girls fighting?” and later mocking Aang for his passivity.

But it is to be noted that Toph manages to do this without being racist to Aang. She's the one who mocks him the most about his pacifist beliefs (which are cultural to him) and she's kinda misogynistic the way she goes about it. But she's never racist to him. (I guess she is in the comics but fuck the comics). Even when Aang was really really nasty to her when Appa was stolen and she had every right to be mad at him—she wasn't. Given her age and her sheltered upbringing Toph's surprisingly mature. But I digress. Among the comics, I love the Lost Adventures only—and I love the spa day Katara and Toph have both in those comics and in the show. It feels like Toph's healing from that internalised misogyny? My reading of it is that just like girls in real world, Toph derides femininity because it has always been a chain to her. Her parents forced her to confirm so she hates it. But being friends with Katara probably let her heal that part of her. She's still not as feminine as Katara and mind you, nor should she be—let some girls never want to be feminine—it’s fine. But she learns to not to act out of a place of hurt.

Sokka: Sokka's misogyny was literally a plot point and he overcomes it. Also he and Aang have actually done drag and not been mocked for it. It's rare to see in media. The only other example I can think of is Good Omens.

His misogyny also feels kinda surface level (as opposed to Zuko in whom it's less obvious but seems more deeply ingrained).

Also. Zuko never did drag. Shame on him.

Aang: is the least misogynistic of the boys. The only instances I can think of are either kinda vague: when he tells Sokka that “It's nice dress!” It's kinda ambiguous if his tone was mocking or complimentary but it upsets Sokka nonetheless. And when he's upset at being played by a woman in Ember Island Players. The first time I watched it I felt it was OOC. But he was also kind of justified as it was racism and misogyny combined on behalf of the Fire Nation in portraying him that way.

Phew. These were purely my own opinions simply by the virtue of gender expression meaning different things to different people. I might say Mai is actually quite feminine while Toph isn't... But what even is considered masculine or feminine?

I love Katara and Toph's spa day because Toph learns that being girly wouldn't kill her—but she also doesn't suddenly become Ty Lee levels of feminine either. Some women just don't wanna be feminine. Oftentimes it's because femininity is derided by society itself—and that's something that one needs to heal from, like Toph did with Katara’s friendship—but everytime I've seen a story like that, the girl, upon realising that femininity isn't a bad thing is suddenly hyper-feminine.

Like, can we have them heal from internalised misogyny and still not wanna be feminine—even though they don't consider it bad or embarassing or fickle anymore?

Toph and Katara’s spa days do it perfectly.

When those girls mock Toph and Katara tells her she's pretty, I can't tell you much I loved it. The same feelings toward Suki’s “I am a warrior, but I'm a girl too.”

[bezixx]

I understand to a degree where you are coming from with this. I have to disagree with you however, for the most part.

While I can give the benefit of a doubt and agree that the comics for some reason took the favoritism thing further... even too far, because in all honesty, they made a lot of weird choices and went OOC, it does not change the fact it, the favoritism, was still there in the show. I can also agree to a degree with the last paragraph.

The thing with Azula's impressions, though? Let me explain a few things:

I noticed a pattern where Azula's impressions and reactions are cherry picked. Why is that one impression is false and another suddenly true? How do you know which one of them you can actually follow and think they were true? And remember Zuko saying "Azula always lies", even though in the scene she said the truth? Then she has been mostly honest with Zuko through the show, except for the scene at the beginning of B2.

Speaking of which, impressions are not exactly reliable ( as seen with "Azula always lies", especially when Zuko was ready to believe her anyway ). This can also be applied to Zuko's flashbacks as well, which are from Zuko's PoV and so it will be his impressions or memories. Have you also ever considered how Azula might have remembered things, how it would look like from her PoV?

Azula in the mirror scene is during a mental breakdown. As you have already surmised, Azula is trying to convince herself that she is a monster. Brain is powerful and in those moments it can easily turn into self-deprecation. Her hallucination of Ursa might as well be just that: a form a self-deprecation, an affirmation that she herself is the culprit, who is at fault for everything, especially during her mental state. That can easily make her impressions even less reliable, especially when taking into consideration that she could be, as you said, re-evaluating her life, not necessarily because she thinks Ursa loved her.

Her behavior as a kid was specifically to provoke a reaction from her mother, because of said favoritism. It is likely for at least one of those two reasons ( they are not mutually exclusive ):

Those things were that Ozai taught her and she likely thought it could impress her mother as well, so she did it in the best way possible.

She saw that this is the only way to get any sort of a reaction most of the time, because Ursa was often too busy affirming Zuko that she could not afford to do so for Azula. So she tried to incite any reactions, even if negative ones.

This, to me, sounds like a direct result of favoritism. Both Ozai's towards Azula and Ursa's towards Zuko. Otherwise she would not feel the need to do things that would get backlash if she knew she could rely on Ursa giving her and Zuko equal or close to equal care and attention.

Not only that, we never see Ursa trying to properly teach her and explain why she should not do certain things. Instead she just instantly jumps to scold her and she just leaves it at that. Contrast this to how she reacts to Zuko doing something negative ( though, you can see how well that turned out later ). Azula acting like a 'bully' is precisely because nobody properly explained to her why some things are wrong to do. So she just did what she knew best. Speaking of 'bully' she acts like a typical sibling rather than a bully towards Zuko and he is usually the one that wants to fight, but alright I suppose? You can see she is trying to play with him and teases him sometimes, while Ursa just spends most of the time with him.

As for Iroh, remember that while Ursa was still around, he also did not care much about Azula and seemed to often hold her in negative light later.

So yeah, both Ursa and Iroh could have done better, especially Ursa should have tried at the very least.

I don't understand why people make excuses for Ursa. It is true that she got into a bad situation with a bad husband. That doesn't excuse her. She is still a bad mother to both Azula and Zuko. Her actions in the comic led Ozai to deliberately start treating Zuko worse. Ursa decided to hide behind the baby just to see if the pet tyrant was reading her mail. She just took advantage of the child for her own gain. Just like Ozai. Ursa's favouritism was bad for Zuko and distanced him from his sister. Ursa's indifference led Azula to Ozai

They make excuses for Ursa because she was in an abusive/arranged marriage, and they think that she had zero agency or control over anything. Which isn't entirely true. Because if that was the case? Her relationship with Zuko wouldn't have been what it was. She could still make choices in how she raised her children. And sadly a lot of her choices weren't great. Like you and plenty of other people have said, anon, her favoritism towards Zuko screwed up Azula. It also didn't do any favors for Zuko either. You aren't supposed to favor one kid over the other one, I don't care how "difficult" you think the other child is. And it's crazy because we see how favoritism is like a curse in this family. We are told by the narrative that playing favorites with your children is a bad thing (unless you favor Zuko apparently, then it's all fine and dandy🙄) and that you shouldn't do it. But you see what I just said in the parenthesis? That's where the problem is. We're shown/told that the favoritism is wrong.....unless the favoritism is towards Zuko. Both Ursa and Iroh, two adults that were considered "good" in comparison to Ozai, favored Zuko over Azula. And this is shown not as a bad thing, but as somethings that's fine and accepted because he is the "good" child, and that he acted in the perfect way an abuse victim is supposed to act in society's eyes, while Azula wasn't. Therefore she wasn't deserving of anyone's love like Zuko. Which is an extremely fucked up thing to do to a child who had no control in anything. I mean seriously, the fact that Ursa had Azula thinking this?

100% shows that she was a bad parent, plain and simple. Like I'm sorry but if the impression that I gave my child is that I feared them and thought that they were a monster, I'm not patting myself on the back and accepting the mother of the year award. Being in an abusive marriage does not absolve you from doing shitty things to other people, and I'm so tired of this fandom acting like it does. What I find to be so ironic about this though, is that these are the same people who, when we point out that Azula is a victim of abuse and that's why she is the way that she is in the show, they'll say "so what, that still doesn't excuse her. She could have changed but she chose not to." Say this to them about Zuko and Ursa though, and suddenly they start singing a different tune. Funny how that works.

[hello-nichya-here]

The more you dig into Azula and try to understand things from her perspective, the less "crazy" she becomes. All thanks to your metas. Needless to say, if Azula was explored and was given more screentime, she wouldn't be so misunderstood and hated by the fandom. Which is why I wanna ask, how do YOU visualize "Azula alone"? What would you want from it and what kind of conclusion would Azula come to by the end of it?

I feel like more screentime could have helped Azula be better understood... but only if it meant more episodes like "The Beach" in which she is still flawed but is shown in a much more sympathetic light and we get an honest look at her motivations and struggles. If we had gotten an extra season, but it was just more of her chasing the Gaang and Zuko, without anything else to ballance it, it'd do more harm than good.

As for "Azula Alone" I got sort of a basic idea for how it could happen. It’d be post-comet, in Book Five (Book Three was way too rushed and it would have been best to split it in two) with Azula at psychiatric hospital (an ACTUAL HOSPITAL, not that bullshit the comics pulled).

We’d get a few episodes focusing on the protagonists first, and getting a few glimpses at how Azula is doing: aka not great. She’d be constantly switching between slightly hostile, completely panicked and paranoid, and just depressed and indiferent. Zuko would visit occasionally, but Azula barely even looks at him. Overall the episodes before “Azula Alone” would make it clear that she is very miserable - to the point that she is trying to come up with a plan to escape, even if she fears she has nowhere to go.

However, once the focus was fully on favorite princess, we’d see her slowly getting used to being at the hospital even though she doesn’t like it. She isn’t exactly fond of the doctors, but she isn’t afraid of them anymore. We get a few scenes showing how they deal with any issues with the patients, how they motivate them to keep trying to get better, how they are supporting them as best as they can - and then we have flashbacks showing how Azula’s life was. How much pressure Ozai, her firebending masters, and her teachers at the royal academy put on her. How even though she was a prodigy she had to work hard to constantly out-performe herself to earn any amount of respect from the adults around her. How her grandfather never cared about her, because she was the daughter of the wrong son, so she was worthless in his eyes. How her mother, brother, and uncle never seemed to even notice what was happening and so did nothing to help.

Finally, one of the doctors would manage to get through to her just a little by pointing out that she really has nothing to lose by cooperating with them, because, even if she believes Zuko will just give her an unfair trial to have her either imprisoned for life or killed, he doesn’t have to wait for her to get better for it to happen, and if she doesn’t get better she’ll just be making herself more vulnerable. Besides, playing along with what the Fire Lord wants, even if she doesn’t plan on ever truly accepting his friendship (that she believes to be false) is going to at least make it more likely that he will focus on dealing with some other “problem” before dealing with her. Basically the doctor would appeal to Azula’s pragmatism and survival instinct. Cooperating is the best, most logical, safest option.

She then gets the chance she was waiting for. She finds some way of escaping the hospital, and she almost does it... but instead she comes back and lets the people in charge know where they to add more people making sure the patients don’t go do something dangerous.

She doesn’t like the life she has now. But it is still better than the one she had before. And maybe, just maybe, her brother is being sincere when he says he is sorry for everything that happened and just wants to help her have the same chance his friends and their uncle gave to him.

