#hakoda is great but you can tell hes a boy dad.... still very dad though i love him

[dranktwocoffees]

have i ever mentioned how genuinely happy i am that zuko ended up with a daughter. he'd be a great dad even if he had a son but theres no character in atla with stronger girl dad vibes. he just needed a daughter

[bonesbuckleup]

Lord, this answer got long. I’m a little embarrassed about it, but I wrote it, so it’s getting posted. It’s a literal essay. Sorry but also not?

TLDR: Yes, the show is arguably unfair to Sokka about Kya, but it also follows a pattern where Sokka stays quiet about Bad Feelings and plays by the rules established for his character. Katara, meanwhile, grieves loudly and often, and appears to be under the impression that because Sokka’s grief is silent it doesn’t exist, which also fits her character/interactions completely. Neither of them are right or wrong, but it sets them up on inevitable collisions.

Now. If you want to join me on a cactus-juice fueled descent into madness, proceed below the cut.

Number one. We’re referring to this exchange in “The Southern Raiders,” where the Gaang is talking about Zuko and Katara going after the man who killed Kya, which is vicious and brutal and never reflected on:

Aang: You sound like Jet. Katara: It's not the same! Jet attacked the innocent. This man, he's a monster. Sokka: Katara, she was my mother, too, but I think Aang might be right. Katara (angry, yelling): Then you didn't love her the way I did! Sokka (visibly hurt, softly): Katara.

And that’s it. Upon returning, Katara apologizes to Aang and not, as Anon is absolutely correct in pointing out, to Sokka, who is 100% the more injured party. Now. Is it possible this is one of the rare missteps from the atla writers? Yes. Absolutely. Is that the answer I’m about to write a literal fucking essay about? No. Because it’s more painful fun to take it as face value and talk subtext.

First, a reminder that this show is fucking good at what it does. It teaches you how each character grieves as we go: Aang explodes, often triggering the Avatar state, usually crying or angry, and when he does try to repress his Bad Feelings it rarely lasts longer than a day; Toph either shuts down or gets mad, but either way she doesn’t like people seeing her having Bad Feelings and often storms away, knowing that she can’t control it no matter how much she might want to; Zuko yells at the sky in a rainstorm or yells at his dad in an underground tunnel or challenges Zhao to an Agni Kai or yells at his uncle in a jail cell and generally is an emotive nuclear bomb because the boy has feelings and if he keeps them inside for more than three seconds he might explode okay.

Then we have Katara and Sokka.

Let’s start with Katara, since she has the most textual and straightforward displays of grief. She’s really the only one to talk about Kya’s death in Book 1. If Sokka mentions it, it’s barely in passing. I don’t think we hear Hakoda address her death at all (which I’ll return to in a moment.) Katara’s grief is loud. It’s angry. It’s still very much a living thing for her. She thinks she sees Kya in the swamp and breaks down crying, and tells Aang and Sokka about it with no hesitation. When she’s angry and sad at Hakoda for leaving, she acts out and is visibly upset with him, yells at him, cries at him. She out-loud hates Zuko when she comes to the conclusion that he told her about Ursa and got her to talk about Kya to manipulate her. It isn’t that her grief is performative, because it’s a very real and terrible thing, but it’s a grief that’s to be witnessed.

Then, Sokka. Sokka’s grief is more complicated because it exists almost entirely in subtext, especially in regard to Kya. We really only hear him talk about Kya twice, both in Book 3. First, to Toph, when he tells her that he can’t remember what Kya looks like. Worth noting, however, that even though it is Sokka talking, this is still centered on Katara and Katara’s grief. The next time is when Zuko asks what happened to Kya, and Sokka tells the story that leads into the initial flashback. Sokka doesn’t talk about his mom. This is a fact of the show. It’s such a fact of the show that, in “Southern Raiders,” after the exchange at the start of this post, while Katara and Zuko are on the hunt, Sokka doesn’t bring up Kya again and is messing around with Aang. Like nothing has happened or is currently happening--which I’ll come back to in a moment.

So while we can use Kya as a perfect example of how Katara grieves, we can’t really use her for Sokka. So let’s use Yue instead. Moments we see (or don’t see) Sokka grieving Yue:

In the opening to Book 2, we briefly have a shot of Sokka with the moon imposed behind him.

“The Swamp,” where Sokka’s vision is of Yue accusing him of not protecting her. This one is one of the more textual moments of grief--”I think about Yue all the time”--but what’s awful great about it is how Sokka tells Aang and Katara. Aang, obviously, has no qualms about sharing his vision. Katara openly talks about seeing Kya. Sokka only tells them about Yue when explicitly asked. Even then, he doesn’t mention what she said to him. From this, we can assume that Sokka is still holding onto a lot of guilt over her death--guilt that he won’t let Aang and Katara see. Anyway. Moving on.

“The Serpent’s Pass.” After spending all day panic protecting Suki, he tells her that he lost someone, but doesn’t go much further into detail, just saying that he can’t when she tries to kiss him. Of course, this is all happening in front of the moon. Again, though, Sokka stays vague. He doesn’t tell her any details.

“The Puppetmaster,” Toph posits that maybe the moon spirit has gone mean and is kidnapping people. Sokka snaps at her, in a moment definitely meant for laughs, saying, “The Moon Spirit is a gentle, loving lady. She rules the sky with compassion and ... lunar goodness!” It is a funny moment, but here’s what we can take from it: Toph doesn’t know about Yue. Toph is a Feral Bastard a lot of the time, but she also knows where the line is, and I don’t think she’d’ve said that if she’d known.

“Boiling Rock,” in arguably the most quoted (and well deservedly so!) line in the entire show. “My first girlfriend turned into the moon.” “...that’s rough, buddy.” COMEDIC GOLD. Also, weirdly, the literal only time that Sokka explicitly tells someone about Yue in the course of the show.

“Ember Island Players” which I haven’t hit in my rewatch yet, but I definitely remember a moment where Suki asks Sokka when he was gonna tell her he made out with the moon, and he tearfully shushes her. Again, played for laughs, but the implication is that he still hasn’t told Suki about what happened.

This plays perfectly into the same way that Sokka (doesn’t) talks about his mom. When the Bad Feelings come, Sokka either avoids them and finds a distraction (Goofs with Aang--see, told ya we’d come back to that) or stays silent. When someone explicitly asks him about the Bad Feelings--what he saw in the swamp, what’s eating at him in “Sokka’s Master,” why he’s panic-protecting Suki--he’ll answer, but often talks around the actual issue. (Interestingly, it’s in regard to Suki we see the most explicit manifestation of Sokka grieving as Azula taunts him during the invasion: he cries, he attacks Azula, he yells and questions her despite the fact he knows she’s wasting their time. I think this one hits him because, as this beautiful post points out, Suki’s the protector in the relationship, and Sokka can actually chill out for 2 seconds. But he let his guard down, and Azula got Suki. Anyway. That’s probably a different essay: back to the matter at hand.) We even see this in “Boiling Rock.” There’s a moment where they think Hakoda is not with the other political prisoners. Sokka’s tense, drawn tight, but the only thing he says is, “No.”

Basically, we’ve got Katara, who grieves loudly and rages and is kinda like white-water rapids that churn and churn and churn. And we’ve got Sokka, who, to quote John Mulaney, looks at his grief and says, “I’ll just keep all my emotions right here and then one day I’ll die.” Iceberg grief, to keep the water metaphor going.

And where did these come from? Yup! Water Tribe gender roles! What we know from the show is that, while the South is typically more progressive (women can train as benders and marry who they want, at least) than the North, it’s still very rigid: the men are warriors/hunters/protectors, the women stay home to cook/clean/child-rear.

Now: subtext! And why I think they are this way!

We’ll start with Katara. The last waterbender in the South Pole. She no doubt grew up doted on. If I say she’s most likely a little spoiled, I don’t mean it in a bad way--I mean it in a she’s the last living remnant of this aspect of their culture kind of way. When raiders come, she’s probably the first priority to protect. Kya dies to keep her safe. Her needs are generally put before the community as a whole. (This isn’t to say that Katara doesn’t contribute or care about her community, because she 100% does). But! Especially in Book 1, we see Katara often considering her opinions as facts (trusting Jet, the waterbending scroll) and doesn’t always pause to consider the larger impact that her actions will have (scroll and Jet again, challenging Pakku, dressing up as the Painted Lady despite the fact the factory will hold the village responsible). And many of these actions are good! But we see a lot of Katara being pretty self-centered--what can I do, how does this impact me, how do I feel about this? And this isn’t a bad thing! This aspect of her character makes her complicated and complex! Katara loves her family and protecting people and caring for them! She’s extremely empathetic! But she also struggles to meet people where they’re at when they emote in a different way than she does (see: her clashes with Toph, her initial problems with Zuko joining the group, the above interaction with Sokka). It’s also worth talking about how Katara witnessed her mother’s death, which no doubt makes her grief about it a sharper thing.

Then, again, Sokka. Also loved in his community! But a normal kind of love, I’d assume. He probably was raised on stories of the Fire Nation dragging waterbenders away. No one exemplifies the Water Tribe ride-or-die mentality quite as well as Sokka, or the gender roles of the man as the warrior/protector, so you gotta believe Hakoda raised that kid to look after his sister at all costs, which we see throughout the show (already preparing to go after Aang in the South Pole because he know Katara’s going anyway, “You burned my sister!”) And he isn’t there when his mom dies. He finds out later. He goes from feeling like a victor who helped chased the raiders away to the worst realization of his life. I have to imagine he’s ashamed by the fact that he thought everything was going to be okay, which leads into his worldview of assuming that nothing is okay ever in any circumstance.

Finally, Hakoda. Who never, unless I’ve forgotten something, talks about Kya. All we know is that their family fell apart after her death (per Sokka in “The Runaway,” learning how Katara stepped up to hold everything together) and sometime after he took the warriors and straight up left. He apologizes for leaving but doesn’t address the fact that he left Katara and Sokka with no parents at all, only the war. This is, uh, not exactly echoing a healthy coping mechanism?

My theory: Kya dies. Since the Water Tribe is so embedded in gender roles, Hakoda probably shut down and/or checked out emotionally for a while. This leaves his kids on their own to deal with their shit, and we learn Katara does everything she can to keep her family going. As the most protected individual in the South, Katara’s probably been taught that emotions equal attention, and uses her temper/caring/sadness to help bring her community closer. Meanwhile, Sokka, who hero worships his dad, watches Hakoda go stoic and learns that “real men” shove their shit down. Additionally, Katara’s grief is deafeningly loud, and Sokka’s number 1 role is to keep Katara safe. He’s taught that the Bad Feelings only get in the way and make things worse, and so he learns to be fine no matter what kind of terrible is going down around him.  Basically, Katara learns to use grief as a needle and thread, and Sokka learns to bury it as deep as he can and avoid it at all costs. Opposite reactions to the same trauma. Katara gets mad and demands to be heard and listened to and seen, and Sokka gets sarcastic and prepares himself for the day the Fire Nation ships come back for his sister.

So. Back to those above lines from “Southern Raiders.”

From a writing standpoint, I do wish the final moment was between Katara and Sokka versus Katara and Aang. They could’ve had an almost identical interaction, but it would’ve been more nuanced. I don’t think that Katara needed to apologize, but I think we needed some acknowledgement from both of them: Katara continuing the lesson she’s learned about how her pain doesn’t entitle her to hurt other people (including Sokka, who is there no matter what she says or does), and Sokka that Katara’s process of grieving had to involve this catharsis.

Or. Maybe not. Because again--subtext. Their grief works in such different ways that I have to imagine this isn’t a new fight. It was probably brutal and vicious for a very long time. Maybe that’s part of what made Sokka try and go with the warriors. Maybe that’s part of why Katara gets mad so quickly in the first episode of the show. But eventually, unable to find an answer, they just...stop talking about it. Because the two of them don’t talk about it. Katara only talks about her mom with people who aren’t Sokka, and Sokka does exclusively to Toph and Zuko.

The only time I can think of Katara and Sokka talking about it together is the exchange at the top of this post, and it gets ugly fast, and it isn’t brought up again. It’s a fight that will never be resolved, because they fundamentally can’t react to one another in a way that can be universally understood.

“You didn’t love her the way I did!” Katara yells, loudly, because if Sokka loved her then why isn’t he raging? Why isn’t he getting his sword and coming to help her? Why doesn’t Sokka want to burn this firebender to the ground and make him see and hear and look at what he’s done to the world? To their family? He must not understand. He must not care as much or he’d be screaming with her.

“Katara,” Sokka says, much quieter, and adds nothing else. Not because there isn’t anything else to say, but because Sokka can’t talk about this kind of thing. Not doesn’t want to, but can’t, because it’s his job to protect people, protect Katara, and if he lets all those old hurts come boiling up he can’t do that, because that ends with losing focus and losing control and people getting hurt or going away. Why can’t she understand that?

And then they do what they always do. They don’t bring it up again.

