#iroh save them from shore leave

[zuko-with-a-mullet]

Iroh's just the kid who wants to go home.

[demaparbat-hp]

I can definitely see a version of katara, a couple years after sokka goes off with their dad, watching her tribe struggle for resources, first being overjoyed to welcome this air nomad, somebody around her age and also trying to save whats left of their culture in the fire nation’s wake, and then so betrayed when he’s (in her eyes) suddenly the reason they’ve all been suffering for so long, the reason she doesn’t know whether her brother and father are alive or not.

And then zuko coming along, not only with a tangible plan to stop the war and help her family, but also a way *out*. She loves her tribe and would do anything for them, but she’s also a teenager that feels so angry, so alone and helpless, and can only see a future where she lives and dies on this small patch of ice, feeling the pull of the moon but being too busy, too tired, too ignorant to heed its call. Of course its the scariest thing she’s ever done. I bet she deals with nightmares after the righteousness wears off and it sinks in what shes signed up for, the last waterbender of the southern water tribe on a metal fire nation boat. But if katara does anything its buckle down and commit.

I would love to know how zuko even gets into a position to have a conversation with katara and tell her his plan. What is their first meeting like, to not only divulge that, but want her on his crew? Do the two of them do their best to teach her waterbending; does uncle iroh help? I can only imagine watching katara struggle but keep on getting up to try the forms again and again brings back some of his own memories learning bending (i love your art, i love all the details about this au and all the others youve dropped, thank you for sharing even when people are dicks)

You have put this into words much better than I ever could. Her journey, her development and what drove her to make the decision to leave it all behind.

Zuko is a different person in this AU, and has had different experiences. He respects their village's boundaries, and comes in a small ship with two unmasked members of his crew, a man and a woman. He introduces himself in the way of the Water Tribe (I am Zuko, son of Ursa—no father, only his mother's name when it should have come last), and asks for permission to stay in their lands as his ship is repaired. Away from the village, where their presence wouldn't be a burden or a threat, and they could be easily forgotten or watched.

Katara is the only person to look him directly in the eye and, when she goes to where his ship is docked late at night and threatens to end his life if he so much as lights a fire in the direction of the village, he doesn't dismiss her fury or her capabilities. He smiles instead, eyes old and tired. I can end you, right here, right now, she says. I know, he answers. I know.

Days pass, Aang has been making himself scarce and the Prince has kept to his word. He doesn't ask for anything, he isn't seen unless someone from the village goes to stand watch, and he looks at her with something akin to respect.

Then, a few days after his arrival, Zuko asks for an audience with the village's mathriach and her family. He isn't surprised when Katara is there, and he addresses her directly, as if her opinion is something to value.

He hasn't been entirely honest, he says, with the countenance of someone about to play it all in a move that could earn him either victory or defeat. His ship needed repairs and he was closer to their shores than Earth Kingdom land, this is true. But it was so because the person he was chasing after had damaged his ship and, according to maps and calculations and sheer dumb luck, the only place they could have run to was here, in the Southern Water Tribe.

But why would he chase someone like that?

To return home. To earn back the rights to challenge his father for the throne, and end the war.

Why do such a thing?

For his mother. For his sister and uncle. For the world.

Why tell them this?

Because they had a right to know, since the person he was after was right here, right now.

Who?

The Avatar.

Who?

The airbender.

(Later, after Aang abandoned them again, Katara approached the Prince and offered herself to him. She knew the Avatar, she said. She was a waterbender and could help them in the seas. She was the Sea Wolf's daughter, and could ensure an alliance. She needed a way out. He accepted.)

[electro-strike-zukka-time]

Would you be willing to share me your thoughts about the archipelago au and/or the Pokémon au?

I choose both cause I am a maniac

So the archipelago au is just the atla people dropped into the setting of the httyd universe, no crossover with characters. It would start off with Aang and his Buffalord Appa washing up on the shores of the island that Katara and Sokka live on. Random hijinks here and there as they try and help Aang get back home. Zuko pops into the story as the former chieftains son (Iroh leads now after Ozai got discontinued due to his own greed). He joins the gaang rather arbitrarily being his typical grumpy Zuko self that Sokka very much does not find attractive at all. Thats as far as the main plot goes but I have more rambles.

So Sokka doesn't have a dragon unlike everyone else for the majority of the story.

Aang- Appa (Buffalord), Momo (Night Terror) Katara- Tide Glider Zuko- Druk (Monstrous Nightmare) Toph- Sentinel Iroh- Stormcutter Suki-Triple Stryke

Which since Sokka thinks he has to take care of everyone and such does cause some minor internal conflict. At a much later point Zuko and Sokka are together when Sokka finds a Night Fury with injured tail. He keeps his discovery a secret and nurses it back to health even managing to make a replacement tail fin for him (Which yes soudns very similar to Hiccup but cmon it sorta fits. Sokka is very smart if anyone could build something like that he could). It dips after that and Sokka is just :( but later when Sokka is in danger the Night Fury shows up and saves him, leaving the gaang like tf Sokka when did this happen. So yeah Sokka gets a grumpy asshole night fury in the end.

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

So the Pokemon AU is just gaang joins up and defeats evil team leader Ozai but afterwards Sokka asks Zuko to travel around the Pokemon world with him and thus the real fic begins. Various Pokemon adventures with these dorks including them co-parenting a egg that hatches into a Bagon.

This would be their teams and each member has a little easter egg reason for being there so if anyone has any question feel free to ask (same goes for the other gaang members and a few others). Also yes I gave Sokka two shiny pokemon but he deserves it and i have reasons for it aside from yolo

[princecosmosanon]

Zukka Fic Idea: Lunar Phototaxis

Originally I described this one as “Zuko is a sacrifice to the moon god (Sokka) and ends up becoming the consort of the moon god (Zukka)” which is pretty basic. This one is most straightforward story idea I have currently, at least in my opinion.

Warnings: mentions of rape/non-con, child and adult slavery/prostitution, mentions of pedophilia, referenced suicide, suicidal ideation and human sacrifice. Most of these happen before the events of the story and will mostly be mentioned, not happen concurrently with the main story itself.

Background details: In this AU, Zuko was born into a rich family off the coast of a continent still known as the Fire Nation, but they are not royalty. For most of Zuko’s childhood he had a normal life, but after his mother passed away (possible suicide) when Zuko was 14 life changed very dramatically. It turned out, much of their family’s wealth, while being somewhat related to trade, was also brought in by Zuko’s father selling their mother to his other rich “friends” which she agreed to do in order to protect her children.

Once Ursa was gone, Ozai instead switched to selling Zuko. Zuko figured it would only be a matter of time before Azula would be abused in the same way, so he prayed to Agni, the Sun god, to protect her. He figured he could endure it, as long as he could save her; and it seemed his prayer was answered.

His uncle Iroh, who was often traveling and doing actual merchant business, happened to visit and offered to take one of the children with him on a journey to the other continent (Earth Kingdom), and Zuko convinced both Iroh and Azula it was better for her to go. She did, and after a time Ozai and Zuko received a letter saying Azula had been selected to join an order of highly skilled warriors (Kyoshi warriors) and would be sending home some of her pay as time went on, cementing her in a safe place away from their father.

Zuko, though very grateful for his answers prayer, did start to feel bitter towards his situation. He didn’t have to “entertain” often but as he got closer to 18 he wondered how his father would get by after Zuko was technically an adult and could leave.

Turns out he couldn’t leave. Ozai had Zuko locked into his room, and claimed to outsiders that Zuko was troubled/ill in order to secure his claim on him and continue to use him for cash. By this point, it didn’t seem fair that he had no way out; even the window had bars on it to keep him from escaping or taking his own life. No matter how much he begged Agni he couldn’t seem to find the same blessing of peace, and Zuko began to curse his god instead, feeling only hopeless despair.

Then, at the peak of summer during Zuko’s 19th year, there was a solar eclipse. The phenomenon, while not impossible was still seen as a bad omen, as it was not predicted for another 50 years. It seemed the planets had fallen out of alignment, and the seas turned dark and stormy for weeks on end.

The story actually begins here, when Zuko is just past 20 years of age, thin from little to no exercise, pale from lack of sun, and bruised from abuse. His father, supposedly gaining clarity after receiving a strange letter from Iroh, declared the twin deities of the Moon and Sea had grown jealous of Agni and demanded blood. A sacrifice was needed to appease them and bring the warmth of the sun back to their coast.

Zuko, who in his adulthood has “lost his appeal” for many of Ozai’s less than savory friends, was taken from his cage of a room and sent out to sea, alone in a small boat, bound with no way to free himself and swim to shore. Zuko was resigned to the fate awaiting him, figuring it would be better to die than remain languishing in his room any longer.

Despite the harsh rain and rocking waves, the boat seemed to naturally remain upright despite it all, like the ocean were guiding him through the storm until there was not a speck of land in sight. Then, suddenly, the heavens cleared and the full moon shone down upon the abruptly still sea. Zuko’s boat, hitting the moonlight, sunk into the reflection of the moonbeams on the water. When Zuko should have drowned, instead it was like he was hit with a strong gust of air, and like that, he had entered the Realm of the Night Sky.

From there, Zuko meets Yue, the caretaker of the stars, one of the Moon god’s first High Priestesses who was welcomed into the Realm upon her death. She leads Zuko to the heavenly alter room where the twin gods, once known as Tui and La, are overseeing a procession of minor deities and spirits offer up sacrifices. One can only stay in the Realm if they offer something, and Zuko realizes he has nothing to offer but himself. So he does, fully expecting the worst, but the Moon god only takes a kiss.

Being touched by a god is overwhelming, and Zuko passes out only to wake in an empty bedroom. From there, he learns a lot of things, like how the Realm of the Night Sky works, what the other denizens do there, who Tui and La (who now go by Sokka and Katara) truly are, and why he was brought here in the first place.

A few little spoilers; Sokka started taking a male form after he changed his name, but he can change his body’s form after every new moon. And Zuko, despite now being in a godly realm, is still technically mortal though his age is suspended while he lives there as time doesn’t work the same in a world made for gods.

Anyway, shout out to @justaloadofgarbage-blog for being interested in this story idea! It’s pretty dark, especially the background stuff, but the story is supposed to be bittersweet. I have a lot of ideas on how I want to move things forward, but I don’t have any clear “end” in mind, so for now this will remain as notes.

[limit-list]

so this concept has grown a mind of its own... this is gonna be part 1 of my gaoling!zuko concept, and i think there’s gonna be at least 3 parts. enjoy? (special thanks to @ratherbereading125 @bitchdafuqyeet @younggayanddoingokay and @visit-ba-sing-se for giving me the courage to post this haha)

here goes:

CONCEPT!!! okay but how bout when zuko gets banished, fire bitch ozai doesn’t care about him or appearances or whatever enough to give him any sort of imperative on returning. zuko isn’t given any sort of ship at his disposal, he’s just told to get out.

the few days zuko is allowed to prepare, the healers are busy trying to cram months of healing into days. iroh sees this and starts to plot. (iroh is overflowing with guilt, he’s the one who let zuko in the meeting in the first place, he turned away when ozai burned his son, he turned away when lu ten died, he will not turn away when everyone else who matters has turned on his nephew)

when their time is nearly up, iroh gathers everything and they set out. when zuko wakes up, they’re in a boat. uncle won’t answer straight when he asks where are they going? why aren’t they on a fire nation ship? (unasked questions: why does father hate him, why did lu ten have to die, why did mother have to leave, when will uncle decide he isn’t worth it, what’s the point anymore.) days pass. iroh has bags of rations and a pot to boil water in. zuko slowly starts to heal.

when they land, they’re on earth kingdom soil. iroh sits his nephew down on the shore. “now nephew,” he says, “we are not welcome in the fire nation—“ (zuko thinks: there is no we, he’s always been alone in crowded rooms and he can’t let himself accept uncle as a guarantee) “—so from now on, you are lee. i am mushi, still your uncle—“ (iroh thinks: i will always be your uncle, my brother may take everything from you, but i will burn him down before i let him take me) “—but we are refugees from the colonies. our goal is gaoling, we’re going to settle down there. until we are there, you must follow my lead.”

(zuko hears the “or else” his uncle leaves off.)

(uncle left it off because he won’t be the one to enforce the consequences, and there’s no way to tell zuko that he won’t, he won’t)

they head off. cue the traveling act, only with a freshly wounded zuko instead of a long-scarred one. people are much more willing to open their pockets and doors to two refugees wearing browns when one is freshly burned, and much more willing to overlook moody outbursts from an obviously fire-injured child. (because he’s just a child— no. iroh decided to stop his derailments into pity the day they landed. they’re no longer affordable.)

