#female aang

[commehter]

Hi! I just started (and finished) reading “In Blue and White” and first of all let me just say that I’m loving it (immediately subscribed!)! I just wanted to ask if the Aang x Zuko will always be one-sided or not? It’s concept isn’t something I’ve seen before and I’m already invested!

Thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying In Blue and White!

The plan is for the attraction to stay one-sided. Aang is twelve-going-on-thirteen and Zuko sees her as 'a child' rather than 'three-to-four years younger.'

If the story continues far enough into the future for Zuko to have an 'oh, she grew up' sort of realization, then there might be some potential.

I'm currently debating the possibility of an open-ended epilogue. It would allow for each reader to have their own headcanon for how things continue past what's written. That's probably the most fun for everyone.

Author becomes a real Debbie Downer below the cut.

Unfortunately, the more I think about it, the more any potential romance between the two seems doomed to be the tragic kind. The politics of the Fire Lord and the Avatar getting married would be messy if not impossible, and I don't see Zuko as the kind that would be satisfied with an Air-Nomad-style arrangement. (I'm not terribly convinced Aang would be totally happy with that, either.) And that's before getting into any of the division that would be created in their household as a result of having different expectations of their children based upon bending abilities. (The Fire Nation needs royal heirs for stability vs. rebuilding some kind of airbender culture/nation.)

Long story short, Zuko and Aang both have important duties that do not always align. (Theoretically, Zuko could leave the throne to someone else, but I don't see it happening given his personality.) The inevitable conflicts in their responsibilities would make any romantic relationship between them difficult, stressful, and ultimately ill-advised.

It's a real pity because the more I write of In Blue and White, the more I ship them, too.

[longing-for-rain]

Actually I thought of one (1) context I could ship kataang in. Female Aang. Lesbian kataang. I would also give Aang more of an arc but her being female would automatically get rid of some of the biggest issues

[caramel-ribbons]

I just watched Avatar for the first time all the way through, and yeah, it’s great, but the one thing that surprised me was how different Katara was compared to the fandom interpretation I’d seen and internalized before watching.

Like, before you watch Avatar, you’ve seen all these memes about Katara and her mom, and based on those memes, you assume it’s one of those lines you have to get used to hearing at least once every episode. But then you watch the show and realize that she only talks about her mom maybe five or six times per season and you also realize she only brings her up when she’s trying to comfort someone or empathize with them because that’s how she processes her grief and that’s one way she connects with people.

Or you hear the infamous line, “then you didn’t love [our mother] the way I did” and you prepare yourself for one of the worst character assassinations ever only to see the scene after nearly three seasons worth of context and realize she was kinda right. She’s been the mother, the nurturer, the comforter. She’s been patient, gentle, and accommodating where everyone else has gotten to be insensible and reckless and childish, and the one moment where she allows herself to feel her grief, suddenly she’s this evil bitch and not, y’know, a 14 year old girl whose been thrusted into adulthood in a way no other character has. A 14 year old girl who should be allowed immaturity and raw emotion and anger instead of the patience and grace she’s been forced to extend to every character without even the smallest amount of gratitude or even consideration in return.

Or you see all of the clips where Katara puts Aang in the “friendzone” and you expect to have this wishy washy back and forth where Aang is putting his feelings out there only to have Katara neither commit nor express any clear reciprocation or rejection. Then you watch and realize that, as cute as the ship is initially, that there’s never a point where Aang returns any comfort or grace to Katara despite her always doing this for him to the point of coddling. That for as much as Aang says he loves her, he never seems to outgrow his perception of her so he can recognize her as someone who feels grief, anger, and pain as much as she expresses love, kindness, and maturity. And instead of having moments where he learns to see her beyond her strength or compassion, you’re instead given moments where Aang forces his feelings onto her, both romantic and non-romantic, and Katara is expected to just…shoulder those feelings the way she shoulders everyone else’s.

Katara is the most misunderstood character in the show. As much as people recognize the complexities of Zuko, Sokka, and Azula, they struggle to do the same for Katara because they see her struggles as somehow lesser, and therefore, less deserving of sympathy. They can handle her so long as she’s being endlessly patient and loving and kind, but the moment her endless love, patience, and kindness runs out, she’s suddenly this annoying bitch who can’t shut up about her mother or reciprocate Aang’s feelings. But Katara’s trauma does matter as much as anyone else’s. No, she wasn’t banished from her kingdom. No, she didn’t lose her entire community, and no, she isn’t the only one who lost her mother. But the difference between her and everyone else whose experienced loss because of the Fire Nation is that she’s never given time to process her trauma. Aang gets to lean on Katara constantly. Toph gets to express her feelings to Katara, and yeah, Sokka also lost their mother, but unlike Katara, he isn’t put in the position of being a substitute for everyone’s parent. He even admits that he sees his sister as a mother. The only characters who ever comfort Katara or allow her to vent is Zuko and her father and that’s, like, three scenes in a show where the other characters are consistently given opportunities to seek out Katara for unconditional support.