[the-last-cuddlebender]

I straight up check your profile daily for the southern raiders analysis you’re working on. 👀👀 where IS IT 😩

bRUH I am so excited to drop this analysis you have no idea (It’s creeping up to 22k+ I am gonna cryyyyyyyyyyyy). The only problem is that my TSR analysis and “Moon theory” are so incredibly hard to structure and articulate. I’m happy you’re so excited for it, though!!! Truly, it’s an honor. I’ll give you a taste of my madness and what’s to come, but be warned: it may be a bit hard to follow because TSR (from how I’ve come to understand it) is about the vagueness of beginnings, endings, and cycles, so there isn’t really a starting point for me to begin with. (So it may seem a tad bit like a ramble in some points that I haven’t fleshed out yet/am summarizing for this ask)

This analysis has me on trails like THIS brilliant nonsense, and I am 1000000000% here for it:

Roku: “The spirit's name is Koh, but he is very dangerous. They call him The Face Stealer.”

Katara: “We’re going to find the man who took my mother from me.”...“That’s him. That’s the monster.”

Lion Turtle: “To bend another's energy, your own spirit must be unbendable, or you will be corrupted and destroyed.”

Roku: “When you speak with him, you must be very careful to show no emotion at all. Not the slightest expression, or he will steal your face.”

Hama: “Congratulations, Katara. You’re a bloodbender.”

(If Katara had killed Yon Rha, she would be giving up her identity--her face. Not only would she have become a killer, but she would be killing what made her Katara)

Aang: “Let your anger out, and then let it go. Forgive him.”

Forgive him--approach him for what he is, not the faces your memories or your heart are having him wear. See him for the pathetic man he is in that moment right in front of you.

Aang’s forgiveness is seeing someone for the sum of their parts. It’s judging them and seeing through into their very soul, just like the Firebending Masters saw through Zuko being the Crown Prince and Aang being the Avatar. That meant nothing to the Masters. What did matter to them was who the boys were right there, right then, right in front of them.

“Why should I hold a grudge against you for something you did in a past life? After all, you’re a different person, now. You’ve come to me with a new face.”

But anyways...

If I can give no other take-away from my analysis and moon theory, it’s that Yin and Yang are not two entities; they are three. I think the fandom’s misunderstanding of it may be why the discourse on TSR (and Aang, Katara, and Zuko) is so black and white (pun intended lol). 

“But Yin and Yang are obviously two things. Don’t you know the symbol?” I hear some people already saying.

Wrong, sir.

It has never been just Yin and Yang. Yin and Yang have never existed as just two things.

They are Yin and Yang and Wu Wei.

(Aunt Wu has her name for a reason, and she has the mark of the wise in her hair for a reason, too...AND she is at odds with Sokka in The Fortuneteller for a reason, too!!!...but that’s for the analysis😉)

Balance isn’t good triumphing over evil. Balance is good and evil. Balance is standing on the flow between two opposites--it’s the compliment that connects them. (The koi fish live in an oasis for a reason.)

I’ll explain what Wu Wei is later in the full analysis (like many things in here), but here’s some of my evidences and proofs for the “Yin Yang trio”:

The Tibetan “Wheel of Dharma”

(I’ll also explain the Wheel and Dharma and etc. later because it has everything to do with Koh and the moon) Long story short, the wheel and its spokes are representative of the 8 steps to enlightenment and the cycle of rebirth. 

Look at the hub of the wheel. It’s a swirl made of 3 parts.

It is also a white lotus

Here’s the colored version of the wheel (as an alter):

Recognize the colors?

BLUE, WHITE (or gold, depending), & RED

These are the “THREE TREASURES” OR JEWELS.

They symbolize DHARMA, BUDDHA, & SANGHA respectively. 

KATARA, AANG, & ZUKO

water, air, & fire

T H R E E

Bato: “Ice dodging is a ceremonial test of wisdom, bravery, and trust.

Bato: “The spirits of water bear witness to these marks...”

Why does Bato say spirit(s) plural? The Ocean and the Moon are only two spirits. The Ocean can’t be two things. Right?

WRONG

Yue: “The legends say the Moon was the first waterbender. Our ancestors saw how it pushed and pulled the tides and learned how to do it themselves.”

The Moon--singular. The Tides--plural (push and pull)

Lion Turtle: “In the era before the Avatar, we bent not the elements, but the energy within our senses.”

The moon pushing and pulling the tide is the moon bending the energy of its world. 

Katara finding balance between “being too weak to do it” or “strong enough not to” is her bending the energy within herself.

It’s two solutions written as a question but said as a statement.

Yue: “Our ancestors saw how it pushed and pulled the tides and learned how to do it themselves”

THE SOUTHERN RAIDERS IS ABOUT AANG AND ZUKO LEARNING FROM KATARA. Katara had already learned from Aang and Zuko all leading up to TSR. That was her studying. TSR was her test.

TSR is Zuko’s and Aang’s studying. Sozin’s Comet is their test.

Bato: “For Sokka, the Mark of the Wise. The same mark your father earned. For Katara, the Mark of the Brave. Your courage inspires us. And for Aang, the Mark of the Trusted. You are now an honorary member of the Water Tribe.”

Aang - Wise (”you’re pretty wise for a kid”)

Katara - Brave (the same mark her mother earned)

Zuko - Trusted (”I was the first person to trust you”)

Sokka - Bato ("I am to have no part in this--you pass or fail on your own.”)

Yin and Yang are nothing without their dance. The Avatar and the Firelord mean nothing if they don’t have a world to rebuild.

The valley means nothing if there isn’t anyone to live in it.

Fighting is useless if there isn’t someone to fight for, otherwise it is “selfish and stupid”

Katara had to have a reason to return from Yon Rha. She needed to have Aang waiting for her. If she didn’t have a reason to stay, then she wouldn’t have a reason to go.

To have a reason to sleep, a person has to have a reason to wake up.

Katara: “Aang. He just took his glider and disappeared. He has this ridiculous notion that he has to save the world alone; that it's all his responsibility.”

Hakoda: “Maybe that's his way of being brave.”

(Bato: “For Katara, the Mark of the Brave. Your courage inspires us.”)

Katara: “It's not brave! It's selfish and stupid! We could be helping him! And I know the world needs him, but doesn't he know how much we need him, too? How can he just leave us behind?!”

(It was, in fact, not easy for Aang to ‘do nothing’)

Katara: “I understand why you left. I really do, and I know that you had to go, so why do I still feel this way? I'm so sad and angry...and hurt.”

Hakoda: “I love you more than anything. You and your brother are my entire world. I thought about you every day when I was gone, and every night when I went to sleep, I would lie awake missing you so much it would ache.”

(AND YUE IS ONE OF THE ONES TO SAVE AANG IN THE OCEAN FOR A REASON)

Thinking and missing: a matter of mind (who) and heart (want). 

Iroh: “Who are you? And what do you want?”

Sokka: “We need to go back. I wanna see Dad, but helping Aang is where we're needed the most.”

Mai: “I love Zuko more than I fear you.”

BUT YOU WANNA TALK ABOUT THE MOON FOR A HOT SECOND???

I’LL TELL YOU ABOUT THE MOON

I’LL TELL YOU ABOUT 2 MOONS

OH

OH REALLY???

OH REALLY, ZUKO

A FEW HOURS YOU SAY?

THEN TELL ME, ZUKO

WHY IS THE SUN GOING UP

WHEN IT IS THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT A FEW HOURS LATER

AND KATARA IS SLEEPING SO YOU CAN’T TELL ME IT’S BECAUSE YOU RISE WITH THE SUN OTHERWISE SHE’D BE WIDE AWAKE DURING THE FULL MOON THAT SHE USES TO BLOODBEND NOT EVEN TWO MINUTES LATER

THIS, MY FRIENDS, IS A HARVEST MOON

WHICH IS THE LAST FULL MOON OF THE SUMMER 

(and looks off color when it rises/falls because of the angle of the rise/fall in the atmosphere...it’s normal once overhead)

AND SYMOLIZES HISTORY REPEATING ITSELF

“We’re going to find the MAN who took my mother from me.”

“That’s him. That’s the MONSTER.”

8 spokes on the wheel

Katara was 8 when Kya was killed

8 steps to enlightenment (the “Eightfold Path”)

8 phases of the moon

8 faces of Koh

“One of your previous incarnations tried to slay me! Be it 8 or 9 hundred years ago” (but time is an illusion, so hundreds mean nothing)

THE OTHER TWO MOONS THAT ARE CONSUMING MY EVERY WAKING MOMENT???:

1.) The WOLF MOON--the first full moon of the new year (a love between the wolf and the moon in the harshest winters...connection is kindof obvious lmao)

2.) THE THUNDER MOON

The Thunder Moon is the full moon of July. It is also known as the Buck Moon--for when young buck regrow their antlers.

Yue: “My hair turned white.”

Zuko: *cuts and re-grows his hair*

Aang: “I have hair?”

The Thunder Moon--the full moon of July--is also the beginning of a certain Buddhist holiday.

DHARMA DAY

WHICH CELEBRATES THE BEGINING OF BUDDHISM AND THE FIRST OF THE 8 STEPS (the first spoke of the Dharma Wheel) TOWARDS ENLIGHTENMENT

AVATAR IS ALL ABOUT CYCLES

THE SOUTHERN RAIDERS IS ALL ABOUT BREAKING THEM

I haven’t even touched Jung, Koh, Hinduism, and Buddhism yet

or the fact that Katara and Kya are the only characters in the entire series to wear moons on their clothing and that, together, they form an actual lunar phenomenon

or why the spirit oasis isn’t a complete circle

or the fact that this thing that Aang is told to chase is just like Whaletail Island:

or how important the Great Divide and the Solstice are

AND I’M JUST GETTING STARTED

BECAUSE EVERYTHING IN THE SOUTHERN RAIDERS--RIGHT DOWN TO THE SOUND DESIGN--IS ABSOLUTELY MONUMENTAL IN UNDERSTANDING THE SHOW, ITS MESSAGE, ENERGYBENDING, AND LITERALLY EVERYTHING ELSE

TLDR: Idk how the heck I’m going to arrange or articulate this analysis because it is WILD. Be warned: There is literally no exact beginning and ending to this analysis because the whole point of Yin and Yang is that is has no beginning or ending (...kindof...), so you’ll have to bear with me once I’m done editing it into something that’s somewhat coherent.

These are just SOME of the things I’ve been able to answer with my moon theory and analysis of The Southern Raiders as it currently stands:

Why “letting go” isn’t really letting go (as we understand it...see: Aang’s confrontation with Koh)

Why Lake Laogai and the Spirit World are symbolically the same thing.

Zuko’s advice to the bullfrog is actually a summary of the show, energybending, the origin of bending, and the definition of Aang’s “forgiveness” I stg

Why “Sokka’s instincts” are the reason Katara yells at Sokka

Believe it or not, every time Katara mentions her mother, it is at specific times for specific reasons.

^^^same thing for the moon, lack of moon, moon positioning, etc.

Katara’s mother’s necklace is more important than we realize.

Who the faces of Koh are and WHY they are there.

The true meaning of Jet’s sacrifice.

Why Jet’s episode about the dam explains the entirety of TSR as it pertains to Katara (all the way down to the little girl who runs to get her doll after the dam breaks)

Why Katara actually DID forgive Yon Rha, and the fact that she doesn’t even know it is proof that she did

^^^^^Aang’s definition of forgiveness is completely misunderstood by the fandom, and the way he “forgives” is sososo much deeper than “moving on”, and it is DEFINATELY by no means “doing  nothing” or “excusing” past actions.

The importance of lightning, Zuko, Aang, and Katara.

The absolutely monumental and not nearly talked about importance of Jeong-Jeong like holy crap.

How Katara and Azula are just as much of a Yin and Yang as Zuko and Aang but not in the way we think they are

Why Koh has the Blue Spirit’s face

Why Koh DOESN’T have the Painted Lady’s face.

Who Ni-Ni from Katara’s campfire story in The Puppetmaster is 

How and why Iroh was able to learn firebending from the Masters even though he didn’t have a partner. 

How/Why Azula had her breakdown and why she saw her mother in the mirror

Why “Leaves from the Vine” and “Four Seasons” are the same song, explain Azula’s downfall, and explain the Yin and Yang of TSR.

Why Katara and Sokka are so often mistaken for parental figures.

Why Aang’s flashbacks to the Air Nomads are so important in understanding TSR.

Why Toph and Suki disappear after the campfire in TSR.

How Hakoda, Gyatso, and Kya are all connected.

Why it is so dang important that Azula shows up in the beginning of TSR.

The importance of the Spirit Oasis.

Energybending, healing with waterbending, Aang’s trauma, and Zuko’s scar.

Why Zuko gives Katara the exact opposite advise in TSR that he gave her in the catacombs. 

How everything could be predicted and read by the moon.

WHY YIN AND YANG ARE THREE THINGS AND HAVE ALWAYS BEEN THREE THINGS.

HOW ALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL OF THIS TIES BACK TO THE MOON AND BUDDHIST BELIEFS--AND YEAH THE MOON AND BUDDHISM AND HINDUISM ARE MORE CONNECTED IN ATLA THAN YOU CAN IMAGINE.