(careful to avoid his nephews sight, iroh eases their way through the earth kingdom through pai sho games and trips to back rooms.)

somehow (surprisingly), zuko doesn’t get them killed with his terrible lying. they make it to gaoling relatively unscathed. a tiny, unknown tea shop on the outskirts of the town proper hires iroh out of pity, but refuses to hire a child. zuko becomes an apprentice at a metalworker’s workshop. he expects to be making weapons, perhaps even weapons for the earth army (and boy does he not wanna think about that), but instead they make mostly accessories.

zuko rages to his uncle in their private apartments about the differences in their lives now, but slowly it seeps into his head that the differences don’t matter. this is life now. (iroh will never protest the verbal beatings from his nephew. this is his penance, for never stopping his brother, even if he never saw it he should’ve been better, and if he tortured himself further by thinking of the niece he had to sacrifice for saving his nephew, the boy he’s coming to view as his—)

(zuko doesn’t know how to process emotions in a way that isn’t rage. frantically at night, he thinks back to his mother, desperate to find an example that isn’t the fire lord, which feels like treason in and of itself. but his mother never let him see her emotions, other than yes zuko, no azula, and why didn’t he see that she had been protecting him until she got sick of him and left—)

(needless to say, iroh and zuko are both holding a lot back.)

but time passes, and they slip into a routine. zuko rages less often, iroh learns how to redirect his nephews attention, zuko fumbles through the motions for making tea when he thinks his uncle needs it most. (he can’t get it right, but instead of making him feel like a failure, iroh laughs and guides him through it again and again and again)

(zuko doesn’t let himself wonder if this is what having a father feels like.)

[fireladyari]

REUNION

Zutara Week Day 1

It’s been a year since the end of the war and Fire Lord Zuko’s coronation. The Gaang has decided to hold an anniversary for the world-changing event where the whole world would celebrate the end of the hundred-year war. By Iroh’s insistence, the Gaang went to Ember Island to celebrate the 1st anniversary of the end of the war and they held a Beach party at the Fire Lord’s Beach House. It has been renovated to be a relaxing place for the Fire Lord and company’s vacations.

After the festivities at the theatre in the afternoon, the Gaang went back to the Beach house and went down to the beach. Sokka and Toph gathered woods for the bonfire then Aang set it on fire. Katara and Sukki prepared the foods for the beach party while Iroh and Zuko prepared the tea and other drinks. When everything was in place, Iroh started the party by acknowledging everyone who took part in ending the war and he states how this would affect the peace and the future of the world. After Iroh’s speech, Sokka gave the cheers for all of them and they started the party.

When everyone was circling up the table where the food was, Zuko dashed to the drinks and contemplated whether he would drink tea or the other drinks on the table. Just then Uncle Iroh popped up and gave him a cup filled with- from what he can see is water but it smells kinda different so he assumed it was juice. Sure enough, it tasted like juice so he went ahead and drank the whole cup.

Rounding up the table is Katara filling a plate with salad and fruits for Aang and Toph finger picking food while arguing with Sokka who’s taking the whole plate of spicy fried Komodo Chicken. After filling up his plates, Sokka rushed to Sukki sitting near the shore. Aang was supposed to be sitting on the logs near the bonfire, opposite to Iroh. When Katara went there to give him his plate, he���s not there. Iroh said, he’s at the stable feeding Appa, so she left his plate where he was sitting and went back to the table.

Katara was busy putting food on her plate when someone walked towards her from the back then stopped just inches from her. She can feel this person’s breath, she recognized the very familiar sandalwood scent and another different scent and she knew who it was.

“What is it Firelord Zu-” she stopped as she turned and got shocked from their very unsafe distance to each other. She tried to move away but he took hold of her shoulders and he said in a very soft and raspy voice.

“Thank you Katara… Thank you for saving my life.” Katara swallowed her saliva trying to find words to say to him and also wondering what’s with Zuko’s sudden unusual behavior. She looked up to him and noticed that his face is unusually red.

“Zuko, Are you alright? What happe-“ she got stopped midsentence again when Zuko suddenly hugged her and she noted something different with his smell. She pushed him back and straightened both herself and him.

“THANK YOU KATARA! I WOULDN’T BE HERE WITHOUT YOU! YOU SAVED MY LIFE AND I WOULD GI-“ Zuko was suddenly shouting and Katara covered his mouth not letting him finish, with her hand because everyone’s attention is on them. Katara blushed and looked at Sukki who’s just smiling at her. She took the cup Zuko was holding and smelled it then she found out that the different smell she got from Zuko was Cactus Juice. Just before she could ask for help from Sukki or Sokka or anyone, Zuko grabbed her hand that’s holding his mouth then kissed the tip of her nose. Katara froze and turned red then Zuko whispered loud enough for everyone near them to hear.

“Thank you and I love you” those words made Katara’s heart leap and her mind blank leaving her speechless. “I really like you in my color, red.”

Sensing that Aang is coming back to the beach, Toph hit Zuko making him lost consciousness. Then there’s Sukki, rubbing Sokka’s back when he chocked on his food.

“Sparky’s drunk with cactus juice Katara. He’s hallucinating.” Toph assured Katara even though she knew that Zuko was being very honest. After a minute, Aang is back.

“Hey guys, I’m back! “ he looked around and found Zuko’s unconscious body near Toph and a frozen and red Katara. “What happened to Zuko?” he rushed to Katara and asked again “What happened?”

“He’s just drunk.” Toph said dragging Aang and Katara to the bonfire and giving Aang his plate. Across them sits Iroh sipping his tea knowing full well what he made Zuko drink.

“That beautiful Earth Kingdom lady is right about the drink. It can make you say what you want to say.” Iroh said softly that no one even heard it.

Then he flashed a very satisfied smile.

- END -

I was supposed to post my first ever zutara fanfic during Zutara Week Day 1 but I got cold feet and I threw my fic to the trash. This fic is different from that one I dumped in the trash cause I can't recover it anymore.

[snowe-zolynn-rogers]

Avatar Zuko Rewrite

Pairings: None yet.

Word Count: 592 Words

Summary:  The Avatar is peace, light, hope. 100 years ago, the Avatar, the one meant to restore balance, an airbender girl named Xiu-Mei, was killed in the massacre of her people leaving the only surviving airbender, her best friend and spiritual partner on her Avatar journey, Aang, encased in ice to protect him and hopefully save the next Avatar when someone found Aang in the ice. But the Avatar cycle goes on, and it has passed through the Earth Kingdom and the Southern Water Tribe with young deaths as a result of the war. It leaves the burden of restoring peace on a sixteen year old firebender named Zuko. When he finds out what he is, can Zuko truly save the world?

Warnings: Burn Mention, Half Blind Character, Near Drowning, Anxiety Attack, let me know if I should tag something else

Notes: Zuko's hair was cut after he left the Fire Nation so his hair is fluffy and messy like season 3. Ozai did it as secondary punishment for being such a 'disgrace of a son' before he banished him.

Chapter 1

Training was never easy, not since he lost his left eye or, more easily explained, lost sight in his left eye, as the eye was still there but the sight had been burned away from it. His depth perception was awful to nonexistent since ‘the accident’ as he referred to it but his uncle knew it was no accident and he hated that he knew it wasn’t an accident.

His hair had grown scruffy and scraggly and he would be near unrecognizable if he were to step foot in the Fire Nation again, not that he would ever do so. Iroh called for him to do his spar again, repeat the action and he was about to when the boat suddenly turned far too quickly, leaning the boat. Zuko’s immediate reaction was to grab onto the wall of the deck but he saw his uncle lose his grip on the other side of the deck and he fell into the cold southern ocean water.

Zuko’s brain raced and immediately reminded him his uncle couldn’t swim, making his new reaction to release the wall and jump in after him. Once he hit the water, he belatedly realized he couldn’t swim either but he felt adrenaline racing and he somehow managed to get to the surface with his uncle, both cough out water that had filled their mouths.

Zuko felt an unfamiliar sensation race through his veins as he attempted to get them to shore but was ultimately failing until the feeling happened. Their landing on the icy land was sudden and Zuko realized that he’d airbended them to shore, that he had airbended. His heart nearly gave out upon the realization.

“Zuko, How did you get us here? You can’t swim, nephew.” Iroh asked him.

“I um..air-ahh-adr-adrenaline.” He lied stammering but Iroh seemed to accept that and let him calm down. The boat slowly came to them and got them back onboard. A couple days passed and Zuko realized that Iroh knew he had airbended and he locked himself in his room and cried. He couldn’t be the Avatar. He tried to focus on firebending but he simply made the tapestries flap with wind.

He sobbed into his knees, holding his doll that his mother had made and given to him, that had been sewn back together endless times because of Azula and his father. He was a traitor to his own nation. His uncle would take him back home as a prisoner and then he would be tortured into the Avatar State until he could be killed to end the Avatar cycle. Upon realization that he was truly the Avatar, he lost temporary control and destroyed everything in his room with a scream.

He released a destructive blast of air, tossing and upending everything and throwing everything at the walls with his air subsequently making spheres around what he treasured unwittingly to save them. Then came the nearly catastrophic blast of fire that turned it all to ash, not even lighting it aflame, but scorching it all to immediate ash.

Shaking, he wrote a letter to his uncle, gathered into a bag all the gold, silver, and copper he could. He looked at the doll, Roku. He clutched Roku close and he took the doll with him. and then left to the nearest land. He didn’t want to hurt his uncle, not the last person who cared about him. He fled the ship mourning that he may never see his uncle again. He ran to the closest place, the Southern Water Tribe.

Taglist: @darkrainbow333 @magic-but-its-green @the-lemonade-artist @a-chaotic-being @wasinotwantedatthisexactsecond @lgbtforeverything @brain-deadx0

[angel-squid-trash-ghost]

Parental Guidance

       The wind whistled across the tundra. A storm was moving inland but probably wouldn’t be too eventful. But something else wasn’t right in the air. Hakoda could feel it. The wind whispered it to him. It was a warning. Go inside. Go inside, he felt his heart say. There was a giggle behind him. It was his youngest, Katara. He was happy to hear that sound from her. For too long his precious daughter didn’t even smile.

         It was only a year ago his wife, his Kya, had been slain by the Fire Nation. It was hard to see his children grow without a mother. Sokka, his son understood better than his sister. Katara would cry for her mother to tuck her in. She only wanted her mother to make her dinner. Only her mother to hold her when she cried. But his son was showing her a spinning top. One decorated with a wolf spirit that spun in a figure eight. Her blue eyes, his wife’s eyes, lit up with wonder.

“Dad! Look!” Sokka smiled.

              Sokka was a good boy. He was so eager to learn how to be a man. He couldn’t do a Water tribe father prouder. He was smart too. He had built his first snare before he was even shown how to. He was also a good brother. Hakoda knew there were times he couldn’t care for his daughter alone. He couldn’t take the constant pleading for someone he couldn’t give her. But it would be Sokka to take her hand and tell her to hush, that things would be different in the mornings.

              The snow kept falling as Kanna stirred stewed squid. His mother was a tremendous help. She had filled all the roles Kya would have had in their household. He wouldn’t be able to do it without her. Sometimes he would try to get her to rest. But she would brush him off and insist she wasn’t that old yet.

“That’s really amazing, son.” He smiled at his family.

              He was grateful to be able to see their faces every day. He had not been asked to go to war like many in the sister tribe had been. His village was small with only a few other villages scattered around. If all warriors were shipped out there would be no chance for the Southern Water Tribe to survive. Lately there hadn’t been any raids. Not since the last one that took his Kya. He tried not to think about her or the war. Not on nights like this with his family warm and laughing. In the morning, fresh snow would cover the ground erasing the days before. So, he dreamed to be old, white haired and wrinkled, surrounded by grandkids who had never heard of war. Many, happy grandkids who had never seen the red flags or the black snow.

“Dad! Dad! It’s still spinning!” Katara clapped her hands snapping him out of his trance.

“I see! How long do you think it will spin?” Hakoda laughed.

“Maybe until Mommy comes back!”

         Sokka stopped the top, his mother had stopped stirring and his daughter’s smile disappeared when she saw her father’s reaction. Hakoda found himself wanting to go outside again. The stab to his heart was too much. But the wind whispered. Stay inside. Stay inside.

…

          The water was cold. It was too cold. It hurt Iroh’s bones and his muscles. He was already so tired from swimming. He only had a small piece of metal and what seemed to be the remains of his nephew. The storm had destroyed their ship as if La themself had split the metal vessel in two. Iroh didn’t know how many of the crew had survived. But his nephew was with him still as the ice they rested on. Iroh longed to be on the shores of his homeland. He wished he were on sand and not ice. That he was being covered by sun rays and not snow. His rib was broken, and his hip was in an unbearable amount of pain. But in that moment, none of it mattered. His nephew, Prince Zuko was not moving. Iroh felt the burn in his eyes and the choke in his throat. The journey couldn’t be for nothing.

          Another wave washed over Iroh. So cold. The splash hit the burnt skin of his nephew. Prince Zuko’s eyes squinted. Now Iroh was crying, not with pain but with relief.  It gave him the strength he needed to pull himself out  fully from the water. The ice was not much more forgiving than the water. He was still too weak to bend. He closed his tired eyes. Iroh started to think almost into meditation. He was almost ready to resign to a death next to the young life he tried to save. Almost.

         He felt a warmth close to his plumped cheek. It was a salvation. Was it Agni trying to take him to the spirit world? Iroh opened one eye. It was Captain Soru. The son of the navigator Soji, who was surely at the mercy of the ocean if not already dead. He held a fire to him warm and welcoming.