[alfredolover119]

I looooove your zukka rec lists! I recently became Avatar-obsessed, never got a chance to watch it as a kid and only just got through it all! I was wondering if you'd consider doing a specifically angst rec list? I love fluffy zukka everything, but sometimes you just gotta have your heart ripped out of your chest and put back in after being thoroughly blended.

thank you! i relate heavily to “recently became Avatar-obsessed” haha. as for the angst list, i sure can try! warning: all of these have happy endings because im a crybaby who can’t read unhappy endings. also, p much all of the fics in the completed section were featured on my other lists but this is specifically the ANGSTY ones >:^)

angsty zukka wips

first, most obviously, feels like we only go backwards by @oldpotatoe

-currently at 102k with 19/27 chapters posted; rated teen

-the amnesia fic. the amnesia fic. the amnesia fic. you know. i haven’t actually read it yet because, as previously mentioned, i’m a crybaby and am waiting for it to finish up but, from my understanding, this fic will murder you in a dark alleyway with no remorse. if u like zukka angst, you’ve probably already read this, but just in case!

An injury leaves Sokka with amnesia. His last memory is of the failed invasion, of leaving his father behind in enemy territory on the Day of Black Sun. Of hopelessness. Rage. // But then he wakes up, and the war is over. Suddenly, he must come to terms with the fact that years have passed, and that he's somehow the Southern Water Tribe Ambassador to the Fire Nation. He is also supposedly friends with banished-Prince-turned-Fire-Lord Zuko, of all people. Close friends.

Yeah, nah.

and i’ll do anything you say (if you say it with your hands) by @goldrushzukka

-currently 38k with 6/8 chapters posted; rated mature

-holy shit. holy SHIT. modern au based on the “my cat likes my fuckbuddy and i am falling in love” trope(?). maybe it’s just because of how the last chapter ended, but oh my god. this one made me cry. made me want to commit violence. when it’s not angsty as hell, it’s pretty funny, but holy shit. ao3 user nebulastucky please.

It’s supposed to be a one night stand. Pick up some guy at a bar, barely remember his name and never learn anything real about him, send him packing in the morning with a thanks for the ride and a cup of coffee to-go. That’s how it’s supposed to go. // But then it’s the best sex Sokka has ever had, and he thinks he’ll hate himself if he never gets to have it again.

Violet Blossoms and Celestial Objects by @hollypunkers

-currently 15k with 2/? posted. rated teen.

-this is the sequel to blue (an angsty, zukka rewrite of book 2-- go read it if u havent!)! !! this is a book 3 rewrite. only two chapters in and mrs hollypunkers is really abusing the miscommunication tag, as zukka writers seem to enjoy doing. im excited to see how the world and story develops with the changes to the story! you should be too!! its very good! obviously spoilers for blue lmao

Having sided with the Avatar in Ba Sing Se, Zuko not only must navigate his new relationship with Sokka but returning to the Fire Nation as a banished enemy. His own journey of self discovery and personal growth must now coexist alongside the personal struggles of every other member of the Gaang as together they blaze a treacherous path toward an unsure victory against Zuko's own father and nation.

breakable heaven by @fruitysokka

-currently 71k with 9/11 chapters posted. rated teen

-swt ambassador zuko! soon to be chief sokka! fake dating ur best friend to get out of an arranged marriage! what could go wrong!!! i also haven’t read this one ((see: i’m a crybaby who is being hurt by too many zukka wips already)), but it has been hanging out in my marked for later for months. from what i understand, this fic has: angst.

With his twenty-first birthday looming just around the corner, the Southern Water Tribe Elders have decided that Sokka, next in line to be Chief, needs to get married. Sokka does not want that, but he does need to get them off his back until he can figure his way out of it. What better way to do that than to pretend to date his best friend (and newly minted Ambassador to the Southern Water Tribe) Zuko? // Seriously, this is a foolproof plan. Maybe one of Sokka's best. Absolutely nothing can go wrong.

angsty zukka fics (completed!)

(i’ll put these in wc order)

lighthouse beam by @incorrectzukka

-7k, rated g

-a modern college au!! zuko’s inner-monologue is very angsty in this fic. typical zuko. also per usual, theyre both fucking dorks. they sort themselves out in the end, but not before The Angst. zuko is semi-deaf in this fic and also he has a bit of internalized homophobia.

Sokka’s breathtakingly beautiful and he’s smart and makes other people laugh. Zuko has a half-burnt face and a deaf ear. It’s not rocket science. // Or, Zuko falls in love with the boy in his Philosophy class.

This Isn’t My Idea of Fun by @khaleeseas

-9k, explicit

-moon spirit/nwt prince!sokka, no war to be found here! admittedly this isnt THAT angsty but like. the angst IS present. zuko is still the prince. a lovely childhood friends (though they hated each other for a minute haha) to lovers story. 

If you asked Zuko, he and Azula saw far too much of Chief Hakoda of the Northern Water Tribe’s children growing up. It wasn’t until they were older, and Azula pointed out that - duh - their families were trying to set them all up, that he realized why. // He was told by his mother to be polite. These people were their friends and allies, and though their nations were as different as they came, harmony between nations was the most important thing. // It wasn’t his fault the Chief’s children were so annoying.

put your lips close to mine (as long as they don’t touch) by @celestialceci

-9k, teen

-modern au! zuko and sokka are college roommates. zuko goes to spend the summer with sokka. again,, not really that angsty but-- its there!! the detail and feeling of Home in this story make me happy. zuko is insecure as hell here too. if ur into that. 

Zuko hates his home. He likes college alright, but he likes Sokka even better, his assigned roommate turned best friend. Spending the summer with Sokka will be fun, a welcome change of pace he desperately wants. It probably won't awaken anything in him... right?

the thing about dancing by anodymalion

-9k, teen

-yes. this one right here officer. it makes my heart ache. also trans sokka! which is cool. but the zuko angst in this one. hurts me. not so much relationship angst as it is zuko learning he deserves happiness angst. i’m sure u know The Type.

The first time a attendant spills Zuko’s tea and doesn’t immediately fall to her knees, begging the Fire Lord’s forgiveness, it is not anger but a resounding warmth that fills his chest.

i could (never) give you peace by @zukkababey

-10k, mature

-OUCH. OUCH OUCH OUCH. boys please learn to communicate im begging u. also zuko.. zuko, dude. as the tags of the fic say, hes “really going through it” in this one. YOUCH. post-canon.

Zuko almost said it. He almost said the words I think I’m in love with you, but he choked them back down at the last second. // Zuko would never be able to be what Sokka wanted. They might have needed each other during the summer, when two boys with too much weight on their shoulders found comfort in each other in the only way they knew how. // But now Zuko was Fire Lord, and Sokka was leaving.

this love burns so yellow (becoming orange and in its time, exploding) by @meliebee 

-18k, teen, major character death 

-i lied. THIS is the one, officer. found family.. good mai and zuko and toph friendships.. . ozai escapes prison and tries to overthrow zuko. OBVIOUSLY angst ensues. poor boy. he Does heal in this but it gets worse before it gets better. angst angst angst angst.

Ten months after Zuko is crowned at seventeen, he faces his first coup.

Anything for You by beersforqueers

-23k, explicit

-istg. this is probably one of my favorite zukka fics. its PAINFUL. modern au where theyre broken up but sokka hasnt told his family yet so zuko goes home with him for kataang wedding. a bit smutty, but the plot oh my god ohgm y fuvk. made me cry the first time i read it. (see: crybaby!me) insert that one picture of the horse with the caption PAIN. 

In which Sokka and Zuko have broken up but Sokka hasn't told his family yet. So when Katara and Aang's wedding weekend rolls around and he doesn't want to break Gran-Gran's heart, he asks Zuko to pretend to be his boyfriend for one last weekend. // Things don't go as planned.

Moving Mountains by @thefangirlingdead

-64k, mature

-so. when i read this the first time it was in one sitting. soulmate au set within canon era / the comics, to an extent. soulmates can hear each others thoughts. i will happily say this is slowburn, jesus christ. champagne without the cham. 

Soulmates are chosen by the spirits and can hear each other’s thoughts. Sokka thinks it’s cheesy and dumb. Zuko thinks it’s poetic justice that he doesn’t have one because he doesn’t deserve it. Cruel irony is finding out that the prince of the Fire Nation (and the person currently hunting you) is your soulmate.

In the Soft Light by @voidcenturyscholar and @romancedawning

-83k, teen, graphic depictions of violence

-moon spirit!sokka living in the northern water tribe. zuko is sent to the northern water tribe as a cultural liaison. iroh is the fire lord but while he is away taking care of lu ten after his injury ozai steps up. i cannot express how many emotions this fic made me feel. background yuetara. i would almost say found family?? but. anyway. plenty of angst to spare here with a healthy dose of enemies to friends to lovers.

As the newly appointed cultural liaison to Northern Water Tribe, Zuko is the first Fire Nation Citizen to step foot inside the city's walls in nearly a century. He's determined to prove himself—to the Fire Lord and to his father—even if the Water Tribe's spirit-touched prince seems to want nothing to do with him.

That Midnight Sky by @zukkababey

-103k, teen

-now now now. tms... modern college au where sokka agrees to tutor zuko in physics because zuko has to maintain straight a’s and physics is just not doing it for him. so. thats cool but THEN azula moves in, randomly, with zuko. to hide the fact that sokka is tutoring zuko, they fake date! what could go wrong!! the mutual pining in here combined with the angst... wonderful, tasty. everyone read it rn. also SLOWBURN 

In Zuko’s strict family, needing a tutor is just about the worst thing you could do. Failing a class, however, is even worse. The only rational solution? Take up Aang on his offer to find him a physics tutor and have Sokka—beautiful, smart, handsome Sokka—tutor him in secret. // When Azula’s arrival threatens to reveal Zuko’s secret, it’s up to Sokka to convince her this definitely isn’t what it looks like. See, he’s actually… Zuko’s… boyfriend? // Hmm. There’s no way this could get complicated, right?

[ly0nstea]

This is mostly for my own self-reference but I thought if I'm gonna write it down I may as well post it and see what people think. It's mostly my ideas on how firebending works, but it also touches on how the Fire Nation developed certain things and why they act the way that they do. I'm trying to keep this canon-compliant, but atla is very light on how bending actually works so I'm not too worried, idrc if I go against the comics because most of my fic ideas end up making them and Korra not really able to happen anyway so if I contradict it no massive deal, i only really care for the Beginnings two parter.

So, jumping right into it, the source of fire bending, the way I see it is that Fire Bending is driven by your personality, an 'inner flame' so to speak, which is why Zuko's bending was so weak post-DotBS, he had no significant drive, his flame dyed down and so did his flames. The specifics of where the fire comes from is emotion, not all are equal though, the most significant being anger and joy, this is why firebenders lash out with flames a lot when they're angry, because the act of creating flames causes them to get angry, and if they get too angry, they're unable to control those flames, the same could be said about a firebender shooting flames when they get really excited/happy. This is also why the most popular source was anger, it was powerful and easy to harness, as well as easy to control. You can give someone something to be consistently angry at, it's harder to give someone something to be consistently very happy at, it's a lot easier to get angry than it is to get happy. However, like a Pavlovian response, if you always get angry when you bend, you'll instinctively get angry whenever you bend, even if drawing from other sources, this applies to other emotions ofc but anger is the most dangerous one because it can easily escalate fights to lethal proportions.