The fandom interpretation of Katara has been so bastardized that even those who haven’t watched the show know her for this fanon version and not for who she is. She’s such an interesting character beyond her fandom limitations, though. She’s brave, hot-headed, and hopeful as well as gentle and caring. She wishes to learn waterbending, not only because she wants to fight in the war, but because she wants to continue her culture’s practices because, and people often forget this, she also lost an entire subculture within her already fractured tribe. And she wants to defeat the Fire Nation both because of her deep love and empathy for other people, but also because she wants to avenge her mother. But because some of the fans have reduced Katara to a bitch who constantly whines about her mother and friendzones Aang, you wouldn’t know any of this, and it sucks because she’s the only character whose been dumbed down to such an extent.

[seyaryminamoto]

My latest completed commission may have been a bit ambitious... because I went wild with it. But I certainly relished in doing so :') Combining my favorite ship with my favorite-ever Disney movie is, uh... a dangerous concoction :'D

The commissioner specifically requested for Azula as Mulan, Sokka as Shang, and Xin Long (my OC dragon from Gladiator) as Mushu. The rest of the cast was up to me to choose, and I pretty much went wild rewatching this movie and picking out some of my favorite moments to recreate them in my style, with these characters. I came up with a lot of correlating characters between both ATLA and 1998's Mulan, but I couldn't hope to draw EVERYTHING, unfortunately. Still, if you want my reasoning for the cast correlation... check out the Read More! Beyond that, feel free to reach out to me if you'd like to commission me, or if you want to join my Patreon!

The Herbalist as Mulan's grandmother might feel arbitrary but she honestly felt like the ATLA elderly lady with the most similar personality to Grandma Fa. Fickle, with a unique connection with a seemingly perfectly ordinary animal, old and sassy? Figured it fit! So for once, the Herbalist is Azula's grandma! xD strange notion, I know, Azulon/Herbalist is not a ship I ever thought I'd accidentally put out in the world but there have been wilder ships than that in this fandom...

Momo became Cri-Kee, I wasn't 100% sold on it but when I considered that Avatar features soooo many hybrid animals... I figured he could be a hybrid cricket-lemur. Weird, I know, but eh? Better than nothing xD

Aang as Chien-Po was a no-brainer. He's the only character I settled on instantly, never even considered anyone else for the role. Their personalities line up really well, and Chien-Po's tendency to be OP and resolve things that are outside of other people's reach sounded like he was prime Avatar material! So, while their dietary preferences are an obvious difference between them, I decided to go for it nonetheless considering all their other similarities!

Kino (another Gladiator OC) is Ling, and he actually did give me a ton of trouble to choose. I considered many characters for the role right up until I realized that Kino's personality actually lines up fairly well with Ling's, down to being a class clown type (who ABSOLUTELY would have cut gym class!) and breaking out in song about the hypothetical woman he'd like to fight for? Yeeeeah that's right up his alley xD but there's another reason why I picked Kino...

... And that is my likely unexpected choice for Yao:

ZUKO.

ZUKO IS YAO.

YES.

I'M NOT EVEN SORRY.

(For the uninitiated, Aang, Zuko and Kino are best friends in Gladiator, very often together, and they make a really good team, so that's the extra reason why Kino became the obvious choice for Ling aside from having really similar personalities, definitely closer personalities than, say, Jet, for instance.)

People have likened Zuko to Shang a LOT since ATLA aired. This is the main reason why I'm even making this huge note! I suspect it's primarily because of the aesthetic, let's be real here, and because he becomes Aang's teacher, but people have exaggerated Zuko's alleged similarities with Shang, or taken them out of proportion, in many ways. I actually remember an AMV ages ago with "Be a Man" and it was Zuko "training the Gaang"?? It... didn't feel right to me. Obviously, someone might rebuff with "well, how does Sokka make MORE sense than that, though?" And believe it or not, I have arguments for that... (when do I not...?)

Not only is this what the commissioner specifically requested (and it obviously lines up with the ship we love!), but let's examine the actual reasons why Sokka as Shang adds up:

Sokka actually had to train a bunch of toddlers who weren't paying any attention to him. You know. Kind of how Shang had to train the unruly soldiers who weren't getting anything right. Sokka has a positive relationship with his dad (Zuko, ofc, does not). Shang also has a positive relationship with his dad! And not only this, but there's a military component to both relationships, specifically with Shang wanting to follow on his father's footsteps and aid him in the war... so much like someone else I know, who jumped at every opportunity to rejoin his father in the war, even wishing to join him as a child until Hakoda tasked him with protecting their Tribe instead (kinda like Shang is tasked with training soldiers rather than joining a battlefield).

And the final cherry-on-top that I'd loooove to hear Zuko fans try to argue against... is sexism :') didn't Sokka get characterized as a sexist guy for four episodes, which made people decide that this was his main character trait even if it went away that quickly? Um, yes, that happened. Shang literally sings the memorable song that's a crazy ode to masculinity, including the rather sexist line of "did they send me daughters when I asked for sons". Shang outright abandons Mulan once they discover that she was a woman all along (while, admittedly, choosing to abandon her rather than KILL HER, which as we saw from Chi-Fu, he was NOT supposed to spare her!)...