AND HOW IT LEADS INTO OUR MODERN UNDERSTANDING OF THE SELF--BECAUSE JUNG TOOK GREAT INFLUENCE IN HIS DEVELOPING THEORY OF THE CONSCIOUS AND THE SUBCONSCIOUS FROM THE HINDU/BUDDHIST RELIGIONS 

^^^^AND ALSO THE THEORY OF THE SHADOW AND THE PERSONA 

The ocean is a deep, dark, unknown place with a lot of hidden monsters (like Yon Rah). Katara needed a light to find her monster, but she also needed somewhere she could breathe when she came back up for air.

If she didn’t have both Zuko and Aang, Katara would have drowned. 

I wasn’t kidding when I said this was a thesis, and what I’ve said and listed here isn’t even all that I have.

btw This all does line up on the traditional Yin Yang symbol we know and see in the show, but I don’t have enough space here for that lmao. That’ll be in the analysis

I hope you enjoyed this little taste, my friend, because I need to sit down for a hot second before my brain leaks out of my ears. Sorry for the ramble. I promise the analysis isn’t like this lol. This is just me trying to summarize as best as I can. 

***Disclaimer: My points are always subject to change since I am still researching. These are the facts as I’ve found and applied them to the evidences I’ve noted from in the show. I’m always open for friendly discussion or any directions to better sources on Buddhism/Tao/Jung!***

[melzula]

The Throne

part three

pairing: Zuko x Princess!reader

summary: Koa greatly underestimates the Princess, but he’s not giving up just yet...

~ part of the fire lilies series ~

The air of dawn is frigid and cold, yet the subtle trembling of your body is not from the chilly climate. The sun has yet to rise and your people are still asleep, the mutiny is just a few hours away, and you find that after hours of tossing and turning it’s better to begin your preparation for the battle ahead than worry yourself to death any longer. Your regular dress has been exchanged for an outfit much more suitable for fighting, your crown replaced by a water tribe emblem pin secured neatly in your hair, and though you normally choose to wear gloves to keep your scars hidden you opt out of using them today. Your wounds are a reminder of your resilience and your strength, and those two attributes are things you’ll desperately need today if you hope to defeat Koa once and for all.

“Princess,” Sokka’s voice whispers from outside your door accompanied by a gentle knock, “my dad and his warriors are here. I kept them out of sight like you asked.”

“I’ll be right out,” comes your quiet reply, and without a moment to waste you follow the boy out of the palace and into the courtyard towards the one blind spot from the watch tower where two of Koa’s guards wait on duty. Just as Sokka said, Hakoda and his men stand waiting and at the ready for the chaos that is to ensue when Koa attempts to over throw you and your mother. The small village Chief bows respectfully in your presence but you wave off the action with a smile.

“There’s no need for formality,” you assure him. “I can’t begin to thank you enough for agreeing to help me.”

“There’s no end in sight to the struggles our village faces with Koa in charge. You have your father’s spirit, Princess, and I know for a fact that there is no one more capable than you to rule our tribe. We will do everything in our power to put an end to his reign one and for all,” Hakoda vows earnestly. “Just say the word and we’ll be there.”

“Thank you,” you utter softly, eyes watering at the mention of your father— would it be terrible of you to admit that you struggle placing his face in your head? You could really use some of Iroh’s famous advice right now...

“You should get back inside,” Sokka says, “if anyone spots you out here this early in the morning they might get suspicious.”

“You’re probably right,” you nod, and without another word the water tribe boy escorts you back into the palace and into your room.

“You have everything you need?” Sokka asks, peering around the room before resting his gaze upon the small pile of unopened letters on your dresser. The red of the Fire Nation insignia is a stark contrast to the soft hues of blue that line your bedroom.

“I have all the evidence together, Kai agreed to speak out against his father, and Hakoda can tell everyone about the neglect the smaller tribes have been facing thanks to Hakoda. Katara is in charge of keeping my mother safe and I’m ready to fight if I have to. Everything is ready.”

“You know, it’s still not too late to make a last minute call to Zuko,” Sokka notes casually only for you to give him a pointed look.

“Sokka...

“I’m just saying, if I were your boyfriend I’d want to know about the fact that there’s someone out there threatening the girl I love.”

“Why bring him into it now when it’s almost over? No calling Zuko,” you reiterate firmly. “And afterward if he wants to be mad at me for keeping it a secret from him then he can; I’ll be able to sleep soundly at night knowing I did it for his own good.”

“I doubt Zuko’s sleeping soundly,” Sokka mutters to himself, his eyes never leaving the stack of scrolls.

For a water bender, you’re very stubborn.

~~~

The steady beat of the soldier’s drums draws the people of your village towards the palace grounds and brings their attention to Koa who stands before the palace door. Mother’s hold their children to their chests and the merchants quickly begin to pack up their goods at the sight of the army of guards that stand before the man. He is confident and sure, heart pounding with anticipation and giddiness as he prepares to take his “rightful” place on the throne. Your father is gone, your mother is weak, and he’s turned your own guards against you; there’s no way for you to save yourself now.

“Princess!” Koa bellows. “Show yourself!”

Everyone watches with baited breath as you emerge from the palace with Sokka right behind you, face stoic and head held high with dignity and grace as you confront your opposers. His eyes glance briefly at your scars before returning back to you, his grin never falters, and neither of you break from each other’s gaze.

“What is the meaning of this?” You ask with feigned obliviousness.

“On behalf of the Southern Water Tribe, I am relieving you and your mother of your duty. No longer will you be leader of a tribe you do not deserve and no longer will you continue to fail your people,” Koa announces for all to hear.

“Do you really speak for everyone?” You retort with a raised brow, and Koa falters slightly at your surprisingly calm demeanor. He expected more of a reaction from someone who was mere seconds away from losing their throne. “Chief Hakoda, please step forward.”

Koa’s eyes widen at the sight of the man who appears from the shadows and joins you on the steps, small gasps and uneasy glances exchanged between those part of the royal tribe as well as Koa’s own guards.

“My name is Hakoda, and I am from one of the smaller outer villages. For years our village has suffered from dwindling numbers and resources as a result of the war. Koa promised us aid, he promised us food and assistance in rebuilding our village, yet we have not received one single thing he has promised us. We were cut off from the rest of the southern water tribe as were the rest of the outer villages the moment he took on the title of chieftain. Everything he has promised you is a lie. Koa is not fit to rule our tribe.”

Quiet murmurs and hushed whispers sound throughout the crowd, and you hold back a smug smile at the anger that flashes across Koa’s face. He wasn’t the only one willing to fight dirty, and he was a fool for believing you’d give up the throne that easily. One thing was certain: Koa had no idea just who he was dealing with.

“Please, I’ve done everything I can to help your people. It’s not my fault you don’t know how to properly use your resources,” Koa spits, but he can sense the tension arising from his men, some who come from the same village as Hakoda.

“I knew of your plan to stage this mutiny against me, and I know of your plan to invade the north,” you retaliate with a stern glare. The faces of his soldiers as well as Koa’s own face pales at your words, and gasps sound throughout the crowd.

“You can’t prove that!”

“I can,” Sokka says firmly. “I went to that secret meeting and heard all about your plans to invade our sister tribe. You don’t care about anything unless it has to do with power.”

“Are you really going to believe these children over me? The man who served as advisor all these years and took care of your needs?!”

“You said every man was expendable.”

“You have no proof!”

“Actually, she does,” a voice pipes up from the crowd, and Koa watches on in horror as his own son joins your side and hands over his journal. “My father keeps all his thoughts and plans in this book, and you can find everything you need to know about him in those pages.”

“Kai?! What are you doing?!” Koa demands only for his son to look away guiltily.

“What you’re doing isn’t right dad, it has to stop.”

“You little water rat,” Koa seethes, “you’ve turned my own son against me! Attack her!”

At the sound of those words Sokka, Hakoda, and his warriors create a wall around you, weapons at the ready to defend you. However, with a small shake of your head their defenses are lowered.

“You don’t want to fight each other. We’re brothers and sisters, this isn’t the way. There can be no era of rebuilding if there is no peace. Koa promised you great things, but he doesn’t care about you the way a leader should. I know you don’t think I’m ready to lead, but I promise you I will do everything in my power to rebuild the Southern Water Tribe and bring it back to its rightful glory. All you have to do is trust me.”

The air is thick with tense silence as your people exchange quiet glances with one another, both you and Koa watching on with baited breath, but then one of the men slowly removes his helmet before tossing it to the ground and lowering onto one knee. His eyes meet your own in quiet remorse and you smile faintly in appreciation, eyes beginning to water at the meaningful gesture. To Koa’s dismay many of the other men follow suit until only a handful of his followers remain.

“No... no! You fools! Get up! Don’t let her trick you!”

“Your reign is over Koa,” you announce for all to hear. “You will be removed from the palace and tried for your acts of treason against the water tribes. It’s over.”

“Not yet,” Koa vows, eyes narrowing at your figure with rage and hatred. You have too much of your father’s spirit in you, something that he loathes more than anything.

A sudden blast of snow is shot in all directions, blocking your view and prompting Sokka to quickly pull you close and shield you with his body. Disoriented and startled, no one is able to detect Koa’s quick exit, and when the smoke clears the man is gone.

“Should we go after him?” One of Hakoda’s men asks, but you simply shake your head.

“He has nowhere to run,” you say, your gaze far off and distant as you look towards the horizon. “He’ll be back...”

~~~

Things are slowly but surely starting to get back on track and you can’t complain. After Koa’s disappearance you were left with his remaining men, and despite the fact that they’d been so willing to betray you you were able to forgive them with ease. They were desperate, lost, and looked to someone they thought they could trust to help them; how could you fault them for wanting better? You felt it would be too cruel to throw them in jail or punish them, so instead you came up with the agreement that they would help rebuild and deliver supplies to the outer villages in desperate need of care. Your mother was back on the throne and in change, and you both had agreed that Hakoda would serve as your new advisor. Yes, everything was shaping up nicely for your tribe and you couldn’t be happier.

You’re late for dinner, this much you know, but you’re too engrossed in the new plans Hakoda has sent you in regards to new structures for the outer tribes that will strengthen their defenses to get up now. Katara and Sokka are probably waiting for you, enjoying their time home before they must return and resume their work on the Restoration Movement, but you doubt they’ll mind if you’re a little late— well, Sokka won’t mind as long as he can still eat in your absence.

With your back to the door, you hear a gentle knock and call out a quiet “come in,” as you assume it must be Katara or Sokka calling you to dinner, but the harsh slam of the door immediately has you on your feet. A shadowy figure stands before you, and you waste no time pulling the water from the air and shooting sharp blasts of ice towards the intruder with your fists. They are fast, agilely dogging your attacks and barrel rolling out of the way before tossing sharp darts in your direction. The wall of ice you form manages to block most of them, but one needle strays and nicks your arm. You cry out in pain, and when you attempt to raise your arms to bend you find that you can’t move at all. It’s as if your body slowly begins to shut down before finally your knees give out and you collapse to the floor.

“N-No,” you gasp out, trying to move but to no avail.

“Shishu spit darts. Hard to come by in the water tribe, but I have my ways,” the sinister voices says, and your heart immediately drops to your stomach at the familiar tone.

“Koa...”

“Did you miss me, Princess?” He smirks, slowly removing his hood before towering over you. “I told you it wasn’t over yet. I’d never let myself lose to the likes of you.”

“Why are you doing this?” You whisper in a trembling voice, adrenaline and fear coursing through your veins at the sight of the sharp dagger in his hand.

“When your father died in battle it removed a great weight from my shoulders. I wouldn’t have to worry about him any longer, and I knew your mother would be too feeble minded to fight my suggestions of temporary placement on the throne. But you... my, you were just too stubborn for your own good. I had hoped you’d stay in the Fire Nation with Prince Zuko, but when you returned it made things much more complicated. You see, I underestimated you the first time. But now, with you helpless at my feet, I’m going to take care of you once and for all.”

The dagger raises and you shut your eyes tight in preparation for your death, but the blade never comes. Instead, the weapon is knocked out from Koa’s grasp by a very familiar boomerang.

“Get away from her!” Sokka cries fiercely. He attempts to charge at the man, but Koa is quick and manages to evade Sokka’s grasp before running out into the hallway. “Guards, stop him!”

You watch from the corner of your eye as a group of men rush past your doorway in pursuit of Koa, oblivious to Sokka’s movements as he scoops you up off the ground and rushes you to his sister in hopes that she can somehow heal you of the poison.

“How did you know he was here?” You manage to ask him.

“I didn’t. Katara sent me to come get you for dinner because she knew if I didn’t you’d spend all night looking over those plans my dad sent you,” Sokka says seriously. “Y/n, you we’re almost killed!”

“I’m sorry...”

Sokka, realizing the harshness of his tone, lets out a small sigh. “It’s not your fault, but I have to put my foot down here. We obviously can’t fight Koa on our own anymore, we have to get help.”

“Sokka, what are you saying?” You utter uneasily, reluctant to hear the answer you know is coming.