…

         Hakoda felt something else on the wind. There was more than one voice now. He was starting to believe the grief had caused him to go insane. Stay inside. Help. We are here. Stay. Help. Stay. Whispered on the winds as he stared through the uncovered window. Kanna was quick to cover the carved hole with a pelt.

“You will catch a sickness.” Kanna chastised.

“Maybe, mother. But I can hear voices.” He admitted knowing his mother would not judge him. He had said worse things to her.

His mother answered. “What do you hear? One does not hear the wind if it is not telling him something.”

        Hakoda moved the pelt and watched the snow. Slowly figures appeared. At first, he thought he was seeing things. Seven shapes moved through the whirling gusts. Some tall and some thicker than others. But they were all in a circle around something.

“Chief Hakoda!”

“What is it, Moak?” Hakoda asked seeing Moak run past his window.

“Seven men! They look Fire Nation!”

Hakoda’s heart pounded in his chest. “Mother take the children to the communal hut. Go quickly! Tell all women you see to do the same. Where’s Bato?”

“I’m here.” Bato, a man that had been his friend since childhood stood faithfully at his side.

“I want all men armed and ready.” Hakoda said trying to hide his panic.

“There may be a weapon with them!” Moak shouted out.

“Look through the spy glass! Get a better look.”

“Chief it’s…a doll? A child? There is only half a face that I can see! They look injured.”

“Wait till they get closer. Keep your eye in the spy glass. When you get a better sense let me know.” The chief kept his composure. The entire village would be counting on him.

       Hakoda went around the village, preparing for the worst. Every command had to be followed to the exact letter. Hakoda had planned for every single outcome since the last time the Fire Nation were spotted on their shores. His plan was full proof, and he would never lose anyone ever again.

“Dad what’s happening? I can help!” Sokka must have escaped his Gran-gran. He was already armed with seal leather armor and a boomerang.

Hakoda’s pride out-weighed his panic for a few moments. He put his hands onto his son’s shoulders. “What I need you to do right now is a very important job. Do you understand?”

Sokka nodded hard gripping his boomerang for dear life.

Hakoda continued, “I need you to be with Katara and Gran- Gran. I know it feels like I’m sending you away, but I need someone protecting them. You know you’re my bravest warrior, right?”

He could see his son fight his own tears, “Yes, Dad.”

“Then please be with them Sokka. I can’t lose anyone else.” Hakoda pulled his son close before letting him go to bark out more orders. “Guard the gate! Hold the line! Show no fear!” The snow fell faster now making it hard to the approaching men. It seemed like they would have to get closer to get a full idea of what they could be expecting.

              Finally, the Fire Nation men were in sight. Two young men and four middle aged men. One old man and one boy being pulled on a makeshift sled. They all limped, each step taken in agony. The young men had extensive injuries. One appeared to be missing an arm. Two middle age men hobbled along keeping up the old man whilst helping themselves. And the other two pulling the sled with the half-faced boy. They all fell to their knee’s when they reached the gate. They were wet and bleeding. The cold must have been adding to their misery as they were not properly dressed for ice and snow. He heard them sob and groan. Some of his men grew restless. There was no doubt they were suffering, but how could he care. They were Fire Nation. They should get a taste of their own medicine. They should walk around limbless and in pain. They should starve and be frightened. Their child should die innocent in their arms…

“Chief? They have a child with them. The old man is saying they need warmth, or they will all die. What should we do?” Moak whispered.

“Keep the gate closed.” Hakoda said without hesitation.

“Yes, sir.” Moak nodded before leaving to inform the guards.

“Bato!” Hakoda called his friend. “What should I do? They are injured and they have a child with them. But they are Fire Nation. Do they deserve mercy?”

“Hakoda...” Bato stared at the Fire Nation men as Hakoda did, “Are we better than them if we leave them at the gate to die? Are we exposing ourselves to a sneak attack if we let them in? But any decision you make I will follow.”

“I have the same troubled thinking.” Hakoda breathed out. To know his men were as conflicted as he was made it easier for him to form a plan. “We should let the most injured man in to ask what they want. Do not let the child come through yet. I do not want them to think we are too gullible.”

“Yes, sir!” Bato leapt down to the others to inform the change of plan.

        They sent the old man in. He spoke the Water language. He spun some story that the storm had pushed them off their course and their ship sank some miles out. He asked for fire his injured crew could gather around. He had the audacity to ask for food and to ask for shelter. Hakoda had a quick thought of cutting them all down in their weakened state. But he was raised as a warrior. He would not kill men who could not defend themselves. But they would not be guests. They would be held as prisoners until Hakoda decided they weren’t.

“Please take my nephew! He needs a healer right away!” The old man begged again.

              Hakoda could only assume the boy’s face had been damaged by the sinking ship. He was small and couldn’t be older than his own son. He wasn’t moving. Not even when the snow landed on his wounds. He gave the order to have the child taken to the healing hut, but the others had to stay together and were to be guarded at all times.

              Over the next week, the prisoners were given a meal a day of whatever scraps they decided to provide. Any sign of bending and they would be killed. They had to be restrained when their injuries were inspected. The boy in the healing hut had not opened his eyes. As the days went on the villagers grew anxious. No one wanted Fire Nation in their midst for that long. A search party might arrive soon only putting his people in further danger. The Fire Nation men had to leave. They had been shown enough hospitality.

              The next morning Hakoda went to inform the prisoners. They all took the news well. All except for the old man. The old man struggled to stand on his feet. He whimpered even as two men lifted him.

“Please, Chief Hakoda. I understand me and my men must go, but please let the boy stay.”

“You have already asked too much of my people. I will not allow some lifeless Fire Nation pup to be a cause of another raid.”

“No one knows where we are.”

“You could be lying. I should have made the order to kill you at the gate. You could be a spy.”

“We do not wish to stay, Chief Hakoda. But the boy cannot come with us. I fear he would not survive the journey back.”

“What concern of this is mine. Unlike the Fire Nation, Water tribe understand what innocence is. No child of the Fire Nation can be innocent.”

“I know your heart cannot be so hard, Chief Hakoda. He is not unlike your children. His only crime is being born under the Fire Flag.”

“My decision is final.” Hakoda kept his laconic tone.

Iroh threw himself into a kowtow,  “I wish for his safety! He will be safe here! Please, Chief Hakoda. This old man begs you.”

“As my wife did? Before she was slain holding my daughter in her arms? My decision is final.”

“You are not the only one to have loved ones lost at the hands of the Fire Nation. My people lose fathers and sons every day for a war that does not benefit them. I lost my very own son. I do not like this war any more than you. I do not seek glory or victory over you or your people. I want to go home and die in my own bed knowing that my nephew is safe.”

       Hakoda ignored the sympathy that flittered in the back of his mind. There wasn’t much else Hakoda could do. If he allowed the boy to stay, the Fire Nation would have a reason to come back. If not them, then the Northern Water tribe would have a long-awaited reason to seize control of the South. It would be reason enough for some Earth kingdom tradesmen to sell information to the Fire Nation. He seemed to be cornered at all sides. It was the most rational decision to send them all away.

       He approached the healer’s tent unable to remember his reasoning. Inside was the last thing he wanted to see. His daughter was above the half-faced boy. She took a towel and gently dabbed at the boy’s scar. The boy’s eyes moved but didn’t open. He stayed in his place before his body had to react. He stepped backward. The crunch of the floor behind him alerted his daughter. Katara put her hands behind her back like she was caught sneaking an extra tart.

“Dad. I’m sorry. They left him. They said he was already dead. But look! He’s alive, Dad!” Katara began to sob.

Hakoda kept his voice even, not to scare his daughter, “I am taking you to Gran- Gran and you will not leave her sight.”

              Hakoda made his way to the communal hut where all the women and children sat together waiting for news. Including the healer, Kehana who was supposed to be treating the boy. He saw the fear in her eyes. In all their eyes as he scanned the room. He made them aware of his decision. Relief washed over them all. But all too soon when shouting was heard.

              Hakoda dashed outside. Men were hollering and running in disarray. They all were pointing in the same direction. The six Fire Nation soldiers had escaped and were seen hauling a canoe into the water. Hakoda grabbed the nearest weapon and sprinted to the shore. He couldn’t think and couldn’t make any commands, but his men followed suit and ran with him. It was too late. The old man was yelling something over the water that he couldn’t hear. Hakoda hoped La would not make the same mistake and swallow them whole this time.

[is-that-another-soulmate-au]

Zukaang soulmates part 3

@mypureessence

@chaoticidiott

A quick stop in town to gather supplies right? Wrong. They decided to stop in a shop run my pirates, and after leaving they had to run from said pirates and barely managed to get away with Aang's quick thinking, flying away on Aang's glider.

"Man, I used to look up to pirates but those guys suck!" Aang exclaimed

"I know... thats why I took THIS!" Katara pulled out the waterbending scroll she took from the pirates

"No wonder they were trying to kill us! You stole from them!"

"Sokka, where do you think they got it from? They stole it from a waterbender!"

"You put all our lives at risk so you could learn some fancy splashes!"

"You know how crucial it is for Aang to learn waterbending"

"Ugh, whatever"

Meanwhile Zuko was at the market with Iroh in search of a 'missing' pai sho tile.

"Ive checked every stall, not a single lotus tile in the whole market!"

Zuko let out an angry breath, the frost bite scars on his neck and chest stung with what he figured was irritation "its great to know this trip was a big waste of time for everyone!"

"Not entirely" Iroh said calmly "I always say if you can't find what your looking for you can always find something you werent looking for at a great bargain!"

The crew of his ship walked past with armful after armful of things they didn't need, one passing with a horn

"You bought a soongi horn?" He narrowed his eyes at his uncle

"For music night on the ship! Now if only we had some air strings" they walked off towards a ship "ooo! This looks promising!"

While on the ship they browsed the interesting collection, Iroh fixated on a ruby eyed monkey with Zuko behind him twitching to leave but not knowing why.

"We lost the watertribe girl and the bald monk she was traveling with"

That peaked Zuko's interest and he turned to the crew "this mink she was traveling with... did he have an arrow on his head?"

Back at the gaang Katara was trying to learn the Watership but kept failing. After blowing up at Aang for his natural ability with the new moves she relinquished the scroll to him swearing she wanted nothing to do with it.

However after everyone was asleep she snuck off with it to try the move again. Setting down the scroll she went through the motions multiple times getting more and more frustrated with it each time. Eventually whisper shouting "stupid scroll!"

She froze when she heard a ship stop at the shore, peaking through a bush she saw a fire nation ship. "No" whispering she backed up to run but ran into a pirate who moved to grab her "let go of me!" She bent water to smack him in the face only to run into Zuko after taking off.

"I'll save you from the pirates"

Back at the campsite Sokka and Aang woke up to find Katara and the scroll missing.

"She took the scroll! She's obsessed with that thing! Its only a matter of time before she gets us in dee- aah!" Well there's that deep trouble he was about to mention.

With their hands tied behind their back Aang's hand with the mark was twitching, his soulmate was on this beach and he couldnt do anything about it

"You guys are really trading a scroll for the avatar?"

"Dont listen to him! He's trying to turn us against eachother

"Your friend here is the avatar?"

"Sure is, and I'll bet hell fetch alot more on the black market than that fancy scroll~"

"Shut your mouth you water tribe bitch" Zuko spat his words, absolutely fuming

"Language Zuko" Iroh said in a slightly scolding tone

"Yeah Sokka you really should shut your mouth"

"Im just saying, its bad business sense"

With that the battle was on, the pirates making a smoke screen around Aang and Sokka. At some point Zuko managed to grab the front of Aang's shirt but only for a short moment before being blown away with a sneeze. After running out and managing to get the boat in the water they set sail. Only having to fight off the pirates at this point they kept pushing on.

But, there was one tiny problem. There was a waterfall. Only managing to stop the boat for a short bit they were run into by the other boat and had to jump onto Appa who, by their luck just happened to hear the whistle Aang couldnt resist at the market.

"Besides who needs that stupid scroll anyways"

"Is that really how you feel?" Sokka pulled the scroll out from behind his back

"The scroll!" Katara went to reach for the scroll

"First, what did you learn"

"Stealing is wrong" after being handed the scroll a wide smirk grew on her face "unless if its from pirates"

Aang and her fell into laughter at the joke as they flew off onto their next adventure on the way to the north pole.

[onigirisuna]

a cozy fire to keep you warm

a contribution to @zutaramonth​, quarantine edition, day 11: secrets. view my other works for zutara month (quarantine edition) here.

a story about love found.

She was always there, at the corner of his (good) eye.

When he was chasing the Avatar to the ends of the world, she was there, standing guard.

When he nearly keeled over with regret and shame in the Western Air Temple, she was there, seething with disgust and contempt.

When he was nearing the end of his world, close to transcending the earth beneath him, she was there, saving him.

Her prayers came in waves, crashing broken and scattered on the shore. “Please,” she begged through her tears, “Don’t– Agni, please, you can’t– don’t leave me– she can’t– she can’t take him away this time.”

Azula once took you from me before, she thought. When you left me in the among the crystals.