So, is this REALLY what Zuko fans, who willfully believe their boy is a feminist king (... why? beats me...) are trying to compare their unproblematic blorbo to? :'D Me? I have no problem linking Sokka with Shang due to Sokka's beginnings and due to the fact that both Shang and Sokka have similar growth when it comes to accepting femininity is as valid as masculinity, and as they both learn to respect women as fighters and potential heroes! (I simply do not believe Sokka's ENTIRE tenure in ATLA was about that, though, and that's what I continue to clash with the fandom over...) So... all this is why I've reasoned that Sokka is a VERY solid choice for Shang, in fact, better than Zuko could hope to be.

... but this isn't all.

Maybe some might accept my arguments for Sokka-Shang. And then, they might ask:

WHY ZUKO AS YAO, THO??

... And the truth is it took me long to see it, myself, but HOLY SHIT, DOES IT FIT!

What is the primary thing we remember about Yao in Mulan? This guy is constantly itching for a fight, to prove himself, surely riddled with insecurities that he exteriorizes through overcompensation of masculinity. He's funny as fuck, but he's taking himself 100% seriously as a manly man all the time, and he's always ready for violence. But there's one more thing...

He treats Mulan as his RIVAL.

And more often than not? SHE SCREWS HIM OVER. Intentionally or not.

What does that sound like? Why, yes, it sounds a LOT like Azula and Zuko's sibling relationship!

The fact that Yao is a temperamental dude who lashes out easily at things (oh, something he has in common with Zuko!), that he specifically resents Mulan (in this case, Azula, just as Zuko does!) and is either constantly looking to defeat her and prove his superiority over her (... wait, just as Zuko with Azula??), that he has a black eye perpetually across the movie, and it's his LEFT EYE (just as Zuko's scar is on his left eye! :'D), that he's friends with a pacifist he has basically nothing in common with, personality-wise (just like Zuko and Aang!), and that he pretty much has a REDEMPTION ARC in which he goes from a bitter, asshole rival to Mulan to treating her as a friend and ally, to the point where he was disappointed to leave her behind and THEN joined her at once when she says she has a plan? :') I have always been critical of Zuko's redemption arc, goes without saying. But if ANY of these characters redeemed himself in any significant way, it certainly seems to be Yao to me, and with people gushing NON-STOP about Zuko's redemption? Why, he ought to be the character who goes from bitter rival to loyal friend, right?

So. I'm not even sorry. Zuko is Yao. And I'd dare say that he should be flattered by the comparison, even, because Yao ends up being cool as FUCK!

I don't really talk about this much nowadays, but Mulan was my favorite Disney movie growing up, it ABSOLUTELY had a formative influence on me as a little girl, and Mulan was my favorite female character for a looooong time. Thus, any excuse to rewatch this movie makes me happy as heck. With the wisdom of age I know, of course, that it's not perfect, it's not what China wants, it's not the most thoughtful depiction of Chinese culture or the most faithful adaptation of Mulan's poem (... but I'd also dare bring up that the 2009 Chinese adaptation ISN'T all that faithful either...), but it has a kind of magic in it, a solid storytelling flow, so many memorable moments one after the next, that I could hardly choose which scenes to depict... Disney has never again seen the storytelling heights it reached with Mulan in 1998. I don't even care if that's a controversial opinion in any way... this is their best animated feature for me, and nobody can change my mind.

So... depicting Azula, my beloved, in all these scenarios as this character I adored and idolized as a child, was so damn fulfilling for me. While some might think that, personality-wise, these two ladies don't have much in common, the fact that Mulan is sent to a matchmaker who basically tells her she looks good but is going to be the worst wife ever...? Our girl Azula, with all those insecurities about being unloveable and a monster, probably would relate big time to that.

Mulan is also an INTELLIGENT soldier rather than a brawny one, which is how she starts to make progress in the army, it's how she manages to overcome the huns with that avalanche... and Azula's primary difference with most other antagonists in ATLA is that she's smart as fuck. She is very strong, no doubt, but a LOT of that strength comes from her intelligence, from assessing situations in unique ways, from planning and strategizing. The way Mulan finds the most unexpected solutions that still pay off reminds me a lot of how Azula achieves unexpected feats through rather unorthodox means, capable of taking over a city with basically no bloodshed while her nation has spent 100 years trying and failing to do so through major army incursions and who knows how much senseless violence. Obviously, I'm not saying what Azula did is GOOD and it's kind of dumb that we always have to point that out... I'm merely comparing the magnitude of the feats, and the fact that they both come from ladies who use strategy and intelligence to achieve their goals rather than muscle and physical power.

And while anyone would rage at me for the comparison between Fa Zhou (her dad) and Ozai, the truth is the dynamic between them CAN be compared, if loosely: Mulan literally goes to war to keep her father safe. Azula goes to war under her father's orders. Hell, she makes herself BAIT in the Eclipse to make sure the Gaang won't get to her dad?? While it's very much possible to say that both characters have different personalities and attitudes in life... I'd also bring up that their contexts are evidently completely different. I wouldn't say for certain that Azula, had she been raised outside a Royal Family, would be EXACTLY like Mulan... but they might have more similar traits than one might expect. Ultimately, though... I love them both. And this opportunity to swap their places was pretty much a dream come true!