“We have to tell Zuko about Koa.”

| tags: @rainteslerrrr @simpinforsukka @oddment-niwit-blubber-tweak @thebluelcdy @royahllty @the-firebender-girl @coldlilheart @ilovespideyyy @yiyibetch @eridanuswave @lammello @a-monsters-love @knaite-solo @zukh03s @taeeemin @user12345321 @just--artemis--with--ghost @titaniafire @dekahg @emberislandplayers @kikaninchen-2 @lozzybowe @izzieserra @melacholy @music-geek19 @thia-aep @thyunnamed @haylaansmi @nataliahaslosthershit @idkdude776 @aangsupremacy @thirstyforsometea @ihaveaproblem98 @brown-eyed-thang @djskfkdkkf @xapham @yeetletzgetitjae @misnmatchedsox @chewymoustachio @that-bucket-hat-gal @chilifrylizard2 @kyomihann @kaylove12 @kiwihoee @freggietale @neighborhoodpansexualdisaster @noodlesfluffy @moon-spirit-yue @bubblegum-bee-otch

[stark-tony]

most recent bookmarks (5/8/21)

bnha

5 Times Midoriya Taught Class 1A about Memes and 1 Time they Found a Villain that Understood Them by MaddCatter (1.2k, G, gen) After being diagnosed as quirkless, Midoriya gets into pre-guirk media and finds memes. He shares them with Class 1A. Aizawa doesn't get paid enough for this.

a glimpse of tomorrow (looking back) by achievingelysium (7.9k, T, gen, bullying)  Subject: Aldera Time Capsule Ceremony Forwarded Message— This year marks ten years for the Aldera Middle School graduating class of 20XX.To celebrate, we would like to invite pro heroes Kingpin and Deku, Aldera alumni, to participate in a public time-capsule opening. We are incredibly proud to have helped them on their journeys to becoming heroes, and would be most honored to receive them as guests and for them to speak at the ceremony. [...]"Well," Deku says, leaning over to turn the monitor towards him. His eyes flick over the contents of the email one more time. "If they haven't changed, then I guess we could return the favor."Ten years down the line, Bakugou and Midoriya are invited to a time capsule ceremony at their middle school to read letters from their past selves, and look back on their past and how it shaped their future. For anyone else, it would have been a celebration.For the two of them, it's an opportunity.A look into Bakugou and Midoriya's past—through a future neither of them imagined—as pro heroes, agency partners, and friends. (Written for NWA: Prompts for All Event.)

Watch The World Burn by Quisanne (33k, T, gen, bullying)  Shouta and Toshinori were successful in their attempt to gather evidence about the wrongdoings of Aldera Middle School. It doesn't take long, though, to realize that there are many more things out there in hero society that need fixing. Fixing as in throwing a feral Yagi Toshinori at the problem and hoping everything turns out fine, that is.

Razzmatazz by xylophones (168.5k, T, gen) Izuku has plans for everything.He plans out what to say to the cashier when ordering coffee, he plans out his homework before even opening his textbook. He has a whole ten-year plan for how he’s going to get into UA’s hero course and get his hero license fully quirkless. He plans for every wild, unlikely scenario he can think of because his anxiety gets so bad if he doesn’t go through every possible outcome, every way his life could landslide into disaster–– but Izuku never planned for this.For once, he doesn’t have a plan and he doesn’t have time to think of one. All he can see is Yagi-san’s lined, kind face looking resigned as he stares down the villain in his shop. Yagi-san, who is the closest thing to a father figure Izuku has ever had.Izuku doesn’t think. He just moves.(Or: Izuku saves the number one hero, gets a hero license way earlier than anyone wanted, realizes that maybe hero society isn’t as great as he thought it was, and everything just kind of falls apart from there.) 

almost never losing by blueh (4.6k, T, gen) It’s been five years since Izuku has last stepped foot there, but the words Aldera Middle School still bring him an unprecedented amount of dread. It’s accompanied by middle school reunion scribbled underneath which has the added bonus of making Izuku want to go hide under Iida’s desk and not come out.He puts the letter, unopened, on his desk and resolves not to think about it.“You’re just going to let them win?”… Izuku resolves to not think about it for the two seconds that Kacchan allows him not to think about it.or: Two year after graduating UA, Aldera Middle School hosts its first middle school reunion in honor of not one, but two former students graduating and becoming pros.Izuku’s not quite sure he even wants to go, until suddenly he does.

Putting Infinity into Words by redrobin1989 (8.3k, G, gen)  Soul Mates have evolved with quirks to become Soul Bonds in which one feels the entire emotional spectrum and a fact about their future relationship. Or so Izuku had heard, he'd only ever two Soul Bonds and they both caused him pain. Until All Might and Yuuei and he finally learned what it was like to have a loving, thriving Bond.

an old friend or two by neon_air (8.3k, G, gen) When Midoriya Izuku began hearing whispers in his head after gaining One for All, he didn't think much of it. When the whispering escalated to full thoughts, suggestions, and that somehow escalated to a couple of ghosts tailing him around, then he began to think much of it.Or, how Midoriya Izuku and the vestiges of One for All become one big mish-mash of a family.

New Discoveries by deafmic (826, G, erasermic) Eri has never seen a cat in her life and when coming home for the first time, is terrified of Aizawa's.

Father's Day by Fallende (2.7k, G, gen)  “T-this is for you!” His successor says. "For me?" Toshinori Yagi asks. "What's the occasion?" "No occasion!" The boy insists. It's a lie.

One Step by GEMoore990 (5.2k, T, gen) Doctors and Izuku don’t mix.Which was why it felt like the floor fell under him when Aizawa-sensei announced they would be going to the hospital for checkups.Or just because Izuku has a quirk now doesn’t mean that his body physically isn’t quirkless anymore.

possession is only one-ninth of a quirk by PachiiRiisu (9.2k, T, gen) “You’re right on the money; to be more accurate, I’m in Midoriya’s body. In truth, I’m… one of the previous holders,” The words “of One For All” are left unsaid.What.“What the fuck,” Katsuki eloquently says. He can already feel a headache forming, if it hadn’t begun already.Or: 5 times Bakugou covers for Deku’s weird quirk, and 1 time he doesn't.

hp 

Official by BeeDaily (1k, T, jily) James is caught eavesdropping in the library.

mcu

the little things by crowkag (4.2k, T, gen, kidnapping) Minutes tick away, and by the time Tony finishes the three emails Pepper had copied him into, Peter is a snoring ball in his lap. Shutting his laptop, he carefully leans forward to place it on the coffee table, drawing back with the forgotten can of root beer in his hands. Peter prefers his sodas flat when he drinks them—probably because he’s weird and has no sense of taste—so Tony pops the tab open with a soft hiss and settles it on the side table.Tipping his head back on the couch, he lowers his fingers to run absentminded tracks through Peter’s curls.He’s my weird kid, though, he thinks with a smile, already drifting into sleep himself.(or: Ten little instances of love between Tony and Peter.)

i know who his dad is (it's you) by imeanthatsprettysnazzy (3.6k, gen, spideychelle)  “Spider-Man, as in the guy that stops robberies in Queens?” Pepper asked slowly. “That kid — that little tiny baby kid — is Spider-Man?”“Yeah…” Tony stared at her, still not really understanding what the hell was happening here. “As far as I can tell. All signs point to yes, and all that. Who did you think he was?”Pepper blinked again, slower. She shook her head hurriedly. “No, I — I thought he was your kid.”“What?”“Well, what else was I meant to think?” Pepper exclaimed, looking at him like he was insane. “You’re sitting there, very clearly pretending like you’re okay, with information on a kid that was born during the middle of your crazy years!” [People think that Peter is Tony's kid.]

atla   

Three-Body Problem by JustGettingBy (6.3k, T, gen) In this world, the war ends early.Events ripple out from there.AKA The Hakoda and Zuko arranged marriage turned adoption au

[awkwardpenguinproductions]

Perspective

Part 11 of the Dragon of the Yuyan

Read on AO3 | Series Masterpost

Bato usually takes his evening walk a lot earlier than this, so that he can catch the sunset over the water and marvel (two years away from home and he’s still not used to the sun actually rising and setting more than twice a year). Tonight, however, a series of events have conspired to make him late, and the sun has just set when he finally leaves the Abbey and heads down to the beach toward his ship.

A month after the skirmish, and his burns are still tender and stiff, but the sisters are well-versed in healing and Bato knows it’s nearly time to move on. Hakoda and the rest of the Fleet should be somewhere in the Eastern Earth Kingdom by now, and Bato is just waiting for his Chief to send word so that Bato can rejoin his brothers.

As he approaches his ship, a flickering orange light pierces the darkness, and his heart stops for a moment. Firebenders? But the only sounds are the waves of the sea against the sand and the crackling fire, so Bato keeps his hand on his dagger and approaches cautiously.

As he gets closer, he can see the silhouette of someone sitting before a campfire, someone with what looks to be a shaggy wolf-tail. A stick snaps under Bato’s foot, and the person jolts, standing and whirling around with a weapon in hand.

“Who’s there?” Calls out an achingly familiar voice, and Bato can’t believe it.

“Sokka?” He asks, stepping into the circle of firelight. And so it is, his Chief’s son, relaxing from his fighting stance.

“Bato?” His voice has deepened, and cracks on the end where it turns up in question.

“Who the what now?” Another voice asks, male and young, and Bato can see a small body resting on one of the legs belonging to a huge furry creature the size of his ship. Across the campfire from Sokka, Katara sits up in her sleeping bag and calls out, “Bato!”

Bato braces himself as both Sokka and Katara run over to hug him, with the smaller boy and another one, nearly fully grown and shrugging a quiver over his shoulder. “Sokka, Katara! It is so good to see you! You’ve grown so much!”

“Hi, I’m Aang, and this is Zuko,” the small boy says, bowing and indicating his taller companion, who also bows. Bato is about to greet them, but Sokka speaks before he can.

“Where’s Dad?”

“Is he here?” Katara asks eagerly.

Bato hates to disappoint them, but there’s no point in prevaricating, so he tells them where Hakoda and the fleet are and invites them to the Abbey.

His niece and nephew are delighted with his room, while Avatar Aang grimaces in poorly disguised disgust and the silent Zuko glances around with an appreciative air. Bato wants to ask the boy about the massive burn scar on his face, maybe compare battle stories, but Sokka and Katara command his attention, and his relief and delight at seeing them and finding them well overwhelm his instinct to be a good host.

They eat their fill of stewed sea prunes and talk. Aang tries to participate in the conversation, while Zuko doesn’t say a word, but watches everyone keenly, and Bato could swear that his eyes flicker gold in the firelight. That’s impossible, though— Sokka and Katara more than anybody know better than to trust ash-makers . Bato puts the thought out of his mind, and conversation turns to Hakoda and the Southern Water Tribe fleet.

When he tells them about the message he’s expecting from Hakoda, the kids’ faces light up.

“Really?” Katara squeals.

“When?” Sokka demands. Between them, Zuko looks up from the arrows he’s fletching, a small smile on his face.

“Any day now,” Bato replies, almost as excited as them. “Your father said he’d send a message when they found the rendezvous point. If you wait until the message arrives, you can come with me, and see your father again.”

Sokka beams. “It’s been over two years since we’ve seen Dad! That would be so incredible! Katara!”

“I do really miss him,” Katara sighs wistfully. “It would be great to see Dad.”

“It’s been far too long, hasn’t it?” Bato commiserates. He misses his brother warriors like he would miss his limbs. “I’m not sure when word will arrive, but when it does, you’re more than welcome to come along to see your father.”

Both the kids deflate suddenly. “It would be great, but we can’t,” Sokka says gravely. “We have to get Aang to the North Pole.”

“Even if we do have time to wait for the message, who knows how far we’d have to travel?” Katara adds with typical pragmatism. “We don’t have time for a long detour.”

Bato is disappointed, but also immensely proud, and knows that Hakoda will be as well, and says so. Sokka and Katara beam, and Zuko looks a bit relieved.

With the break in conversation, Bato turns his attention to the archer, and now that he has consistent light from the whale oil lamps hanging around the room, realizes that the boy really is just a boy, perhaps a year or so older than Sokka. The burn scar on his left eye dominates his pale face, despite being half hidden under shaggy black hair.

"You've been very quiet, Zuko, I'm sorry we've been so rude," Bato says, shooting a playfully scolding look at Katara and Sokka, who sheepishly smile and smirk respectively. "I'm Bato, first subordinate to Chief Hakoda of the Southern Water Tribe Coalition."

Zuko smiles, balls one hand into a loose fist, and taps the fingers against his mouth.

"Zuko doesn't talk," Sokka says with a shrug. "We don't know why––he's teaching us his hand language, but it's kind of slow going. He can write, but he hasn't really told us much of anything about himself. Can we tell him? He's trustworthy, he's basically my dad's common sense." Sokka has turned to Zuko, who is now eyeing Bato thoughtfully, and he can feel himself shiver as that gaze lays him open and reads him like a book. Those eyes glint gold again, and Bato has a bad feeling.

Zuko nods, short and sharp.

"Okay, so Zuko here defected from the Fire Nation, basically," Sokka states, quick and simple, like ripping off a bandage. "Aang had gotten himself captured by this seriously bad news Admiral, and Zuko got him out. As soon as Aang learns Zuko's language, Zuko's going to teach him firebending."

A firebender.