Next is the Sun, and Sozin's Comet, I don't believe that the comet simply gives power to the firebenders just for the sake of being a flaming rock, with that logic earthbenders would get a boost too. So, my idea is that the Comet and the Sun are spirits, similar to Tui and La, (as Tui and La spin in a circle, the comet spins around the sun, orbiting again and again) we know celestial bodies can be spirits (and even people, Yue) so it's not that out of the question, we also know that spirits can influence people (and are equally influenced greatly by their own emotions, see Hei Bai), so I think the Sun spirit and Comet spirit both affect the personality of their benders, emboldening them, the Comet is only more noticeable because it is so close to the earth, but we know fire benders are also stronger in the day. To back this up, I want to look at Sozin's Comet's parts 3 and 4, specifically the fights we see between the 3 main firebenders, Zuko and Azula in the Final Agni Kai, and Ozai and Aang.

We see them act, for lack of a better term, bolder in the comet. Zuko taunts Azula to use her lightning, an act that would surely kill him, and Azula falls for his bait, they're both absolutely certain if their abilities, (Azula to hit Zuko, and Zuko to dodge). One thing to note, Azula is generally seen as at most neutral to killing, azula never goes out of her way to cause a death, even in situations where it could be easily justified to herself, and to people around her. Ozai also acts brashly, but specifically, I want to talk about after the fight, Spirit bending is an act that can possibly destroy a soul if it goes wrong, however after the fight ozai is still competent enough to speak clearly, recognise Suki's taunts, and reply to them after he expending more than all of his energy in the fight itself, and around the end of the comet he collapses.

Then there's Azula's mental state. Between Boiling Rock and Sozin's Comet we only see her in the attack on the air temple, where she is still very competent, she can command, fight, taunt, she's definitely different, more brazen with remarks like "I'm about to celebrate becoming an only child", (possibly explained by the closeness of the comet), but it isn't until the comet fully arrives that she snaps, because when the comet emboldens a person it doesn't only strengthen the good parts of a person's personality, it also highlights the bad parts, and when the comet arrived azula was particularly vulnerable to those negative aspects, which quickly took over her. Which is why I do think a post-comet azula would most likely be quiet and burnt out from how over the top her body and mind went, instead of plateauing and maintaining her Sozin's Comet level of mental unwellness.

Next is how this affected the development of the Fire Nation, specifically their honour based society. Naturally, Fire Benders would be seen as the strongest early on when people gathered in tribes as they could not only hunt better, cook the whole tribes meal at no expense, elevating their status to leaders. Now, firebending being driven by personality leads to essentially the person with the strongest or 'best' personality is on top, and one of the most apparent measures of the quality of one's personality is Honour. Honour is a measure of integrity, of who you are, how trustworthy you are and in the Fire Nation, how good your bending was. This would naturally lead to the most honourable being on top, and those below them wanting to imitate that level of honour, and thus a society that prided honour was born, this inevitably leads to tests of honour like Agni Kai's. This would also lead to anyone who wasn't a Machiavellian level liar to be cast out as being caught in a lie is incredibly dishonourable, which would leave the fire nation fairly free of corruption, until someone like Sozin finds a way to make dishonour honourable.

Or something I dunno, might add more later as the idea develops

[struggling-author]

I have to say, I don’t hate the ending that much, because I saw it as an adult and I steer clear of any fandom discourse, so I feel that I could somewhat see it only for what it is. And what it is or what it looked like to me was just - exactly what I think it was supposed to be. It was a tragedy, an inevitable culmination of something that never should have been. The last child of Ozai, the strong and perfect one, finally crumbling under all the pressure. The absolute proof that nobody, not even the best, could ever have been enough for him. And yes it was horrible for Azula as a character and it was traumatizing for all the characters present, perhaps too traumatizing for younger viewers, no idea how I would have reacted, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it was bad. It was an ugly truth, but one that you had to see for the story to make sense. And I put no blame on Zuko or Katara here or argue that they were badly written, because they too were children who had… no idea what to do or what was even happening? What could they have done? I don’t know either. They didn’t stand triumphantly or heroic looking down on their beaten foe, they stood horrified, because it was horrible, and there was nothing they could do. Would I have liked some indication at the end that Azula is doing better? Sure, but I don’t know if that would have been the better ending. If the show had continued to season 4, then yes, but sometimes I think a tragedy has to stand as a tragedy and a cautionary tale has to end badly to be truly received.

On the other hand, I never did believe this was truly the end for Azula. And I‘m not referring to the comics because that realy was terribly written for both the character and the story. But in my mind, and in what I find the logical continuation of the story, this was never the end for her. It wasn’t even the end of that particular scene. Because she will calm down eventually, because anger doesn’t last forever and fire burns out, and what will she see when she comes to her senses? What will she think when she knows her father has been defeated, too. That her legacy, her life under him, any chance for „redemption“ in his eyes, even just a „deserved“ punishment… all of that is truly gone. There is nothing left of her old life. Would she feel angry again? Probably not. Would she feel scared? Almost certainly. But I think she would mostly feel relieved, and she couldn’t even chastise herself for it because there’s nothing left to chastise for. For the first time, she would be truly free. And it would seem strange for her to just sit calmy at Zuko‘s coronation, or even sit and hang out with the Gaang as they’re happy, or with her old friends. I don’t think she would do any of that, probably she would sit alone in her room, with a cup of tea and a burnt doll, or maybe she‘d be picking up the shards of a broken mirror, or maybe she’d cut her hair into something more suitable. Anything like that. And she wouldn’t be happy, and she wouldn’t be sad, for now she would just be free, and she wouldn’t know what that means either. But eventually she would be happy, and perhaps then she would even smile with the Gaang and her old friends, but there would be a long path she has to walk before that happens.

So yeah, I don’t hate the ending, but I also understand why people do. Especially if you projected onto Azula as a child, or if the discourse put it in a bad light, or your mind simply didn’t fill in the gaps as neatly or hopefully as I did. All of that is valid, and again, I may feel differently too under different circumstances. And for all of those who feel that way, I actually have an alternate (or more like continued) ending up on Ao3 that picks up right after the last time we see her in the finale, and deals with exactly what I just talked about, and hopefully what you also wanted to see happen as well. So I really hope you all give it a read. ❤️

https://archiveofourown.org/works/37041424

It has a tinge of Azulaang, as expected from me lol, but it doesn’t have to be romantic at all. It is more a representation of both their journeys as thematic foils. Two people who were so shaped by their environments, with the fates of their worlds pressed onto their shoulders, seeing clearly for the first time now that those worlds have collided, and maybe finding some common ground in that, and looking into a brighter future together.

Why did they end Azula's story on a disturbing breakdown, crying and screaming, chained to the ground like an animal, while our main characters stand there and watch passively?

They could have shown us a scene during the celebrations where she was drinking tea and observing the crowd, to reassure the audience she was okay at least. Her last scene was traumatizing, and i hate how the show tried to make it seem like it was a satisfying close to her story.

Having a light-hearted ending where everyone is happy and smiling EXCEPT her, because she is straight up snubbed by the narrative, just seems mean-spirited to me.

"There was supposed to be a fourth season focusing on Azula." Okay, but it didn't come out. It would have been so easy to show Azula at the end of season 3, just having calmed down, just her being calm. Just take ten seconds to show her awful breakdown had passed and she was somewhere safe and somewhat at peace. That's it.

The more i think about it the angrier i get.

[klm-zoflorr]

Why It Is Bad That We Never See Mai or Ty Lee in the Comics Deal With Their Imperialist Past

How come we never see Mai or Ty Lee deal with their imperialist past in the comics? For yeah comics!Azula is a horrible person and it is implied that Azula was never friends with Mai & Ty Lee, who where coerced subjects trying to keep their mad sovereigns (Azulon, Ozai, & Azula) happy. But I find it odd that neither no one in-universe or the narrative challenges them for their past. Like Zuko, Iroh, Piandao, Jeong Jeong, and Chey all had to confront their imperialist past before redeeming themselves despite having as good an argument, if not better, that they were being coerced or faced life threatening consequences if they didn’t comply. So what makes Mai or Ty Lee different any different? And before people say they went to prison, it was for committing treason against the Fire Nation/attacking their Princess; not for realizing the error of their ways and wanting to change.

Though in Ty Lee’s case she did say she did join the Kyoshi Warriors in order to fix a broken world in the Sisters comic so maybe Ty Lee did confront her past. But I wish we saw her time in prison so we saw her change considering she enthusiastically fought against the Kyoshi Warriors & The Gaang and mocked the Kyoshi Warriors’ style, not knowing or caring for the reason behind their makeup or dress.

However comics!Mai really hasn’t really done anything…in fact she kept from Zuko and The Gaang the fact that her father was leading the New Ozai Society until Zuko almost got killed (and was only saved by PIS and a last minute unexpected heel-face turn) and The Fire Warriors were able to kidnap around a dozen kids, including Mai’s own brother and Azula/Zuko’s half sister. And even more galling, when confronted for her treason, she has the gall tell an understandably angry Zuko that he of all people should understand how hard it is to betray your father. As if there wasn’t a difference between betraying the all powerful ruler of your country who has a cult of personality, has burned you before, can quickly fire off lethal amounts of lighting on command, and has said before he wanted to kill you versus betraying your mentally and physically weak father who rejected being integrated into the new government and seeks to put someone back in power who would likely kill you for committing treason against him.

On a sidenote, isn’t crazy that Zuko then quickly apologized and the story never brought up the topic of Mai’s treason ever again?

But getting back on track, are we being unreasonable in asking that Mai and Ty Lee confront their past or if they already did, that we actually see it on page/screen? Especially since the message sent by them not doing so is that if you turn at almost the last point possible, the people you have wronged repeatedly and the world community will instantly forgive you despite constantly engaging in imperialism (ex. fighting against the rebels in Omashu, jailing and impersonating The Kyoshi Warriors), let alone helping commit one of the biggest acts of imperialism in history (helping Azula take over Ba Sing Se)?

Also on a sidenote, I do have an on-going series where I post my thoughts on the Avatar series (this is where this post came from) so feel free to read the rest of them and comment on them.

-----------

I absolutely agree, Anon. I also think Avatar does have a huge problem with putting people into "boxes", like the Good Guys: Zuko, Aang, Katara, Iroh, Ty Lee, Mai, Ursa, even Azulon somehow who can NEVER do or ever did anything wrong (even tho anyone with even a piece of a critical mind knows they did and are flawed human beings) and the Bad Guys: Azula, Zhao, Ozai who are entirely bad and never did anything right and are basically souless emotionless demons.

"it is implied that Azula was never friends with Mai & Ty Lee"

Tbh I feel like this point was a retcon. In the show we see Azula genuinely likes them (hugging Ty Lee, apologising to her, setting Mai up with Zuko, playing with them as kids, being genuinely hurt when they betray her) and I'd be strongly tempted to say they did too. That might just be my interpretation but I feel like Mai really was awfully bored in Omashu and she was happy Azula came to give her something to do. Same for Ty Lee, she looked happy when Azula came at the circus (before she started threatening her), and when they were playing as kids. And I don't think her constant compliments were 100% genuine, of course, she's smarter than this, but I don't believe she was completely lying to her either.