Alright, that was plenty of rambling xD ultimately, I had a blast doing this commission, as I'm sure is obvious by now. So! If anyone wants to commission me, feel free to check out my prices right here and hit me up if you're interested!

[c0nfessions-of-a-writing-freak]

Scarred Beauty

Pairing: Zuko x Fem!Reader

Word count: 809

Summary: It had almost become a tradition for you and Zuko to talk after the sun had gone down, leaving the both of you wrapped in a blanket of secrecy. But after Zuko falls asleep a little too early, it leaves you to wonder.

Bingo: @eclipsingbingo with 'Tracing Scars'

When you first met Zuko, you honestly thought he was trying to kill you. The way his lip would curl up upon laying his eyes on you, or how he would single you out in a fight so he could make sure he was the only one who had a shot at you, it all made every moment between the two of you dreadful and when he decided to join your 'team' you could only think of the worst case scenario.

But now, now that you've got to know Zuko without the usual heat that came with his arrival or the scornful glare that he had to keep up, he was starting to grow on you.

It hadn't been instant, you, but probably Katara, took the longest to warm up to him. It was hard to look past all the times he had tried to capture you, burn you alive, hunt you down and even sell you out, but once you had tried, you felt your efforts rewarded tenfold as Zuko did his best to get to know you.

His mannerisms have changed a lot since the first time you met him. Instead of the brash, whiny and impatient prince who needed to get his way, you were met with a gentle, intelligent and peaceful warrior who had joined the fight against the Fire Nation.

He had grown more protective, making sure no one got hurt and always seeking you out first to check for injuries. He offered his guidance to both Aang and whoever else would take it, leading to the two of you bending together. Whenever the two of you would, due to your clashing elements, it always put on quite the show for the others as they watched fire try to wash away water.

It was how you believed you ended up here, lying beneath a sea of stars. The two of you were side by side, the others quite a distance away as they slept peacefully, getting ready for a day of adventure. Not the two of you though. You both had grown accustomed to the late-night talks that you weren't sure who had first started them.

It was such a regular occurrence that if one of you noticed the other one waiting out, you would rush the night along, getting into positions like you were currently in. Even the rest of the gang had grown used to this and wouldn't question it if the two of you went off together or when they awoke they found you both laying next to each other somewhere.

The topics that you would speak about were vast, never being a copy of the night before. You had spoken about what it had been like growing up and how your childhoods had varied, though you both found comfort in one another for a feeling of isolation. Talk of tradition and training, even gossip that the other would have a hard time following along with. Whatever could be spoken about had been.

Except for the large scar that took up a good chunk of Zuko's face. You had never felt the need to ask, even now, as you had turned away from the stars above to face Zuko, the older boy asleep far too early than he would've liked to be, you couldn't bring yourself to ever ask. If it was something that Zuko would ever want to talk about, then he would bring it up himself. But since that was yet to happen, you kept any topic of conversation far from it.

That didn't stop you from staring at it now. Even in the darkness, it was a large contrast from the rest of his face. For so long you had only ever allowed your eyes to briefly linger on the scar, only ever allowed your eyes to trace the corners of it and take it in. But now, a delicate hand reached forward and with a feather-light tip of your finger, your skin came in contact with his scared.

Where others may have seen brutality or felt disgust and pity at the sight, you couldn't help but wonder how such a large portion of his face seemed to bring so much life to Zuko's being, how though it may hide the beauty that may have once been there, a new beauty bloomed with it.

Only when you were satisfied did you draw your hand away. You had done enough looking for tonight. Instead, you curled in on yourself, trying to store as much heat as you could for the night, not wanting to leave Zuko's side.

And when the others found the two of you wrapped around one another in the morning, they turned a blind eye and allowed the both of you to come to your own senses and figure out the mess you were both slowly creating.

[wollydarner]

Avatar study

[queen-morgana91]

Atla fandom one day will realize that you can dislike a character or a ship without being weird about it

[frost-queen]

My mortal flaw // part 8 (Reader x Zuko)

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Summary: Jet is persistant to reveal that Zuko is from the fire nation. Pushing Zuko to the limit to get his results. The city no longer save for the three of you, but great news might perhaps persuade you to stay just a bit longer. [series]

Zuko felt a heavy pounding in his head. He tried to sit up, hand pressed against his forehead. Slowly his eyes opened, adjusting to the upcoming morning glow. A blurred figure calling something out. Blinking he tried to focus his vision. With a few blinks became you clearer as your voice. - "Zuko." - you called out worriedly. Shaking him by his shoulder awake. - "Y/n." - he said hesitantly as you helped him sit better up against the wall.

He weakly moved his hand up, touching your cheek brief. - "Princess!" - another voice came through. You leaned closer to Zuko, hands laying on his shoulder. - "He knows you're fire nation." - you warned him. Zuko tensed his expression, pushing you a bit aside for him to see. Jet. Jet stood a bit further away with his crew. Zuko wanted to stand as you assisted him. - "Did you take her?" - he needed to know, pointing at Jet. - "I had to tell her the truth!" - Jet replied.

