#like yeah zuko is the oldest

[whineandcheese24]

can’t believe sokka spent 3 seasons telling dad-jokes, likes expensive atlases, viscerally hates getting sidetracked on road trips, thinks he’s the greatest detective, carries a beard with him as a disguise, pretends to not like physical affection but secretly loves it (see group hug in the earth king), is obsessed with meat, is constantly sarcastic and complaining, is overprotective of his sister, LITERALLY HAD A WHOLE ARC ABOUT WANTING TO MAKE HIS DAD PROUD AND ENDED UP LEADING THE INVASION FOR HIM, and y’all still have the audacity to call ZUKO the Dad Friend

[discordiansamba]

that said the idea of Zuko being the spirits go to guy for problem solving is so funny to me. something something AU in which Zuko was born a hundred years ago and when Aang vanishes the spirits are just like. gee. we need a temporary bridge between worlds until he gets back so they just make a beeline for zuko. yeah you'll do. we're going to slap you with immortality. go forth and problem solve for us.

zuko: do I have the option to unsubscribe.

spirits: no.

local immortal firebender doomed to wander the earth doing whatever the spirits want of him. they promise they'll release him if the Avatar ever returns. Zuko is increasingly suspicious that won't happen. he doesn't have any cool spirit powers- he just doesn't die. or grow. he would have appreciated not being perpetually sixteen actually.

he can't prevent the war from happening. that's not what the spirits want from him. but he watches it all unfold- and he tries to help whenever he gets the chance. he somehow still manages to forge vague connections to the rest of the world. it's not why he's there, but he helps a young woman from the northern water tribe escape her unwanted marriage by fleeing to the south. he hates going to omashu because that bumi kid won't leave him alone- what do you mean he's king now.

he watches the war get worse. he watches the dai li grow increasingly corrupt. there's so much he wants to do, but the spirits usually won't let him intervene in mortal affairs. he belongs to them. just when he starts to believe that he'll never be free, the spirits tell him he has only one last task left. go to the south pole. escort the three children there to the north pole.

it's a weird request, but zuko literally cannot refuse, so he goes. kanna greets him. she's gotten older again since the last time he saw her. her son is off to war. her oldest grandchild is almost his physical age. they went out fishing and haven't returned. when they do, they arrive on a sky bison- and there's an airbender with them.

it's the fucking avatar.

after a hundred years, the avatar has returned... and instead of instantly releasing him from his contract, the spirits want him to be his babysitter. what did he do to deserve this.

(well. his father being fire lord sozin probably didn't help.)

[tonberry-yoda]

A Nice Girl - Zuko

Pairing - Zuko x f!reader

Warnings - none!!

Word Count - 3,211

Notes - I have been pumping out these really long fics lately lmaoooo. i dont mean to i just simply get carried away. i need to stop before i get a block tho lmao. AND IM ALMOST AT 400 FOLLOWERS OMG!!! im like so excited about it tbh. maybe ill open my request when we get there. thank you all and i hope you're all well. stay hydrated!!

You yawned and stretched, the silk from your nightgown tickling you. That had to have been the best sleep you have gotten these past couple of weeks. As the oldest in the “gaang” at 17 years old, you had to act as the mother of the group and felt this awful need to protect everyone all the time, thus granting you several sleepless nights.

Sure, Ba Sing Se didn't feel like home and it didn't feel 100% safe either, but you got to sleep in a comfy bed and wear some really nice clothes. You had to admit that it was nice to be working with the Avatar sometimes.

You pushed your tangled hair out of your face and looked into the full length mirror next to your bed. Yeah, you definitely slept well, that was no question. You could tell by the rat’s nest created on your head and the sleep lines across your arms and face. You definitely needed to wash up before you started your day.

You got out of bed, stretching as the sun kissed your warm cheeks. You were going to make the best out of today. Lots of planning, but lots of downtime too, so that was nice.

As you finally walked out of your room, you were welcomed to cackling laughter from Sokka, his finger pointed at you.

“Ha, ha,” you said sarcastically, Katara handing you a brush. “Very funny, Sokka.”

“Not just funny,” he said through laughter. “It’s hilarious, y/n! You look so stupid!!!”

You rolled your eyes, hiding a smile, and tamed the rat’s nest on your head, looking a little more yourself.

Aang walked in the house holding a bowl of snacks with a smile on his face. “Oh, good morning, y/n! You sure slept in this morning!”

“Slept in?” You tilted your head. “What time is it?”

Katara took the brush from you and set it down on a nearby drawer. “Almost 10 am.”

“What?!” You were shocked. You were usually the first one up always and if not, you never slept past 8.

Katara giggled. “Listen, y/n. I think it's great that you finally got some sleep. We never really see you rest well, so none of us had the heart to wake you up.”

You beamed. “You guys are the best. Well,” you stretched. “I'm gonna get washed up so I don't look like a sleepy monster all day.” Something about Ba Sing Se gave you the creeps, but at the same time, it was nice to be back in a place where you could bathe in warm water and not fear Zuko coming after you. It's not like you had anything against the Fire Nation prince… it's more like… he was an inconvenience to you and the rest of the gaang. Since you and Zuko were about the same age, you understood him. Well, kinda. You escaped the Fire Nation when you were younger, disagreeing with all of their ideals and overall how they treated the world. You did see the prince as Fire Nation scum, but at the same time, you saw him as a kid, just like you. He was banished for god knows what and he just wanted to go home. You didn't hate Zuko. Not one bit. You understood that he may just be in some sort of hidden pain. But you had to admit that it was kinda nice to not have him around to bother you.

You got out of the shower refreshed and ready for the day. It was nice to have a day off, so you were probably going to get some tea and write in your journal about how the past couple of weeks have been. You figured it would be nice to log everything that has ever happened on this little journey just in case you all wanted a refresher in the next twenty years or so. You slipped on some Earth Nation attire and smiled at yourself in the mirror as you braided your hair. Today is going to be a good day, you thought. Nothing better than tea and some late breakfast.

“I'm going out for the day,” you said, placing your bag on your shoulder. “Stay out of trouble today, got it?”

You looked at Aang and he laughed. “I will, I will! Have a nice day, okay, y/n? You deserve it.”

“You’re all too kind to me. Thank you.”

“And let me know if you find Appa!”

“I will, don't worry.”

You smiled and walked out of the house, smelling the fresh Earth Nation air. Luckily, the walls didn't cover the fresh air, so you could still get the almost afternoon breath.

You spent the beginning of the day walking around shops, buying some supplies and new clothes for yourself and the others. The markets were busy, but it was nice to get some of the things you needed without Aang begging for some stupid trinket that you always ended up buying him because you thought it was cool too. That was always your impulse, stupid things that Aang showed you. Those could be the death of you.

As you finally finished your browsing journey, you overheard a conversation while looking over a map.

“I swear their tea has gotten better.”

“Really? I dunno.”

“I'm serious. It has to be the best tea shop in Ba Sing Se.”

“Fine, we can go try it later.”

You turned to the two men a little embarrassed that you were eavesdropping. “S-Sorry, but I was kinda listening to your conversation… uh… where’s that tea shop you were talking about? I've been trying to find a nice place to get some tea all morning.”

The man hyping up the shop smiled at you. “Don't worry about eavesdropping, kiddo. It's right here.” He pointed to the map you were looking at and you were satisfied that it wasn't too far from where you currently were.

You thanked the man and began your journey to the shop. It was a little closer to afternoon and you could feel your stomach rumbling, so you just decided to skip right to lunch.

You walked into the tea shop and saw people smiling and laughing together, the heavenly scent of tea filling your senses. You were quickly seated at a lone booth and given a menu. Everything looked so good, you could swear that you were about to drool just thinking about food.

You decided to order something that the waitress recommended and as she walked away, you flipped through your journal, going over everything that you and the gaang had been through. You quietly laughed to yourself as you passed a page that said: note to self - slap Zuko’s bald head at least once. Imagine the sound that would make.

It’s definitely been a long trip of both laughter and struggle, and honestly, you were really happy. You don't remember the last time you had laughed so hard before you met Aang and the others. It was nice. Really nice.

“Here’s your tea. Is there anything else you need?” Your tea was set in front of you along with your lunch and you tilted your head at the familiar voice that wasn't your waitress from earlier. It was on the tip of your tongue.

“I think I'm alright, thank-” You looked up and the smile you had suddenly dropped. No way. “Zu-”

Before you could say his full name, Zuko covered your mouth and quickly let go, hoping no one saw or heard any of that. “P-Please don't.”

“But you’re-”

“I know,” Zuko’s voice was low. “Just… can we talk… in the back?”