A firebender. Next to his kids. Traveling with the Avatar.

A firebender. In. His. Room.

The smoke from the cookfire is choking. Pain races up and down Bato's arm. The ash-maker is too close. Too close to the cookfire, too close to the kids, too close to Bato . The knife is in his hand before he even thinks to draw it.

"Bato!"

Katara sounds scared. She should be, she's sitting next to a firebender. Ash-makers killed Kya.

"Bato. Stop. Put it down."

Hakoda? But Hakoda's in the East.

"Bato." The voice rings with Hakoda's authority, and it pierces some of the haze that's settled over Bato's mind. "Bato. There is no threat. Put. The knife. Down. "

Bato blinks, and suddenly he's back, in his room at the Abbey, and when had he stood up? The knife falls to the floor beside his foot. Sokka stands before him, tall, so tall when did he get so tall, his own dagger drawn and held at the ready, half in front of a white-faced, kneeling Zuko being comforted by Katara.

"Bato." Sokka has never sounded more like his father than he does in this instance, and Bato almost snaps to attention on instinct. He drags his eyes away from the prostrate firebender to his best friend's son, who is studying him with a hunter's gaze, cool and assessing and sharp. When did Sokka transform from a goofy boy to this warrior?

"Bato," Sokka says again, steel threading his voice. "Zuko is under the protection of the Chieftain's Heir. He is not to be harmed by word or deed. Doing so is an affront to me, and to my father as Chief. Do I have your word as a Warrior of the Water Tribe?"

This man will make a great Chief someday, Bato thinks, as he drops to one knee and says aloud, "I swear by Tui and La as a Warrior of the Water Tribe that Zuko of the Fire Nation shall not be intentionally harmed by word or deed by my hand.”

Sokka nods sharply, sheathes his dagger, and turns to his friend, dropping to one knee and murmuring to him. After a few nods and headshakes, and one odd gesture where Zuko shakily places one loose fist palm out on his forehead and then stretches out the thumb and pinky finger, the firebender slowly gets to his feet and disappears out the door. Sokka and Katara share a look, and Sokka sits back down facing Bato.

“Okay, what in La’s name just happened?” He asks, pinning Bato with a hard look.

Bato shifts uneasily on his mat. “Where is he going?”

“That’s not the question right now, but he’s gonna go hang out with Appa for a while,” Sokka replies, waving a hand as though letting a firebender run around a peaceful Abbey was nothing to worry about. Sokka must have seen something of his worry on Bato’s face, because his blue eyes turned to sharpened ice. “Zuko has my trust. If it weren’t for him, Katara and I would have died, and Aang would be on a ship to the Fire Nation capital as a trophy. You’re on thin ice, though. What. Just. Happened?”

Bato bows his head. “Ever since your father brought me here, I’ve been… struggling,” he says quietly. “Fire is not the comfort it once was. Firebenders figure… prominently… in my nightmares. When you said that Zuko was going to teach the Avatar firebending… I’m afraid I lost my head a little bit.”

Sokka’s lips press into a line. “That’s not a good thing, Bato,” he says. “You need to get a grip on that, because to end this war we’re going to need Fire Nation allies. Including firebenders. We can’t afford to alienate people willing to work with us just because you can’t handle that they bend fire.”

Bato knows he’s right. Every word is exactly as Hakoda would have said, and Bato has every intention of telling his best friend exactly how much his son has grown.

“I suppose I should apologize to Zuko,” Bato sighs, running a hand over his face. He should probably talk to one of the sisters about his reaction, as well. They’re pretty well skilled in healing both bodies and minds, and he does not want a repeat of tonight when and if the issue of …firebending allies… comes up again.

Sokka nods, but Katara pins Bato with a frown. “It can wait until morning,” she declares. “Give him a chance to calm down.”

Aang returns, a bit obnoxiously cheerful in the solemn room, and Bato wonders at the Spirits who had seen fit to grant the world a child Avatar.

Zuko doesn’t return.

The next morning, Bato leaves his room and finds Zuko in the courtyard, practicing what look like bending forms. Aang sits nearby, watching with wide eyes. The older boy is stripped to the waist, even in the chilly morning air, and every movement he makes is controlled, precise, and calculated. There is no fire, most likely in deference to their current location, but Bato can easily imagine the flames bursting from Zuko’s strikes and trailing like ribbons from his kicks.

Zuko finishes his practice, spots Aang, and reaches the Avatar’s side in long strides. He makes a series of gestures, fluid and quick, to which Aang responds with his own slow, clumsy movements. Zuko corrects him, fixing the positioning of fingers and guiding the movement of hands, all with a gentleness that Bato would never have expected to see from a firebender. Aang tries again, and this time gets an approving nod. Aang beams and skips away. Zuko shakes his head, smiling wryly, and Bato takes the opportunity to approach.

As soon as he takes the first step, Zuko’s face snaps in his direction, his entire body going stiff and his expression wiping clear. The boy watches keenly as Bato comes closer, eyes darting here and there as though searching for weapons, but Bato had made sure to leave every weapon he has in his room this morning. No need to make the situation worse. He stops just out of his own arms’ reach, and is gratified to see Zuko relax just a little bit.

“Zuko, I would like to apologize for my behavior last night,” Bato says formally. “I do not know quite what came over me, but I will ensure that it does not happen again. I am sorry; I know I frightened you, and I sincerely apologize.”

Zuko’s posture slowly relaxes, although he never loses the military-erect stance. He forces a half-smile at Bato, shrugs a little, and makes a quick couple of shapes with one hand before striding off in the direction of the bathhouse.

Later that morning, Bato and the kids  head back to Bato’s ship, and Bato takes them “ice dodging”, if it can be called such when dodging rocks instead of ice. Despite Zuko’s and Aang’s obvious inexperience with sailing, the kids all work together flawlessly, and Sokka’s use of his crew’s bending abilities is inspired.

When it’s over, Bato takes a bowl of face paint and conducts the Marking ceremony.

“The Spirits of Water bear witness to these Marks!” He intones, and draws the first mark on Sokka’s forehead. “For Sokka, the Mark of the Wise. The same Mark your father earned. For Katara and Zuko, the Mark of the Brave. Your courage inspires us.” When Zuko flinches as Bato reaches to draw the Mark on his forehead, Katara takes the bowl from him and draws it herself. “Your courage is especially inspiring, Zuko,” Bato continues, smiling at the young man. “I know that I didn’t give you much reason to trust me, and your decision to bend despite your fear that I might attack you showed enormous courage and trust in your fellow warriors. That is truly inspiring.”

Bato takes the paint bowl back from Katara and turns to Aang. “And for Aang, the Mark of the Trusted. You are now an honorary member of the Water Tribe, as is Zuko.”

He draws the Mark on Aang’s forehead, over the blue arrow, but instead of looking happy, Aang’s eyes are downcast.

“I can’t,” he says quietly.

“Sure you can!” Katara says brightly, while Zuko and Sokka look confused.

Aang wipes off the Mark and backs away. “No, you can’t trust me,” he asserts.

"What are you talking about?" Katara demands, and Zuko begins to look alarmed as Aang curls in on himself, and pulls a crumpled piece of parchment from his tunic.

"A messenger gave this to me for Bato," he says quietly.

Bato can only watch as the crew that had worked together so well just twenty minutes ago falls apart before his eyes.

Sokka shouts, Zuko pinches the bridge of his nose and sighs silently, and Katara stands staring at Aang with a heartbroken expression on her face until Sokka stomps away and demands, "Katara, are you with me?"

She pauses for a moment, but only a moment, and then her shoulders stiffen and she closes her eyes and replies quietly, “I’m with you, Sokka.”

As Sokka leads the way back to the Abbey, Bato glances back to see Zuko cuff Aang across the back of the head.

Everyone is packed and ready to leave within an hour, and after a brief goodbye at the Abbey gates, Aang and Zuko go one way with Appa and Momo, and Bato leads Sokka and Katara in the opposite direction.

They walk in silence for a long time, and Bato doesn’t really know how to lighten the oppressive sadness that surrounds the kids. He’s thrilled to finally be returning to his brother warriors, and he’s so excited to be bringing his niece and nephew to see their father. They’ve both grown so much, and Bato can’t wait to see the look on Hakoda’s face when he sees them.

A wolf howls in misery somewhere in the distance, and Bato feels his spirit howling in answer.

“That wolf sounds so sad," Katara says quietly.

"It's probably wounded," Sokka replies.

"No, it's been separated from the pack," Bato interjects. "I understand that pain. It's how I felt when the Water Tribe warriors had to leave me behind. They were my family, and being apart from them was more painful than my wounds."

Sokka has a pensive expression on his face as he turns to study the path they had just walked.

"Sokka?" Katara asks.

Sokka takes a deep breath, and Bato knows what he's going to say before he says it. "We need to go back. I wanna see Dad, but helping Aang is where we're needed the most. And Zuko… he can probably take care of himself okay, but if he gets to the North Pole and the Tribe doesn't believe Aang when he tells them Zuko's on our side… We need to go back."

Katara smiles. "You're right."

Bato is so, so proud of them he could burst. He strides forward and puts a hand on each of their shoulders. "Your father will understand, and I know he's proud of you."

There's only the slightest shake in Sokka's voice as he says, "Thanks, Bato."

"I know where to go from here," Bato continues, and fishes the map out of his tunic to hand to Sokka. "Take this in case you want to find us. I'll leave a message at the rendezvous point."

The kids each give him a hug, and Bato continues up the path alone.

It takes a month and a half, three weeks of which are spent sailing, but Bato eventually makes it to the cove in Chameleon Bay where the Southern Water Tribe fleet is anchored. During this time, the moon actually disappears for about half an hour or so, and Bato is terrified out of his wits until it reappears. He doesn't want to think about how that could have happened, so he puts it out of his mind until he's reunited with his brother warriors.

Hakoda embraces him with tears in his eyes, the strength of his hug around Bato's middle a testament to his worry. The men tease him about his "vacation", and Bato gives as good as he gets, ecstatic to be back with his brothers.

That night, around the campfire, Bato turns to his Chief.

"Hakoda," he says, "you'll never guess who I ran into."

Previous | Next

[bellatrixobsessed1]

Swift As Karma (Part 42)

Ice came easier than water once Azula got past the obstacle of actually drawing it up and to her hands and the tedious process of separating the water into little droplets. It was an exercise in patience, control, and determination, but those were things that Azula had a generous amount of. But once she had the droplets held in the air, cooling them to the point of freezing had been an easy feat; much easier than anticipated.

She supposed that it helped that Katara wasn't bickering with her throughout this time. 

Though Azula's own mind provided a distraction of its own to makeup for Katara's lack of one. She pondered upon whether or not she should confess that the avatar state was lost to her; that it was never in her possession at all.

For the time, she pushed the thought aside. 

Her brow creased in concentration as she lifted her arms, and with them the hail balls. She swept her arms down and found herself thankful that she hadn't mastered sharpening g them into darts, for they pelted the back of her own head and neck. And from the sound of Katara's wince, the waterbender had been in the line of fire as well.

Azula cringed.

If she hadn’t had the attention of nearly everyone in the invasion party before, she did now. She very much wanted to call it quits, but the invasion was only a week away. A little over a week away and she had made little progress on her waterbending and none at all on airbending. 

Azula inhaled deeply and lifted the water once more, visibly straining to do so. 

“Do you need to take a break?” Katara asked lightly.

“No.” Azula replied, taking extra care to not let her voice betray her frustration. 

“I think that you need a break, Sparky.” Toph commented. 

“I didn’t ask for your thoughts.” Azula snapped. 

“She’s just trying to help.” Sokka stepped in. 

“And I’m just trying to learn basic waterbending so I can fight my father and keep everyone from dying!” The water fell around her, her breathing made somewhat heavy by her own outburst. “I killed him. Now I have to fix it…” She was fairly certain that this was the first time she had admitted as much out loud.

“And you’ll be able to do that a lot better if you don’t push yourself.” Katara noted. 

Azula took another sharp breath. Grueling work and training until she was ready collapse had been so deeply ingrained in her that it was still hard to train in a more leisurely fashion. 

“Why don’t you firebend for a while instead? Or earthbend?” Katara asked. 

“I might as well…” Azula grumbled. “It doesn’t really matter anyways.”

“What do you mean?” 

“I can’t get into the avatar state.” Explaining that was difficult and intailed discussing what little she knew about Raava as well. It left her feeling drained and offered a dismal sense of solidity having shared the news. She found that her shoulders were slumped. Frankly, she was just tired. 

Katara dropped herself down next to Azula. “Aang always said the same thing, that he couldn’t get into the avatar state and it made him feel like he wasn’t a true avatar.” 

“He was. I’m not.” Azula replied. 

“What’s that?” Haru asked.

Azula followed the length of his extended arm, before realizing that he was pointing at the sky and her effort to answer his question would be futile. 

“A messenger hawk.” Sokka leapt to his feet. 

The avian landed upon Haru’s outstretched arm and came into Azula’s sight. Sokka unravel the scroll that had been clenched within the animal’s claws. “It doesn’t say who its from…”

“Then it’s probably Zuzu.” Azula replied, thankful to be pulled away from discussing her own fears. “Read the letter to me.” 