Imo, they were friends, it was just so much complicated by Azula being their commander, war, and living in an imperialistic nation.

The comics (and the last episode of the show too) don't care about that, of course. The narrative they propose is just "Mai and Ty Lee always hated and feared Azula, they had to do everything she told them and so they never have to face any consequences" even tho we know Zuko, who was actually in that situation, had to face consequences for his.

Also, Mai is a perfect New Ozai Society supporter if I've ever seen one. I'm gonna start headcanoning her as a legit villain who consciously manipulated her way to avoid consequences for her actions thanks to being the Firelord's gf and her "treason", it's fun.

«The message sent is that if you turn at almost the last point possible, the people you have wronged repeatedly will instantly forgive you.»

Preach it! Ironically enough, last-minute traitors are often forgiven injustly in real-life wars even tho they might be objectively terrible people, but I don't think the comics writers were aiming to explore this particular subject xD

[cablesscutie]

Inspired by @hayleynfoster’s comic and some hilarious headcannons about the littlest steambaby with Hayley and @favlie​

Read it on AO3

1.

The day Avatar Aang comes to meet his second niece, Fire Lord Zuko refuses to let his youngest child out of sight.  Katara rolls her eyes, and reminds her husband that neither of their children had ended up psychologically disturbed because of their flights.  “Not,” she adds, pointing at Aang, “that I am allowing a repeat, but I think just holding her while firmly on the ground will be fine.”

“Mmmm,” Zuko hesitates, curling Kallik closer to his chest.  Her big eyes blink up at the adults guileless from her blanket.  “No.”

“You let Azula hold her!” Aang argues.

“She doesn’t do anything with the babies!” Zuko shoots back.  It’s not strictly true, he knows, but his sister’s ritual with newborns is unsettling in a much different way.  She simply stares deep into each child’s eyes upon being handed them, until some kind of understanding passes between her and the baby.  Results have varied, but the most important part is that there was no threat to life and limb.  

Katara’s raised eyebrow says that she also doesn’t believe Zuko’s words, but she doesn’t say anything.  They are, after all, a united front - to the children, to politicians, to their friends.  In the privacy of their chambers, however, he knows he will be hearing about this.

2.

Katara and Zuko take the kids to spend Kallik’s first birthday at the South Pole.  It’s a tradition they’ve observed with all three, and Zuko always looks forward to going to visit her family.  The house is loud and chaotic, full to bursting with people, the exact opposite of his own lonely childhood.  There is no posturing, and everyone loves and squabbles openly.  On this particular visit, they have overlapped with Aang’s stay with Sokka and Suki, so Gran-Gran’s house is in even more of an uproar than usual by the time Zuko and Katara arrive.

Kya immediately dashes off to coo over her little cousins as they toddle around behind Pakku, pretending to be otter penguins.  Satoshi runs to the kitchen to be showered in kisses and cookies from Gran-Gran.  Hakoda finds them barely out of their parkas and already thoroughly abandoned.

“I could’ve sworn you had at least one other child,” he tells Katara, scratching his head as he pretends to search for his missing grandchildren.  She laughs and hugs her father tight.  Neither of them let go for long moments, and Zuko’s throat feels tight when he notices his father-in-law’s misty eyes.  He looks down at Kallik, thinks of his other two children, and wonders for the thousandth time how Hakoda could ever forgive him for keeping Katara so far away.  It’s why he hands his daughter over easily when her grandfather waggles his fingers expectantly and says, “Alright, give her here.”

Hakoda settles Kallik on his hip with practiced ease, and pulls Zuko into a brief hug with his free arm.  “Good to see you, son.”  

Zuko clears his throat.  “You too,” he says, and Katara laughs softly at his awkward shuffling, amused by how he doesn’t know what to do with his hands without a baby in his arms.  She answers his question by lacing their fingers together as she leads him deeper into the house to find her brother and their friends seated around the hearth fire watching the kids run around.

Hugs are exchanged all around, and Zuko settles into their familiar company.  Hakoda joins them after taking Kallik to say hello to Gran-Gran and Pakku, and bounces the baby on his knee to make her laugh.  Aang makes silly faces at her that have her letting out piercing giggles and reaching out to try and grab at the wooden beads of his necklace.

“Well clearly she’s bored of me,” Hakoda says, making to hand her off to her uncle.  “Here you go -”  Zuko leans over and intercepts.

“Oh no.  No baby catapult,” he says, shaking his head.

Aang gives him a pout to rival Momo.  “Come on, we’re indoors!”  Katara clears her throat, and when Zuko glances over, her eyes are narrowed at him.  With a sigh, he holds Kallik out to Aang.

“Fine.  But I’m watching you.”

3.

Extended family vacations to Ember Island always sound like a good idea to Katara.  At first.  When her husband is burnt out and aching, and the kids are climbing the walls, and she just wants to lie in the sun with a book, it seems like the cure for everything.

And then they arrive.  Somehow, much like she forgets the excruciating pain of childbirth, she never recalls the onslaught of chaos and catastrophe that comes every vacation.  Like the time Sokka got stung by a jelly-ray.  Or the time Suki and Zuko got in a fight about disciplining each other’s kids.  Or the time every single one of the kids managed to get sunburnt and couldn’t sleep.  Every year, it’s always something, and somehow, it usually ends up being at least partially her problem to solve.

This year, though, is somehow turning out alright.  They reach day three without major incident, and almost entirely without tears - a near miracle for a vacation involving five children under the age of ten.

“I’m almost done with my first book already,” she tells Zuko as they rock slowly in a hammock on the deck, whispering in hopes of keeping any listening spirits from knowing that she’s gotten her hopes up.

“Good, you deserve the break,” Zuko says.  He looks on the verge of sleep despite the fact that the sun is still climbing in the sky.  The dark circles beneath his eyes are already faded almost to nothing.  She sighs happily and grabs her book, but before she can actually crack it open, she hears Toph cackling and her Mom Senses light up.  Zuko calls after her in surprise as she leaves the hammock swaying wildly behind her, but she doesn’t look back on her way to the beach.  

When she arrives, it is just in time to see Toph pick up Kallik, a wicked smile on her face.  Sokka and Suki’s twins are further down the beach standing beside Aang, both of them jumping up and down with excitement, waiting for something.

“Go long, Twinkle Toes!”  Katara’s eyes go wide, and faster than should be possible, she reaches them, yanking Kallik out of Toph’s hands.  “Hey!”

“Absolutely not!”  Katara says, scowling.

“I was gonna catch her!”  Aang shouts.  Katara shakes her head.

“This is not happening.  No way.”  Then, silently lamenting the loss of quiet time with her husband, Katara looks at the twins and asks, “Who wants to go get some ice cream?

4.

At Zuko’s request, his birthday is not a big deal with his family.  It’s a combination of the fact that the entire Fire Nation loses its mind about the day anyway, so he is all but forced to spend a day attending a festival in his honor, and the fact that he is used to his birthday being a marker of all the disappointments he has been in the past year.  It is a long-standing compromise with his wife that she is allowed to throw him a small, family-only party, to be kept within the bounds of the garden.  He enjoys the excuse to get everyone together without a barrage of meetings involved, and the rest of their family is so boisterous in comparison to him, he can almost forget that the day has anything to do with him at all.

For his thirtieth birthday, he makes the further concession of allowing Uncle to set up his new phonograph so there could be dancing.  Zuko is manning the crank, watching Katara and Kya swing each other around while Aang sits next to him, flipping through the records looking for the right song.

“Do you have a request too?” Zuko hears him ask, and turns to see Kallik has toddled away from Uncle Iroh and approached the Avatar.  She puts her hands on his knees and starts bouncing, flashing him a smile that shows all of her new teeth.  “You want upsies?” Aang coos, and reaches to scoop her up by the armpits.  Zuko clears his throat loudly, shooting Aang his best murder eyes, and the Avatar shrinks back into the collar of his robes a little.  “What about dance party?”  He lets Kallik grab onto his fingers and starts hopping around with her to the beat, hunched over and both of them giggling.

5.

“Oh Uncle Aaaaang!” Kya sings, striding out into the garden where Appa has just landed. She has Kallik on her hip, and Satoshi follows along at her heels, excited to see Appa and Momo again.  His pockets are already full of lychee nuts for his fuzzy friends.

“Hey guys!” Uncle Aang calls, his gangly arms waving excitedly.  “Are you the welcoming committee now?”  He lands in front of them on a gentle breeze, setting down his bag and grinning broadly.

“Mom and Dad are in a meeting,” Kya informs him.  “But somebody wanted to go for a little flight.”  She hitches the toddler higher and winks conspiratorially.  “If you catch my drift.”  Uncle Aang’s eyes go wide, and he looks between the kids with unease.  Satoshi feels terror grip his throat.  He knew his big sister was crazy, but would she really…?

“Oh I dunno, your Dad was pretty...adamant...that you all are grounded until further notice.”  Satoshi lets out a sigh of relief.

“Dad’s in a meeting,” Kya reiterates, as though being in a meeting involves entering another dimension.  She should know better, her brother thinks to himself.  Mom and Dad always find out when they’re up to no good, and as the sibling who’s usually leading the charge into trouble, Kya should definitely have that figured out by now.  Uncle Aang should absolutely know that by now, but with horor, Satoshi realizes that the Avatar is looking a little bit convinced.  “And we’re not gonna tell on you,” she wheedles.  Speak for yourself, Satoshi thinks, glancing around to see if there are any guards within earshot if he calls for their parents.  Sadly, it seems nobody has realized that the Avatar requires careful supervision.

“Well…” Uncle Aang considers, then comes to his decision, smiling once again.  “Alright, I guess one can’t hurt.  Who’s going?”  

Kya moves to offer Kallik to him, her tiny hands reaching out and making grabby motions.  Satoshi’s world goes into slow-motion.  There’s a roaring in his ears, and as if from outside his body, he hears his own voice say,

“I am.”  Kya and Uncle Aang blink at him, stunned.  Their uncle is the first to recover, and asks,

“Are you sure, kiddo?  I mean, you weren’t the biggest fan when you were a baby…”

“I want to try again,” he makes himself say, despite his sweating palms.  Uncle Aang grins and ruffles his hair.

“That’s the spirit!  You get that from your dad.” 

As his uncle’s hands grab him under the armpits, Satoshi hears Kya mutter, “It’s the self-sacrificing idiot gene,” and then he is gone.  As he soars through the air, he wonders if maybe his body hasn’t even left the ground yet.  He can’t feel anything.  Maybe he just died of panic and this is just his soul taking off for the spirit world.

Then he reaches the height of his arc and starts plummeting back to Earth, and the sensation of all his internal organs rattling around asserts the fact that he is very much still alive and experiencing this.  He closes his eyes before he gets anywhere close to the ground, so it comes as a surprise when he comes to a sudden stop, cradled briefly by robes smelling of hay and bison fur, before being deposited back on his feet.

“How’s the weather up there?” Uncle Aang asks him, patting him on the back.  Satoshi doesn’t know what the weather was like.  He doesn’t know anything except that solid ground beneath his feet may have replaced his mother’s hugs as his favorite feeling in the world.  He meets Kya’s eyes, and sees from her horrified expression that he must look like as much of a husk of a child as he feels.