You looked around the restaurant at all of the other people and back at Zuko. He looked so different. Barely recognizable. His face didn't look so pissed off and he had a short head of hair now that looked healthy. The only reason you recognized him was the scar, but honestly, if he covered it up somehow, you wouldn't have a clue that he was the prince of the Fire Nation.

You nodded and stood up, collecting your things. You followed Zuko to the back, almost a little scared. You had no means of defending yourself. You were a non bender, so if he wanted to pick a fight, you were screwed. You didn't even have a simple weapon on you. Maybe you were getting too cozy.

Zuko brushed off a small table and pulled out a chair for you, which you sat in with slight hesitation.

“How did you get into Ba Sing Se?” You didn't mean to sound so defensive. Well, you did, but you weren't expecting to. Especially not on such a good day like this.

“It's… a long story.”

“Why are you here?”

“Listen… It’s not for the Avatar.”

“Huh? Is that so?” You crossed your arms and looked him dead in the eye. “Then explain to me how you always end up where we just so happen to be. That’s suspicious, isn't it?”

“I-”

“If you hurt Aang, I swear to-”

“I don't care about Aang right now!”

The whole room went quiet. You had never heard Zuko say Aang’s name before, let alone not care about what the Avatar is doing.

“Then why…”

“I have my own stuff to deal with. It's none of your business, okay? I do have a life outside of the Avatar, you know.”

You nodded and looked down at your tea. “I'm… assuming your uncle made this?” You giggled softly.

“Yeah. He did.” Zuko’s voice was small and way less frustrated.

“So that’s why this tea shop has hype all of a sudden.” You wondered aloud, your eyes wandering to the ceiling.

Zuko cleared his throat and shuffled in his spot. “So… uh… what now?”

“Promise not to hurt Aang and I won't say a word about you being here. I believe that you have your own stuff to deal with, so prove it to me.”

“I promise.”

Your eyes locked with his and you smiled, shocking Zuko a bit. You smiled at him, the guy that’s been trying to hurt you and your friends this whole time. The guy who would’ve done anything for the Avatar to be in his hands.

“You probably hate me, don't you?” Zuko spat out, rubbing the back of his neck.

You tilted your head. “Hate’s a strong word, don't you think?”

Zuko looked at you, appalled. “I mean, I would understand if you did.”

“It's been a long road for you, hasn't it, Zuko?”

He nodded at you and you pointed to the other side of the table, just realizing that he was standing that entire time. “Let’s share some tea.”

“I-I don't know if that’s a good idea.” Zuko took a step back.

“Ah, I see,” you stood up, scooting your chair back in. “You’re a busy man with a job now.”

He just nodded at you.

“Well, I'll let you get to it then, but I expect to see you at 6 tonight ready to hang out, okay?”

“Wh-What?! Won't your friends notice that you’re gone?”

You just smiled, collecting your things. “Zuko, I do have a life outside of the Avatar, you know.”

Zuko’s face went bright red as you walked out of the room with a smirk on your face. It was actually kinda cute to see Zuko not being some evil kid with his heart set on hurting anyone.

“You’re leaving?” Sokka whined, watching you grab your bag.

“Yes Sokka,” you said for what seemed like the hundredth time. “I'm leaving. I just want to go get dinner out by myself tonight. Maybe go for a nice walk.”

“Aww man,” Sokka pouted, crossing his arms. “Who’s gonna make dinner now?”

You rolled your eyes, trying to hide the smile creeping on your lips. “Sokka, I left some money on the table. You guys should go out and get something to eat tonight.”

“Why aren't you coming with us?” Sokka tilted his head, counting the money on the table.

“I just want to go out by myself tonight, that’s all.”

“So you’re just gonna have a lonely dinner all by yourself?” Sokka questioned, looking skeptical.

“Yes!”

“She’s lying.” Everyone turned to Toph and your face went bright red. You forgot she could tell if you were lying or not, and it definitely didn't help that you were outside on the concrete so Toph could really feel right through you.

Sokka turned back to you quickly. “You’re going to dinner with someone?”

“Fine, yes, I am, so what?”

“Who is it?”

You rolled your eyes, already late. “Just somebody.”

“Is it a boy?” Sokka gave you a mocking look and you pushed his face away.

“Fine, whatever! It's a boy! So what?! Now let me leave before I'm late. Have a nice dinner everyone.” You waved at the group and ran to the tea shop, hoping that Zuko didn't leave yet.

The bell rang as you opened the shop door. “Sorry, we’re not serving tea anymore, we’re closing at the moment,” a familiar voice said. Iroh peeked his head out, surprised to see you. “y/n?”

You smiled, “hi Iroh.”

“How are you?” Iroh set down the broom he was holding and pulled you into a soft embrace. You never told the others, but you spent quite a bit of time talking to Zuko’s uncle when you got the chance. He was a wise man and kind as well. Maybe that's why you understood Zuko so well, you had someone to give you some insight on the boy.

“I'm good, Iroh. How are you?”

“Oh I'm fine,” he beamed at you, pulling away from the hug. “I'm getting to live my lifelong dream of making tea for the people of Ba Sing Se, so that feels pretty nice.”

“Well, you are the best at making tea, Iroh.”

“Oh, stop. You’re so full of flattery, y/n.” Iroh blushed with a smile. “Is there a reason you’re here?”

“Is your nephew here?”

“You’re looking for Zuko?” Iroh cocked an eyebrow at you and you chuckled, surprised that you were even here.

“I am.”

Iroh gave you a skeptical look, but honestly didn't care much. He thought it was nice that someone wanted to visit Zuko. “He is here. Let me go grab him. Would you like some tea in the meantime?”

“Tea sounds great,” you admitted, sitting at a table.

As you got comfortable, Zuko ran into the room, completely surprised. “You’re here?”

You laughed. “Of course I am! I said I’d be here at 6 didn't I?”

“I thought you were bluffing.”

“Well now you know I'm serious. Wanna hang out?”

Zuko gave you a side eye and thought for a moment. “I think I know what you’re trying to do.”

“And what might that be?” Iroh entered the room, placing two teacups and a kettle on your table. You thanked Iroh as he left with a smile.

“You’re trying to get info out of me. About the Fire Nation… aren't you?”

You shook your head. “You’re so defensive all the time, Zuko.”

“Can you blame me?” Zuko shut all of the blinds in the shop and sat across from you, taking a sip of tea.

“I guess not.”

“I'm surprised you’re not a little more on edge.”

“Why’s that?” You took a sip of tea as well, humming at how delightful it tasted.

“I'm a firebender. You don't bend right? I could literally take you down at any moment. And it doesn't seem like you have any weapons either.”

“I trust that you won't do anything. Your uncle would probably be pissed about the mess to be honest.”

For the first time in all of your time knowing Zuko, you heard him laugh. He laughed so hard that he snorted a bit, which made him laugh harder. Because of all of his laughter, he made you laugh too, sending you both into a laughing fit. It felt good. You haven't laughed this hard since you first met Sokka, all covered in Appa’s snot.

Zuko literally had tears in his eyes by the time he stopped laughing. Seeing him happy made you feel… good. Really good. It was almost a relief. It made Zuko more human. You didn't know if you could even remotely call him your enemy anymore.

You two ended up talking all night, Iroh occasionally bringing more tea or just little treats every now and then. You literally couldn't stop talking to Zuko. To hear about what it was like to grow up in the Fire Nation as a prince was interesting. To hear what Ozai was really like in person sent chills down your spine. To hear where that scar on his face came from almost brought you to tears. Zuko didn't even know why he told you all of this, but he could say one thing. It felt nice. It felt this giant weight on his chest had been lifted.

After a few hours, you looked at the clock in the shop and frowned. “Bad news, Zuko. I gotta go.”

“Already?” He turned to face the clock and pouted his bottom lip. “Alright then.”

You stood up and collected your things. “Thanks for the tea, Iroh!” You shouted, which was responded with a big smile and a thumbs up from Iroh.

“Thanks for stopping by.”

“Anytime,” you said, opening the door of the shop. “I'll be back.”

“You will?” You turned to Zuko, who almost looked excited that you said that.

“Of course I will. Goodnight guys.”

“Wait,” Zuko ran up to you, holding the door open. “Let me walk you home, it’s late.”

“Zuko, I don't know if that’s a good idea.”

Zuko frowned, but you were probably right. If Aang spotted him for even a second, both of you would be done for. “R-Right. Well… thanks.”

“For what?”

“Hanging out. That was fun.”

You smiled. “That was fun. Thank you for not killing me, Zuko.”

“Anytime.” He giggled, immediately taken aback when you pulled him in for a hug after dropping everything.