.oOo.

Azula had to admit that she was impressed; her brother’s letter had been brimming with information about invasion defense plans and, according to Hakoda, a crude drawing that detailed layout of Ozai’s secret bunker. If she had to guess, she’d say that Mai had drawn it. 

At least one small portion of Azula was relieved; they’d no longer have to fuss over finding Ozai’s hiding place. It would just be a matter of breaching security measures and getting there.

She stood in front a crowd of soldiers with her arms crossed. She also had to admit that she was impressed by the amount of them. She had been expecting a small gaggle of friends that the original team avatar had picked up throughout their journey. 

Sure, that much was true enough. But since their arrival on this hidden beach, more and more ships were filing through. Ships with weapons and opportunities. And enough men to perhaps hold off Ozai’s army long enough for she and the new team avatar to infiltrate the bunker. 

Azula was still utterly exhausted. She had helped Hakoda and Sokka make an inventory of their artillery and then devise a plan as to what it would be used for. 

She listened to the rustle of parchment as Sokka pinned up a map. He coughed nervously, and Azula wondered if it was a good idea to let him explain their plans. He had been twitchy with nerves all day. But she had permitted Hakoda to give the boy encouraging pep talks, rather she hadn’t intervened. 

Still, Sokka’s delivery proved to be shaky. “We’ll line our ships up here.” He pointed to somewhere on the map, Azula couldn’t say if he was pointing to the right spot. “And...and we have this plan called stink and sink…”

Azula resisted the urge to slap her own forehead, she had very specifically told him not to call it that.

“And well...umm...we’re going to use mist to sneak up on the Fire Nation, they won’t know what hit ‘em…”  he paused, “we also have these armoured tanks…”

She almost felt bad for the boy, he was giving off enough vibrations to cloud her vision. 

“Alright Sokka,” Hakoda put a hand on his shoulder. “I can take over from here.” 

She heard him give a glum sigh. 

“Myself, my son, and avatar Azula have come up with a plan…” 

The title sent an unpleasant jolt resounding through her. “Why don’t we leave your dad to it?” Azula asked Sokka, suddenly feeling as nauseous as he probably did. He nodded quietly and followed her off of the platform. 

She waited in the crowd, silently listening to Hakoda cover the points of their plan, where each team would be stationed, and who would fill what role. He went over their back up plan--a thing that was too loose for Azula’s liking but it was the best that they could do for the time being. 

“Is there anything that you’d like to add?” A pause. He must have been looking at her because he apologized and repeated, “is there anything you’d like to add, Azula?”

She thought for a moment and frowned. It would seem that they would have to do some re-planning. Their initial plan didn’t involve the submarines. But it looked like they would have to work them in afterall.  “There’s an alarm system set up at the Gates Of Azulon. Even with the fog coverage, we will be detected.” She clasped her hands behind her back. “We will carry on with the original plan, to sail in by ship. We, however, won’t be aboard any of the ships. We will be on the submarines. By the time that the…the enemy realizes that the ships are empty, we will be well on our way.”

.oOo.

“I really messed it up.” Sokka mumbled while sheepishly rubbing his arms. “I helped make the plan I should have been able to explain it better.” 

“Making plans is one thing, discussing them in front of a crowd is another.” Azula shrugged. 

“I take it that you’re not good at public speeches either?” 

Azula laughed. “I’m extremely good at them, you should have heard the speech that I gave to the Dai Li…” She trailed off, thinking again of the possibility that her father was going to make use of them. She was counting on her father handing them all to Zuko under the assumption that he couldn’t take care of himself. She tried not to dwell on that too much, it was nearly out of her hands. “It’s casual conversation and small talk that I have a problem with.” 

“No kidding, Sparky.” Toph agreed with a dismissive hand wave. 

“I think that you did great.” Katara smiled. 

“Thanks, Katara. But you’re not very good at lying.” 

“I am.” Azula declared. 

“Oh yeah, prove it.” Toph replied. 

“I am a four-hundred foot tall purple platypus bear with pink horns and silver wings.” 

“Okay, I admit it, you’re good.” Toph laughed. “Now tell Sokka that he didn’t totally flop that speech.” 

“He didn’t totally ruin it.”

“Wow, that sounded really genuine!” Toph declared.

“It was genuine.” Azula insisted. 

“You really are good at lying.” Sokka spoke.

“I wasn’t lying that time. You didn’t totally ruin the speech, just...mostly.”

“Gee, thanks, you’re reassuring.” He rolled his eyes. 

“Why are you smiling if you’re offended?” Katara asked. 

“Because, she has no social skills and it’s kind of funny.” 

Azula folded her arms over her chest, but she couldn’t exactly counter him. She had already admitted that she lacked mundane conversational elegance. She had to admit that the commentary was slightly entertaining. It was somehow reliving to be able to make mildly self deprecating jokes. To be able to put insecurity aside just long enough to do so. “Really, it wasn’t the worst public speech that I’ve ever heard. Zuzu has given some pretty dreadful ones.

[avatarsymbolism]

ASOIAF Characters and Their Avatar Counterparts

Alliser Thorne: Admiral Zhao for his harsh demeanor and the way he interacts with Jon Snow. Amory Lorch: Maybe another Zhao. Anguy the Archer: Longshot, for obvious reasons.  Arianne Martell: Katara for her her judgement. Arthur Dayne: Sokka because space sword.  Arya Stark: Toph Beifong because she’s a tomboy and also that one time she went blind.  Asha Greyjoy: Azula, because she is favored by her father and a proven warrior.  Balon Greyjoy: A bit of an Ozai for how he preferred Asha over Theon.  Barristen Selmy: Iroh, because he’s a proven commander, and honorable.  Bran Stark: Aang kind of because of his ‘wings.’  Brienne of Tarth: Mostly Toph. Maybe a little Katara too, but she’s like 99% Toph.  Catelyn Stark: Katara for her judgement and morality. Kind of a more extreme version of Katara the way Arianne is. I guess there’s a water element to it too. Her interactions with Jaime also have a bit of a Katara/Zuko vibe to them. Catelyn has a stronger conviction though and is unwilling to back down.  Cersei Lannister: Azula for her cunning, manipulation, and her ability to play the game. The daughter who wants to be the heir. The queen who becomes paranoid after her brother turns on his father, flees, and joins the enemy. 

Daenerys Targaryen: Sometimes, I put her as a Katara because of her determination but she is mostly Zuko. An exiled prince(ss), the child of a fire-obsessed king, abused at the hands of their sibling and the mother/father of dragons.  Davos Seaworth: The Cabbage Merchant, just for shits and giggles.  Eddard Stark: A lot of characters can fill the role either because it’s convenient, or because of parallels. He can be Hakoda, Sokka, or Tonraq because of their leadership and the snow. But even Zuko could fill this role with how honorable he is...and telling Cersei/Azula that he’s onto them.  Gendry: Zuko. Something about him just feels very Zuko.  Also, Gendrya is Toko.  Gerold Hightower: Someone once headcanoned Iroh as Gerold. I thought it was pretty badass.  Gregor Clegane: Azula, with how he overshadows his younger, scarred brother. “She was born lucky.”/”My brother is a knight. Did you see him ride today?”  Howland Reed: No real parallel, but maybe an Aang for being Ned’s bestie.  Illyrio Mopatis: No real parallel, but perhaps Iroh.  Jaime Lannister: The not-so-kid-friendly version pf Zuko complete with a bit of a redemption arc. We start out not liking him, but we get to know him and our sympathy for him grows from there. He also betrays his king after he learns his evil plans, and loses a body part which ends up being a symbol of the changes he’s gone through. Plus, we have that “I used to be all about honor, but now I;ve changed” thing going on. We even get a nice scene where his dad disowns him after getting called out.  Janos Slynt: Zhao because he’s an assholes. I headcanon .half the assholes as Zhao, basically. The other half are Ozai.  Joffrey Baratheon: He’s kind of a kid Ozai turned up to 11. Maybe a mix of Azula too, but not even Azula would do half the things Joffrey has done. Plus, he’s not as smart.  Jon Arryn: Aang? Again, no real parallel, but I do what I can.  Jon Snow: Katara for the hope and naivete in the first half of “A Game iof Thrones.” Zukp for his angst and brooding.  Loras Tyrell: There's no real, actual parallel, but I like to sometimes pretend that Sokka’s the Loras to Zuko’s Renly or vis versa.  Lyanna Stark: Katara for her iron will.  Mace Tyrell: No real counterpart, but I tend to think of Ukano as a combination of Mace and Tywin. Meryn Trant: Once again--Zhao, because he’s an asshole.  Nymeria: Katara, because she was a fierce female warrior.  Olenna Tyrell: No real parallel, but I feel like she’d be fast friends with old lady Mai because of all the sass.  Petyr Baelish: A creepier, schemier, scumbagier version of Varrick.  Ramsay Snow. Hame turned up to 11 because of just how creepy and sadistic he is. Don’t think about an au where Ramsay is a bloodbender.  Randyll Tarly: Not really Ozai, but a bit of an Ozai with how he abuses his eldest son because he thinks he’s soft. Renly Baratheon: Again, no real parallel, but I like to play around a bit and make Renly/Loras into Zukka. Also thinking about Sokka/Zuko and picturing the scene with Renly telling Brienne telling her not to let the boys see her cry is kind of sweet.  Rhaegar Targaryen. Kind of Zuko. Again...kind of.  Robb Stark: I sometimes like to imagine Sokka filling this role just because. This unfortunately means that...yeah. Zuko in some strange au too, maybe.  Robert Baratheon: Jet because of his paranoid obsessions. But also, some of his interactions with Ned reminded me of Zuko in “The Promise” and “The Search.” It seemed really weird, and maybe even funny, at first, but after reading this, it did actually start to make sense why I’d think that. Just like Zuko, he reconsiders his position, wondering what it would be like if he wasn’t king because it would be so much easier.  Roose Bolton: Azula. They don’t have a whole lot in common, but just imagine her saying “The Firelord sends his regards.”  Roslin Frey: Listen, all the ladies in the Avatar world have a lot of agency, even even ladies like Yue. Therefore, there’s no way a Red Wedding in the ASOIAF universe would play out the same way in the Avatar universe. But, with that said, what if Yue was Roslin or Jeyne Westerling?  Samwell Tarly: A bit of a Zuko with how his father abuses him.  Sandor Clegane: Zuko since they have the scarred and overshadowed by their sibling thing going on.  Sansa Stark: A mix of Katara, Mai, and Zuko. Starts off like Katara with how naive she is, and hopeful. ALso, starts off as kid!Mai too for similar reasons. But she was also more emotive. But then she developed a mask because of all her abuse, just like Mai. The way she’s abused by Joffrey and Cersei is also reminiscent of Zuko’s abuse as well.  Sand Snakes: This isn’t a proper character entry but, listen, the Sand Snakes are the Kyoshi Warriors.  Theon Greyjoy: Zuko, if he were even more of an asshole. Also, like Zuko, he’s an exile whose father prefers his sister over him. He also does a bunch of shit to try and prove how great he is. But again, he is an asshole  Tommen Baratheon: Zuko. Replace kittens with turtleducks.  Tyrion Lannister: Zuko, because of how they’re both outcasts abused and looked down on by their father. They also have an awesome scene where they call their dads out on their bullshit.  Tywin Lannister: A nice mix of Ozai and Azula. The cunning tactician that abuses his youngest son because of some perceived flaw (technically it’s also because Tywin blames Tyrion for the death of his wife whom Tyrion killed in childbirth, but still). Varys: I like to think of him as Iroh with the behind-the-scenes plotting.  Viserys Targaryen: Kind of a mix of Zuko and Azula, but mostly Azula. Or at least, he’s the Azula to Daenerys’ Zuko with how Viserys treats her...kind of.  Ygritte: Jon/Ygritte kind of reminds me of Maiko. 

[araeph]

I think Sokka's quest for identity is one of the most interesting things about him. What it means to be a man, to be useful and to be acknowledged is an interesting central conflict for a supporting character. What do you think S3 Sokka believes it takes to be a man. I think he's learnt to intercede and mediate issues in his family and to make tough choices. What else can you think of?

Sokka: Now men,it’s important that you show no fear when you face a firebender. In the WaterTribe, we fight to the last man standing. For without courage, how can we callourselves men?

Anotherexcellent question! Sokka’s quest for identity is intrinsically linked to hisquest for manliness, because if you’ll recall, Sokka was not able to become aman by Water Tribe custom before he was nominally put in charge of the tribe:

Bato: How aboutyou, Sokka? You must have some good stories from your first time ice-dodging?Katara: He never got to go. Dad left before he was old enough.Bato: Oh, I forgot, you were too young.Aang: What’s ice-dodging?Bato: It’s a rite of passage for young water tribe members.

But while Katara was helping with the chores, keeping her familytogether and helping to deliver babies, Sokka was left adrift, without apaternal example to emulate for two of his teenage years. War never came to hisdoorstep, so he resorts to “training” the kindergarten crowd. And notice thatKatara (and likely the other members of his tribe) don’t take this seriously:

Katara: Ugh, I’membarrassed to be related to you! Ever since Mom died I’ve been doing all thework around camp while you’ve been off playing soldier!