A quiet, affectless “Thank you,” is all that he can manage to say, and then he is wandering back into the palace, where he shoves his head into the nearest antique vase and screams.

+1

“Psst.”  A small sound behind him has Aang on alert.  The Fire Nation Royal Palace hasn’t been a place of danger for years now, but with Toph and Sokka around, the probability of sneak attacks has risen a hundred fold.  He doesn’t see anything though, and goes to turn back around, only to be caught by a surprisingly firm grip on his cape.  About two feet below where he’d expected to find his assailant, Aang comes face to face with his youngest niece, Kallik.  Her expression is the same determined furrow of the brow that Katara and Zuko have shared for so long it is impossible to tell which parent bestowed the trait on her.  It has the eerie effect of summoning the terrifying force that is their combined will.  Aang already knows that whatever she wants from him, he’s going to cave, and it will probably get him in trouble.  “I hear you’re in the business of yeeting kids.  I want in.”

Aang sighs.  Zuko has been trying to prevent this day since the moment Aang met Kallik, and Kallik has been trying to evade her father’s overprotective tendencies since the moment of her existence.  It is a battle Katara has elected not to fight, likely remembering her own impossible stubbornness and the futility of trying to stand against it.  So it is with all of that knowledge that he says, “Okay.”

“Flameo!” Kallik cheers, punching at the air.

“Well ‘flameo’ was actually more of a greeting -”

“Let’s save the fun facts.  I wanna fly.”  With a creeping sense of dread, Aang follows the child pulling him along by the cape until they reach a courtyard.  Kallik turns to face him, plants her feet, and rubs her palms together.  “Alright,” she says, spreading her arms wide.  “I’m ready.”

“Here we go...I guess,” Aang says, glancing over his shoulder as he reaches out to scoop her up by the armpits.  The coast is clear, so he swings her around in circles a couple of times to get ready.  As his niece starts to giggle, the garden blurs, and wind ruffles his robes, Aang feels the giddy anticipation of liftoff.

He hoists Kallik, up, up, up.

And then her momentum carries her out of his hands, and the wind that has built up around them propels her even higher.  Her already small body shrinks until she looks more like the shadow of a bird in the night sky, clearing the palace roofs.  A happy shriek pierces the air.  Aang smiles, feeling her wonder as if it is his own.  This is always the best part of someone’s first flight - witnessing them discover the wind anew - and while taking Air Acolytes to glide at the Northern Air Temple is fun, nothing compares to sharing this part of his culture with his nieces and nephews.

Kallik tumbles back into his arms, eyes wide with wonder, ecstatic grin plastered across her face.  “Again!” she cries, the moment breath rushes back to her.  

Aang laughs and holds her on his hip.  As he always does, he asks, “How’s the weather up there?”

“The moon is huge!  And I could see the whole city!  And the ocean!”  Kallik’s pudgy hands move in broad, sweeping gestures so similar to her mother’s bending as she speaks.  He still remembers Katara’s delighted gasp the first time she flew, Toph’s bruising grip, Zuko’s shocked laugh.  This moment, too, will be another piece of the Air Nomad legacy living on.

As Aang tosses Kallik yet again, Katara finds Zuko leaning against a pillar at the edge of the courtyard, watching.  She approaches her husband, curious to find that he isn’t having a coronary at the sight of their daughter in freefall, and takes hold of his arm.

“You gonna yell at him?” she asks, feigning nonchalance.  He doesn’t look away from them, but he is smiling, serene.

“Eh, she seems fine.”

[lightdancer1]

ok, I'm ready to read about Azula's adventures trying to control her new senshi powers (mainly super strength, this has a lot of comedy options...I keep imagining the typical comic situations like involuntary breaking of walls in front of completely human people and the explanations that follow, or breaking of common objects like cups and pens...On second thought, I think that the frustrating aspects of super strength when you don't have full control of it are little explored by most too. :p

One of the weirdest things for Azula since that first incident where the shield had appeared on her arm without her actually summoning one, and where she'd discovered she didn't need to Firebend to fly (she pouted at the thought, for it felt so....boring...that way, really) was that the world seemed far more fragile than it used to.

She had worked her way in the school through multiple sets of silverware without intending to, which was an annoyance. She found herself leaping higher than intended which was fine except when she scraped her head on the roof in the gym and when people looked at her in irritation for overshadowing others (even if she didn't come near to Haruka-papa's speed records).

Tools didn't work like they used to, either. If her skin hadn't become even tougher than it already was (the memory of the word Monster floated through her head for a moment and her eye twitched) then she might have found out just what that toughness was really worth.

It would have stayed her private annoyance until one day in her Haruka-papa's garage when she'd realized she'd dropped a pen, a really good pen, right underneath one of the cars and stooped to pick it up.

--------

Haruka walked into the garage to see her daughter holding a car one-handed and grinning as she grabbed a pen. Her jaw dropped and her eyes widened and she stepped right back to Michiru and Setsuna.

"Well, Sets," she said quietly, "you were right."

The crimson-eyed woman looked at her with a strange kind of knowing amusement.

"Right about what?"

"I think that really was a Senshi transformation."

Whatever Setsuna had expected her to say, that wasn't it. When she got up and moved in that fashion like something on a camera sped up Michiru followed her, lagging behind Setsuna and Haruka, who remained irritated and grumbled about 'cheating' whenever Setsuna's time-power permitted her to easily beat the Senshi of the wind somewhere.

Setsuna opened the door to the garage and found herself staring with the same expression that Haruka did, and Michiru, who saw Azula holding the car one-handed and seemingly unaware that she was doing it was the one who made an audible sound that had Azula realizing what she was doing and more to the point which car she was holding.

With a surprising amount of grace and an audible sigh of relief from Haruka she put it down and then looked at her hands in wonder.

"So I really am stronger," she mused.

"How did that happen?"

Her expression changed when she saw the one on her moms' faces, and then she saw the way Haruka's eyes were drawn to the watch she'd thought of as a gift from her Setsuna-mama.

Looking at it more closely she saw that the watch was an elaborate and ornate thing, the hands adorned with seemingly miniaturized gemstones shaped into something like the calligraphy of her native people. Almost as if she were in a trance she reached out and tapped the face of the wristwatch and then there was a blinding flash of light.

[sokkascroptop]

traitor. (sokka x f!reader) pt 10

part 1 | part 9 | part 11

A/N: it only took 10 parts but....we have Sokka and Y/N interacting!! If you’ve read the atla comics this is inspired by “The Bridge”. If not, it doesn’t matter! This is just what happens after Aang is injured by Azula and before Season 3 episode 1

Everything about being on the boat made Y/N uncomfortable. She had fought with Katara and Aang in the crystal cave proudly, but now that she was out in the open and more people knew what she had done, she felt like an imposter. She still held the weight of regret high on her shoulders, especially now that she realized that no one was ever going to fully trust her. Nobody was going to trust someone who was willing to change sides in a war. She would always be a traitor whichever side she landed on. 

“I told you Sokka, she helped Aang and I. She’s staying.” Y/N could tell Katara’s patience was waning. Two days aboard the Water Tribe ship and she had told her brother and the earthbender––Toph––what had happened in the catacombs four times, and yet Sokka was still persistent that Y/N needed to leave. The four of them were sitting below deck in the mess hall drinking tea from thick ceramic mugs. It was colder being on the water and Y/N was grateful for the warmth. 

“Look, we can even be nice and give her one of the canoes!” Sokka countered. He gave Y/N a pointed look. “You know, as opposed to throwing you out of sea.”

Y/N nodded. “Yup, I caught that. Thank you.” Y/N really didn’t like that they were talking about her like she wasn’t sitting next to them.

“Snoozles, I think you need to give it a rest,” Toph said. She sipped out of her tea cup and pressed her knee into Y/N’s. The girl had either taken a quick liking to Y/N or she really liked to piss Sokka off, and Y/N guessed it was the latter. 

Sokka ignored her. “We should leave it up to Dad whether we take her as a prisoner or not.”

“He has more important things to worry about, and so do I!” Katara yelled. She stood, nearly spilling her teacup. She pressed it into Sokka’s hands. “And she’s not a prisoner!” She left the room fuming, likely to go check on Aang who was unconscious in the healer’s room. 

Y/N looked around the room awkwardly. “Does this boat even have, like a place to hold prisoners?”

Sokka glared at her. 

“Yeah, so this is fun, but I’m going to go find anything else to do.” Toph moved to leave only to have Sokka pull her back down. 

“I want to hear it again. From her, not Katara.”

Y/N couldn’t help but groan. “Again?”

“Why do you need me here?” Toph sat down again. 

“Tell me if she’s lying.”

“She isn’t interested in lying to the people who are keeping her safe right now. I’m a fugitive,” Y/N said angrily. “I watched someone who I used to call my best friend nearly kill her uncle. I watched her become a person I didn’t recognize anymore because of this mission. Except,” Y/N turned her empty cup over in her hands. “I’m beginning to think she was always that person, and it wasn’t her that changed, it was me.”

“She’s not lying, Sokka.” 

He didn’t look convinced. “Look, all I know is that the Fire Nation is full of evil people. You can’t just expect us to forgive you–”

“I don’t,” Y/N interrupted. “I know you’re mad. I can see the looks the crew gives me. I don’t expect forgiveness from anyone. I don’t even think I forgive myself yet,” she painfully admitted. “I just need redemption.” 

What she had said didn’t look like it had convinced Sokka any and Toph’s expression was the same as it was before. 

“Come on, let’s go for a walk on the deck, Toph.” 

They left, and Y/N was alone. Y/N picked uncomfortably at the hem of the tunic Katara gave her to wear. The green pants were three inches too short when she bent her knees and the actual tunic was almost immodestly tight but it was the kindness that Katara showed her by giving them to Y/N, even if they were just some Earth Kingdom clothes she was given while she was in Ba Sing Se. 

Everything about being on the boat made Y/N uncomfortable. She had fought with Katara and Aang in the crystal cave proudly, but now that she was out in the open and more people knew what she had done, she felt like an imposter. She still held the weight of regret high on her shoulders, especially now that she realized that no one was ever going to fully trust her. Nobody was going to trust someone who was willing to change sides in a war. She would always be a traitor whichever side she landed on. 

Y/N wandered below deck after leaving the mess hall. There wasn’t much to see, the ship wasn’t as large as a Fire Nation ship, just one hallway and a smattering of doors that she probably wasn’t allowed in. Ahead of her though, was a door that was cracked open; the healer’s room. Y/N peeked through the crack at Katara kneeling over Aang. She must have just finished a healing session with him, and she was muttering to herself. 

“–have to get better.”

The boat rocked as it crested a wave and Y/N bumped into the door startling Katara. She lifted the water from the basin she was using and then immediately dropped it when she saw who it was. 

Y/N, caught now, closed the door softly behind her. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt.” She pretended not to see Katara blink tears out of her eyes.

“I was finished anyways.”

“How is he?” Y/N asked, unable to come up with anything else to say.

Katara looked back at him and Y/N followed her gaze. He looked like a little kid, not the all powerful Avatar she had seen a day ago.  

“The same as before. Hey,” she pointed at Y/N’s head. “Do you want me to heal that cut some more?” 