He was so… warm. I mean, duh. He was a firebender. But even so, his hug felt so genuine, so nice, and you didn't want to leave. “Goodnight, Zuko,” you said as you pulled away from the hug.

“Goodnight, y/n.” This time, he shocked you by pulling you in for another hug and pulling away only to pull you in again, but this time, your lips were inches apart.

“Can I kiss you?” His voice was in a whisper, his warm breath dusting over your lips.

You just nodded and closed your eyes as his soft lips brushed against yours. You wrapped your arms around the back of his neck pulling him closer. He smiled into the kiss, wrapping his arms around your waist.

When you pulled away from the kiss, both of you said a quick goodbye, your cheeks dusted pink.

Zuko quickly walked back into the tea shop to help Iroh close and put his back on the door.

“I'm glad you found a nice girl, Zuko.” Zuko jumped hearing his uncle’s voice, his face turning a dark shade of crimson.

Though if he was being honest, he was glad he found a nice girl too.

~~~~~

atla masterlist --- pinned post

@tonberry-yoda

TAG LIST: @ede1faecam

[narrativelysignificantturtleduck]

something that makes sokka extremely adhd relatable is that he's constantly looking for his Thing, the one Thing he's good at or useful for that makes up for any failings or flaws or ways he just can't measure up to others. at the beginning of the show he defines himself by being the oldest boy in the village & best warrior, but then he gets his ass kicked by zuko and suki and sees aang's raw power and he can't exactly think fighting is his special skill anymore. but he still thinks he has to be defined by fighting ('man of the house' daddy issues) so he calls himself the guy with the boomerang bc that's turned out to be his most useful and versatile and unique weapon, the one that other people can't outclass him at (after all, it's his most successful attack in his fight with zuko). when he loses it in "avatar day" he explicitly says it's like losing a key part of his identity and the moment katara goes "hey you're good at solving mysteries" he's like "yeah! i'm a detective! that's my new thing! and gets a new set of objects to signify it ("i believe in the power of stuff"). but detective sokka doesn't last bc throughout the entire episode he and katara are pretty equally matched in detective skills and he gets his boomerang back anyway. failed experiment.

and throughout all of this, he's figured out that people find his insistance on getting them fed & his grumpy comments funny and so he begins defining himself as the meat and sarcasm guy, and when he's a tough spot in "bitter work", bargaining with the universe to get him help, he offers that up as all he's got to give. it's obviously a Joke that he immediately asks for meat after telling the universe he'll give it up but it's also pretty indicative of how much he clings to these identities. it's all he's got (he thinks), of COURSE he can't actually give it up. they stuck that boy in a hole for 22 minutes and it revealed so much about how he sees himself.

at some point (likely around "the library" when he takes initiative to come up with a fire nation invasion plan) he also becomes the plan guy, the idea guy, and the gaang find themselves looking to him for leadership. this is perhaps the closest to fully encompassing sokka that any of his "[blank] guy" labels get, since coming up with plans involves planning when and how to fight (boomerang guy) & how to get everyone fed (meat), and people not following his plans is a major source of frustration (sarcasm).

this all culminates in "sokka's master", where the show finally names the underlying insecurity driving this quest - that he's a nonbender. katara being the last waterbender meant she was in danger and that keeping her safe was top priority, and even though hakoda and kya wouldn't have played favorites sokka probably felt a little like the unfavorite child for not being special like her. he lacks an ability, and believes his life has less value bc of it. almost like somebody with a disability and internalized ableism

(interesting, one of the people who most consistently mocks sokka for being a nonbender is toph, early on. toph has a lot of internalized ableism herself, a fear of vulnerability bc she doesn't want to perceived as weak like her parents thought she was. her bending is her disability aid, the thing that allows her to be stronger than people think, so she dismisses a nonbender until she learns better.)

piandao's response to sokka's lack of self-worth is not to train him to be great at one thing, but to introduce him to a variety of different arts, show him that his value lies not in having any one skill but in his capacity to learn and grow. there's no single thing that makes him worthy. it isn't even the combination of all of them that makes him worthy. he simply is worthy.

and i don't know if this is a unique narrative in fiction or anything but it really means a lot to me that sokka doesn't have One Thing that "makes up" for him not being a bender. he's of course extremely skilled and prodigious at many things he does in the show but there's no one savant talent that "justifies" him being in the group and i feel like so many disability narratives - especially for kids - go that route and i really appreciate that atla doesn't and simply says people are valuable because they are valuable, not because of their special abilities

[roseeycreates-blog]

I AM IN MISERY

Whenever I think about a new Avatar after Korra, it makes me sad, If Korra was gone... and so is Lin 😭😭😭 And since we are on this topic, It's a hard pill to swallow, but I think Lin would probably be the first one to go among the Gaang kids.

I'll base this on their line of work, lifestyle, environment, and traumas (since trauma can affect physical health too).

Let's start with who I think would be the last to go.

Suyin Beifong

She's the youngest among them. Traveling the world gave her happiness and an opportunity to work on her traumas (like her conflicts with her mom and sister). As the Matriarch of Zaofu, she's surrounded and cared for by the best healers and physicians. We also see how active she is with dancing and other hobbies, which makes her the healthiest.

Firelord Izumi

Before you comment "Izumi is the oldest," I know, but hear me out: We saw just a bit of her in LOK, but have you seen how fit she is for her age? As a monarch, she's been cared for by servants and healers/physicians since birth. I bet she hasn't eaten a rotten meal in her life. While she can fight, as long as Zuko is alive, he'll protect Izumi at all costs. Not just him, but the whole army of the Fire Nation will as well. So yeah, LONG LIVE THE FIRELORD! We don't know much about her, so I don't have an entry with trauma...

Tenzin/Kya

These two are tied. Let's start with Kya. She's one of the greatest healers, and if she's ever injured, she has Katara to heal her. The only trauma of hers that I know of (same with Bumi) is that Aang favored Tenzin and neglected them. Knowing her personality, she doesn't seem to mind it a lot. For her, she still has her mom, Uncle Sokka, and Bumi. As for her lifestyle, she can be a bit reckless at times, but her nature as a healer always prevails.

With Tenzin, he eats a healthy diet (Air Nomad diet). Like Kya and Bumi, Katara has him covered. He doesn't have many injuries because he doesn't fight often unless it's necessary. The main trauma he faced was his father's death and the pressure of being "the last Airbender." He worked through that by getting married and having kids. Additionally, as the leader of the Air Nation, his health is cared for by the air acolytes.

Bumi

To be honest, I almost made him tied with Lin because of their line of work and their recklessness at times. He got fighting injuries like Lin and often faced near-death experiences. They just differ in terms of trauma. Bumi handled his trauma very well; we can see how bubbly his personality is. Like Kya, despite Aang being absent, he had his mom, uncle, and sister. "You always know when I need a hug," Bumi once said to Kya, implying that they had each other's back. Oh, and he's also retired now and got bending, so yeah, his lifespan got extended.

LASTLY *sighs*

Lin Beifong

It's incredibly tough to admit, but her job is one of the toughest, and she didn't even like it. She took it to seek approval from her mom, who wasn't even happy about it. She endured numerous injuries from fighting triads, being electrocuted by chi blockers while wearing metal armor, and facing near-death experiences. Her traumas include conflicts with her mom and sister, her breakup with Tenzin, and having her bending taken away. She also has the worst way of handling these issues—bottling everything up until it's overwhelming. Her lifestyle and environment haven't been favorable either; due to work demands, she likely doesn't eat proper meals, often relying on instant noodles or beef jerky, and I bet she even skips meals. Perhaps the saddest part is that for a long time, she didn't have anyone to take care of her. Lin definitely got the short end of the stick. 😭😭😭

[zukkaart]

I’m about to lose it over Sokka

So I bought “The Lost Adventures” yesterday and Sokka's Poem almost made me cry the person who wrote it is a genius because it’s so PAINFULLY in character

If you haven’t read it ->