Playing soldier.Katara’s right: that’s exactly what Sokka has been doing, because therigid gender expectations of being a man don’t allow him to do anything else.Once Aang arrives and upends Sokka’s world, his identity as a would-be mancollides with the reality of the war and the people around him.

The Four Partsof Being a Man (by Sokka)

1. Leader

Sokka : Iknow you all want to fly, but my instincts tell me we should play it safe thistime and walk.Katara: Who made you the boss?Sokka: I’m not the boss—I’m the leader.Katara : You’re the leader? But your voice still cracks!Sokka: I’m the oldest and I’m a warrior. So…I’m the leader!

Katara: You’rehurt. Badly. You can’t fight anymore. Hakoda: Everyone’s counting on me to lead this mission, Katara. Iwon’t let them down.  Sokka: Can’t you heal him any faster? Katara: I’m doing everything I can. Sokka: I’ll do it.Katara: No offense Sokka but you’re not exactly Mr. Healing Hands.Sokka: No.  I’ll lead the invasion force. Katara: Don’t be crazy, Sokka.Sokka: Maybe I am a little crazy but the eclipse is about to start andwe need to be up that volcano by the time it does.Hakoda:  You can do this. I’m proud of you, son. Katara: I still think you’re crazy but I’m proud of you too. 

Sokka’s father is the chief, so it makes sense that being a man impliesbeing a leader. But before his adventure, Sokka has only a nebulous idea ofwhat that really means. Worse, he seems to think that being a man makes him aleader, instead of being a leader making him a man. When he first tries toassert his authority in “Jet”, he is met with ridicule:

Aang: Walking stinks!How do people go anywhere without a flying bison?Katara: I don’t know Aang. Why don’t you ask Sokka’s instincts—theyseem to know everything.Sokka: Ha ha. Very funny.Aang: I’m tired of carrying this pack.Katara: You know who you should ask to carry it for a while?Sokka’s Instincts!Aang: That’s a great idea! Hey, Sokka’s Instincts, would you mind—Sokka: Okay, okay—I get it.

As so often happens, Sokka has to adapt to the situation. “Jet” is abouta boy who, although a good leader in most senses, leads his team astray intomurder and mayhem. Sokka, even though he is a novice, realizes innocent livesare on the line and warns the townspeople before the dam explodes. He didn’texpect to be a leader at the moment, but he didn’t fail when it really mattered.Throughout the series, his tactical and strategic successes accumulate untilthe entire GAang relies on him to plan their missions. And on “The Day of BlackSun”, despite his fumbling speech beforehand, Sokka takes the reins of themission and performs admirably.

Aang: It’s over.The Fire Lord is probably long gone. Far away on some remote island where he’llbe safe during the eclipse.Sokka: No. My instincts tell me he wouldn’t go too far. He would have asecret bunker. Somewhere he could go so it’ll be safe during a siege but stillbe close enough to lead his nation.Toph: If it’s an underground secret bunker we’re looking for, I’m justthe girl to find it. 

No one’s laughing at Sokka’s instinctsnow.

2. Protector

Katara :Sokka, you’re making a mistake. Sokka: No! I’m keeping my promise to Dad. I’m protecting you fromthreats like him! 

Illusion Yue: You didn’t protect me.

Sokka’smother was murdered when he was very young, and there was nothing he could doabout it. He knows from how devastated his father was and how driven he becameto help the war effort that being a man must mean protecting people—especially the women in your life. Sokkaprotects Katara on multiple occasions from threats real (Jet, Mai) and imagined(Aang, Appa). Protecting Katara is his way of protecting the mother he couldn’tsave as a boy. And his inability to protect Yue from sacrificing herself cutshim deeply. He overcompensates by trying to shield Suki from everything:

Suki:  Look,I know you’re just trying to help, but I can take care of myself. Sokka: I know you can. Suki: Then why are you acting so over protective?Sokka: It’s so hard to lose someone you care about.  Somethinghappened at the North Pole, and I couldn’t protect someone. I don’t wantanything like that to ever happen again.

In the end,Sokka learns how to be protect the people he cares about without stifling them.His shielding of Toph in the finale is very similar to his protecting Katara inthe pilot:

But there’sone key difference: in the pilot, Sokka thought of Katara as someone who ismore in need of protection as a girl. In the finale, Sokka recognizes that Tophcan’t see the falling shards of metal, but respects her fighting ability overand over:

Sokka: Did Imention how sweet it was that you invented metalbending?

Sokka: I am soglad we added you to the group!

3. Warrior

Even morethan being a leader, being a warrior defines being a man in the Water Tribe.And no wonder; with decades of being raided by the ruthless Fire Nation, andwaterbenders being increasingly scarce, the South would have had to rely moreand more on brute strength to drive off the invaders. A warrior is also the onething Sokka is most insecure about because it implies a certain skillset thathe was too young to receive full training in. Not to mention, his sister is awaterbender and he is not. Witness this exchange from “The Warriors of Kyoshi”:

Sokka:  Whoare you? Where are the men who ambushed us? Suki:  There were no men. We ambushed you. Nowtell us, who are you and what are you doing here? Sokka:  Wait a second, there’s no way that a bunch of girls took usdown. 

Althoughgender roles are fairly rigid in the Southern Water Tribe, the Sokka from thevery beginning of the series feels an especially constant need to reinforce being awarrior as a “manly” pursuit and puts Katara down for being a girl. I am remindedof Iroh’s speech to Zuko:

Iroh: Prince Zuko,pride is not the opposite of shame, but its source.

Iroh: Truehumility is the only antidote to shame.

Sokka’s status as a nonbender is oftena source of shame for him. He is treated differently by bending masters:

Master Pakku: Sokka. Take care, son. 

And even his own teammates:

Toph: We can take‘em. Three on three.Sokka: Actually, Toph, there’s four of us.Toph: Oh. I’m sorry, I didn’t count you. You know, no bending and all.Sokka:  I can still fight!Toph: Okay. Three on three plus Sokka.

This leads him to act proud of hismanliness, an attribute that he needs no training or bending to have. He eventries to get Aang to act “manlier” and not answer to “Twinkletoes”. In the end,though, he confesses the truth about how he feels:

Sokka: Look, Iappreciate the effort, but the fact is each of you is so amazingand so special, and I’m not. I’m just the guy in the groupwho’s regular. 

But Sokka isspecial, and as the series goes on, he proves his mettle with a balance ofoutlandish inventiveness and logical practicality:

Sokka: See, theproblem with the old war balloon was you could get it airborne, but once youdid, it just kept going.  You could put a hole in the top, but then allthe hot air would escape. So the question became, how do you keep a lid on hotair? Katara: Ugh, if only we knew. Sokka: A lid is actually the answer. If you control the hot air, youcontrol the war balloon.  Katara: Hmm. That’s actually pretty smart. 

Sokka: I need a plan of this machine. Some schematics that showwhat the inside looks like. Then we can find it’s weak points. Aang: Where are we gonna get something like that What are youdoing! Someone’s gonna hear us! Sokka:  That’s the point. I figure a machine this big needsengineers to run it, and when something breaks…Katara: They come to fix it. 

He overcomes his insecurities as a warrior by being true to himself.

Piandao: Sokka,when you first arrived, you were so unsure. You even seemed down on yourself.But I saw something in you right away. I saw a heart as strong as a lionturtle, and twice as big. And as we trained, it wasn’t your skills thatimpressed me.  No, it certainly wasn’t your skills.  You showedsomething beyond that.  Creativity, versatility, intelligence… these arethe traits that define a great swordsman. And these are the traits that defineyou.  You told me you didn’t know if you were worthy, but I believe thatyou are more worthy than any man I have ever trained. 

4. Father

Sokka can show how brave he is, how creativehe is, and how much of a leader he’s become. But in the end, he measures hisidentity as a man by his father’s example:

Aang:Sokka, that speech wasn’t your moment of truth. That was just publicspeaking and nobody’s really good at that.Sokka: My Dad is. He explained the plan perfectly and inspired everyone.Like a real leader should. Aang: Look, your moment of truth isn’t going to be in front of some map.It’s going to be out there, on the battlefield. 

Unlike with Zuko, Sokka’s confidence in hisfather is fully justified. As he grows and matures, he becomes, not a copy ofhis father, but his own person. He learns that he can be a warrior withoutputting others down, and he can assert authority without being pigheaded. Hecan trust in his own abilities, regardless of how skilled everyone else isaround him. And Hakoda validates Sokka’s identity in every respect.

As a protector:

Hakoda: Sokka…Sokka: I’m coming with you.Hakoda: You’re not old enough to go to war, Sokka, you know that.Sokka: I’m strong! I’m brave! I can fight! Please, Dad!Hakoda: Being a man is knowingwhere you’re needed the most, and for you right now that’s here protecting yoursister.Sokka: I don’t understand.Hakoda: Someday you will. I’m going to miss you so much.

As a warrior:

Hakoda: Ready togo knock some Fire Nation heads?Sokka:  You don’t know how much this means to me dad. I’ll make youproud, and I’ll finally prove to you what a great warrior I am.Hakoda:  Sokka, you don’t have to prove anything to me.  I’m already proud of you, and I’ve alwaysknown you were a great warrior.Sokka: Really?Hakoda: Why do you think I trusted you to look after our tribe when Ileft?

As a leader:

Sokka:No. I’ll lead the invasion force. Katara: Don’t be crazy, Sokka.Sokka: Maybe I am a little crazy but the eclipse is about to start andwe need to be up that volcano by the time it does.Hakoda:  You can do this.I’m proud of you, son. 

And as a man.

Hakoda: Bato, getthese mines loaded up. The rest of you men, prepare for battle!  Sokka: Uh, what should I do, Dad?Hakoda: Aren’t you listening? I said the rest of you men get ready for battle.

Sokka willbe a fantastic father to his own children someday, no matter what LOK might imply.

[archergwenwrites]

ZM Day 26 - Sacrifice

"Toph, stop making bridges.”

“Listen, if Sugar Queen was watching, she already would have stopped me, though I’d say I’m just helping me. That she hasn’t done so means she dropped Zuko in here to keep him out of the way while she deals with something else. Could be another child wished away.”

“Or my sister,” Zuko chimed in. “She’s probably tried at least once to stage a coup with the goblins.”

The other two looked at him as if he had a second head, but he just shrugged. “We had an atypical childhood education.”

“I dunno,” began Toph, hopping from stone to stone to keep from getting the bog’s stench permanently attached to her. “While a violent take over is certainly not approved of, a more subtle manipulative one would be welcome at either court.”

“Hey!”

“Sorry, Aang, but people are people.”

“The Winter Court isn’t all bad. They’re just different.”

“And I didn’t say they were bad.”

While the two bickered, Zuko took the lead now that there was solid ground to walk on. The argument was a pleasant soundtrack in the silence of the swamp, and Zuko hoped it would soon be over. A bridge, a real one, appeared before them, and he started to relax.

Fingers suddenly jabbed into his side. Zuko twisted away, arms moving in a partial block to trap the limbs, sending his green clothed attacker briefly stumbling along with his turn. She wrenched free and took up a defensive stance before the bridge.

“What the hell?” Zuko demanded, Aang and Toph standing silent behind him.

“I am Suki of the Kyoshi Warriors, tasked with guarding this bridge when there is a runner in the Labyrinth. None may pass without my permission.”

Aang, the sweetheart, tried to slip past her.

Suki, however, proved to be good at her job. She slipped around Aang’s reaches, tapping him with her fan to distract him, and just in general outfoxing him, until Aang stepped back with a shrug.

“I told you, none may pass without my permission.”

“Well, can we have it then?” At her quizzical look, Zuko added, “your permission, I mean, ma’am. May we pass?”

A grin split her face. “I don’t know if a runner has ever thought to ask that. Of course you can.” She then fixed Aang with a look. “And you haven’t been doing the drills I gave you. I’d better come along to make sure your rear end is properly kicked.”

Aang looked to Zuko for help, only to hear, “well, you shouldn’t neglect your training.”

In the throne room, things were chaotic.

Katara had summoned a chair for Azula, where she now sat with a pile of books that Katara hoped wouldn’t scar her. There wasn’t time for her to check all the titles, and she had a sneaking suspicion that the girl didn’t want to be gotten rid of, but that was a hurdle for later.

Now, the goblins were running amok, armor clanking, weapons dragging on the ground. Alarms were sounding throughout the kingdom as pressure had been felt on the border wards. It was not immediately clear if it was the dragons or trolls, but Katara would bet her money on the latter. With help, she’d secured a cease-fire with the dragons that she was hoping to turn into a real alliance, and sooner rather than later now that the Winter Court was unstable.

Trolls would be unpleasant, but as they were apologetically in favor of eating Fae flesh, Katara was unafraid to take a scorched earth policy.

Sokka was already adding his magic to the wards - strengthening them and speeding the alarms should they be triggered again. He would pass back through the villages and make sure the local mages were ready to go, just in case. She was tempted to order an evacuation, but if it wasn’t that bad, she’d feel foolish.

There was one bit of magic she needed to do.