You came back, goddammit. You can do it again.

Behind his eyes, colors fluctuated from the crimson of the comet to the burgundy walls of the palace gardens. His sister’s agonizing screams and Katara’s desperate prayers were nothing but white noise to him; all he could see was a little turtleduck – you were mine, weren’t you? – and a lone, lean figure standing by the fire lilies.

Katara was still there; he saw her at the corner of his good eye, glowing crimson and blue. “No, no, no, you can’t die. Agni, please– Yue, anyone, please– Agni, he’s slipping–” 

The garden began to blur. The figure walked towards him; as it was coming closer, its features came into focus. He was a boy, no older than 18, with unmistakeable golden eyes and a stature only found in Fire Nation royalty; but his face was kind and his gaze was soft, much like Iroh’s. The boy’s warmth flooded him.

Somewhere in his periphery, Katara started to fade.

“Lu–” he began, but Lu Ten grabbed him by his shirt.

“Not today, Little Zukey.”

What the hell? Before he could could ask, he was shoved backwards with a force and a searing pain that knocked the air out of his lungs; he realizes too late that his spirit has found his body again.

He opened his eyes for the first time since Azula chased after Katara – blue against blue – and all he could see was crimson —

— and the sharp blue in his periphery.

She was there; after all the pain, all her pain, she was still there. You told me no one else has to get hurt, she thought. No one ever told me someone was supposed to die.

She almost jumped at the feel of his heartbeat coming back to life. “Zuko,” she whispered.

“Hey,” he said weakly. His nerves were numb, his vision was swimming, and any movement felt like streams of fire raging through his body; so he settled for looking at her, gold eyes meeting blue.

“Thank you, Katara.”

You idiot, she thought. You damn near died for me –

“No,” she said. “I think I’m the one who should be the one thanking you.”

No, dammit, he wanted to say. Not after everything I’ve put you through, but the streams of fire shot through his body and instead of a retaliation, an agonizing groan escaped his mouth.

His body convulsed against the pain, only settling when Katara wrapped his injury with glowing water. Her tears were beginning to pool again and holding them in took all the strength she had left. “You nearly died because of me, Zuko,” she said weakly. “Goddammit, I could’ve lost you a second time, and I couldn’t let that happen. Not ag– not again, goddammit, you hear me?”

When he began to feel his nerves again, he reached for her hand. “I hear you,” he said. He squeezed it with all the strength he could offer. I’m here, I’m alive, and it’s thanks to you. “Thank you.”

“Stop thanking me,” she whispered, as if it were an afterthought. All that mattered to her was that he was breathing, he was– they were okay.

—

to give your heart a song to sing

—

She didn’t know how it started.

She was desperately praying to every god she knew – there wasn’t much, if she was being honest – and before she could stop herself, she said, “I love him, Agni, please–”

Her hands stopped healing for a second when she realized what she had just sworn to the gods. She checked to see if he heard her, and to her (sick) relief, he was quiet. She resumed her healing before he could slip away.

Even after they dragged Azula to her cell and Zuko took his place as the Fire Lord regent, the shock of her words still tingled in her mouth. It stayed and persisted through the days since they’ve won.

The first time he was putting on his new robes – only to be worn by the Fire Lord, said his sages – Katara was the one who helped him. Zuko didn’t allow anyone else to do so.

The tingle prickled her lips. I love you, she wanted to say, I don’t know how or why but I know I do, but the fear of rejection keeps it from rolling off her tongue. After all, behind the warrior is a little girl. “It’s real,” she whispered instead. “You’re really Fire Lord now.”

“Fire Lord regent,” he corrected. “I’ve yet to be crowned.”

“Same difference.”

They smiled, years of hurt and anger and tears and hugs and healing and love coming to this moment.

He gazes at her with barely-masked awe, wondering when the girl bloomed into a woman – when a child turned into a warrior. His partner-in-crime, his confidant, his best friend, the woman he trusts, the woman he grew to love. I love you, you know, he wanted to say.

Maybe it was after we set sail in the sky, when you learned how to forgive. Maybe it was when you held my hand before I begged for forgiveness from the man I knew as father.

Or maybe it was the moments in between, when you held up a painting of my father and thought it was me; maybe it was when I saw you and knew that there was no one I’d rather see my sister with.

Katara squeezed his arm, smiling through her bright eyes. Her gaze skimmed upwards, along his bandaged torso, until it reached his scar.

Maybe it was when you agreed to an Agni Kai, seeing you glow against blue, when I knew I couldn’t lose you, she thought. Maybe that was when I knew.

—

i wish you shelter from the storm

—

She wished the two boys good luck before they prepared to face the new world. Her friends followed shortly after, crushing her in a sandwich of hugs and tears.

“We’ll see you on the other side, you stupid armadillo-bunnies!” Toph hollered. Sokka gave them a salute, and Suki held them tight one more time before she made her way to the Kyoshi Warriors.

“I’m proud of you,” Katara said, gripping the arms of the two boys. “You already know that.”

Aang and Zuko smile at her; one lopsided and goofy, the other warm – but tight and contained, like Pandora’s box. Some secrets are meant to be locked away, he thought.

Maybe it’s what’s best for everyone, she told herself.

This is our duty. This is what we owe the world.

It took all her strength to hide the pain that gripped her heart when she saw Mai approach Zuko. She held onto Aang’s arm with a vice grip, the only thing keeping her from stumbling into a mess of tears.

“Hey,” Zuko said, an arm outstretched to welcome his (supposed) girlfriend. He greeted her with a kiss to her forehead; but he kept his eyes wide open, forcibly reminding himself that this girl had hazel eyes – not ones of ocean blue.

When he saw her again, she was with her tribe. Unlike the men around her, she wore no headgear, held no weapons – just a simple tunic; the armor that she wore to war.

She gazed at him – there they are again, her bright blue eyes – and nodded his way. She pointed to the crown of her head and smiled. It’s real. 

He cocked his head to the side and sent her a subtle, puzzled look that disappeared as soon as it came. Same difference. 

She smiled. Amidst the raucous cheer, she closed her eyes and prayed, keep him safe, hold him close.

Please, Yue, do it for me.

—

but most of all, when snowflakes fall,

—

Time heals all wounds; so when he sees her again, five years later, the ache in his heart no longer feels like broadswords through his chest. When he sees her in her powder blue wedding dress, the pain becomes nothing more than slow throbs.

Aang and Katara marry in the winter, just shy of the solstice. The ceremony is private, meant only for the couple’s family and closest friends; it took months of convincing and countless threats of walking out on the wedding to convince Aang to keep it to ten friends only, or there will be no ceremony.

Time isn’t enough, however, to quell his aching heart when he sees their first kiss as husband and wife – so he closes his eyes. Visions of powder blue in his garden flood his mind, with her laughter filling his ears, and the ache he’s fought so hard suppress resurges like a wave. His wife grips his arm.

“Zuko,” Mai whispers. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” he says through gritted teeth. “I’m just not used to the cold anymore. Just warming myself up.”

Mai shoots him a suspicious look before clapping for the couple in front of them. This is our duty. This is what we owed the world.

But the world is cruel and unfair.

He first meets Katara’s gaze when his eyes open. She gives him a distant smile and waved hello from where she stood. I’m sorry, she thought. I’m sorry we couldn’t be.

He nods and claps with his friends, his sense of duty overtaking the throes of his heart.

—

He leads the toast, standing tall and proud as he congratulates the happy couple,

because the world is cruel and unforgiving.

“I didn’t have much prepared, if I’m gonna be honest,” he says. “But the Ember Island Players were wrong.”

Hefty laughter followed. He forces a smile when he says, “Congratulations, you two. Cheers!”

“Cheers!”

He looks at Katara and raises his glass to her. She smiles, tipping hers to him.

I wish you love.

[fortunatelychaoticphantom]

Agency and Aang’s Arc

A while ago I made a big comment regarding the debate about Aang’s final choice to spare Ozai’s life in the finale and how that fits into his character arc. I feel like this is an important issue that deserves its own post so here’s a revised version of what I said.

----

Every time this debate is brought up I usually see the same comments; whenever people talk about Aang’s recurring running-away problem and how it influences his actions in the final battle, others claim that choosing to spare a life is not the same as running away and immediately accuse the criticizers of wanting a child in a kid’s show to kill someone. There are two fundamental misunderstandings that need to be addressed here.

First of all and most important, no one says that Aang should have killed Ozai. There is some very good, interesting and important debate on whether or not Ozai should live, whether death as a punishment is acceptable at all and if so when and how, and what specifically these character in these circumstances should do. But the issue that most of the criticism has is that this debate is never fully explored or resolved in the show but is instead magically swiped aside by two very glaring deus ex machinas that specifically come at the expanse of Aang’s arc.

Second, the whole “running away” issue is not about killing or not killing Ozai, it’s about Aang’s agency and his choices. It’s about the fact that in the end he could not overcome Ozai without the Avatar State and he could not avoid killing him without Energy Bending, both abilities he didn’t work to gain. It’s about how he got to that point in the first place and how the accumulation of his decisions throughout the show influenced the course of the final battle.

(continue after the break)

When it comes to running away, Aang is more than entitled to freak out occasionally. He is a child in horrible circumstances. Even before he was frozen, the knowledge of being an Avatar was thrust upon him too early because of the coming war and that is quite a lot to ask such a young child to handle. And if loosing his friends and being overwhelmed by his duties and responsibility isn’t enough, the fact that he overhears that he would be separated from his father-figure makes his running away all the more understandable. But just because we understand the reasons, that doesn’t make it the right choice. Of course, had he not run away he would most probably have died and, well, I guess we would have no show. But just because it turned out good for him (as good as waking up to a war-torn world knowing his entire people were murdered while he was asleep could be), it still doesn’t make it the right choice. If Aang had died, as long as it hadn’t happen in the Avatar state, a new Avatar would have been born in one of the Water Tribes. I can’t say if it would have been good for the world or not, it would simply have been different. But the point is that Aang did run away. He could have talked to Gyatso, he could have tried to convince the other masters to let him stay or try to find some middle ground where he would train in another temple but still be able to keep in touch with Gyatso or any other possibility, but he didn’t. He didn’t face his problem, he ran away. By having Aang freak out and run away again in “The Storm” and having Katara comfort him (which is great!) and tell him that it was meant to be (which is not so great) she is actively rewarding his behavior and he keeps doing it again and again.

Running away in its broader sense was a major issue for Aang in his Earth Bending training as well. I have written about this before in regards to “The Great Divide” and “Bitter Work” being two of the most important episodes in my opinion for Aang’s character. I’m probably the only one in the world who ever said it, but I LOVE “The Great Divide”. It is such a wonderful show of Aang’s character and it deals specifically with the most important trait of Air Bending - avoiding a direct conflict and circumventing around it to find a different solution. It shows a lot of imaginative ingenuity from Aang and shows us that situations aren’t always as binary as we might think. But in “Bitter Work” Aang is confronted by the fact that this tactic doesn’t work in every situation and that sometimes he has to face his issues head-on (literally for Toph…). This seeming dichotomy is the major conflict that defines Aang’s character arc for two season and climaxes in the ending of “The Guru” and “The crossroads of Destiny”, and is directly linked to the Avatar State and Aang’s journey growing up.

In the end of “The Guru” Aang has a vision of Katara being imprisoned and decides to abandon his training leaving his chakra blocked and the Avatar State as well in order to save her. He chooses personal attachment over his duties as Avatar. We understand why he did it, but that doesn’t mean he should have done it. We don’t know exactly what would have happened if he had stayed in the Eastern Air Temple with Pathik. Sokka would be fine because he was with Hakoda at the time, Toph would have still escaped her captors because her story didn’t touch the Gaang in the episode at all, Katara and Zuko would still be prisoners while Iroh would still be free, and Ba Sing Se would still fall (honestly, it fell the moment Azula stepped into the city). Maybe the third season would have started with a “Boiling Rock” type of prison-break to free Katara, I don’t know. But the thing is that Aang would have been a fully realized Avatar at that point, who can choose to enter the Avatar state at will and not have it control him, endanger him and everyone around him. But he doesn’t do that. He runs away again. But even though he runs away in that moment, in the final battle in the catacombs he actually does make the choice to let go of Katara, open his last chakra and achieve the Avatar State. But doing this complicated process in the middle of a battle field is less than ideal and he is struck down by Azula, blocking his chakra for good. And after a two season build-up, the whole chakra-letting go of Katara-Avatar State issue is just never touched on again and Aang’s arc comes to a screeching halt.

Now, I said “seeming dichotomy” because, like I said before, the whole issue of running away vs. facing conflicts head-on isn’t about the question of killing or not killing, it’s about making an active choice, and that is something that in the end Aang doesn’t do, and we need to talk about this.

Aang’s past lives advised him about the issue and I think it’s important to see what exactly did they say to him. Roku lamented that he didn’t act sooner on Sozin’s actions and told Aang “you must be decisive”. Kyoshi said that even though she didn’t technically kill Chin the Conqueror, she would have done whatever it took to stop him and told Aang “only justice will bring peace”. Kuruk told the story of losing the woman he loved to Koh, blaming himself that had he been more attentive and active he could have saved her and said “you must actively shape your own destiny and the destiny of the world”. And lastly, Yangchen said that while Aang’s values and education are important, it isn’t about him since his duty as Avatar is for the world and not himself and said “selfless duty calls you to sacrifice your own spiritual needs, and do whatever it takes to protect the world”.