“Oh I know Sokka and his dumb jokes Sokka who lost his girlfriend to the moon. Sokka who can’t even bend paper except with his mitts. But at the risk of blowing my own horn, who rescued Suki from the prison at Boiling rock? Who defeated the wolf spirit? Well sort of. Lots of battles to fight, lots of strategy to craft, It’s a busy life But then night comes. The air is still the waters placid the fire banked the earth dense and unyielding. No one is combining with a spirit. No one is reincarnating. No one is kidnapped. Everything sleeps. Everyone vulnerable, barefoot, and drowsy. This is me at my best, when people I love or revere or both need me whether they know it or not. I almost never sleep. There’s too much to do and only I can do it!”

I would like to gently remind you all that this is canon before I continue.

I know Sokka is the main comic relief character and everyone focuses mainly on Katara and Zuko's trauma because it's the most visible but I think there is really something to be said about how Sokka copes by being a Type A personality.

I've said this before but I'll say it again. Sokka is the one who has arguably the most reason to be paranoid. There has not been a single person in his life that he has cared about who hasn't been killed, kidnapped, or tortured. It's often overlooked because the gaang is all friends with the same people but it's deeper than that.

Yeah Katara and Aang liked Yue but not like Sokka loved her, and the same goes for Sukki. Sokka is such an intense lover and always dives in head first for every one he meets even if he denies it (see: the nomads from the tunnel) and that's a depth that I think is sometimes lost on us as well as the other characters.

On top of that he is self aware. He knows how much he loves and cares for the people around him and he knows that they're constantly in danger. I also find it hard to believe that he wouldn't realize the effect that his trauma has on him especially in terms of paranoia.

He is the one who makes the plans and hides the bodies and protects them while they sleep because he's the oldest. So he spares them all he can so that they might retain even the smallest bit of a childhood that he was never allowed to have.

In the comic when he speaks the last few lines it is also over a frame of Zuko which is so special to me as well because even though he isn't younger- Sokka truly doesn't mind being the protector of the people he loves. He never complains, never mentions it, and never falters.

I could go on about him for days because the poem in this book really intensely highlighted my favorite aspect of his character and the one I relate to the most. A lot of media focuses on sibling rivalry and it means so much to me that the A:tLA writers chose to focus on the need/want to protect your siblings from anything that could harm them.

Even if you know they are stronger or can take care of themselves that isn't the point, and Sokka's character is the perfect embodiment of this.

[waterfire1848]

Au where Zuko also is a prodigy + has white flames

Hello, anon!!

When Zuko is born, he's born as a powerful bender. Ozai is very happy to see a strong flame in his son and it keeps Zuko from being in danger of being killed. Zuko is allowed to be a normal kid for a few years (because Ozai knows an infant isn't going to firebend) and Ursa tries to raise him as best she can but Ozai is also pretty much there from the start which keeps Zuko from fully learning from his mom like he did in the show. Instead, Ozai raises Zuko and Azula to be mini versions of himself and since Zuko is also a prodigy now, Ozai has two weapons who want to earn his favor. Ursa, again, tries to do what she can for her children but there isn't much that can be done once Ozai gets his hooks in them. (Azula: Zuzu! Look what I learned! *Does a kata* Zuko: Yawn. I learned that move five weeks ago, Lala. And I got it down in one session. Azula: That's impossible! No one can master it that fast. Zuko: Well, I am father's oldest prodigy. The one who will be taking over for him one day. I think you are....Oh, how did that general put it? The spare. The forgotten child. Azula, angry: Yeah, well-have you learn the Flying Dragon move yet? Zuko:.....I'm going to very soon. Azula: I've already started. Zuko: I'll have it mastered by the end of the week. Azula: A move so complex even uncle struggled with it? I'm sure.)

When Lu Ten is killed and Ozai asks for the throne, Azulon orders him to kill Azula because Zuko is the older child, male, and a prodigy as well (Azula is powerful, yes, but Ursa and Ozai can always have another kid as far as Azulon is concerned since they already had two prodigies. The new child will just be a bit younger than their older brother. Nothing that would seriously hurt the family in the long run). Azula panics and flees to her mother, begging her for any kind of help. Ursa makes the same deal she does in canon but this time, since she did it for Azula and Ozai agreed to kill her, Azula starts to wonder if her father really is as amazing as she once believed him to be. She spends the next few years starting to doubt her father more and more but keeping quiet because she's not an idiot. There is no Agni Kai scene since Zuko never speaks out. Ozai raised him here. If anything, he would be congratulating the general on his plan. Rather, Ozai keeps both him and Azula around to train until they are 14 and 16 which is when Azula gets her blue fire and Zuko gets his white flames. (Zuko: White flames are better. Azula: Huh? That's interesting. I could have sworn blue fire burned hotter than white. Zuko: Just means you're going to burn out before me.)

Aang is still broken out of the ice by Katara and Azula is sent after them (because...again spare heir). Azula eventually catches up to them and pretty much partakes in Zuko's role in canon except she had the authority to throw Zhao off a boat. But, since Aang is constantly slipping through her fingers, Ozai takes her off of the mission and puts Zhao in charge. Azula, not wanting to fail in her first mission outside the Fire Nation, ignores her father's order to return home and follows the Avatar to the North Pole. Zhao still murders the moon (Azula: How did this man become an admiral?) and is then killed by the ocean spirit. Azula fails in getting the Avatar again but refuses to stop in her mission, making it clear to the team that she is still after them. Meanwhile, Ozai realizes Azula is not returning and sends Zuko after the Avatar and her. (Ozai: Azula is a failure. I have a task for you, my son. Capture the Avatar and your sister and bring them here. Do you understand? Zuko: I do, father.)

Zuko and Azula quickly start competing with one another to try and capture Aang. Zuko had more resources behind him since Ozai isn’t currently mad at him, but Azula has more experience fighting Aang (basically Zuko gets taken out by airbending and waterbending more than Azula does). Now, because both siblings trained under Ozai they’re both incredibly smart as well as powerful. Zuko knows Azula is going to get Mai and Ty Lee and decides to recruit Mai before Azula can get to her, so it becomes Azula and Ty Lee vs Mai and Zuko for who can capture Aang first. When Ba Sing Se comes around, both siblings have the idea to sneak in but while Azula and Ty Lee sneak in with the Kyoshi Warrior disguises, Zuko and Mai sneak in as refugees. In the upper ring with the Gaang, Azula believes she had the advantage and decides to act and capture Katara. Her plan is to use Katara as bait and then attack and capture Aang when he comes to free her. Meanwhile, Zuko and Mai are in the lower ring and make their way up to the upper ring while chatting which is when Mai realizes that the Zuko she knew is kinda gone. Zuko at 10 and Zuko at 16 are two very different people after 6 years under Ozai. She tries not to let it bother her but it’s very clear. Eventually, the final fight breaks out and ends with Azula aiming the lightning at Aang but Zuko, who refuses to let Azula win, takes the lightning blast and sends it back at her. The blast is strong enough to disorient everyone and knock Aang out, who is quickly captured by Zuko. He and Mai flee the city before they can be stopped leaving the Gaang without an Avatar (thankfully in a still standing Ba Sing Se) but with a captured Royal and acrobat.

Ozai isn’t happy. Zuko’s job was to bring Azula back but instead he just did half of his job. Zuko tries to argue that Azula is taken care of since she’s in enemy hands. (Zuko: I give her a week before they kill her for not giving up information. Ozai: I didn’t ask for the Earth Kingdom to kill her. I asked you to bring her back! Zuko: Father, please, I….I thought it would be a good idea for the war. Ozai: Explain. Zuko: Sozin’s Comet is coming soon but we haven’t been seeing a spike in morale- Ozai: You’re too concerned with regular soldiers, Zuko. Zuko: I know, but hear me out. How would citizens feel when they find out the enemy murdered the princess? The princess who was trying to save her nation from Ba Sing Se’s tyranny gave her life to defend the Fire Nation. Ozai:….Hmmmm. I will consider this. It’s not a horrible idea. You’re dismissed. Zuko: Thank you, father.) Meanwhile, Azula is very much alive and pissed at Zuko for abandoning her in the city. The Gaang knows they have to get Aang back if they want any shot at ending the war and, to do that, they have to get into the Fire Nation. Thankfully, they just so happen to know a familiar princess who knows the nation like the back of her hand. The Gaang make a deal with Azula and Ty Lee: they help them get into the Fire Nation in exchange for saving them from Earth Kingdom execution. Azula initially refuses, saying she doesn’t want to betray her father or her nation. However, it becomes clear to her that this might actually be a blessing, a way to return to the Fire Nation with the Avatar’s team, capture them all and stop the eclipse invasion: three birds with one stone. After talking to Ty Lee, Azula agrees and the five head off towards the Fire Nation.

[sidecharactersdomatter]