You saw him get worked up, knowing very well how his temper went. You touched his shoulder, looking up at him. Slightly shaking your head. Zuko grunted soft, looking away. Jet pointed his blade at Zuko. - "He's from the fire nation." - he shouted loud, looking around. Some curious people opened their windows. Others who just stepped outside, stopped to stare. - "The fire nation is here." - he called out pointing at Zuko.

Zuko clenched his jaw. You took his hand squeezing it hard to tone his temper. Some people took a curious look at Zuko before shrugging their shoulder and continuing with the start of their day. His crew looked embarrassed around. - "Jet... knock it off." - one of them said tugging at his shirt. Jet shrugged his arm, throwing his grip off. - "No, I'm telling the truth." - he replied desperately. Some villagers stared questionable at Jet.

You turned to look up to Zuko. He met up with your gaze, untensing a bit as no one seemed to believe Jet. - "Jet... just stop." - another of his crew said between clenched teeth. Some people started laughing. - "The fire nation here? Ba Sing Se is too heavily guarded for them to enter." - one of the villiagers laughed out. It frustrated Jet that no one was listening. People started to move away.

Having enough of empty words. Jet felt his head burst with anger. - "I'll show you." - he called out, pointing with his blade firm at Zuko. Zuko moved a step forward as you tried to hold him back. - "I'm not going to fight you." - Zuko let out. Jet groaned loud. With his blade in the ready, he ran up to Zuko. Zuko shoved you aside, jumping back when Jet came slashing his blade down.

It clattered against the ground. Grunting loud he moved his blade up. Swaying it at Zuko. Zuko kept moving and jumping back to avoid being hit. - "Fight me." - Jet called out slashing his blade down. Zuko stumbled back against a cart with cabbages. Some cabbages rolled off the cart onto the streets. - "My cabbages!" - the vendor cried out. Zuko grabbed a cabbage throwing it at Jet. Jet sliced it in two with his blade when it came his way.

Jet came swingingly with his blade at Zuko. Zuko ducked down to avoid getting hit. Having slightly enough of Jet, he kicked him back. Jet stumbling back on his feet. Regaining his balance quick. Zuko threw a punch his way as Jet blocked it. Standing at the side-line, you watched anxiously. Hoping Zuko wouldn't slip his firebending through it and expose him to the earth Kingdom.

Zuko and Jet were fighting or rather Zuko more deflecting his moves. Jet attacking with a blinded rage. Jet got smacked against another cart with spices. Glancing over his shoulder, he collected some spice powder in his hand. Throwing it at Zuko to blind him. Zuko moved his arm over his eyes, turning away. The spices hitting his arm. Lowering his arm he gave Jet a glare.

You noticed more people had come to look. Whisper to each other and point at the fight. Jet's crew had backed away, not wanting to be associated with him. Jet raged like a mad man doing everything in his might to make Zuko firebend. Zuko fought back with only the strenght of his own body. - "You are fire nation!" - Jet called out with anger.

Zuko remained silent, not enganging with his accusations. Jet grunted loud that he wasn't getting Zuko to show his true self. His gaze fell on you on the side-line, watching with fright. - "If you won't show it, she'll make you." - he said. Zuko's eyes widened when Jet threw a dagger your way. Gasping loud you tried to jump away.

The dagger getting caught in your clothing, pinning you against the wall by your waist. Zuko came running over to you, pulling the dagger out. - "Are you alright?" - he asked touching your cheek. From over his shoulder you saw Jet make his way over. Shoving Zuko aside, you called upon water. Sending a flood to sweep him off his feet. Jet got hit, rolling backwards over the street.

Coming to a stop as a group of mysterious men stood behind him. Two of them grabbed him. Jet looked in a panic around as they dragged him off. - "No, he's fire nation. Take him. I'm not mad!" - Jet shouted but no one was listening. You held Zuko by his arm, watching Jet get dragged away. The townspeople seemed to give it little attention or they were too afraid to look.

Zuko took your hand, leading you away. Not caring who had taken Jet for it served him right. You swallowed nervously, following him on foot. - "Zuko..." - you started wanting to speak about it. Zuko remained quiet, simply tugging harder on you to keep up. You didn't like the silent treatment, but couldn't blame him. - "He saw Iroh heat up his tea." - you told him. - "I couldn't get it out of his head." - you went on out of breath.

He remained silent, dragging you back to the sleeping place. - "Zuko!" - you called out wanting to have any reaction out of him. - "I only seem to attract trouble...I'm really sorry. Maybe I should remain behind to not endanger your task any further." - you finished pained with guilt. Zuko suddenly stopped, turned round and pulled you close to him.

"No." - he answered hugging you tight. You embraced him back with a tight grip. Pulling back, he touched you chin to cheer you back up. The small gesture made you smile faintly at him. The two of returned to Iroh. When you entered he sat down with a cup of tea. Quirking his eyebrow up at the sight of you two. Something told you he thought you'd still be sleeping. He gently blew on his tea when Zuko sat down with a heavy sigh.