Now, the thing is - technically speaking, not a single one of the old Avatars actually told Aang to kill Ozai. This is very important. Is Aang talking about the question of killing Ozai? Yes. Is any of them telling him directly that he should kill? Absolutely not. They are talking exactly about Aang’s unresolved character arc - about facing your problems, about not running away, about making an active choice, shaping your own destiny and not letting destiny control you and making sacrifices for the world.

In the end of “The Phoenix King”, After arguing with the rest of the Gaang about what to do with Ozai, Aang goes to his room and meditates for a while but soon falls asleep. And then, literally out of nowhere, deus ex machina #1 appears off-shore and lures a half conscious Aang to it. Is this an active choice? No. Aang has no idea where he is when he wakes up or what is he supposed to do. He doesn’t even try to find out until the very end of the episode. He does use this opportunity to communicate with his past lives and later on with the Lion Turtle as well. But again - he made no effort to seek out the Lion Turtle, he didn’t choose to find it. It appeared out of nowhere at the very last minute before the final battle, brought Aang to it, and gave him the technique to defeat Ozai. That is the literal definition of deus ex machina. And if that’s not enough, the Lion Turtle brought Aang to the shore where he would wait for Ozai to come to him. There isn’t a single active action from Aang in all of this. None of this happens on his own terms, it is the Lion Turtle’s terms. That is not a character in control of their destiny, that is destiny in control of a character.

That’s just the stuff leading up to the battle, now let’s talk about the battle itself. Twice during the battle Aang chooses to spare Ozai’s life. This is very important to talk about, because almost no one talks about the first time, and the focus is mostly on the second time. The first time Aang chose to redirect the lightning away from Ozai instead of back at him, and the second time was stopping the attack at the peak of the Avatar State and using Energy Bending instead - and that’s the most important difference between the two that surrounds his character arc. The whole conflict is exactly this - becoming a fully realized Avatar in control of the Avatar State to be able to defeat Ozai without killing him while paying the price of letting go of Katara or not finishing the training, not being in control of his powers, keeping his feelings for Katara but having to kill Ozai to defeat him and paying the price of giving up on his ideals. That is it. That is the conflict that was completely dropped from the third season. That was the process Aang was supposed to go through, that was the choice he was supposed to make, but didn’t. It was made for him instead.

Aang lost the battle. There’s no buts, no ifs, no nothing. That amazing moment, that incredible shot of Aang using a technique that has been so intrinsically woven into the narrative of the show on so many levels and for so many characters, the exact opposite of a deus ex machina, using the ability he worked for, that he learned, to redirect Ozai’s lighting away in order to keep his ideals was the pivotal moment that brought his loss. Aang lost. Without the Avatar State, without being in full control of his powers, even with his immense strength and resilience, Aang couldn’t defeat Ozai. Aang was exactly two strikes away from death before deus ex machina #2 reared its ugly head in the shape of the Magic of the Pointy Rock. Under incessant attacks that he can no longer hold, Aang is shoved (passive voice again) on a rock directly on the scar where Azula hit him with lightning. This magic solution opens up Aang’s chakra with zero explanation that it is even possible, achieves full control over his powers and the Avatar State while doing absolutely nothing to gain it.

Don’t get me wrong. Aang grabbing Ozai’s beard through the rubble and just bitch-slapping him to the spirit world is probably one of my favorite shots in the entire show. Everything in this battle is magnificent, and Aang’s final choice to come out of the Avatar State and spare Ozai is wonderful. But non of it would have been possible without the Pointy Rock and the Lion Turtle. Aang needed both the Avatar State and Energy Bending to defeat Ozai without killing him - two abilities that he didn’t have, that he didn’t learn, that he didn’t even know existed in the energy bending case until a literal divinity showed up at the last second to bestow it upon him. And that cheapens his entire arc, or more accurately negates its very existence. (We could also go into the moral, political, tactical and social aspects of Energy Bending itself, which is not at all touched in AtLA and only kind of awkwardly and incompletely dealt with in LoK, but this is not the place)

I want to address the issue of deus ex machina. I mean, It’s a cartoon! Everything is there for a reason! Every shape, every color, every word. So what’s the difference between a giant Lion Turtle with magic powers and a guru who happens to know everything the protagonist needs to know about his main conflict? Guru Pathik is a great example - he sends Aang a note through Appa telling him he wants to help Aang achieve his full potential as an Avatar. We see this happen. We see that Pathik has been living in the Eastern Temple, following the teachings of the Air Nomads, implying on a rich world of inter-cultural exchange of ideas and practices and even hinting on the possibility that the Air Nomads might not all be gone or that remnants of them have remain in various ways around the world. He comes across Appa - who reaches the Air Temple because he feels safe there - gains his trust, helps him heal and asks him to bring the letter to Aang. We also know why Aang didn’t get the letter - because Long Feng has been intercepting any and all correspondence and information to and about the Gaang. The guru and everything about him and the process of getting Aang to meet him makes sense within the working of the established world - that is what makes him a plot point instead of a deus ex machina. And above all, Pathik might have sent Aang a letter promising solutions to all his problems, but it is Aang who chooses to go to him and learn from him. It’s active instead of passive.

The same can be said about Katara’s spirit water and about her final battle with Azula, where she the epitome of a warrior the way Piandao describes it to Sokka in “Sokka’s Master”. This is another great example of the difference between plot point and deus ex machina, and more specifically an amazing example of a hero defeating their enemy and choosing to spare their life in an active way with no deus ex machinas.

And the funny thing is, they already made all the preparations to make Lion Turtle such a plot element as well! We know Lion Turtles exist because Aang sees them in a book in “The Library”. The Gaang made an active choice to seek out the library in order to find some information that would help them fight the Fire Nation, and they did find the information about the eclipse. Not only is this an important piece of information for the rest of the show, but it also sheds more light on Zhao’s character, his actions and what led to the siege of the North and Zhao’s quest to kill the Moon Spirit. Imagine that Aang would have taken the book with him, or at least did more than randomly flip some pages. Imagine him asking Pathik about it, and Pathik maybe knowing some stories about the powers they might have, about Energy Bending. Imagine that at the end of “The Phoenix King” Aang would have meditated in his room and asked the guidance of his past lives. Imagine him listening to them and taking an active choice to seek out the Lion Turtle. Imagine him talking to the Gaang and deciding together to split, Aang seeking out what he needs (maybe even going back to Pathik to finish his training and open his chakra, because, again - he can’t spare Ozai’s life without the Avatar State), while the rest of the Gaang joins the White Lotus on the other efforts to end the war, since the Fire Nation does not equal Ozai, and just because he is defeated doesn’t mean the army would stop attacking and there is still Azula to contend with. Imagine him seeking out the Lion Turtle asking for help and learning Energy Bending. Imagine him doing all of this and how great a story it could have been.

Aang had a choice - ideals or attachment. I would’ve said he chose both, but the thing is he didn’t choose at all. It was chosen for him. This is completely passive. There is no choice, there is no agency. He is no longer an active participant in his own story.

[somniumoflight]

Crossover Idea #10 – My Hero Academia/Avatar: The Last Airbender

The Fire Nation’s royal family is haunted by two spirits that appear under very specific circumstances – these spirits are Todoroki Shoto and Dabi.

So, I’ve been reading a lot of Avatar fanfictions lately, and amongst the ones I’ve read is this really good BNHA crossover fanfic where Zuko and Todoroki keep accidentally switching places with each other in their respective worlds.  The fanfic itself isn’t too long yet (only 4 chapters so far) but there’s a very long bnha atla swap au tag on @captainkirkk’s tumblr page (might have gotten the acronyms in the wrong order, be forewarned) where people have drawn many, many comparisons between the Todoroki family and the Fire Nation royal family, and that kind of inspired this idea.

So, here’s the rundown of this crossover au.  The first divergence happened a hell of a long time ago, only a couple generations after the first Fire Lord was properly crowned.  The grandson of the first Fire Lord (aka the third Fire Lord, aka guess who this is?) sought the power to surpass his generation’s Avatar, at first with his own flames but eventually by finding a spiritually powerful firebender of mixed blood to force into a marriage, in the hopes that having more than Fire Nation in their blood would make his children strong enough to challenge the Avatar.  This, and that Lord’s abusive “training” of his two sons, backfired on him magnificently when the eldest son first ran away, then tried to lead a rebellion against his father and in the process convinced his youngest sibling to help said rebellion. When the two boys were executed for treason after the rebellion failed, their ghosts lingered, haunting their family so that they could continue trying to bring their father down after death.

Except after their father finally died, they continued to linger in the living world rather than moving on.  So now they haunt the royal family and have been doing so for generations, and slowly over the centuries have become proper spirits rather than just human ghosts – one, a guardian spirit for those betrayed by those of their blood (Shoto) and the other an avenger who lingers as long as the one betrayed wants vengeance but has yet to take it (Dabi.)

Fast forward to when Zuko is alive.  For as long as his father’s been treating him poorly in favor of Azula (so, like, as soon as Azula started bending before him), he’s been catching glimpses of a strange teenager with mismatched eyes and a streak of white in his hair around the palace, usually when something nasty is about to happen to him and then some weird incident happens that stops that something nasty in its tracks.  Nobody but Zuko seems to realize he’s there until after his Uncle comes back from Ba Sing Se, sees the spirit as well, and realizes just how screwed up the royal family’s become.  And then little differences start stacking up, influencing canon as they go and blowing everything off the rails one wheel at a time.

Details of this crossover:

Endeavor was the grandson of the first Fire Lord in the Fire Nation’s history, and the third Fire Lord to be crowned.  He was, according to legend, one of the most powerful Fire Lords to ever rule, and was said to be friends with his generation’s Avatar (who, come on, has to be All Might. Who else could it be?)

However, jealous of the power that that Avatar had, Endeavor forced a woman of mixed Fire Nation and Water Tribe blood (there were probably Water Tribe pirates, let’s say that her mother was fire nation… let’s leave it at that) and great spiritual and (water)bending power to marry him, in the hopes that the mixed blood would make his children powerful enough to contend with the Avatar.

Technically he sort of got what he wanted – his eldest son found it remarkably easy to use the more powerful blue flames that he had such trouble with, and his youngest son figured out how to imitate waterbending by basically pulling a Zuko from Vathara’s Embers – he could put heat into water and manipulate it that way

However, both of these powerful children hated his guts for how he treated them while “training,” and so when the eldest son (Dabi) ran away and eventually returned as the leader of a rebellion against him, and the youngest (Shoto) was convinced to help his oldest brother in order to protect his family, he was “forced” to hunt them down and kill them before they could topple his regime.

The two sons, however, lingered after death as ghosts in order to protect their remaining family from their father (Shoto) and keep trying to kill him as revenge (Dabi).  They lingered for so long waiting for their old man to die that some of the servants in the palace started praying to them as if they were spirits, and as such when Endeavor finally died (Dabi managed to destroy the ceiling in his room somehow and crushed him under the beams) the two ghosts ended up lingering as… guardian spirits of sorts, for their siblings’ descendants.

They only appear when similar circumstances to their own life – one of the royal family trying to hurt (physically or emotionally) one of their siblings, parents, children, etcetera – and otherwise do not interact with the family.

Fast forward thousands of years, Shoto and Dabi have grown in power, and their origins have faded from the annuls of Fire Nation history. Zuko is born to Ozai, and it soon becomes clear that Ozai is not happy with his perfectly good son, and could care less whether he lives or dies. He starts seriously considering hurting the boy when Azula starts bending before him, which is when Shoto first starts appearing.

He mostly protects Zuko from attempts on his life or accidents that could end up hurting him. This includes everything from assassination attempts from people within or without the Fire Nation to, I dunno, random branches falling out of trees that could squash him.  On one memorable occasion Shoto saves Zuko from drowning, which draws the attention of the palace staff and Ozai, since it was so very clearly a spirit that saved him – what else could make water boil and then surge to shore carrying the drowning boy?

Zuko basically ends up growing up in the palace with a spiritual bodyguard hovering over his shoulder that he’s at first barely aware of and knows next to nothing about, save that the spirit is apparently Fire Nation yet controls water somehow, and he seems to grow stronger as the years go on.

Technically, Shoto is getting stronger, but not because more time is passing – it’s because Ozai starts betraying Zuko as a father more and more, and Shoto’s starting to be reminded of his own father, and he DOES NOT APPRECIATE THE SIMILARITIES THANK YOU.

Then the Agni Kai happens – and the entire room of people watching the Agni Kai against Zuko’s father are right there to see Shoto suddenly appear before all of them, extremely pissed off at Ozai.  While most of the people in the room don’t know what his appearance means, Ozai does – he knows what makes this particular spirit appear, and if anyone else in the room knew then he’d be screwed.

So instead of killing Zuko after the Agni Kai, like he was seriously considering, he banishes his son.