Thoughts I had during TGCF Season 2 Ep 1

I’ve finished my quarter and I am spending my spring break reacting to Season 2! Let’s make this reaction series count!

-Welcome back to Puqi Village people, at morning and known for their chestnuts!  (The best nuts I’ve had outta the packet!)

-We are back at Puqi Shrine people!

-And the Altar is packed!

-Instrumental Hong Jue!!!

-Did he oversleep?

-Aww he’s so lonely! :’(

-Dang.  That is a clear stream

-Eeeeyep, he is thirsty!

-And a water droplet fell past his freaking throat!  They just had to animate that!

-It’s the same ring from last Ep!

-You mean, ‘Gege’ Yeah, I’ve already typed this, “I watch the English Dub religiously” Don’t judge me!

-It is the same ring people!!!

-Oooh he hid it!

-Yep like two years for us in 2023

-Oh her eye bags got deeper and darker

-Welp it just got serious

-Looks like we’re back in heaven

-They added 3D palace shots and camera panning

-Woah that was a really good transition with the bell toll

-I wonder what kept the emperor all season…

-Feng Xin!

-Mu Qing!

-It’s that female Blue robed NPC from Ep 4 on his far left!

-*Looks at how the camera pans up to the Heavenly Capital* My Oc Qing Tao is like: The Oldest Enemy I know, stairs…

-New opening people woo!!!

-New opening animation had me sold!!!  They really improved 2 years later

-I love how the music switches from a majestic powerful orchestra tune to a comical xylophone like leitmotif upon introducing Xie Lian.  To say, “And then there’s that guy.  Then there’s that guy.”

-Social Distancing, Ancient Chinese Pantheon Style

-Man tough crowd today!

-And after every official flees the Trash god, one of my Junior Official OCs, Long He goes, “Huh, who is that dude?”  And then his dad, a Civil God will say, “That dude is the Crown Prince of Xianle.  His highness crown prince Xie Lian!” And then that Civil god begrudgingly brings his palm to his face.

-*Hears Mengyou calling his highness*: Ladies, Gentlemen and Enby friends, Him!

-This has the energy of giving someone a lanyard pass to visit a certain building

-“It’s not that hard!”  “You ascended hundreds of years ago you know better!” “Now keep it with you!”  Only like 4 minutes into the first Ep and that NPC is already getting the best lines.  (More of Lang Qianqiu’s trusty assistant later this season folks!)

-He sounds just like the English actor for Elam, Justin Briner, from the Heroic Legend of Arslan (another awesome historical manga!)  Coincidentally, Elam is also one of Arslan’s most trusted Allies.

-I can’t wait to write more of my ATLA x TGCF crossover, The Scrap Immortal and the Avatar, just imagine the Gaang’s reaction to learning that there’s more than one crown prince worshipped!

-Man, it’s like I always say, “The rumor mill’s always a’runnin!”  Or water wheel since it’s ancient China

-Hi Ling Wen, man what kind of product did she use to hide those eye bags???

-I’ve started reading the Manhua series so, Huh? No cursed shackle?

-It’s been days and you still haven’t found the Moldy faced boy from Episode 3???

-I also can’t wait to write Aangs reaction inside that huge throne room, (“It’s bigger than the one in Ba Sing Se!”)

-Now we’re actually seeing the emperor, the first time was in the Episode 1 flashback near the end

-Now we get the first appearance of Pei Ming, who appeared in the Flashback of Ep 3

-Well that sounded patronizing coming from Pei Ming

-Now Pei Xiu has to reap what he sowed.

-Yep that’s a kill count

-I love how this next scene is basically,

Pei Ming: Your Highness, please tell everyone who accompanied you?  Then Xie Lian starts to compose an alibi:  Ah yes!  I will do that.  It was incredible!  What did we get swept in a sandstorm or something?  Oh yes! It was just a youth in red robes who was knowledgeable about the Ban Yue kingdom.  <- This incorrect quote is inspired by Zuko and Iroh lying to Commander Zhao about the state of their ship in episode 3, The Southern Air Temple.  (Does anyone else think that Xie Lian, is what would happen if you combined both Iroh and Zuko?)

-The face Xie Lian made when he’s trying to keep fibbing and brought his index finger to his cheek that was good body language

-Hi Windmaster.

-Oooh Feng Xin and Mu Qing

-Welp you tried keeping him innocent Xie Lian

-Not as complicated as your love life, maybe I should do a Pei Ming roast count?

-Hey Xie Lian is smarter than you look

-Pei Xiu still wants to protect Ban Yue even facing his impending banishment.

-Ok that line and Pei Ming’s attempt to kick Pei Xiu does seem like an abusive action in my perspective.

-Woah, and that was Jun Wu’s own gavel.

-Well that was a short trial

-Him calling Xie Lian to stay, has the exact energy of a teacher calling one student to stay after class to talk.

-Ling Wen is now talking with Jun Wu

- Now that was a really brief meet up between the Xianle trio.

-Thank you Wind Master, and they are a savage!

-Well he’s still mad

-*Sees Qianqiu still asleep standing up*: XDXDXDXDXD

-Aw he woke him up!

-Don’t worry honey, you didn’t miss much anyway

-How in the heck was he able to doze off through all that shouting. I almost fell asleep in a lecture and that’s nothing compared to TaiHua’s feat

-*Hears Jun Wu speak like*: Oh gods! Why did they have to make him sound so seductive! He’s like an East Asian Belos! (And I’m still busy working on Murder They Cast’s first phase)

-Oh Xie Lian’s expression when Jun Wu talks to him, it’s concerning!

-That soft “forgive me”

-I mean we learned about his huge failure in Season 1

-“How Disappointing!” STOP!!!

-Oooh I didn’t notice this during the rewatch but they played a stringed instrumental version of Bu San.

-Srsly HOW BIG IS HIS FREAKING PALACE?!?!?!

-A mural of heaven

-You gotta love Xie Lian’s modesty

-“Such a low opinion” yep his voice is like liquid gold and it is pure torture!

-“How’d you seduce trouble this time!” That tease in his voice why!!!!

-Aw good for you Xie Lian

-Just you wait till the second half of this season

-It’s their version of shooting a flare gun

-Oooh from left to right is Feng Xin, an unknown person behind him, next there’s Ling Wen(with what happens later in the series), Lang Qianqiu in the middle, Mu Qing is next, then there’s Pei Ming in front of him, and the last guy might be Quan’s Yizhen since he also appears in the 2nd half of the series. I hope I found every martial god

-Also the Thunder Master (my OC Leishi) tends to work part time

-There are retired officials???

-In tsiata (my TGCF x ATLA crossover, The Scrap immortal and the Avatar) Ghost City is more modernized than the Spirit World, since it’s mostly untamed wilderness

-Oh he had balls defending San Lang people

-“Your majesty makes me sound like a little princess” yeah that’s what you are honey

-That pose! I was watching this ep with my older sister and she said, “Man is draping himself!”

-He’s gonna touch the scimitar, isn’t he? (I’ve watched clips of Season 2 before doing my reaction posts)

-And Xie Lian still has the best preferences good on him!

-Xianle trio mention

- And I still think clearing the debt should’ve taken longer, but that’s just my small nitpick

-Yeah nobody round here can keep a secret

- *Sees Jun Wu walk up to Xie Lian reminding him to be careful and puts his hand on his shoulder*: That’s too much pressure!!!

- “I had it erected for you.” James Cheek totally had fun writing Season 2’s script

-I can see why he prefers his own shrine over how massive and opulent his new palace is.

-Hi Windmaster

-Ooh a pond reflection

-Yep that’s your traveling parter

-Then he just fans himself and he instantly slays

-Jacob Eiseman had fun with his performance and ate up every crumb

-Windmaster is Genderfluid Bisexual culture people!

- “Thoroughly~” Yep that just slayed me I’m down

-Yeah Qingxuan’s cultivation backstory is gonna age like curdled milk in Book 4

-Man I just love all of Xie Lian and Shi Qingxuan’s interactions with each other!

-Xie Lian, honey, you are way too good to be a tumor, trust me

-I love how Qingxuan also defended Ban Yue from Pei Ming

-“You were my kind of crazy” I love how Shi Qingxuan and Xie Lian instantly became besties

-Dude, Qingxuan puts the “fun” in function in both forms!

-This is exactly the reason I made my Thunder master OC Leishi female too.

-Now I gotta draw Xie Lian’s female form

-Yeah I react the same when letting a small amount of alcohol in my system

-The witching hour

-To quote a well known assassin Yor Forger, “No way I’m doing this sober”

-That one wrinkled ghost did not age gracefully

-Yeah their burial grounds are in Taiwan, awesome island I definitely need to visit

- Why did they have to design every Heavenly Official to be so Attractive???

-It’s the Spirit World from Spirited Away

-Ghost City would seem like a more modern area than the Spirit World in the Last Airbender

-The heck’s this confetti

-Ooh I like the green dressed spirit with the dark bamboo hat

-Hi Jian Lan

Literally any of my young adults would react to a promiscuous person with just one word in annoyance, “Prostitutes…”

-Honey Xie Lian is already outta your league, try finding someone else that’s your type

-Yeah you didn’t have to tell everyone about your medical condition, heck I don’t even want to picture the Gaang’s reaction after hearing it

-Ghost City is the Las Vegas of Ancient China

-Bouncers

-I love the female NPC that greeted Xie Lian she has a great voice and design

-Oh I know who that is

-He clutched his heart!

-“No thanks~” *Instantly fans myself*

-The camera pan to this throne!!! He is gay and he means business!!!

-James Cheek has ate it up!!!

-The soft “San Lang”