"It's good to see you bond. Bonding is good." - Iroh said receiving a glare from his nephew. You joined them quietly. Iroh noticed the silent tension wondering if anything happend. Quirking his eyebrow up once more. - "We can't stay." - Zuko cut through the silence, tapping with his fingers on the table, looking away. - "How so?" - Iroh asked.

You turned your gaze down, pressing your hands between the folds of your dress. - "It just isn't save." - he replied not throwing any accusations at his uncle for heating his tea so carelessly. Iroh drank his tea empty. With a deep sigh he got up. - "I'm in need of tea herbs. Anyone want to join me?" - he asked. You didn't return his look. - "I'll think I better stay in." - you responded not in the mood to get back outside.

"I'll stay with her." - Zuko answered after seeing his uncle turn to him. - "You... you don't have to do that." - you told Zuko not wanting it to be forced. He dismissed your words, sending his uncle off. After a moment of silence, you moved a bit closer to Zuko. - "How is your head?" - you questioned. Zuko touched his forehead, already forgotten about the stomp. He shrugged his shoulders not caring much.

You moved even closer to him as Zuko watched you tentive. - "May I?" - you asked moving your hands up. He slowly nodded. You let water flow from your flask. The water surrounded your hand as you leaned closer. Touching his neck as you brought your other hand to his head.

Zuko closed his eyes feeling the sweet sensation from the healing water. He opened his eyes once more, staring with wide eyes at you from how close you sat to him. Making him swallow nervously. Drawing his gaze down to your lips. You lowered your hand, mesmerized by his gaze. Anticipating the moment. Sucking in a breath, he neared his head.

Tilting it a bit to reach your lips. Kissing them tenderly. Zuko deepened the kiss, holding your cheeks. It was blissful as it made you tug at his shirt. Wanting him even closer. Zuko removed his lips from against yours. His gaze drifting shyly away.

You turned your posture more to the centre. - "Where will we go then?" - you asked drawing a circle on the table with your finger. - "I'm not sure yet." - Zuko replied his gaze on your hand. Debating if he should take it. His hand was already going half-way up to you. Pulling the last second away when his uncle barged in. Panting. - "The avatar is here." - he breathed out.

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

Read more of my fics on my Masterlists!

[not-aurii]

I love how Kiyoshi had absolutely no reason to pop up in the "Avatar Day" episode, she did just to be like:

"HE WAS A CONQUEROR. I HAD TO KEEP MY PEOPLE SAFE SO I KILLED THAT MOTHERFUCKER. HE WAS HORRIBLE AND YALL ARE SUCKERS FOR WORSHIPPING HIM. PEACE OUT."

Cuz this wasn't like the times Roku stepped in and took over Aang's body to 1) save them all from burning alive in a volcano, and 2) convince maybe the one person that could teach Aang firebending (at the time) to teach him.

If she hadn't popped up, Aang, Katara and Sokka would have just... left the Island. Aang would sulk for a couple episodes, then Azula would be a bigger problem for them again.

bUT NO she came back from the dead to admit to it, knowing full well she might've just sentenced Aang to death.

She was Proud™ of it.

300 years and that beef is still going strong

[rhinocio]

[likeabxrdinflight]

...I should be editing my dissertation but now I'm thinking about how both Azula and Katara are perhaps the most "adultified" of the atla characters and...hmm. Interesting.

[commehter]

In Blue and White - Avatar the Last Airbender Fanfic

Rating: 16+ Genre: Coming of Age, Awkward Romcom(?) Pairings: (One-sided?) Zuko/Fem!Aang Characters: Zuko, Aang Summary: Aang is born female. It doesn't change all that much, until it does. What twelve-year-old girl wouldn't instantly develop a crush on the masked dual-sword-wielding bad boy that busted her out of Avatar jail?

Zuko's dignity suffers.

~.~.~.~.~

A story in which Aang accidentally humanizes herself to Zuko far earlier than her canon counterpart by the simple virtue of being a girl with an awkward crush. Well, Aang is the one with the crush. The awkward part is all Zuko.

~.~.~.~.~

Chapter 1: A Girl Named Aang, Part 1

Zuko awakes with a groan and refuses to open his eyes.

What happened?

It feels like his entire skull is threatening to split in two.

A gentle hand touches his cheek. "Are you awake?" asks a high, childish voice.

That definitely isn't Uncle or one of the crew.

Zuko's eyes fly open and he finds himself staring up at the Avatar.

What? The last thing he remembers is...

Zhao.

Pohuai.

Yuyan.

...It isn't night anymore, judging by the sunlight shining through the branches and leaves filling out his vision past the Avatar's head. They must be somewhere in the forest that surrounds the stronghold now.

How did they get out?

"Zuko?" the Avatar says with an upside-down frown.

Belatedly, Zuko realizes he's resting in the girl's lap. With his face completely revealed. He freezes.

When he doesn't say anything, the girl carries on chattering, "I don't really know if I'm doing this right. Most of the bruising cleared up but I think there might be a fracture beneath it." The hand cupping his cheek firms and water flows slowly across his forehead.