Shoto ends up sticking with Zuko throughout all his years searching for the Avatar and throughout the course of the canon story.  His presence doesn’t overly change much, except Aang and eventually Katara and Sokka (after the North Pole) can see him due to their various spirit shenanigans across the nations, and seeing a spirit with the same scar as Zuko throws them through a loop a bit.

Things do make a major change after Azula arrives to take Zuko and Iroh back to the Fire Nation as prisoners.  See, while most people don’t know the true nature of Shoto and Dabi as spirits, one of the few people (other than Ozai) that does is Iroh, mostly thanks to that pilgrimage he took following Ba Sing Se.  And during one particularly bad day when Zuko is basically cursing Shoto’s existence because he doesn’t need help, why is this spirit even here, Iroh decides to tell him exactly why that spirit is there.

Finding out why Shoto is protecting him – because his father has betrayed him, and wants to harm him – shakes Zuko’s faith in Ozai WAY earlier than canon.  It also plants a budding seed of resentment against his father and Azula (who has also betrayed him, if to a lesser extent than his father), which eventually leads to Zuko actually taking Aang and Katara’s side against Azula in Ba Sing Se, instead of later.

This is where Dabi comes into play, because unlike Shoto, who appears whenever Zuko needs to be protected from one of his own blood, Dabi appears whenever Zuko feels resentment and, even if only for a moment, seriously wants to hurt one of his own blood.  Even normal siblings will occasionally want to strangle each other – there’s no way Zuko didn’t seriously want to hurt Azula at some point, even in canon.

So during the fight with Azula, Zuko feels just enough resentment of how perfect an heir to Ozai Azula is that Dabi appears and literally turns Azula’s own flames against her, burning her.  It leaves a nasty scar similar to Dabi’s own across Azula’s face – a scar she cannot hide, a scar that makes her less than perfect, and Zuko is more than a little horrified, especially when he later finds out it was his own anger against her that technically let Dabi hurt her.  He may have seriously wanted to hurt her, but he didn’t actually want to put her in danger from their father, and those scars are very recognizable.

Dabi doesn’t hurt anybody again for a long time, but Zuko keeps seeing him out of the corner of his eye or in reflections, or in dreams of his and Shoto’s past that he starts having following being attacked by another spirit while traveling with the Gaang out of Ba Sing Se or something.

Those dreams eventually lead to Zuko discovering just who Shoto and Dabi were in the past, with help from Iroh and the Gaang, and Zuko decides that not only is he going to help take down Ozai and keep his sister off the throne, but he’s going to do everything in his power to make certain that nobody in the royal family is ever hurt by their family again, at least not like THAT.

After that most things are more or less canon in terms of actual events during the show, and the last bit of canon divergence before the end of the show’s timeline is, when Aang turns up with Ozai after getting rid of his firebending, Ozai tries to convince him to take revenge against him, to burn him, kill him – and Zuko decides that he’s already had his revenge against him.  That’s the last time Dabi appears, when he ends up burning a mark of shame into Ozai’s face and then vanishes and is never seen by any of the Gaang again.

Shoto, on the other hand, lingers for a long time, and Zuko still sees him out of the corner of his eyes as he becomes Fire Lord and works towards a better future for himself and his nation.

Cracky alternative title for this crossover: “Fuck Endeavor and Ozai: Shitty Parents Need to Burn”

[firenationember]

Destruction, Everywhere (OC Fic)

9/?

Authors Note: I had to mention the ICONIC Ember Island Players rendition of the Gaang’s adventures, and even referenced my favorite part (you’ll know). I really love this chapter! It’s so soft and cute!!

Previous Chapters

The next morning, we set off for Ember Island, leaving no sign of our campsite behind. The flying bison ride wasn’t long, all of us bouncing jokes off of each other to make the ride go faster. When we got close enough to see the house, it was clear Zuko wasn’t kidding when he said nobody came out here anymore. There were patches of moss growing all over the roof, and once we landed, we saw that the moss extended to the inside.

Zuko insisted on doing some firebending training to make up for all the lost time as soon as we could, so now. Katara and Toph sat off to the side of the courtyard, relaxing as we trained. Once we were finally done, Zuko sat on the edge of the fountain that adorned the middle of the courtyard while I took a seat next to Katara, when Sokka and Suki walked in. Sokka was basically buzzing with excitement, holding a piece of paper in his hands. Apparently, there was a play written about our adventures, which Katara wasn’t sure was a good idea to go see. We all agreed that it could be fun, eventually convincing her. It had been awhile since we did something spontaneously fun.

Later that night, at the theater, we walked onto the balcony where our seats were. Toph and Katara sat down in the front row, Suki and Sokka in the row behind them. I sat down next to Katara, and as Aang was going to say something, Zuko sat next to me. Aang sat behind me and poked at the back of my head.

“Pst… Draya… PST!” I snapped my head back as he poked with a little too much pressure.

“What!?” I hissed, trying not to make a scene.

“Can… we maybe… can I sit…” Aang was motioning with his fingers, clearly wanting to sit next to Katara. Before I could say anything, the lights dimmed. I shrugged, mouthing the word “sorry” as I pointed up to the lights and turned around to face the stage. I heard Aang sigh and made a mental note to let him sit here at intermission. The play started when Katara and Sokka discovered Aang, and the last thing we saw before the break was when Aang helped save the Northern Water Tribe.

We all sat outside on some stairs, the others ranting about how much they hated the way they were portrayed. I just sat there, listening to their complaints, not knowing what to do or say. I wasn’t up their yet, they hadn’t met me. I wasn’t even sure I’d be in the play at all considering how late I joined the team. When we got back to the balcony for the next section of the show, I slid into the second row which made Zuko look at me with an eyebrow raised. I shrugged, lightly patting the spot next to me. He slid in as Aang walked onto the balcony, and he smiled when he saw where I was sitting. I gave him a small shrug as the lights went down for the next part of the play, Aang taking his seat next to Katara.

The second part started when the group met Toph, who was played by a huge burly man (which Toph loved). Her character “explained” how she sees, letting out a “sonic wave” towards on stage Team Avatar, and I laughed so hard that Zuko had to wrap his arms around me while saying “shhh don’t draw too much attention”. I swatted at his arms, telling him to let me enjoy the play. The second part ended when Azula thought she took Aang down, and we all made our way out to a hallway. Katara went to look for Aang, who had disappeared before the second part was over, while Sokka and Suki decided to try to get backstage to give Stage Sokka some Real Sokka jokes. Zuko, Toph and I sat against a wall, Toph saying how everyone was being dramatic about the show. I listened as Toph told Zuko about the time she met Iroh and seeing how Zuko’s face lit up when he heard how highly his uncle thought of him, when he thought his uncle would be disappointed in him, made my heart jump. I reached out and squeezed his hand. It dropped when he reached over to rub the part of his arm that Toph had hit, claiming it was her way of showing affection.

“You’re not officially part of the group until you get an affectionate bruise from Toph, you’re truly one of us now!” I say with a smile, earning a snicker from Toph. She stood up, yawning as she said she was going to go back into the theater and wait for the show there. Zuko and I sat in silence for a bit before he spoke.

“I’m sorry you have to see all of my past decisions like this. It’s not who I am anymore, really.” I could hear the sincerity in his voice, and I laughed lightly, shaking my head. He looked over with confusion. I turned my body towards him and gingerly grabbed his hands.

“As someone wise once told me, your past doesn’t define you. I know you’ve changed Zuko, you have nothing to apologize for. Besides that wasn’t you, not really. That was somebody you were trying to be, when you were trying to get something you thought you needed from other people. The Zuko I know now isn’t the same as the Zuko you were a year ago; the Zuko I know is kind, admirable, and when he cares, he cares deeply. That Zuko on stage doesn’t even have the scar on the right side!” He laughed, shaking his head at the comment a child dressed up as Aang had made earlier. He looked over at me, our faces closer than I realized, when we heard a throat clear. Our necks snapped over to see Sokka and Suki standing there, a smug look on Sokka’s face. I stood up and, without missing a beat, said “Not a word, Sokka.”. I walked onto the balcony and slipped onto the bench, Zuko sliding in next to me with a smile still on his face. When Sokka and Suki sat down, Sokka slowly leaned forward and stared at me.

“Boyyyyyfrieeeeend…” Sokka’s voice teased, causing me to cross my arms and sink in my seat to help hide the fact that I was blushing. Thank the spirits that the lights went down for the rest of the play to start. The play picked up at the invasion, and still I wasn’t in the play. Not that it bothered me, I've always tried to blend into the shadows anyway. Sokka was ready to get up and leave once the play caught up to the present, until Suki reminded him that the play wasn’t over. I realized that my hand had found its way into Zuko’s as we watched Stage Azula defeat Zuko, our gradually tightening grip bringing it to my attention. The play ended with Firelord Ozai defeating Aang and we all stared at the stage in horror, not knowing how to take what we just saw. Zuko was still holding onto my hand, the both of us looking down at them until the lights started to turn back on, making us scoot away from each other and drop our hands to our sides. As we walked back to Zuko’s house, we all unanimously agreed that the play was terrible.

We dispersed for the night once we got home, everyone tired from the day of training and watching awful theater. After taking my hair out of its daily bun and brushing it out in the bathroom, I walked to the room I was staying in. The sight of Zuko leaning against the wall next to the door of my temporary room came into sight as I got closer, illuminated by the dim lights that still somehow worked, and I smiled. He looked up at the sound of my footsteps, returning the smile as he pushed himself off the wall and walked towards me.

“Draya, hey… I had no idea your hair was so long; I don’t think I’ve ever seen it down.” He said, his eyes roaming the long, wavy black frizz that cascaded to my lower back. I chuckled, nervously tucking some hair behind my ear before I starting to pull it back up into a bun when Zuko lightly touched my arm, causing the grip I had on my hair to loosen. “You should wear it down more often, it looks nice.” I let my hair fall again, slightly shaking my head and looking down with a small laugh, not wanting to look at him for the fear that he’d see the blush covering my cheeks.

“I’m assuming you weren’t waiting there to talk to me about my hair. Is everything alright?” I asked, trying to stray the subject away from my appearance.

“I was going to ask if you’d like to go on a walk with me. The clouds may be covering the stars, but it’s still a nice night.” His once confident demeanor fizzled as he spoke, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. I motioned to the hall in front of us.

“Lead the way.” Zuko gave a soft nod, a small smile on his face once more, as we walked outside. He led me down a path to the beach that was near his house and we walked along the shore for a while, the only sound being the waves crashing onto the sand. Even though neither of us spoke for a long time, it was comfortable; being around Zuko just felt easy. We eventually found a flat rock to sit on, and almost as suddenly as we sat down, Zuko shot back up to his feet. He ran over to some bushes behind the rock we sat at, walking back with a hand behind him. He sat next to me again, turning to face me, before holding out a wildflower; it had the most peculiar petals that hung in sections, the white of the petals vibrant from the little bits of moonlight that shone through the clouds. I took it, staring at it hesitantly before looking up at Zuko, and he chuckled slightly at the confusion that was clear on my face.

“Back when we would come here as a family, my uncle showed me where to find these flowers on the island. It’s an iris. Uncle said there used to be an abundance of them on the island, but now they’re sparce. I always thought they were the prettiest flower when I was young so when I saw the glimpse of white, I knew I had to pick it for you.” My confusion melted into a feeling I couldn’t describe. I felt in spread from my stomach to my chest, its warmth radiating to my face until I was sure I was as red as the robes he wore.

“Zuko… thank you. That’s incredibly sweet of you.” I finally looked at him, only to see his brilliant eyes already looking at me, his smile melting into them. I put the flower down carefully behind to us before extending my arms, wrapping them around his neck. Zuko instantly wrapped his arms around my torso and buried his face into my neck, my hair making it impossible for our skin to touch.

“I’m so glad to hear you like it. I know it’s just a flower but…” I leaned away from the hug, letting my hands linger on his shoulders.

“Zuko you could give me a pebble you thought looked like Appa and I’d treasure it forever.” He let out breathy laugh, turning his head a little as he did. “It’s not the gift, but the thought.” We looked into each other’s eyes, wanting to savor every bit of this moment, and as soon as I realized how close we were, Zuko spoke.

“Draya… what are we doing? What’s this between us?” His choice of words prompted me to scoot back a bit more, dropping my hands to my lap. His arms dropped next to him as we shifted awkwardly at my sudden movement.

“I- I don’t know how to answer that.” I say, my voice flat. Even I winced at my unintentional cold tone. I was only being honest; I couldn’t answer that because even I don’t know what we were doing. There’s a war going on and I’m sitting here giggling with Zuko and admiring flowers and thinking about kissing his dumb, angry mouth… wait. Zuko let out a deep sigh which brought my attention back to him, and I looked up to see him running a hand through his hair, holding his neck. He let his hand drop into his lap and turned to me. I looked down at my lap, nervous for what he might say.