That was an awesome start to the Second Season. Sorry if I haven’t been posting I’m four weeks into my quarter and I also got back into writing fanfic, like the first chap of The scrap immortal and the Avatar. I’ll still do every reaction to Season 2 on weekends!

[the-genius-az]

Nope, Katara dies pretty old but nowhere close to Azula's age. (She could try if she was an earthbender lol). They don't have children, but Sokka does and Azula mildly claims his family line as hers too (not that weird because Sokka is also basically claimed as her brother).

Yeah, I guess? Because it's Azutara, Maizulee ends up a platonic thing.

The re-encounter I have in mind involve Azula undercover in Fire Nation armor (inspired by NATLA!Azula in soldier's armor). They don't recognize her at first, even without the face plate, because this Azula is taller and adult-sized, and they're "shik shak shok" when one of Gaang babies call her and she answers. Like "she came back from the dead and oh god she's ALIVE".

Azula, the prodigy. It's all Ursa's fault, she does come from the second oldest dragon family lines.

When they heal and reconcile, Azula gives Zuko rides. She also gives Izumi rides and Zuko is silently jealous of not being a dragon to fly alongside her. He doesn't even care about being stronger or a better firebender, he watches Azula flying with other dragons and wants to be there with her.

It's angst first (because, well, Zuko has tried to decapitate her multiple times and once he managed to slash her with his sword – it's how Katara, then the rest of the Gaang, discover that their giant lizard friend also has a human form). Later on it gets funny. Katara can understand dragon Azula pretty well, Sokka is a close second. Meanwhile Zuko just stares like "what the fuck?" Made worse because at some point, the Gaang constitutes of the canon Gaang, three dragons and Zuko is just like "HOW DO Y'ALL COMMUNICATE?" (At least Appa seems as annoyed as him for the excess of lizards.)

But Zuko eventually is allowed in the same cuddle pile that Azula is in, so it'll be fine.

- Ash 🔥🍌

I read your stories at night! I'm actually getting to that point of understanding where you want to go.

They don't have children, but Sokka does and Azula mildly claims his family line as hers too (not that weird because Sokka is also basically claimed as her brother).

Azula: They're ours too.

Sokka: What? No-

Azula: Ours!

Sokka:....Okay.

Azula, the prodigy. It's all Ursa's fault, she does come from the second oldest dragon family lines.

Ursa, yes... she's always the one to blame!

he watches Azula flying with other dragons and wants to be there with her.

My babies...🥹

I bet neither of them (after solving all their problems) wants to separate again.

But Zuko eventually is allowed in the same cuddle pile that Azula is in, so it'll be fine.

Happy ending!

[mozart-the-meerkitten]

Okay I have more crossover thoughts, except this time the crossover involves my original story, "The SOS Chronicles".

Not exactly sure what triggered it but I've been thinking about Avatar the Last Airbender a lot again recently, specifically my boy Zuko. And as I was mulling things over it occurred to me how funny it would be if the Avatar Gaang met my OC's, Oliver, Silas, Silvie and Cassie.

Part of what would make this so funny is because, y'know, everyone in the Avatar world is pretty prejudiced against firebenders after their nation tried to take over the world. But the SOS kiddos would love firebenders because in their minds that's one of the most useful abilities to have like, ever. Because they're coming at it from the perspective of being slaves/alone at a very young age. So the ability to just, manifest fire whenever you want? SUPER useful. You can use fire to purify water, cook food, and stay warm. Not to mention as a defense against hostile people/animals. (In case you're curious, their pyramid of element usefulness goes: firebending because of the above, waterbending because having fresh/clean water for drinking, cooking, washing is very useful. Then earthbending because you can use it to make shelters and chuck rocks at people. And then airbending, which they have a hard time coming up with practical uses for, but they acknowledge that it's still very important because they immediately understand that it represents freedom. They can't see much of a use for lightning bending tho (except Cassie, their little inventor/engineer who loves that idea), the idea of bloodbending terrifies them (tho Silvie says it'd be very useful for subduing enemies), but METALBENDING, now dang the three kids who used to work in a mine extracting spaceship fuel? Oh yeah, they can see the uses of that immediately. Silvie brings up how useful it would be for escaping from the Enforcers since their prisons are mostly metal. Oliver- when he has Almitak's power- can basically already energybend so that'd be a fun conversation for him and Aang to have. But I digress.)

So anyway, I'm just imagining the kids meet the Gaang and within ten minutes they're just hovering nonstop around Zuko, which freaks him out a little bit, and when he asks what they're doing their only response is, "You're warm." and now he has to deal with them following him around... or climbing him, in Silvie's case. Baby Aguithans just climb the tallest nice person they can find by default. (Silvie is NOT put off by his temper. She yells right back at him. He's not hurting her and baby has been treated so much worse by so many people it doesn't even phase her. The other three kids will drift away until they're done yelling.)

The best way to get at least Oliver to leave Zuko alone, they find out, is by Aang showing how he flies with airbending. Because as soon as he soars into the air, Oliver starts bouncing with excitement and squeaks, "I can do that too!" and shoots into the sky but. with no glider or visible airbending. Almitak is just sighing in resignation but also a deep fondness. Aang is very surprised but delighted to have a flying buddy.

Cassie would LOVE to talk about inventions and things with Sokka. The little bean would take one look at an airship and demand to know exactly how it works. She'd also love Toph just in general, she's got a similar sort of personality, but she's more go-with-the-flow after having been a slave for most of her life. She'd have Toph throwing rocks at her and be trying to hit them with a wrench like a very dangerous game of baseball until Silas yelled at them to stop.

Silas would like either Katara or Sokka most depending on who was being the parent of the group at that moment. Because Silas, as the oldest of his group, is the de-facto parent. He'd be THRILLED to talk about navigating by the stars with them tho (Sokka at least would have to know this since Water Tribe).

Almitak is glad the kiddos are having fun but not really enjoying himself until somebody in the Gaang brings up spirits/dragons and then suddenly he's manifesting his ghostly self like "did somebody say dragon spirit?" and half the Gaang is panicking, Aang is just excited, Toph is the most unnerved she's ever been because there is no way to sense this creature. Almitak feels bad about that and apologizes and is also forced to explain his existence.

At some point Aang and Oliver talk about how they both have No Killing rules and don't really want to hurt anyone and lament the positions they've been put into and it's really good for both of them to be able to admit that to someone in a similar situation who agrees with them. They're besties after like ten minutes.

At the end of the day all the SOS kiddos creep over to snuggle with Zuko because warm. He grumbles about it, but secretly he's kind of pleased and amused that these kids like him so much. The Gaang is extremely amused and Almitak is trying not to laugh and directing them to the futuristic equivalent to a camera in one of the kid's pockets so they can take a picture and savor this memory forever. Zuko is unaware of this until later. The SOS kiddos are DELIGHTED.

Anyway, those are just some fun thoughts I've been ruminating on recently. I have some more I might type up later but this is already long so. Hope it was a fun read!

[fellow-nerd]

Time to go crazy about the characterisation changes in the new atla cuz oh boy do I have thoughts

The main thing I noticed for all of them is that this show is focused about telling a story about a war torn world and how that affected everyone first and a coming of age hero story second, which is a choice considering the source material which balanced them both extremely well.it never had to be so heavy handed for the audience to get it but that also could be because it's a kids show at the end of the day 😅

Aang: where is my adventure loving kid. He just wants to ride the Elephant koi and show his new friends cool things. Yes, his past weighs heavy on him and expectations press down, but he's still just 12. It takes him time to work through his grief and his reluctance to save the world and that is literally his big arc. Learning to grow up and save the world (becoming THE avatar ya know). This Aang gets with the program quick and is only concerned with helping people and stepping up, like little dude ur telling me u don't want to go penguin sledding. I dunno it just feels so off. Love the stuff with gyatso too.

Katara: she's actually the most true to her og character I think. I just wish there was more focus on her like there was in the og. She was my first favorite charcter, put some respect on her name. It was criminal to give the opening to kyoshi, like girl u have ur own novels to be in! ALSO WHY DIDNT SHE BREAK THE ICEBERG!!! UGH SO MAD AT THAT.