It tingles oddly but some of the pain ebbs away.

Zuko catches the wrist of the hand at his cheek and makes a blind fumble for the one above his head. 

"Hey!" The Avatar manages to elude one out of two grabs, left hand held high and sheathed in a strange mitten of glowing water.

"Avatar," he rasps, "what are you doing?"

"Healing," she answers, "Or trying to. I haven't done this before, but I really think it's working!"

"No, what are you doing?" Zuko growls, "We're enemies."

"Oh." The girl deflates. She really shouldn't need a reminder. "Well... You saved me. It didn't seem fair to leave you behind. And then you weren't waking up and I got worried. There wasn't anyone else to ask for help, so I tried meditating to talk with the past Avatars.

"Kyoshi said -- something not very nice, but Yangchen gave me some memories that helped when I couldn't understand what she was trying to te--"

Zuko covers the Avatar's mouth with his free hand. She glares at him and retaliates by slapping her water-mitted-hand back on his forehead. Zuko flinches as spots bloom across his vision. They clear as the tingling feeling resumes and more of the lingering pain fades.

The Avatar is still glaring at him.

Good.

That's how an enemy should look.

Now if only she'd stop muddying the waters by trying to fix his head injury, maybe the world would stop spinning in ways he doesn't know how to compensate for. He can deal with a concussion. He doesn't have the first clue what to do with an enemy set on healing him.

"I wasn't saving you."

The Avatar rolls her gray eyes and fingers tap along his jaw.

Zuko scowls back at her. "I'm serious. I was capturing you for myself."

The girl shakes her head free of his hand. Zuko allows it. "I had figured that out," the Avatar snaps, "I'm not stupid. But you still helped me get away from Zhao, so helping you was fair."

It's irritating because, from a certain, stupid angle, the Avatar's words make sense.

Water drips and then streams past his temples, soaking into the orange skirts still pillowing his head. The girl's hand doesn't move. Either of them. When was the last time he let someone touch his face, never mind as long as the Avatar has been? Zuko drops his remaining hold on the girl. The Avatar fails to withdraw.

Zuko snarls. He pushes himself up and away from the Avatar to sit on the forest floor. He doesn't turn to look at her. She won't attack him now, not with how much work she must have put in to get him away from Zhao in one piece.

"Fine! I got you away from Zhao. You got me away from Zhao. All debts repaid. We're even. The next time I see you, I will capture you," he warns.

"Fine! Even!" The Avatar stomps around to put herself directly in front of him. "In that case, I have two messages for you before everything goes back to normal!

"First, Roku says 'hello.' Do you know why?"

"I -- What? No!" Zuko retorts, "Why would any of your past lives have anything to say to me? They all lived over a hundred years ago!"

The Avatar leans close, examining his face with narrowed eyes. Finally, the girl sighs and relents. "I don't know, but Kyoshi and Roku aren't subtle and you're what they argue over most. Not that either will explain why." She looks away and tucks a too-short lock of hair behind her ear only for it to slip forward again.

He doesn't know what to do with the information that two dead Avatars are wasting their afterlives arguing about him. "What's the second Avatar message?" he asks.

"Oh, well, it's just from me, but I guess that counts as an 'Avatar message'?"

"Avatar," Zuko growls in warning as his patience frays, "what is the message?"

"Sorry," the girl says with a little self-conscious shrug, "I know I talk a lot." It's the only warning she gives him before foreign lips brush his own. She withdraws before he can process what's happening, cheeks flushed. "Thanks for saving me, Zuko."

And then the Avatar flees, jumping through the forest canopy like she was made to live amongst the treetops. Zuko stares after her dumbly until she disappears from sight.

A twelve-year-old just kissed him.

It was barely a kiss.

The Avatar just kissed him.

What is he supposed to do with that?

...

That doesn't count as his first kiss, does it?

No. Innocent, childish infatuation can't count. He refuses to think it ever could.

The Avatar is a foolish little girl that saves her enemies.

It definitely doesn't count.

For either of them.

He doesn't notice the Air Nomad bracelet she'd slipped on his wrist at some point until he tries to change back into his uniform.

~.~.~.~.~

The bracelet is a loop of beads made out of various seeds and nuts along with two small tassels, one orange and the other yellow. He's noticed it wrapped several times around the Avatar's skinny wrist before, but on Zuko it is only long enough to complete four circuits before it becomes too tight to slip over his hand for a fifth.

It's called a lineage tie, typically given to monks by nuns during the spring dances of the Air Nomads' yearly fertility festivals, but sometimes exchanged among Air Nomads too young to participate as a pact for the future. If the Air Nomads had practiced lifelong monogamy like all the other nations, it would be the equivalent of initiating negotiations for a marriage proposal.

Practically speaking, it's an honest to spirits proposition.

From a twelve-year-old.

Zuko restrains himself from setting the scroll in his hands on fire.

So much for innocent.

At least the Water Tribe betrothal necklace locked away in the same drawer hadn't been given to him with equal intention. If anything, he's not convinced the waterbender knows that she wears an engagement gift. That, or she's just decided that its value as an heirloom is more important than any of the traditions tied to it. Either way, picking up lost jewelry on a prison barge has been proven preferable to unwittingly accepting gifts from the Avatar.