Sure Azula was buried in a book, Katara summoned a basin of water. “Aang,” she whispered.

His face appeared in the water, and by the trees and bushes he was out of the Bog. She was likely talking to him in a puddle. “Katara, what’s happening?”

“Potential attack. I’m looking into it, don’t worry. But here.” She reached through, handing what was a crystal on her side but a pomegranate on his. “Give this to Zuko. He needs to eat at least one seed.”

“Will it hurt him?”

“No!” Katara recoiled. “It will just create a distracting dream for him. It will keep him out of the way for a time, an hour at most given his determination, and I need that to make sure everything is in line. I mean, Sokka knows what to do but-”

“-but it’s your people. I know. Call us if it’s bad. We’ll get everyone from the city.”

Katara shook her head. “They’re already in the castle or in other lands. The runner usually has to fight their way in, remember? But if it’s bad, I’ll forfeit in his favor and call in you three. Now go.”

She trailed her fingers over the water, and the image disappeared. 

“I know you think he’s not going to make it,” Azula suddenly spoke, not looking up from her book. “But on year for his birthday, he got a knife as a gift. Etched on the blade is ‘never give up without a fight,’ and he’s never forgotten that.”

Chasing a feeling, Katara asked, “who gave it to him?”

“I...I don’t remember. It’s not important anyway. He still has three hours. You can’t distract him that long.”

“I won’t be.” Katara sent out a flurry of crystals to check her borders with all other domains. “The dream will come from himself, what he desires most.” She cast a look at Azula. “He’s an eighteen year old boy, so I doubt you’ll be pulled into the dream, too.”

“You can pull people into the dream?”

“It’s complicated, but yes. Oh, before I forget, if all this worry turns out to be for naught remind me to check you for tampered memories. Not embarrassing things you’ve deliberately forgotten, but something magic would have erased.”

Azula raised an eyebrow and lowered her book. “Why? Does that mean I could stay even if Zuko wins?”

Katara smiled casually. “Just a precaution. The coup distracted me and I forgot to check when you first arrived.”

Seemingly satisfied, Azula returned to her book as the Goblin Queen began to brood.”

“I’m not saying she’s a bad ruler-”

“No, you are.”

“I’m just critiquing-”

Suki cut him off again. “Look, Zuko, this ‘small part’ is actually her biggest function. This is why she exists, and why the Underground is separate and neutral from the other courts. People are gonna wish away children, and she needs to take care of those under her charge. She is an actual queen. There are small fiefdoms at her borders with lords and ladies who answer to her. Dragons and trolls wait at our borders, so she has to keep up a strong defense. You just heard the warning bells. One of the last two groups just got too close, and Katara now has two powerless humans on top of all her subjects to worry about. And all this at what’s approximately the human eighteen.”

Aang re-appeared. “Not to mention, she’s been Queen since she was a little girl, though her dad helped, so there’s no way she can trick a Court noble of equal rank into marrying her.”

“Trick?”

“Yeah! See, the Underground has to have a ruler. That comes before any fiefdom. With how rare kids are, that means anyone stands to inherit a lordship and marries the Goblin Queen will see their lands swallowed into the Underground or given to a different relative. Border lands have done it before, on both sides, and Lord Hakoda probably wouldn’t have minded joining the Underground. With two kids, though, one inherits each. If things had gone differently, the two would be pretending they hadn’t decided on an inheritance yet.”

“That’s...complicated.”

Suki laughed. “Now imagine the only heir to the Court’s throne dies. A changeling can’t step in there.”

Toph nodded, adding, “you know, I wonder if my parents have replaced me, yet.”

Suki wrapped her arm easily around the shorter girl. “I doubt it. Your parents like image right? They’re probably telling anyone and everyone about how their daughter is a highly sought after companion to the Goblin Queen. You’ll go back to fifty marriage proposals.”

As the two girls continued talking, Zuko turned to Aang. “So where’d you run off to?”

“Thought I saw a butterfly.”

“Makes sense.”

Aang produced a pomegranate. “I did find this. Want to share?”

Zuko raised an eyebrow. “Won’t I be trapped here forever if I eat fairy fruit?”

“Um, no? The whole point of this is to get you out? Why would the Labyrinth try to keep you?”

“You’re right. Besides, the pomegranate is a Greek myth. Here.” He took the fruit from Aang, drawing a knife to remove the top and score it into four pieces like he’d seen his father do. He offered Aang a fourth of the fruit, then gestured to the girls. “Share with them.”

“Great idea!” Aang shoved a handful of seeds into his mouth, then caught up with Toph and Suki.

Zuko, putting away his knife, didn’t see Aang spit out the seeds. He looked up as Aang offered pieces to the two girls, and popped a few seeds between his teeth. The tangy flavor exploded, and Zuko couldn’t help a smile. He’d never really liked the taste of fruit in candies and drinks before, but if this is what they were like in the original form, he’d eat some when he got home.

As he ate a few more, he stumbled, dropping the fruit and catching himself on a tree. The ground sounded very good, and he slowly sank to his knees.

Ahead, Aang fell silent and looked away.

“Twinkletoes, what did you do?”

Zuko’s face hit the dirt, and the dark took over.

[bellatrixobsessed1]

I’ll Meet You At The Bottom (Part 46)

He was in the Water Tribe, he was home. Azula wondered if it would even be in good taste to just show up unannounced at his door. It was just one more reason to let him wander back to her. The princess rubbed a healthy amount of aloe onto the back of her neck and dabbed a fair amount across her cheeks. How odd would it be to wear a sunburn in the Water Tribe? Still decently sore from the day prior, she stretched herself out on her bed and started at the ceiling until a few knocks roused her from it. They were too gentle to be Zuko’s or Toph’s, but not light enough to belong to Aang or Ursa. So that left Katara. Azula fixed her robe that had fallen loose and made her way towards the door. Upon twisting the knob, the princess found herself in the company of two people. When the firebender at last felt compelled to move, Iroh entered first followed by her mother. The man arranged his tea set upon her dresser. The princess frowned to herself, she didn’t exactly have time for neither a lecture nor another long and heartfelt discussion. If for no other reason than to just move things along, she was almost content to let bygones be bygones.

 “Here.” Iroh placed a cup in Azula’s hand.

 Azula took a quick drink and set it down. “Exactly how long is this going to take, I have a mission that needs completing.” Completing was a bit of a stretch, she had a mission that needed starting. “The longer I wait, the harder it will be.”

 “I think that we need to talk.” Iroh stated flatly. Azula winced, his talks were never quick.

 “Can we have this discussion elsewhere? Perhaps on a boat. Preferably to the Southern Water Tribe?”

 “This late at night?” Ursa asked.

 “The docks will be less crowded.” Azula pointed out.

 .oOo.

 The snow had stopped, leaving the world around him quiet and still. A frigid glittering tundra they was deceptively impassable. Sokka chanced the journey into the outside world regardless. Since he was a boy he longed to see if the land’s lore was true; did an iridescent spirit elk really emerge on the dawn of the first winter storm? He was skeptical but itching for something new to think about, so he would search out this elk. He bundled himself abundantly and heaved his way out of his home. The first rays of the morn befell the fresh layers of snow, he surveyed the world around him trying to pick out the safest route and any sign that an elk may have passed through. He directly faced the sunlight, thinking that maybe the mythical beast would appear within the rays. That seemed like an elky thing to do, not that he knew much about the elks. He took one step forward, successfully driving himself into a snow bank. He grumbled to himself, remembering at once how much he loathed those things. Wedging himself out was a timely matter and gave him time to gather that it would be wise to leave his father a note saying that he’d be out chasing imaginary deer.

 And he was off again bounding over the snow. With the sun now quite high and no sign of the elk he had no real purpose for being out and about when the rest of his village was just beginning their morning routines. But he didn’t care, he enjoyed not having a purpose for once. He put his adventure to a stop when he came to a towering glacier with an opening large enough to venture into. He thought to explore it, but only briefly. He hadn’t the proper equipment to get very far.

As he shuffled away he couldn’t help but wonder where his sense of adventure had gone. A few years back he might have dived right in and played it by ear.

 .oOo.

 Not a seafaring soul desired to take Azula in the direction of the Water Tribe. “Do you know much about the Water Tribes and their seasons?” One such captain questioned. “With all due respect Fire Lord Azula, anyone who suggests going there at this time of the year surely doesn’t.” At the slanting of her eyes he quickly added, “it’s understandable, I don’t recall you ever having gone there to see the season for yourself.”

 “Then maybe you’d like to pleasure me with the view.” Azula suggested.

 Save for Zu-Zu and friends, no one had ever refused her before, but this man was shaking his head so violently she thought he might snap his own neck. “Not a chance. The storms brewing that way are enough to freeze a man right to his soul.”

 Azula gave a small hiss and was about to make her a request a demand when a hand fell on her shoulder. “One way or another, I’m getting to the Water Tribe, mother.” She muttered.

 “You’ll have to find a less timid captain.”

 With her patience wearing thin Azula scowled, “then find me one.”

  She supposed she shouldn’t have doubted the woman. Granted Ursa’s find was a rather shady looking woman with a monstrous height, but the sailor seemed willing. After a slur of slick words and a very bountiful bribe anyhow. No less, the princess found herself aboard a rather study ship with a weary mother and an uncle who seemed very accustomed to shoddy trade affairs—no doubt Zu-Zu’s doing.

 With nowhere to retreat to, Iroh began his pestering. Azula didn’t realize that she resented him more than Ursa until he began speaking. Her mother never seemed to see the best in her, but this wasn’t something reserved for Azula alone. Iroh, he tried to be compassionate towards the worst of people, and still couldn’t muster that much up for her. “Why am I the only person you ever saw as truly evil?”

 She guessed the answer before his reply had been made. She and Ozai had been one and the same to him. His relationship with her father was damaged irreversibly. Ozai was a completely cruel and hateable man and by extension she was the same.

 She was in for a long boat ride.

 .oOo.

 Though the elk had, expectedly, been nothing more than a tall-tale, Sokka didn’t come home empty handed, he had stopped along the river at first just to gain a sense of direction and then to give himself a challenge. He’d gone spear fishing before but never had he never tried it with nothing but a knife alone. He may have only caught one thing but it was still something. Being as the winter had struck so suddenly, every ration counted. He could fend for himself, if nothing else. His walk was beginning to take its toll though, the cold was finally biting at him hard enough to draw attention. Even through his mittens he felt the first piercings of chill. He hustled along the riverside, covering as much ground as he could. Home wasn’t too far off from there, spying a frozen waterfall, he could confirm such.

 He ought not to gander, but the crystalline scenery compelled him. Icicles taller than his father accented the cliffside, sparkling white like earthy prehistoric teeth. Other icicles were more translucent like wintery chandeliers. He stood marveling at the majesty of the frozen cascade, after so long, he had forgotten how splendid the arctic views were. He followed the jutting lines of the cliff to the very top.

 In the dying rays of the sun, stood a great white creature almost washed out by the white of the snow around it. It’s antlers could have easily been passed over, mistaken for another thicket of icicles. It tossed its head from side to side, displaying shimmering fur that when hit in the right manner, appeared more silver and pastel blue.

 Sokka blinked as the creature observed him with deep blue eyes. At his next blink it was gone.

 Later in the evening, when the winter resumed itself in full, he had himself wrapped in a generous bundle of silks. Over a helping of Arctic hen, he relayed to Gran and Hakoda of his fishing success (he had given his father the honor of eating his catch) and of the beautiful beast with the sapphire eyes.

 “A fine catch indeed.” Hakoda gave him a thumbs up. “Tasty too.”

 Gran snickered. “And there you were, insisting that I was just treating you like a kid and telling fairytales. Fairytales aren’t for children, dear. They can be guides or bringers of luck, they can be wild and dangerous.”

 “Alright, Gran! I believe you.” Sokka smiled awkwardly.

 “Wonderful, now how about you go let Paku know that?” Usually if Sokka believed in something, Paku would too. And if Paku dropped his skepticism, Sokka was inclined to follow.

 “I think I can do that.” Sokka nodded. A fresh lump of sadness gathered in his throat. Katara would have loved to have seen that elk. She always was more fond of folklore than he. And Azula. He longed to tell her about it, he couldn’t really see her caring—in fact she would probably ask if he had taken some of her Ruby Tears for his own—but still she would get a kick out of the story. He missed her, he missed causing her to smile, missed comforting her. Instead, he became the reason she needed comforting. He missed all of them.

 The door rattled in its frame. “I should bolt that thing better.” Hakoda noted. The last thing the man wanted was to wake up to a heap of snow in his front room. Again, the door shuddered some.

 “I don’t think that’s the wind, dad.” Sokka stood.

 “What kind of fool lurks in this weather?” Paku questioned.

Sokka tugged the door open it swung forward without warning. “Firebenders, Paku.”

 “Naturally.” He rolled his eyes.

 Sokka on the other hand was both thoroughly delighted and horrified all at once. Standing in the doorway, shivering softly, under mountains of clothes was Azula. Behind her were Fire Lady Ursa and Iroh. Azula’s hair fluttered and whipped into her face, a face that was unmistakably the image of pissed off.