“I can’t do this anymore, whatever it is. I want to be with you, Draya. I know we haven’t known each other long; I know there’s a lot going on right now. I just… can’t stop thinking about you, even when you’re nowhere near. Even before I joined the group and we officially met, something about you always stuck with me. Something about you always seemed so familiar to me, even when we were just strangers passing each other by. We can help rebuild the Fire Nation together. With you by my side, anything would be possible.” One of his hands hesitantly reached out to grab one mine, and when I finally looked up at him, I saw with the most adoring expression I’ve ever seen on someone’s face. His hand left mine to cup my cheek lightly, the warmth of his hand comforting. Before I had time to think, I closed the distance between our mouths, moving as softly I could. The kiss was short, welcoming, sweet. There was an explosion in my stomach, and I swear it felt like a twinge of lightening sparked on our lips. I bit my bottom lip nervously, not sure how Zuko felt about the kiss, as I leaned away and looked at him. He opened his eyes slowly, smiling as he rubbed his thumb softly over my pink face.

“There are a lot of things going on right now, but the more I think about it, the more I realize that there will always be a lot of things going on. Zuko…” I sigh, never letting my gaze leave his. I lift my free hand to cradle the back of his neck, giving him a small sad smile. Before I could continue, Zuko cut me off.

“I want to be with someone who likes me for me and not someone I was pretending to be, someone who reminds me that I’m not that same person when I get lost in my guilty thoughts. Someone who feels like home, a feeling I forgot about years ago. It’s how I imagined I’d feel returning to the palace after being banished and instead, it’s how I feel with you, wherever ‘here’ is in that moment. An abandoned air temple, a makeshift cliff campsite, even in a place I never thought I’d want to visit again. I’ve never had a weakness for someone quite like I have one for you.” His last sentence made me hold my breath, shocked at the fact that Prince Zuko felt this way about me. I looked away, letting my hand drop from his neck to my lap. Zuko dropped his hand from my cheek to grab one of my hands, intertwining our fingers.

“I would never fit in at the palace, Zuko. We both know that. I’m nothing but an orphaned runaway, a wannabe soldier, who’s been living in the shadows for years now.” I stared at our hands as I spoke, fully realizing what it would mean to be with someone in the royal family. If Aang defeats Firelord Ozai, who did I think would take over for him? If not Azula, then who? Zuko laughed a little, bringing my attention back to him.

“Draya, you are so much more than that. You’re a warrior, a fighter, and a caring friend. Besides, who said anything about the palace? I’m sure my uncle will want to assume the position of Firelord, considering it was his birth right. We could live here! In this house, we could fix it up…” I raised my eyebrows in shock, causing Zuko to stop. “I mean… if you want to.” I dropped his hands and turned my body, so I was facing the ocean again. I looked out at the waves before grabbing the radiating white wildflower that still sat behind me, holding the thick stem with both hands. I focused on the petals that swayed in the wind, trying to find the right words.

“Zuko, you were my first crush. None of the boys in my village made my heart flutter the same way you did that day we ran into each other. We keep meeting at very strange times in my life… I never forgot about you, just how you made me feel.”

“And how do I make you feel now?” He asked, his voice was soft and quiet; I almost didn’t hear his words over the crashing current.

“You make me feel calm, comfortable. You make me feel like I’m not just a monster, not just someone who destroys everything in her path. Just like you said, you make me feel like I’m home. And that’s a feeling I never thought I’d know.” I finally tore my eyes away from the flower and looked over at him. He was also looking at the flower, a smile decorating his lips. “I want to be with you Zuko, just… not right now. With Sozin’s comet almost here, we have bigger things to focus on. Especially if we want a future to share.” His gaze finally met mine and his smile faded slightly as he nodded.

“But Draya, what if… what if my father wins?” I scoffed, bringing a hand up to Zuko’s cheek.

“We better make sure that doesn’t happen. And if it does, then at least we have tonight.” This made him smile, before he leaned in. His lips met mine, with intensity, this kiss lasting much longer than the first. His mouth was soft and warm, causing me to melt into his touch. My hand moved from his cheek to the back of his head, letting it get lost in his soft hair. His hand found my cheek, cradling it as he deepened the kiss. We shifted so our bodies were pressed against each other, I could feel his heart beating quickly in his chest. His free hand found the small of my back, mine finding his shoulder. When we finally broke apart, we were trying to catch our breaths while we laughed quietly. Zuko placed a small kiss on my forehead before embracing me.

“At least we have tonight.” He echoed my early statement as we sat there in each other’s arms, wishing this night would never end.

[tanoraqui]

Knight Radiant Zuko

oh.

Millennia have passed since the last Desolation. The Knights Radiants have dissolved - not the sharp betrayal of the Recreance, but the inevitable dissolution of ten groups with, at times, wildly differing philosophies. With relatively little bloodshed, they went their separate ways, settled in different kingdoms…still united by the core of that first oath which they all share, and by the Bondsmiths who keep open the tower at Urithiru. As ever, there is one, two, at most three a generation - but it is enough. Alliances shift, some countries merge into others, orders mix… and the Oathgates stay open, the Ten Orders in harmony, and there is, for the most part, peace.

Everything changed when the Skybreakers and Dustbringers, now long-since allied in one great kingdom, attacked.

Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation, disgraced even before his father burned his eye, leans over the edge of his shape and glares at the approaching shore of the Edgedancers’ Southern Pole. If he couldn’t find the last Bondsmith, at least he could destroy the last of these - and they were cousins to the seers in the north. He would likely need to go there, to seek the real answers, but he could start here. 

He would regain his honor, and his father’s blessing, and finally earn the loyalty of a spren. He would achieve his proper place in the sky.

“Journey before destination, Prince Zuko.” His uncle steps up beside him, his voice warm and, as ever, on the verge of a lecture. “Why are you staring like a cat at a flame? Enjoy the fresh air! It is cold, but so lovely-”

“Maybe I would actually humor your rambling,” Zuko snaps, “if you didn’t use the words of an order that you left.” He turns and stalks back to his cabin.

Katara isn’t an Edgedancer like her grandmother, not yet, but it is a flicker of movement, as if the twist of a vine, that leads her to the…god, I don’t know. But there must be a way to be caught between one realm and the next such that you do not age in either, even should a century pass.

If the Heralds’ blades still exist, surely they are on Kyoshi Island. The warriors train with them all, so that each may learn the skills of every Order, while they await the return of true Knights Radiant. (Not just the travesty that the various leaders of the world claim to be.)

King Bumi of Omashu is a Stoneward, resolute and true, but hell if he doesn’t have a sense of humor like a Lightweaver.

An Earth Kingdom village is under attack by a strange spren. While his friends shout after him, Aang chases it into the Cognitive Realm. He manages to rebuild its connection with itself - a forest spren it was, kind and peaceful. But this was no mere accident of deforestation. This was corruption, the likes of which had not been seen since the last Desolation. The Stormfather, as he blows through, confirms: the Nine are again on the move.

The Fire Nation prides itself on being a land of opportunity: any person may swear the oaths of the army, and rise to high position. Even if they do not have the mark of true honor that is bonding with a spren, it is…possible. There are a couple.

But to be a Prince, the only son of Ozai of the Skybreakers, and have no spren? No Sword? They first oath spoken, over and over, and still none accepted him as more than a squire - when his little sister had already sworn her First, Second, Third Oaths? 

What a disgrace say the whispers. What is wrong with him? Just like his uncle, the oathbreaker.

The Blue Spirit isn’t a prince, nor a Knight Radiant. The Blue Spirit fights with swords as if he had been trained from birth, and he does what he pleases, even if that means potentially endangering the best interests of the Fire Nation. What has it ever done for him, after all? The Blue Spirit will carve his own path, and show them all.

The Gaang makes its way, at last, to Urithiru, to find it…occupied? The descendants of the last people to come through the Oathgate have taken up residence, a motley village with nary a Knight among them. But they have wheelchairs, and gliders, and the highstorms do not touch them, here.

The far northern kingdom of the Lightweavers is beautiful. The snow itself seems to shine, even at night. But of course, lightweaving is an art, a skill for men - and an Edgedanger cannot even attempt it, so, really, what is the point in training Katara? She will serve best by staying behind in the healing tents.

Katara will show them otherwise.

The Fire Nation times its attack well. There no storms due for days. They do not realize what a Bondsmith with the Stormfather for a spren can do, with nothing but sea and sky to command.

Everybody else dies. Only Zuko and Iroh escape, adrift once more.

There are illusions in the swamp. There are Truthwatchers in the swamp. They know a little more of what is to come - the eclipse, a darkly glowing gem, the world aflame. But not all.

Disgusted by forced poverty, on the run from all Zuko knows or has ever cared about, the Blue Spirit returns. He steals. He leaves.

Toph Beifong was born blind. She’s used to it. Her parents aren’t. When she was six years old, a rock spoke to her, curled up in her hand and started teaching her how to move earth. Her parents didn’t believe that, and she didn’t try very hard to convince them, because they only would have tried to take her best friend away. They would have said hat he wasn’t “safe.” So what? Toph has never tried to be “safe.”

The Fire Nation soldier laughs as he gives Zuko another kick, sending him sprawling. Then he turns back to the boy and begins pushing him away - away from his home, his parents, his childhood. Into service to the great Fire Nation. Zuko watches.

Life before death.

He’s said the words so many times - proudly, desperately, and everything in between. Nothing has ever responded. 

Strength before weakness.

Zuko’s fists clench against the dry earth. Maybe nothing ever will. Maybe the thing that is broken is him; maybe every spren - every person - is right to avoid him. Maybe he will always be useless and unwanted - because, for sure, there is nobody here but him. Nobody would blame him if he laid here and accepted that. 

“Journey before destination.” 

He stands, whispering the words, and the breath seems to whisper around him as he dives for the soldier’s sword. A breeze lifts his hair back from his burnt eye. Zuko has trained since birth; Knight or not, he can save one small boy who hasn’t.

[wickedwitch1997]

Katara, of the Fire Nation - chapter 7

Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6

Kiki is a bitch and Zuko finds his way back to Katara. 

“So,” Katara asks, leaning back in the saddle as she glares at Kiki, “You’re a water bender?”

“Yes,” Kiki smiles, wisely sitting as far away from Katara as she can, “Aang is going to take me to the North Pole so we can learn together.”

Katara contemplates throwing Kiki off the bison, Sokka holds onto Katara’s hand and tries to hug her.

“What are you doing?” Katara hisses, pulling away from her brother.

“Katara,” Sokka sooths as the Avatar sits up on the saddle.

“Why didn’t you tell us that you were the avatar?” Kiki asks, changing the subject as Katara moves away from her brother.

“Why would you need to go to the Northern Water tribe if you’re the avatar?” Katara asks, “Shouldn’t you already be a master?”

Aang goes into a spiel about how he ran away when he found out he was the avatar, Katara becomes agitated at the story.

“So I betrayed the people who kept me safe, for an inexperienced kid?” Katara asks, looking back over her shoulder.

“Katara, the Fire Nation kept you prisoner,” Sokka says, “They took you from us.”

“I was given up!” Katara snaps, glaring at Kiki.

“They killed our mother,” Sokka continues, “Kept you prisoner and did spirts knows what to you!”

“Not all of them were bad,” Katara says, turning her back to the group to stare at the last place she saw the ship, her heart yearns to go back.

“Why did you help me escape?” Aang asks, Katara turns back around to find the avatar staring at her with wide eyes.

“Hope,” Katara says, “Hope that you might finally end this war. But instead I get this, a boy who doesn’t even know how to bend water.”

Katara looks back to her brother and then asks, “Where is father?”

“He went to look for you,” Sokka explains, “For years, he spent years looking for you. Searched every fire colony, but then he and the other warriors were called to the earth kingdom. He couldn’t find you, so he decided to help in the war.”

Katara sighs and then looks to her brother as he unties the bracelet around his wrist.

“Mum gave this to me,” he explains, “I was with her when she died, she was screaming your name.”

Katara’s eyes widen as she sees her mother’s betrothal necklace, Katara’s heart skips a beat.

“She would have wanted you to have it,” Sokka says, handing the necklace to Katara.

Katara stares at the necklace as Sokka places it into her palm.

“Kat,” Sokka says, holding his sisters hands, “We can go home, come home with me.”

“I can drop you off, back at the tribe,” Aang says.

“There is nothing for me there,” Katara says.

“There is safety,” Sokka says, “We can keep you safe.”

“Like you kept me safe the last time?” Katara asks, a little too harshly, “No. I’m going to come with you.”

“Kat-”

“Don’t call me Kat.”

“It’s not going to be safe,” Sokka continues.

“I can handle myself,” Katara says, gripping her sword handle tightly.

So Katara stay’s with her brother and the Avatar, several times she finds herself wanting to strangle Kiki, but she manages to keep her anger in check, using the mediation techniques that Iroh taught her.

Katara becomes the unofficial mother of the group, when Aang has a break down at the Northern Air Temple, she is the one who calms him down. Aang becomes attached to Katara, he becomes jealous when she meets becomes entwined with Jet, he follows Katara like a lost puppy, which sets her on edge. But Kiki and Aang become close too, which helps keep him away from her as they journey from place to place, Kiki teaches Aang small water bending tricks. 

“Maybe you could show us what you know,” Aang says, speaking to Katara as Kiki and the Avatar practice by the water.