Y/N lightly traced the gash on her forehead that she’d received when her and Katara were thrown into the rocks by Zuko and Azula. It reached into her hairline and the only reason she let Katara use her healing powers at all was because it was still bleeding when they’d boarded the ship. She’d only had the energy after healing Aang to close it enough for it to stop bleeding.

“No, don’t worry about me.” Y/N smiled and left without another word, feeling like an intruder. She didn’t need any more hospitality from them. 

---

There weren’t any spare hammocks on the ship for them so the four of them slept on the floor in the crew cabin. They laid out fur pelts underneath their sleeping bags to make it softer; and much like the night before, Y/N was in the middle between Katara and Toph, Sokka at their feet. 

Y/N knew this arrangement was purposeful. They were still suspicious of her, and if she was surrounded by them she would have a harder time getting up and leaving. She wasn’t a prisoner, but she wasn’t free to roam either. 

For the first time in a long time, she dreamt of home; of playing on the beaches and swimming in the warm ocean. She was happy and Y/N realized she hadn’t felt like that in a long time. She didn’t even mind when she was woken up by Toph kicking her in the shin the next morning. 

“Come on, we need to go above deck.”

“Why?” 

“They spotted a Fire Nation ship.”

Y/N had never pulled her boots on faster. She braided her hair on the way as they ran up the steps. It seemed like the whole crew was milling around the deck, muttering in small groups, all eyes turned to the east where a trail of black smoke announced the arrival of enemies. 

Hakoda nodded at her as Y/N and Toph approached. He’d been just as cautious with Y/N as the rest of the crew, but nicer to her than his son. “Do you know what kind of ship that is?” 

Y/N tied off her braid and threw it over her shoulder she squinted and leaned on the rail. “Looks kind of small, maybe a scouting ship?”

Hakoda hummed. “That means we’re going to be outnumbered fast.”

“We won’t be able to fight them, ‘Koda,” Bato warned. “And we can’t run, our sails are torn to shreds from our last fight with them.” 

The two shared a look. Surely, they weren’t thinking of surrendering, were they?

 Katara evidently thought the same. “We have to think about Aang, Dad. We can’t let the Fire Nation have him! We have to protect him.”

“We will! All we have to do is think of a plan.” Sokka seemed unusually happy for their situation.

Beside him, Toph punched his arm. “Alright, idea guy! Lay it on us.” 

“If we can’t beat them, join them!” Sokka beamed.

 Y/N let out a humorless laugh. “You can’t possibly be suggesting that we switch sides.”

“What, are you excited about seeing some of your Fire Nation buddies?” he asked, his voice was light, almost joking, but she could hear the accusation. 

“Sokka!” Katara clenched her jaw. 

He held up his hands. “Okay, okay, sorry!” He did not sound sorry. “What I meant is that we just switch boats.”

Katara, Bato and Hakoda stared at Sokka like he was insane. Toph gave him another punch on the arm. “That’s your plan?!”

 Y/N on the other hand, nodded her head. “Huh.”

Hakoda looked at her like he was looking at Sokka moments ago. “You think that this could work?”

“Yeah, I do actually,” Everyone seemed surprised that she agreed with Sokka. Especially Sokka. “I mean, scouting ships have soldiers on them but they aren’t the best fighters and they don’t station firebenders on them. Their job low risk; just to scout out enemies and relay messages back to bigger ships. If we could find a way to sneak up on them it is very possible that you have enough warriors to take them out and steal the ship.” 

Nobody had anything to say to that. Hakoda grabbed Sokka’s shoulder. “Alright, what’s the plan, son?”

---

Sink the fleet.

Y/N still couldn’t believe that this was Sokka’s “brilliant” idea. And she really couldn’t believe that Hakoda had let them go through with it.

Y/N looked back from her place at the front of the canoe to the smashed wooden ships behind them. The point was to make it look like the Water Tribe had already been beaten, so Katara and Toph had used their bending to flood and crush the ships. It was sad for her to watch it all happen, she couldn’t imagine what it was like for the warriors who had called the ships ‘home’ for years.

A sharp kick to the bench under her jerked her out of her thoughts. “Keep paddling! You’re making us turn the wrong way.” 

Y/N put her oar back into the water and wondered how good it would feel if she just slipped a little and let her elbow fly back into Sokka’s nose. Just how cute would the Water Tribe boy be with two black eyes and a broken nose? 

Y/N swallowed down her anger. “Oh shut up, I haven’t done this since I was nine.”

---

The Water Tribe had found a treeline to camp in for the night. At dusk the next day, they would attack the Fire Nation ship. 

Y/N lay in the grass a few feet away from the Chief, Katara and Sokka and Toph, staring at the stars. She traced the constellations she knew with her eyes, she was just looking for ‘the dragon’ when the stars were blotted out with a figure standing over her. 

“Come sit with us by the fire. It’s cold out.” Sokka crossed his arms. 

Y/N shook her head and sat up. “Thanks, but I’m good.”

He dug the toe of his boot into the grass. “They won’t let me come back until I bring you.”

“Oh, that’s too bad.” Y/N smiled and flopped back onto her back. “Guess you won’t be eating dinner!”

Sokka raised an eyebrow. “Is this punishment for being mean to you?”

Y/N rolled her eyes. She could tell him that, yeah it probably was, but it wouldn’t be fair of her. Y/N was pretty sure he had a right to be mad with her for joining out of the blue. 

“If you can be nice over dinner, I’ll go over there with you.” Y/N nodded towards the fire. Katara turned away quickly when she locked eyes with Y/N. 

“Deal! I’m starving.” Sokka held a hand out to help her up. Whether it was because he was trying to be nice or force of habit, she accepted it and let him pull her to her feet. 

They let go of each other quickly and didn’t look at each other on the walk over. 

Turns out it was easy for Sokka to keep his promise because he ignored her the whole time and spent the entire meal chattering about the plan for tomorrow with his dad. It was fine with her, Y/N was more interested in Katara’s silence than anything. Anytime either of the men tried to talk to her she shut them down or snapped at her father. 

She nudged Katara’s elbow. “Are you okay?”

She looked up from where she was scowling into her bowl of food. “Huh? Oh, yeah, I’m fine.” 

Y/N nodded. Katara was lying but Y/N didn’t want to press. She could have been stressed about Aang who was still unconscious in the tent behind them. And if there was anything going on between her and her dad, it wasn’t Y/N’s place to meddle in, especially when her relationship with the Water Tribe was as precarious as it was. But something gnawed at the thought of leaving it completely alone. “Let me know. If you want to talk, or something.” Y/N shrugged noncommittally.

Katara didn’t say anything the rest of the night to her, not until they had snuggled into their sleeping bags around the dying fire and Sokka had already started snoring. Somehow, Katara knew Y/N was still awake. 

“Thanks, Y/N.” She whispered the words so quietly that they could have been Y/N’s imagination. She figured out it was real when she opened her eyes to find Katara closing hers. Y/N smiled and tucked her head closer to her chest and fell asleep to the buzzing of cicada-bats in the trees. 

---

The next day, Hakoda did something that surprised her. “Here.” He thrust Y/N’s sheathed sword under her nose. She was seated on a rock next to their smoldering fire, just hours before the Tribe planned on leaving to raid the Fire Nation ship. All around her, warriors were sharpening their swords and spears.  

“Um, thank you?” Y/N hesitantly reached out for it, wondering if this was a trick. She had turned it over to him the moment she slid off of the Appa’s back. And to be completely honest, she wasn’t expecting to get it back at all. 

“I want you to come with us.” 

Y/N widened her eyes. No one had explicitly told her, she wasn't going, she just expected to be left behind. “Why?”

“I heard you can fight.” 

Y/N wondered which sibling gave him that information because that could be a good or a bad thing. She lifted one shoulder in a small shrug. “A little.”

He chuckled. “I also heard of a few of my warriors making a bet on when you would turn on us.” He started to walk away. “Don’t make me lose silver to Bato because I think you’ll stick around.”

---

The only sound around was the soft lapping of water against the metal sides of the ship. Y/N’s heart began race and her muscles tensed in anticipation. She drummed her fingers on the side of the canoe, not able to keep still.

Behind her, Katara was less enthused about being brought along. “I should be with Aang, not here.” She muttered to Toph. 

“Aang is going to be fine. And once we take this ship he’s going to have somewhere safe to recover.” Katara went silent. 

As quiet as possible, the Water Tribe warriors scaled the side of the ship with grappling hooks and rope. Y/N could hear shouts of surprise come from the soldiers on the deck as they jumped over the railing. 

When it was Y/N’s turn, she landed on the metal deck next to Toph and Katara. Some warriors had split off to taken down any soldiers on the bridge as well as look for soldiers sleeping below deck. Katara bent water over the railing to knock down three soldiers that rushed them. Two more came from the right; one of them wielding a spear, the other a dao. Y/N deflected the tip of the spear and sliced down, snapping the wood in half. She kicked him in the chest, and he skidded backwards on the deck. She parried a strike from the other soldier, and sent her elbow flying into his face, bringing him to his knees. 

Y/N watched in awe as Toph ripped a piece of the railing off the boat and bent it around the two of them on the ground, restraining them back to back. Y/N looked around the deck and noticed Sokka kneeling, tying another soldier’s hands behind his back. What he didn’t see what the Fire Nation soldier who was sneaking up behind him.

Y/N’s breath caught in her throat and she ran. 

She got there just in time to intercept his sword with her own. But catching him so late in the blow cost Y/N her upward momentum and the tip of her sword scraped the deck. She grabbed his wrist and pushed it away. She brought her left knee up into his side, using their closeness as an advantage. He groaned and bent forward. She swung the flat of her blade against his wrist, forcing him to drop his sword on the deck. For good measure, she grabbed the back of his head and sent her knee into his face. The soldier sprawled back on the deck; dazed, with a bloody nose. 

Snickering behind her drew Y/N’s attention. She watched as Hakoda elbowed Bato in the chest, and Bato, irritated, pushed him away. 

“I told you so!” Hakoda called after him. 

---

Y/N was surprised when Katara said that she could have her own room. 

“Everyone else, has their own. We figured you would want one too.” she shrugged like it wasn’t a big deal and left. Except it was a huge deal. Y/N grinned. They weren’t worried anymore that she was going to wake up in the middle of the night and go on a murder spree. They were giving her an inch of trust and that meant everything to Y/N. She knew that she had a long way to go, but this was something. 

She pulled her hair out of it’s tangled braid and dropped her sword–which Hakoda had allowed her to keep–next to her bed roll before collapsing onto it. She sat back up immediately as someone knocked on her door. 

“Yeah?” she called, crossing her legs. She began to comb the knots out of her hair with her fingers. 

She dropped her hands in surprise when Sokka opened the door. He closed the door behind him and leaned on the wall just inside. 

Suddenly the room felt stiflingly hot. He had traded his blue Water Tribe clothes for a soldier’s uniform and replaced his wolfs-tail with a Fire Nation top knot. 

“What’s up?”

Sokka shifted uncomfortably on his feet. “I want you to teach me how to sword-fight.”

“Oh?” Y/N was surprised to hear that come out of his mouth. “Why?”

“I would have died if you hadn’t been there,” Sokka admitted. “I feel like I rely on the others too much in a fight. I’ve never had a Master to teach me anything.” 