Sokka: look I get it It's the year of lord 2024 misogyny has no place. So why don't we tell the story of how a guy learns that those views are wrong and how to change ur views rather than pretending that it never existing, like erasing it. As much as it can be critiqued Sokkas misogyny was the catalyst for Katara to hit the iceberg and free Aang. Narratively this gets them both invested in Aang and just shows Sokkas growth on every rewatch. They could've toned it down but it's a big part of his character growth and what are the gonna fill that with, if anything at all.

Suki: now her in live action I can get behind. She ate and left no crumbs. She put Sokka in his place and stole the episode for me. Also I loved the addition of her mom, honestly goals. Can't wait to see how they utilize her throughout she's the best. No comment.

Jet/freedom fighters: pretty much the same, I didn't love the condensing plot lines all into omashu tho

Teo/Sai: same as above but I loved the Way the two interacted it had so much depth.

Iroh: not sure how to feel. It feels wierd hearing iroh not voiced by Mako ya know. Like his dailougue was fine but it lacked that inflection Mako had which really Gave iroh all his character. It's big shoes to fill and it comes so close. I did die for the line where he says he's the one who owes Zuko. Like. Ugh. The implications of that. How Zuko made him wake up and gave him a reason to keep going. Its enough to make a girl cry.

Zuko: oh zuko, zuko, zuko, zuko. Again tough shoes to fill. I think that the characterisation is all there the challenge comes later on when we get his redemption arc. I do love the seeds they are planting especially in his relationship to Iroh.

Azula: now I called it as soon as I saw that girl, knew it was her who else could I have been. Just as evil, just as lustful for power, definitely in character for her to be doing what's she's doing this early on. Will definitely keep tabs on this one.

Bumi: now he about WRECKED ME ok. It was rough. I loved this recharacterisation. If ur gonna give us a war torn world, give me the war torn ruler, whose been carrying all that trauma and burden on his back for 100 years. Of course he's gonna be mad at Aang of course HES gonna BE MAD himself. So yeah it was rough to watch but because it was so hard hitting to see how war destroyed Bumis mindset, and then so wonderful to see Aang give his oldest friend a piece of himself back

In conclusion I care about Avatar way too much and will be ranting about this even more as I continue watching

[tmnt-obsessed-ace]

Its 10:45pm time to yap about ANOTHER au (because I cannot be stopped)

So remember that untitled atla x tmnt 2012 au I came up with thats inspired by A Tale Of Spirits?

Well...it has a title now :)

"Before The Summer's End." (Look A Tale Of Spirits is already a really good title but I can't USE it because its already claimed and I've been wanting to yap about this au for so long and couldn't come up with an idea so SUE ME)

So basic premise, the turtles (including my own tmnt 2012 versions of Venus and Jennika because they are my beloveds and its my au I can do whatever I want, plus those two are not in fics often) all get transported to the alta world and separated from each other. (Again like A Tale Of Spirits but that fic has rooted itself into my brain and this au isnt gonna be a carbon copy so its cool)

So key differences from A Tale Of Spirits

Its tmnt 2012 (my beloveds) post season 4 (the turtles are all 20)

It includes Venus and Jennika

It begins at the end of season 1 episode 3 "The Southern Air Temple" unlike A Tale Of Spirits which starts at the beginning of season 2

So already pretty different

And for once Leo ISNT gonna be the main victim of my angst hammer. Its gonna be DONNIE (I have plans for him >:3)

So who exactly ends up with who?

Venus will be the first turtle introduced, landing in the Southern Air Temple and will meet Aang, Katara and Sokka straight away (Venus and Jennika will definitely get the most screentime since I am basically inserting characters that were never in tmnt 2012 and making them fit in with my favorite turtles because the two girlies definitely SHOULD'VE been there Im just saying)

Jennika will land on Kyoshi Island and will join the Gaang soon after they meet. (Girlie gonna have a field day)

Leo meanwhile will land in the ocean close to Prince Zuko's ship, close enough to warrant investigation. (Ok I know that Raph, Jennika, maybe even Mikey would've been better fits for Zuko but I didnt want to take the obvious route plus Zuko becomes "The Blue Spirit" wielding twin swords and later on calls himself "Lee" the joke was right there and I had to take it)

Raph lands in an Earth Kingdom town, very close to the estate of the Beifong family. (Yeah I loved the Raph Toph dynamic in A Tale Of Spirits, bite me)

Donnie ends up in the Northern Air Temple (he aint gonna STAY there because...I have plans for him. He's gonna learn the lesson Leo has already learned. Being the author's favorite is NOT a good thing :3. Donnie's gonna go through it that's all I'll say)

And Mikey is gonna land right in front of Princess Azula, in the heart of Fire Nation territory. (Purely because I am very tired of Mikey being treated as a "fragile weak innocent baby" by fanon. NO MIKEY CAN BE JUST AS DANGEROUS AS AZULA. Especially if he gets angry)

Its gonna be very fun, especially on multiple occasions that the kids need adult the turtles will realize that THEY are the adults

Hehehehe

("We need an adult...I am the adult")

Almost forgot to post the age order of the turtles oh my god I am tired

Ok so the age order from oldest to youngest is

Leo, Raph, Venus, Donnie, Jennika, Mikey

[gryffsposts]

Percy Jackson x Avatar, The last airbender

Since I didn't see much of these, I am gonna be putting the main atla heroes sorted based on what their godly parent could be. These are just my opinions, I don't put any claim that this would be canon or that you shouldn't think differently.

So...since Aang is the main character...yeah Idc, I am starting with my favourite Toph

Gaia - primordial Goddess of Earth or Hades - God of the Dead and Riches, king of the Underworld.

Well I couldn't find any picture of her kids and she doesn't have a cabin, so...well you know what erthbending looks like either way. Gaia or Gaea can control eveyrhting earthy, even bones and animals, her kids would be able to do most of the same things. They would be more powerful than any demigod from the camp, since Gaia is a primordial Goddess and Zeus is lesser in power to them, since they are the oldest. Toph is without a doubt the strongest earthbender. I read the children of Gaea avoided being away from earth, especially in the air, which is very Toph. It is also said they use the earth as an extension of themselves, which I do not kidd you, it really was there, is so Toph to a point. They are also described as stubborn and determined, but loyal. Do I need to say anything else? Toph would 100% be Gaea's child. But....if you don't like her being a child of a primordial Goddess...I guess Hades, God of the Dead and Riches and king of the Underworld. Hear me out....bone bending. If you haven't heard about it..basically there is a theory bone bending can be done by an earthbender...which in a way...could raise dead from the ground. Besides, Hades is said to have some control over stones and minerals. Since it's said his children can be surrounded or have affinity for money, Toph is also from rich roots and she often doesn't have problems attracting money, read cunningly getting some. This gives Hermes energy as well, but oh well. So yeah, Toph in my opinion is a Gaea's child....or Hades's, altho I am tilted more towards the green option. Oh, and for those asking why not Demeter or Persephone, they control the fauna mainly, not earth. We don't see Toph even once bend flowers in Atla.

Katara

Poseidon - God of the sea, storms, earthquakes, droughts, floods and horses.

With this one I had no trouble. I mean, not only by bending, but by characteristics. She can be calm and sweet as still waters and then raging and determined like a sea storm. Her personality matches the description in Rick Riordan's site. She is also fiercely loyal to Aang and loyalty is said to be the fatal fault of Poseidon's children. They can also heal by entering water. Really, there is nothing more worth mentioning. At least to me, Katara is an obvious child of Poseidon.

Sokka

Athena - Goddess of wisdom, civilization, mathematics, strategy, defensive warfare, crafts, the arts, skills, intelligence and brilliance.

Okay, so, disregarding the logic that Katara and Sokka are siblings, Sokka as Athena's child makes the biggest sense to me. Yeah, he goofes around a lot, but you can not say he is dumb. He plans everything, the group is lost without his abilities to read maps, to make schedules and generally without his tactic mind. Sure, he gives off Poseidon vibes as well, since he is also very loyal and protective of his closed ones, but Athena really fits him more, at least in my opinion. Just to warn, I do not only watch the bending abilities, or in his case, lack of such, and you will see that when I do Zuko. So, yeah, I got off the main point, Sokka is very strategic, thoughtful and has great interest in war duties. He is also incredibly smart, maybe the smartest one in the Gaang. So yeah, for me, he is 100% Athena's child.

Aang

Hebe - Goddess of Youth and cupbearer to Zeus or Zeus himself - God of the sky, thunder, lightning, kingship, honor and justice.