“No,” Katara says, watching as her brother picks mud from the bison’s toes, “There’s nothing I can teach you.”

“Do you not know how to bend?” Kiki asks, putting her hands on her hips as a smile spreads over her face, “You used to practically flaunt your talents when we were younger.”

Katara’s meditation practices don’t help her in this situation, she bends water from the stream, she creates a giant wave that crashes onto the shore, saturating Kiki and Aang.

“Katara!” Kiki shrieks, then she looks down the river and gapes, “You’ve washed away our supplies.”

Katara doesn’t apologise, she folds her arms over her chest and then walks away from the situation.

A few moments later, Sokka informs Katara that they are going into town to get some more supplies.

“What do you have against Kiki?” Sokka asks, before he leaves.

“Her family is the reason I was taken,” she snarls, “her family is the reason why mother was killed. I don’t like her, and I never will.”

When the trio return from the markets Katara’s disapproval of her only grows. Kiki returns with a water tribe scroll she stole from pirates.

“Are you insane?!” Katara asks, as Kiki sets up near the water with the scroll, “Pirates?!”

Both Sokka and Katara are against Kiki’s decision to steal, but Aang seems okay with it.

Katara looks at the scroll, it’s not one that she has read before. Katara ignores the scroll as Kiki and Aang practice together, if that’s what you call it.

“You’re hogging the scroll,” Katara points out, “Both you and Aang need to learn.”

Kiki snaps at Katara, then at Sokka who tries to defend her, then she snaps at Aang when he tries to help her through the moves.

Katara debates with herself, she debates whether or not to drown Kiki as she apologises.

That night as the gang sleeps, Katara wakes and leaves the camp sight to train by the water’s edge.

Katara cannot get a handle on the water whip, her movements are stiff and she cannot control the water.

Just as she whips herself in the face she hears a twig snap, when she turns around she is grabbed by a pirate.

Katara screams and then fights the man off, she doesn’t have her sword so she strikes out with her bending, she splashes the pirate, but when she turns around she is grabbed by someone else.

“Zuko?!” Katara gapes, her heart leaps into her throat as he squeezes her wrist and pulls her close.

“I’ll save you from the pirates.”

@squishysuho @the-weird-fob-fangirl @thegaang6 @tiernanka @pepewntz @peachpie24 @solidaritree @auzlon @petralynnluna @pursemongerstuff @a-fallen-angel-zy @youbeatmetoadecentusername 

My own book: Wolf’s Blood

It’s the Painted Lady fic chapter list under the cut

1.It’s the Painted Lady 2.The Blue Spirit 3.The Painted Spirit 4.The Blue Lady 5. The Water Bender 6. The Fire Lord’s Heart pt 1 7. The Fire Lord’s Heart pt 2 8. The Painted Lady and the Blue Spirit 9. The Fire Lady 10.The Blood Bender 11. The Family Reunion 12. The Water Bender’s Baby 13. The Avatar 14. The Lie 15. The Ice Heart 16. The Uncle 17. The Water Bender’s Heart pt 1 18. The Water Bender’s Heart pt 2 19. The Son of Aang 20. The Air Temple 21. The Fight 22. The Truth

[mazarinrouge]

Let’s Read The Promise: Part 1

Everyone hears that the Avatar: The Last Airbender comics are bad. And they super fucking are. I tried to give it a chance, and I found that The Promise is probably the worst of them that I’ve skimmed. The Search is eh. But OHHH MANNN The Promise. It’s perhaps one of the most ridiculous things I’ve ever read, and is in general a complete trainwreck. I’m not posting each page as an image because that’s tedious and you can go look them up on your own, but there will be some snippets here and there. Without further ado, a play by play of ATLA: The Promise.

In brief, this comic is about Aang and Zuko working together to remove the Fire Nation’s colonies and their culture from the Earth Kingdom shore. Surprisingly, it handles this sort of situation in a really dumb way. /s You would think Aang and Zuko together would be able to come to some reasonable conclusions, but you know. I’ll get to that later. It opens with the same intro from the shows narrated by Katara, except this time it’s different. Because it’s after the war and all.

But I believed Aang could save the world. And you know what? I was right. With the help of his friends, Aang defeated Fire Lord Ozai and ended the hundred year war. Zuko, Ozai’s son and our ally, became the new Fire Lord. Together, with Earth King Kuei, Aang and Zuko promised to restore the four nations to harmony.

Except didn’t he run away to travel the world with his bear? If he did go back to Ba Sing Se after the war, we’d have to assume he didn’t die out in the wilderness or get captured at any point in time. We’d also have to assume that the people saw him and just LET him back into power, despite being the puppet for the Dai Li. And do the Dai Li still exist? They do in Korra, but I can’t see them here. Inconsistencies, oh well, who cares?

There are about eight fire nation colonies on the shore. Zuko decides to help Kuei “remove those colonies by doing whatever it takes”. This is very vague and already sounds like a bad idea. Cough cough. Sokka names the movement to remove them the Harmony Restoration Movement while Toph suddenly learns Invisibility Bending.

Then they go to Iroh’s shop cause why not. And we suddenly travel ~back in time~ to the Season 3 finale and see Katara and Aang smooching. Which apparently Sokka steps in on. It feels sort of like a sitcom. And Sokka’s like blehhh kissing! Katara and Sokka fight about it and you can really feel the tension in their dialogue. Gotta give mad credit to the writers here. /s/s/s/s

Then they’re on their way to a festival right after the war ended, and it’s going to be great it’s got fireworks and everything and

Oh my god. This is the angstiest thing I have ever seen. First off, why would Zuko be asking Aang this? Why not ask Katara? She clearly hated you (lol). Aang’s whole thing was how much he didn’t want to kill Ozai. Even IF Zuko started “becoming” his father, how would he expect Aang to be the one to murder him?

I also understand this is a natural emotion for people. Like, if you had an abusive father you probably wouldn’t want to turn out like him. But I imagine it’s somewhat different if your father and all his fathers before him committed mass genocide. If you’re raised to think that’s pretty wrong, hell, he even thought it intrinsically as a lil boy, then you probably won’t kill a lot of people. I don’t know just food for thought .And as an added fact, all the Fire Lords had their dads alive when they were conditioned to kill everyone. So I really don’t think Zuko would make any decisions as bad as his father’s. Maybe bad decisions, he’s hotheaded, but he’s not a murder. He wouldn’t even touch Zhao because it reminded him TOO MUCH of what Zuko’s dad did to him. It just seems out of character. But not as out of character as Aang KILLING Zuko.

Katara seems to be cool with it, though.

It timeskips to a year later and we see that Zuko is worried about rebel Fire Nation peoples to try to assassinate him. This I can agree with. There would have to be some people who oppose Ozai’s imprisonment. And it’s very sudden for a 16-17-ish year old boy to become your new ruler. He wakes up one night thinking someone will assassinate him, and guess what he was right. And would you guess who it is???

A teenage girl! Got to keep all the cast the same age. Wouldn’t want a hired hitman or anything. This teenage girl is so rebellious. She came all the way from the west coast of the Earth Kingdom to kill Zuko. She’s from the oldest Fire Nation colony and she’s here to take revenge, because apparently....the Restoration Movement is going to destroy all the colonies?

There was never any indication as to what this “movement” would consist of until now besides “remove them”. I didn’t imagine removing them would mean removing the culture or the people? You see, the rational thing to do would be to remove the government so the Earth Kingdom could control the land. There could be an intermingling of cultures and it may be interesting, but definitely not bothersome. That’s why some of France looks like Germany. They moved in and then the land went back to France and now they just all hang out there. There’s no concrete explanation to the reader of what this movement does. So really I still can’t say it would really destroy all the buildings and evac. all the people but Hell. It might.

Isn’t vague writing cool?

So Zuko sends this girl back to her home colony in cuffs. Her dad finds her and it turns out her dad is the mayor. Now I can understand their trouble. He may worry he might not have any position of power in the colony anymore, but hey, that might not happen. It’d be ridiculous to install an Earth Kingdom specific mayor, maybe even a little racist? It could happen though, so you understand your distress--

except NO! It’s not about that at all. Apparently the Restoration Movement is now Confirmed to Remove All Fire Nation People. Great. This went downhill fast.

Then this guy says hey your father wouldn’t be proud of your actions and Zuko attacks him.

Sheesh.

Then it cuts to Aang forcibly removing everyone from their homes and putting them into a new and confusing country. Cool. But suddenly when they get there a soldier tells them that they all need to leave! Because Zuko has stopped supporting the Restoration Movement! So that means that all Fire Nation Colonials are barred from entering the country??????

??????????????????????????????????????????

I don’t think i have to even explain why this is one of the worst ideas ever. Why forcibly remove or never allow in? Why not the middleground? The gray area? That whole part of the damn original show that was toted around so gloriously. How extremes are bad and not everything should be taken far this way or the other. But whatever. Fuck the show. Let’s do this instead.

It cuts to Toph’s metalbending academy and we learn that Zuko has holed himself up in Yu Dao. No one is allowed in or out. Toph says he’s becoming like Ozai. Aang is meditating and talking to Roku, who thinks Aang will be a good guy if he kills Zuko. This could just be a dumb rehash of the show where none of the other Avatars give Aang the answers he wants. Maybe the Lion Turtle will come back too and give Aang some Complacency Bending to fix Zuko.

I like this though. Aang is set on his own motivations and protecting Zuko as his friend. He’s not even looking Roku in the eye. Their worldviews are so different. Neat.

They arrive at Yu Dao to confront Zuko. The walls are barred and Aang and Katara decide to go in themselves, scaling up the wall to get past the gaurds. This comic site has custom annotations like old Youtube videos by the way, and I just thought I’d show you this.

Typically the rule with pet names is if your partner says one you don’t immediately say it back. But OK. I guess ‘babe’ was too adult for the demographic. I just can’t see these two really using pet names at all. Like Aang would respect his girlfriend so much he’d probably be happy enough just getting to say her real name so often.

We also learn here when he gets inside the walls that “Flameo, Hotman” is actually spelled “Flamio Hotmen”. I cannot accept this.

Aang enters and bows to the General and they start attacking him and Katara.

If they’re both trespassers why are they only attacking Aang and not Katara? How is Aang that close to the fire and he’s not got a Zuko burn yet? These important questions and more brought to you by me.

lol

Katara gets fed up with these people burning Aang and does a Dr. Crocker-esque panel by panel of her saying

“Stop. Trying. To. Set. My.

Reminds me of something else....something....even more awkward to say while attacking people....hm...

“Stay away from my dad’s ex-girlfriend!”

Oh well. I must have forgotten what it was. (coughKorraDoesntExistcough)

Then Zuko comes in and grabs Katara in a weird and compromising position. She says stop you’re hurting me oh no. And Zuko says not until you stop hurting my guards. Which she didn’t really hurt any of them. She demobilized them like Aang would, but they’re all still ok. She did throw ice shards, like pointy ones, Not sure what happened to that poor guy.

Aang gets mad at Zuko and they start fighting. Aang tries to talk to him while they are fighting and it’s kind of like a Naruto battle. And then....

God dammit.

But it’s ok because Katara does what she always does and just walks inside Aang’s killer air puncture ball no problem and touches his face to bring him out of the Avatar State. Which is sweet and I always like it when she did that. But how did she get inside the Aang ball?

Then Zuko says ok fine we can all calm down and talk. By the way, Zuko is growing incredibly weird cheekbones here. I think it’s a part of Bryke’s direction, because if you look at Korra almost every single male (except Bolin) has killer cheekbones. Like really really skinny face cheekbones. And now Zuko has them here.

Maybe they’re trying to represent Zuko becoming his father. Because Ozai had cheekbones too. But how does one get cheekbones like this in a year? Earlier in the comics, he didn’t have a face like this. He looks like a little skeleton man. Maybe it’s supposed to portray his aging due to stress like Lincoln or something. But man. It just doesn’t look like Zuko anymore. It looks like cheekbonko. That’s his new name.

Zuko had a change of heart after talking to the family in Yu Dao he met.

(gee maybe you should let the government be in control of the towns but let the people stay there because it is an old colony. Or let the colony stay so long as they don’t harass the Earth people. Or set up a joint government sort of thing with a council to rule these specific colony towns. Or anything but this dumb plot. ALSO LOOK AT ZUKO’S WEIRDASS HEXAGON FACE CHEEKBONES FUKC)

Also Katara doesn’t say anything she just stands there looking sad and confused. But just to make sure she does say something she says maybe Yu Dao should be the exception and only they can stay. Why is no one smart in this universe. But anyway, she decides to have another meeting with the Earth king.

It cuts to Zuko. The Kyoshi Warriors are his new bodygaurds. He gets up in the night to get water, but really he goes to see his father and DUN DUN DUN.

Well that was anticlimactic. Just seventy pages of UGH....THIS IS SO INFURIATING. But you know that’s fine.

This has been Part 1 of The Promise.

My predictions are Aang will not kill Zuko. (hes in the other comics) And they will remove everyone from their homes. Everyone will be happy despite that fact and Aang will get a kiss from his ‘sweetie’ the end.

But who knows?