“Well, I’m not a Master,” Y/N said apologetically. She could understand where he was coming from. She was born into a family of firebenders as the only nonbender and it made her special in all the wrong ways. She had to be good at something to survive.

“Maybe not in title, but you’re good. Really good. I–actually never mind.” Sokka turned the handle to the door.

“No, wait! I’ll do it!” She shot up and grabbed his arm. It didn’t matter how much he had hated her twenty-four hours ago. This was something they had in common and if she ever wanted to be in their good graces, she needed to do this. 

“Yeah?” He looked hopeful, and little surprised like he figured she would have said no. 

“How about we start tomorrow?” Y/N asked. She realized her hand was still wrapped around his wrist. She pulled back and crossed her arms. 

Sokka nodded. “Tomorrow.”

---

A/N: now I’m just trying to decide how much of a slow-burn this is going to be.... ALSO two things! One: you’ll notice that I keep mentioning her being a non-bender. You’re all like, “yeah, yeah we know.” but it’s important!! If you haven’t read the Imbalance comics, I highly recommend you do. I have taken some of the issues from that and decided to use them in here because they moved me so much. Being a non-bender is part of Y/N just as much as being a waterbender is to Katara. It defines her, even if she doesn’t like it. Two: No Master Piandao here because, why would we when we can get Sokka and Y/N bonding over sparring and sword-fighting lessons? :)

Taglist: @myexgirlfriendisthemoon @reclusive-chicken-nugget @astroninaaa @aangsupremacy​ @beifongsss @crownofcryptids @welovediaaxx​ @littlefluu​ @lozzybowe​ @thebluelcdy​ @ohjustlookalive @sugarmoongey​ @fanficdepot​ @teenbiology​ @13-09-01​ @riespage​ @davnwillcome​ @naanlianid​ @creation-magician​ @lunariasilver​ @vintagerose1014516 @bcifcng​

[impossiblycolorfulpanda]

Azulaang - Azula’s chakra ideas

I've read several Azulaang AUs where Aang decides to temporarily be a Guru and gets Azula to open and master her chakras. Each stories had there own interpretation of what turmoils could be blocking her chakras. I've listed my own theores about those turmoils and would like to know your thoughts.

Earth. Deals with survival. Blocked by fear: Her worse and greatest fears are rejection and abandoned. The way she almost begs Ozai not to treat her like Zuko already makes it obvious. There's also the idea she had fear of her mother thinking she's a monster and fear of her ideologies being nothing but cruel lies.

Water. Deals with pleasure. Blocked by guilt: The context of the hallucinations combined with how badly she takes betrayal such as Mai and Ty Lee's and when she thought Zuko was angry with her at the beach could heavily imply that despite her tough exterior, Azula may be harboring some guilt and remorse about how she acted in the past; but she tries bottling up her guilt, supress it and keeps telling herself that her atrocities are justified because Ozai approves them and her. But that guilt is finding other ways to be expressed.

Fire. Deals with willpower. Blocked by shame: Her fiasco in agni Kai during Sozin's Comet and her failure to uphold her status as fire lord and the perfect daughter as Ozai expected would certainly make her feel ashamed and humiliated. Since then, she spends her time in the comics trying to "redeem herself," fulfill Ozai's wish by various methods and "reclaim her honor." Sound familiar? It's also possible that the thought of her mother hating her also makes her feel ashamed. Fortunately, pride isn't the opposite of shape but its source. Only humility can be the cure for shame.

Air. Deals with love. Blocked by grief. This, at first, was difficult to decipher. She didn't act all grief-stricken over Lu Ten's but she did act angry and disappointed at Iroh for falling back instead of pushing forward. As if she expected her uncle to avenge his son. Her seeing him serve tea to the people who murdered her cousin didn't make his case any easier. Any non-death related grief she may have is her loss of her closet friends, the disappearance of her mother and the fall of the nation she thought was glorious. But that loss can be reborn in the form of new love. Despite Azula's jealousy of Ursa's love for Zuko. She is willing to stick her neck out for him, give him a chance to return back home, she advises him to be more careful when he secretly speaking to Iroh despite it being treacherous, she brings Zuko to join her at the beach because the beach house is "too depressing." Thankfully; Zuko does state in the search that no matter how bad their family is, he'll never turn his back on her.

Sound. Deals with truth. Blocked by lies: Azula claims that Ursa thought she was a monster, this thought process was basically what helped shape her character and her mental meltdown but literally everyone, even her own delusions tell her otherwise. Which made we wonder; where does this whole monster thing come from? Is it another expression of her guilt and shame? I then made the theory that it was Ozai who told Azula that Ursa thought she was a monster and has been internally believing it since. It makes sense if you think about it. Ozai being a warmonger, he'll want every weapon he can get. If this particular idea is enough to nearly give her a seizure then just imagine her reaction about it actually a lie and it was told by the person she trusts and wishes to gain validation from.

Light. Deals with insight. Blocked by illusion: Growing up, Azula was told that the fire nation was the most advanced civilization in history, and the war was a justifiable way of "sharing that greatness. She truly believed that the fire nation was superior enough that the world only needed her nation and it deserved to rule the world. She also believes "fear is the only reliable way" to control people, and it's worked for her for some time until Mai reveals she's always loved Zuko more than she feared her. She may not have ever feared Azula in the first place. What happens when people fear you too long? That fear turns into hatred. Azula never considered that her innate desires to be loved by friends and family with her attitude of being feared and respected could never go hand-in-hand. She also chases the illusion of perfection. Based on her "almost isn't good enough." mentality, Azula is expected to be perfect in every way, even the most light-hearted mistakes are like a death sentence. It was only a matter of time before her imperfections would catch up with her.

Thought. Deals with pure cosmic energies. Blocked by earthly attachments: It's Ozai. For her entire life, everything Azula's ever done, has been in her father's name. She regularly dumps all her trust, her sanity, her identity and her free will onto him and is mentally reliant on him. Azula, ultimately, desires love and acceptence, regardless of where it comes from, so Ozai's show of appreciation over her talents and personality was enough to win Azula over and she proceeded to maintain his validation at any cost. Even in smoke and shadow when she no longer seeks the throne for herself or break Ozai out of prison. She tries to get Zuko to be the fire lord Ozai would be. She even leads a secret society named after her father. I made up a future event about Zuko convincing Azula to give up this crusade but decides to go after Aang and have the avatar be the "Ozai figure." Azula and Aang eventually enter a psychological war, with Aang on the winning side. After that heat settles and Ozai officially betrays Azula. Aang and Azula get started on their chakra sessions.

Does this sum it up alright?

[hello-yue-here]

1) what's your favourite element and why

2) momo or appa

3) what got you into avatar (additionally: what made you keep watching it)

4) fav part of canon / canon info you will always ignore every single day

5) which adult do you think would vibe best with the gaang, not in a parental way, but like in a friends way

sincerely, bread bestie (p.s. you don't have to answer all of these lol i just wanted to give you options)

1) i think water because it can do so much. it can heal. it can turn to ice. it can be a weapon. it can be a cool party trick. it can do so much?? its so versitile just like water and i think that they way they modeled the bending is more than just ‘oh katara has water powers’ like the creators put a lot of thought into ALL kinds of bending but i think water is the most prominent examples of that because it rlly shows how flexible the element is through the many uses of bending. so yeah. water.

2) appa. i have two appa plushies in my room that two diffeeenr friends got me for mt bday without consulting one another and it was amzing. i love appe. momo is still wonderful but. appa my beloved

3) when the atla renaissance began, i saw it EVERYWHERE on my tiktok fyp even tho i had never shown any interest in any tiktoks ab it before. eventually i was like yk what this actually seems kinda good may as well give it a shot. and it was AMAZING. so i started looking on my insta explore page for fanarts and looking up funfacts and eventually that turned into coming on tumblr and ive been here ever since! ive also rewatched the show over twenty times since it returned to netflix. whoops.

4) canon things i love:

grumpy grouchy sarcastic sokka

yuekka

maiko

kataang

toph listening to the earth before making her moves

the way sokka earned mark of the wise

p much everything suki does

the final agni kai. ik theres a lot of arguing between zutara shippers and basically everyone else ab zuko taking the lighting bolt for katara and zuko taking the kightning bolt for anyone. look he DID take that bolt for katara specifically and he WOULD take a bolt for anyone in the gaang. these facts can and should coexist. removing all shipping arguments ab this scene tho: i love it so much because its one of the most defining moments that shows just how far zuko has come as a chatacter. like that is the epitome of the depiction if his growth for me.

aang and his marble trick

aang being more than just a goofy kid. hes so wise. hes so strong. hes been through so fuckin much and hes STILL THAT POSITIVE. hes so strong and i love him.

canon things i ignore

ik this is the comics but basically the entire way they handled azulas arc in the comics. i havent even read them but ive seen so many posts ab azula in the comics that it has made me not want to read them. i am a firm believer in azula redemption arc. i think if given the right circumstances and the right chances and help to improve that she could become a good person. she is capable of changing and i think that the fact that she stayed a villain in the comics is just ugh not the good good

yues death. nope shes alive.

jets death. nope hes alive.

aang being a bad father in lok. wtf. thats so out of character for him. its so ooc its ridiculous.

cop toph. so ooc. she is a RULE BREAKER. why would she willingly ENFORCE THEM. like no. toph rejoined the earthbending tournament circuit and helped invent probending. thats the new canon

5) okay

in the show adult?: bato. like still has some sort of parental vibes but also: hes bato. hes chill. i firmly believe that bato is a sarcastic bastard who is a ‘bad influence on the children’ please. zuko taught them all those curse words, bato didnt. (although he didnt stop it)

okay but a real life adult? my history teacher or geometry teacher. they were my BESTIES in school. and i related to zuko sokka toph and suki a lil too much so obviosuly these irl ppl would be their friends lmao

[gladerwolfstarkimagines]

Imagine Sokka and Azula getting stuck babysitting together and it being chaos.  

Azula entered the room she was instructed to by Zuko’s note and looked around. The room was empty and silent and she frowned, Zuko’s note had been so brief and panicked it just asked her to come and help Katara with something and he’d owe her a huge favour in return but the water bender wasn’t here. Azula got ready to leave when she heard voices. “Sokka I have to go but you won’t be alone okay, Zuko’s coming to help”. “Zuko? well atleast i’m not alone”. “Exactly” the voice said before opening the door. Katara was stood there a bag on her back and noticed Azula. “Azula?”. “Obviously” Azula said dryly “Zuko asked me to come and help you with something”. “He can’t make it?” Katara asked and Azula nodded “obviously”. Katara’s eye twitched and Azula sighed “he had a last minute fire lord meeting so left this note for me” “Well i’m grateful he sent someone” Katara smiled “look I really have to go but Sokka’s in there and Mai will only be a few hours at most, okay?”. Katara rushed off and Azula frowned going into the room. Sokka was stood leaning over something and Azula coughed so he’d know she was there. “Hey Zuk.....AZULA?” Sokka gaped. Azula rolled her eyes at this family’s need for announcing the obvious “duh, now why are we here? Your sister didn’t tell me”. “Ah that explains it” Sokka nodded to himself “I didn’t think Mai would want you babysitting her brother”. “DOING WHAT?” Azula cried. Sokka pointed to the basket and Azula stepped forward to see a sleeping Tom-tom. “No way am I doing this! I don’t care if Zuko will owe me a favour I am not doing this!”. “You have to I can’t do this by myself! I only agreed because Katara said I’d have help, you can’t leave me alone!” Sokka whined. “Watch me” Azula shrugged when Sokka blocked the door “I didn’t want to do this but...you’re gonna need that favour with Zuko soon”. “What? why?” Azula asked and Sokka shrugged “I’d love to tell you but why would I when you’re going to leave me here?”. “Because I can do this” Azula said lighting her hand on fire and Sokka rolled his eyes “ow yeah so you’ve resisted the urge to torch all those boring council members and idiot nobels at parties Ty Lee drags you to just to attack me and get sent back to prison? I don’t think so”. Azula rolled her eyes “so if I stay and help you will tell me what Zuko is planning for me that I need to stop?”. Sokka nodded “i promise”. “Fine” Azula sighed and Sokka grinned at how well his plan to force Azula to help had worked before he paused “wow I never thought I’d be happy you’re spending time with me, weird huh?”. “Very” Azula agreed as Tom-tom started to cry.