~.~.~.~.~

The bounty hunter has a beast that can literally sniff out the Avatar.

Zuko has the airbender's bracelet in hand and is almost back out the door of his quarters when a terrible, horrifying thought occurs to him. What if Uncle asks how he got possession of the Avatar's bracelet? Worse, what if Uncle somehow recognizes the lineage tie for what it is? It would be just his luck if Uncle Iroh knew what the collection of strung seeds and nuts represents, and Zuko doesn't trust his lying skills to be sufficient in shutting down the nosy old man's curiosity.

Worst of all, he can't be sure how Uncle would react to the situation. The only thing more awful than Uncle Iroh's disapproval would be his active and far too enthusiastic approval. Uncle's marriage had been fully negotiated and arranged by the time he was eight years old. Father had only been six, though that initial engagement was broken before the wedding could take place for reasons Zuko has never learned, and Father had instead wed Mother a year later. Zuko's own match had been arranged by Mother when he was all of nine years. ...Mai's parents probably dissolved the arrangement after he got himself banished.

...

He hasn't thought about Mai in years. He wonders if he should feel bad about that.

All he can picture at the thought of his once-intended is the sullen eleven-year-old girl he'd last seen before his banishment. He doesn't have the first clue how she might have grown and changed over the intervening three years. Is she still being dragged around by his psychotic little sister and bored with life in general?

...He'd never actually asked her opinion on their engagement. Had she been as apathetic about him and their future marriage as she was about everything else?

Not that he would expect her to still want the match, even if she had before his banishment, but...

The idea of being someone's undesired intended is somehow even less appealing than the Avatar's inappropriate proposition.

At least with the Avatar, he can be sure the girl involved favors the match.

He can't imagine why, but he knows that she does.

Zuko scowls and pushes the unwanted thoughts away. He's wasting time!

Without any winding the lineage tie is just long enough that he can pull it over his head and wear it as a long necklace. Zuko tucks the string beneath his armor and allows it to slide out of view as he doubles back for the waterbender's betrothal necklace. If the shirshu picks up on both scents, so much the better, but one piece of jewelry is clearly safer for open display than the other.

Uncle's meddling as a match-maker is the last thing he needs during his hunt for the Avatar.

~.~.~.~.~

It's just as well the Avatar stole back her friend's necklace. It hadn't worked as a bribe and the shirshu debacle isn't one he's looking to repeat. Ever. Zuko has had enough of the beasts to last a lifetime.

Any frustration he feels is only because the Avatar has eluded capture. Again.

...

Girls make no sense no matter what nation they hail from.

~.~.~.~.~

You can read the rest of the story on AO3.

3 Chapters (WIP)

5K Words (and counting)

Posted 06/08/2024

Happy reading!

[longing-for-rain]

I think it’s funny how people point to the existence of female kataang stans as proof that kataang isn’t written for the male gaze when every female kataang stan I’ve interacted with has said something to the effect of “but he’s so nice, he wouldn’t have done something like that” to dismiss his blatant violation of Katara’s boundaries on screen. It is unfortunately not uncommon for women to flock to the defense of male interests.

[seventeendeer]

after watching ATLA I got curious about whether my constantly negatively comparing its gender politics to the (imo superior) 2003 Teen Titans animated series had any merit or what, so I sat down to watch TT properly for the first time in ~2 decades, prepared for the worst

but you know what literally THE SECOND EPISODE centers one of the female leads and her complex relationship with her sister and features her love interest comforting and supporting her as she works through her insecurities and finally confronts said sister so WHAT THE FUCK WAS ATLA'S EXCUSE FOR ALL OF THAT

[allgremlinart]

characters who essentially have nothing change when you genderswap them vs characters for whom genderswapping would make them entirely different people....

[rayes-rain]

Fans who dunk on kataang as a ship because Katara was written flatly post OG series really grind my gears. As if her marrying Aang and having a family with him was the root cause of the LoK writers sidelining her when her peers still got to be way more invloved in the story.

I will be the first to admit that Katara's initial goals and characterization got quite lost post OG series. In a way, she was only reduced to a healer and her accomplishments outside of mothering children with Aang and banning bloodbending are not shared with the audience. For the first season of LoK, I think this is fine. This is not Katara's story anymore and her speech to Korra at the beginning of the season is her passing the torch to the next Avatar to have her own adventures. Katara at that point is basically a nice cameo. We're not supposed to think that this sliver of her life which Korra sees is all that's important about her.

This does not hold water in future seasons when it's revealed that Toph and Zuko are still alive and both have more active roles in the plot, whereas Katara did not have an active role in plot lines she should have been more involved with (water tribe civil war, for example). To some fans, this reduces the little that we do see of Katara's character in LoK to only being those parts, rather than just pieces of a more realized elder from the perspective of someone younger (Korra) who doesn't know her whole story.

The way that people blame her marrying Aang on the way her overall character was handled is so baffling to me. Do these fans honestly think she would have escaped that fate for certain if she had married Zuko or someone else, or stayed single?