Sokka and Azula looked over at the basket with fear and approached it slowly. They looked in to see Tom-tom red faced and very angry as he screamed his lungs out. “I think you woke it” Sokka commented and Azula glared “me? you were the one talking so much!”. “Well it doesn’t really matter who did it the fact is it’s awake and very loud”. Azula and Sokka frowned at Tom-tom and then glanced at one another. “Very loud” Azula complained “is it meant to be that red?”. "I don’t know” Sokka shrugged staring at the baby. “Well...pick it up" Sokka nudged Azula and she glared "me why me?!". "Because well, don’t girls like babies or something". Azula’s glare intensified and Sokka realised his mistake "okay not all girls! Not all girls!" he cried as Azula squared up to him. Azula smirked as Sokka raised his hands above his head and nodded to him "and don’t you forget it, now you pick it up". Sokka cautiously approached Tom-tom and picked him up gingerly. "No not like that" Azula commented "you'll drop it". Sokka turned Tom-tom around and Azula frowned "no not like that either!". Tom-tom squirmed and cried again and Sokka panicked and thrust him into Azula. "Take it i’m losing my grip". Azula instinctively grabbed the baby and Sokka laughed pulling his hands away "ha ha your problem now". "You filthy...." Azula started when Sokka shushed her "don’t yell! It’s stopped crying". Azula halted and looked down at the thing against her and saw what Sokka said was true. Tom-tom was giggling touching the gold buttons on her shirt. "Ow..well what do i do?". "Do?" Sokka asked. "Yes how do i make it stay like this?". "Erm im not sure do whatever you’re doing now?". "But I don’t know what i’m doing now" Azula cried panicking and Tom-tom started to cry again as Azula gripped him too hard. "Well you did something right before...don’t you know this kid?". "I know Mai but I don’t hang out with her baby brother for fun too! I don’t know what he likes, aren’t you an older sibling, shouldn't you know what babies like?". Sokka frowned "no, I kept well away from Katara until she could walk so I don’t know what to do!". "Well i don’t know what to do either" Azula said raising her voice to be heard over Tom-tom’s crying. Sokka took that as a challenge and raised his voice even higher "well what are we going to do then?". “I don’t know” Azula screetched and they both glared at one another.

3 hours later

Mai pushed open the door and sighed she couldn’t wait to just get back home and relax. "Thanks for looking after Tom-tom guys" she started and stopped abruptly to see Sokka and Azula. "What are you doing?" She yelled. Sokka and Azula froze but shrugged "what?". Tom-tom was strapped to Sokka with what looked like tape and Azula was waving fire infront of the baby. The room was a mess, toys, nappys, baby food and basically all belongings thrown everywhere. Mai was speechless "what? Why is my brother strapped to you and why are you trying to burn him?". "Don't be so dramatic Mai if I wanted to burn him I could do it easily" Azula said rolling her eyes "he likes it". True to her word Tom-tom was giggling trying to reach for the flames which Azula kept out of his way. "We were doing it to make him fall asleep but i think it just excites him". Mai stared "you used fire to make him sleep?". Azula shrugged "it seemed like a good plan". Sokka nodded "yeah babies like fire right?". Mai glared and strode to them, she pulled Azula back and unstrapped Tom-tom from Sokka "and why was he strapped to you?". "He kept moving" Sokka said straight faced and Azula nodded just as seriously. "So you strapped him down?" Mai asked angrily. Sokka shrugged “what were we supposed to do? He was too quick when we put him on the floor so Azula found some tape and started sticking and he seemed to like that too! Atleast this way we couldn’t lose him”. Mai rolled her eyes “idiots! Just put him in his cot or something”. “Tried that and he cried, why do children do that it’s just awful” Azula sighed and Sokka nodded sympathetically. “I think we did pretty good aswell” Azula said defensively “neither me or water boy wanted to baby sit but he’s alive and well isn’t he”. “Barely” Mai said dryly and Sokka raised an eyebrow “hey I think Tom-tom really liked us! Right Azula?”. Azula shrugged “he did seem to warm to us, I think it was when we stopped screaming and passing him to one another”. Sokka nodded “or when we stopped calling him an it”. Azula nodded thoughtfully and Mai groaned “both of you get out now you’re banned from babysitting ever! I’ll kill Katara and Zuko for this”. “Gosh fine! We know when were not wanted” Sokka pouted and Azula nodded “no respect for anyone these days” she muttered and Mai glared slamming the door on them both. “Well that was rude and after we did it as a favour” Sokka commented and Azula nodded “I know, some people are just difficult”. Sokka nodded and it only just dawned on him who he was talking to. “You know Azula you’re not so bad” Sokka thought outloud “sure you tried to kill me a few times and you sacraficed Tom-tom that time remember? Anyway the point is the three of us got along well so there’s hope for anyone!”. Azula nodded “yes I suppose you’re not too bad for a p..” she’s been about to say peasant but saw Sokka’s face and changed it quickly “person” she finished “you’re not as annoying as the others...suprisingly” she added and Sokka smirked. “Anyway I must be going” Azula said standing up straight “so goodbye”. “Bye Azula” Sokka waved smiling and Azula tensed. It was weird having someone smile at her and say her name so happily. Weird but not bad, it actually felt nice to have...well a friend. The thought of making a friend embarssed Azula so she hurried away but she smiled slightly to Sokka as she passed. After years of thinking she was unlovable and incapable of forming natural friendships Azula couldn’t believe how easy it had been to befriend Sokka. She’d made a friend all on her alone and barely trying too! Azula grinned to herself hurrying to her room. Ty lee was going to be so impressed when she told her!  

---

So this could be interpreted as Tyzula or Sokkla because I ship both and do think Sokka and Azula would be a very good couple. I mean they’re both intelligent sarcastic tacticians with resentment towards their siblings and both had extreme pressures on them from a young age from their families (for Azula it was to be a prodogy firebender and Sokka to protect his whole tribe and become a warrior). Plus even in the series Azula recognised Sokka as a threat and in the comics they share a couple of really cute canon moments. The combination of their brain power and personalities would be the literal defenition of a power couple (just imagine them as a team for pictionary or something). Also just imagine everyone’s reaction to them announcing they’re dating, everyone expected it was Katara and Zuko who had something going on when Sokka and Azula have been together secretly for months (Zuko and Katara’s reaction alone I would pay to see!).

But even if it’s not as a couple I still think Azula and Sokka would be amazing friends too! They’re pretty similar in that they’re both stuborn which would make for very interesting interactions! Azula needs someone like Sokka that isn’t afraid to call her out on her bad behaviour but can also relate to her traumas and be there for her!  So anyway I just want more interaction between my two favourite characters thats all!! :) 

[hello-nichya-here]

Where is the textual or subtextual support for Tyzula? I know people point to Ty Lee constantly praising Azula and their interactions at The Beach (alongside Grey’s and Hack’s headcanons) but couldn’t those actions just be interpreted as them being friends or Ty Lee making sure she stays on her ill mannered sovereigns’ good side (this is what the comics explicitly say)? But if you think Tyzula happened during the show and/or pre-canon, how do you think it worked? Do you think Azula was a good girlfriend or just completely abusive? Or something in the middle? And post-canon do you think it could be rekindled after Azula changed herself or Azula and/or Ty Lee would choose not to in light of their fraught history. Or if you think it never happened in canon, but they have UST, do you think, in the post-canon era, they had a relationship once Azula changed, became fuck buddies, and/or just fucked once to get it out of their system? Or again they choose to not interact with each due to their fraught history? And if word of Tyzula ever came out to their friends and family (including Ikem and Kiyi), how do you think they would react? Also, do the comics change any of your answers? How do you think their relationship was affect by the homophobia present in the remaining three nations (including the explicit persecution and stigmatization in a post-Sozin Fire Nation)? Do you think FL Zuko changed the laws ASAP or only changed them after seeing and hearing about Tyzula? Or he never changed them due to his homophobia and/or disliking Tyzula? And please feel free to touch on things that aren’t covered by my questions. Thank You!

------

While you are right when you say that the constant praise Ty Lee gives Azula is a form of self-preservation, you need to keep in mind that fear of going against the crowned princess wasn’t the only reason why Ty Lee was friends with her. She did genuinely like Azula, and that was one of the many things the comics retconed. I went on more detail on the friendship between Azula, Ty Lee and Mai on this post: https://hello-nichya-here.tumblr.com/post/651284858615824384/what-do-you-think-was-the-basis-of-mai-ty-lees

The main reason why so many people see Tyzula as a very real possibility is because of the chemestry between the actresses and because of the accidentally flirty vibe many of their scenes together give off. For the longest time I couldn’t even stand this ship, but even I was like “Oh yeah, there’s no heterosexual explanation for the way these two talk to each other”.

I don’t think it ever happened pre/in canon. If it had, I think would be a weird mix of both a healthy, loving relationship, and a completely toxic dynamic (just like their friendship was).

If it were to happen post-series, Azula would need to redeem herself first. She’d need to prove she was at least trying to get better for Ty Lee to decide to willingly interact with her (but she wouldn’t wish her any harm even Azula never felt sorry for what she did, I cannot see happening at all). Once they were as close to each other as they used to be and Azula felt emotionally ready to have a romantic relationship, I can see it happening and I think it’d be a healthy romance.

Assuming the Fire Nation really was homophobic and had laws that discriminated against gay people, I can totally see Zuko changing said laws during his first week as Fire Lord, as I think he’d be both a very tolerant ruler AND be too busy dealing with actual problems to even think about disaproving of any consensual relationship. Ursa and Iroh could act a little awkward at first, but they’d get over it quickly. Ozai would be pissed, but only because he knows other people would disaprove and think of Azula’s sexuality as another reason to shame him. He doesn’t care about “morals” or whatever Azula does of personal life.

Kiyi and the Gaang would be okay with it. Inanimate objects don’t have opinions, so Ikem would have no opinions. Kyoshi was bisexual, so it’s safe the say the Kyoshi Warriors would be supportive. Mai had known this day would come a loooong time ago and is just suspicious of it because she’s suspicious of Azula’s intentions (she’d get over it).