Oof, is Aang hard to sort or what??? Okay, I think he could be Hebe's child, because, they are said to preserve their youthful look (Iceberg *couph couph*) and because they are described as caring, sociable, friendly, liking to make others happy and generally concerned with others's happiness, take pride in community services, enjoy parties and feasts and tend to heal fast from injuries. I think that sounds a lot like Aang. Honestly at some point I was thinking of putting Hermes in, because of Aang's cheeky and travel-loving nature, but then just dropped the idea. Also, when I searched for Wind Gods in PJO universe, the resultats weren't something that reminded me of Aang at all, so I left them out as well. In genral, Aang is very lively and childish in a good way and he likes to make others happy. Because he wanted to live out his childhood, at the beginning of the series, he was too irresponsible towards his duties as the Avatar, which I think would happen if you put a Hebe's child in his place. But why then do I think of Zeus as well? Well, because the children of Zeus are more or less born with responsibility and while they usually take on it with pride, who said that would be the case for everyone? Besides Zeus children can control the weather to some extend, which is said to be an ability for the airbenders. Plus, Zeus and the sky. Yeah, air nomads. While Aang isn't the one to love leadership roles like Zeus's kids usually do, he is good at it when the cause is to his liking. In comics of Atla, he is shown to start leading an air nomadic group and seems to be doing good and to be happy. He also loves his traditions, which I think would fit Zeus. Zeus's kids are also mentioned to be brave and strong, which Aang is. It is stated that Zeus kids can control air. I think it fits. Altho by duty I think Aang fits more Zeus, in personality he is much more like Hebe, and that's why I can't really decide. For Toph, I am heavy on Gaea even tho Hades fits as well, but for Aang I really can't decide whether he would be Hebe's child or Zeus's.

Zuko

Ares - God of war or Hades - God of the Dead and Riches, king of the Underworld or Zeus - God of the sky, thunder, lightning, kingship, honor and justice.

Oh boy.....I was saying how Aang was hard to sort....Let's just dive into it. For me personally, Zuko would be most likely Ares's son. Just to mention, ignore all the daddy issues going on in the series, altho with a father like Ares who needs Ozai? Anyways, obviously, Zuko is very agressive, especially at the start of the series, war is surely on his mind, no doubt about it and generally....kids of Ares are described as war streategic minds, with courage and determination. Okay...while Zuko was in a way forced in this position by his father, he was indeed brash and very agressive at the beginning. I know he settled down in the third season...but still. Hey, no one says you need to only be a bloodlusting screaming angry issues head to be a kid of Ares. They are smart, despite what your initial impression of them might be. Determination is what drives Zuko and fuels his firebending. Whether that would be the goal of catching Aang or later the goal of helping him stop his father, there is no denying Zuko needs an ending point or something he is passionate about to keep him going. I think that fits Ares great. But....Hades wouldn't be a bad option as well. Okay, yeah, Zeus, Ares, Hades, the great awful father trio....but I mean at least Zuko is used to it (Poor Zuko, he really needs more hugs from the Gaang). So, back on track, Hades. Why Zuko would make a good child of Hades? Well, Hades's children are said to hold grudges and to want to finish their business with someone. Doesn't that sound like our fire prince? Also, he really gives off this shadowy emo vibes that Hades usually has. His sass would also be very much appreaciated. Also, Hades's children can have some sort of control over fire and minerals. As I mentioned, I don't only watch the bending abilities when sorting. If I did, Zuko would either have to be Hephaestus son with Leo's rarer fire ability or Hestia's son...which as at least I can tell, does not fit him. So yeah, back to the main topic, while Zuko doesn't really give the vibe of necromancy stuff, his personality does fit well with that of the children of Hades. And now, Zeus. Look, I just added him, because of three main things. First, Zeus's children as mentioned in Aang's sorting are born with a heavy burden. Second, his kids are usually serious and goal orientated. And third, they are said to have good leadership skills and at the beginning of the series, while cold and distant, Zuko does a good job with commanding his soldiers. Not to mention he ends up as the next Fire Lord. Oh yeah, and he can also bend electricity, which is something Zeus and his kids are definetly known for. So...in conclusion of Zuko...he is either a son of Ares, Hades or Zeus.

Suki

Arthemis - Goddess of the hunt, archery, wilderness, animals, forests, the Moon, radiance, maidenhood, and childbirth.

Okay. I mean, this one is very obvious. Suki is part of warrior girl group that is super badass and doesn't rely on bending abilities. How more Arthemis coded can it be??? Do I need to explain more??? Since Arthemis is a sworn virgin Goddess, Suki wouldn't be her daugher but part of her huntresses. They have more physical prowess than other demigods. Now...if you have to ask me as which God's kid she would be....I don't really know. I don't even know if I want to speculate tbh. If you want, go ahead, but I am leaving it at that. She is definetly one of Arthemis's huntresses. This would however make things between her and Sokka technically impossible tho....but oh well. I honestly am too tired to think it anymore lol, but I am definetly sure that if Suki was to be in the PJO universe, she would be a huntress of Arthemis.

[seyaryminamoto]

Little Lu Ten really admired his uncle, itseems 😅 Is there a possibility that Ozai would have orchestrated Lu Ten's death? 😳

... I know that's a relatively popular theory in the fandom, but that's absolutely not the case in Gladiator and, I'd dare say, absolutely unlikely in canon too.

Not only do I enjoy writing a far more complex Ozai than canon's, not only do I very much want him to feel like Zuko's dark counterpart, the kind of person Zuko 100% could have become without the support of the people who guided him down a better path, but...

... did you ever watch LOK? Book 2, in particular?

There are a lot of things in Book 2 of LOK that made me realize I was on a ride I didn't really want to be on anymore, and I stuck it out basically because I was in the fandom, too active and in-too-deep to just stop watching. But I would say the first moment that made me go "... oh shit, this writing is really bad" would be when Unalaq's grand, contrived plan to frame Tonraq for having "unleashed spirits on the Northern Water Tribe with his irresponsible behavior," was revealed. Not only was Korra's behavior disturbing for me in that scene, the explanations were so ridiculous and embarrassing that I wanted to scream. Basically: Unalaq hired a bunch of criminals to cause trouble so that they'd get their asses kicked by Tonraq in a VERY specific spiritual location, all because he 100% knew that would result in a bunch of dark spirits attacking the Northern Water Tribe! And when that happened, he swept in as the hero to save the day through a bending technique that goes 100% against everything we knew about bending in ATLA, while Tonraq looked like the worst person ever, got banished, and Unalaq became heir to the throne!

... Wouldn't it have made perfect sense for Tonraq to ACTUALLY be a flawed hero? Wouldn't it have been a more INTERESTING story if Tonraq learned from his arrogance, while Unalaq, instead, grew INCREASINGLY arrogant? So, you know, parallel character development, in inverse directions? It would've been a far more interesting writing choice :'D even if the whole situation is as weird and wonky as it is, at least this actually means character growth could be had, right?

But no. We had the weirdest con in the history of the Water Tribe instead. How wasn't Unalaq suspicious from the start due to the CONVENIENCE of him revealing this power to purify spirits that nobody's ever heard of before? Why would the criminals take money from one prince to get killed/attacked by another?? Were they criminals, really, or were they the Northern Water Tribe's BDSM club who had the hots for Tonraq and wanted him to beat them up? So much about the "logic" of this scenario was so absolutely ridiculous... add to this that the seemingly random judge happens to know ALL about it, and he's ready to give Korra all the explanations that straightforwardly say "YES. YOUR UNCLE IS A BAD MAN. GO PUNCH HIM." Put it all together, and it's so contrived, so exaggerated, it steals all agency from characters, the plans don't even make sense: why wouldn't Unalaq just... have Tonraq killed? if he wanted the throne?? oldest tale in the book?? there's literally no character-driven reason that justifies him doing all the BS he did just to have Tonraq conveniently banished instead of killed. So, yeah, this whole thing is just one hell of A Writing Choice. :')

... And with all this being said, I suppose you may see where I'm going with this.

Ozai doesn't need to orchestrate the murder of his nephew from halfway across the world for Lu Ten to die. In fact, considering Ozai's track record, be it in Gladiator or in canon? I'd dare say that any attempts of his to get Lu Ten killed would backfire so badly that Azulon would've somehow ended up abdicating, and Iroh too, so that Lu Ten could be Fire Lord, if Ozai had been targeting his nephew deliberately. Yes, I'm making fun of him again, but... think about canon Ozai for a minute, if you may indulge me: he planned to ruin Zuko's life by sending him to hunt down the Avatar, and Zuko ended up not only finding the Avatar but taking Ozai's throne. You know. The throne Ozai connived and plotted to get all his life. And he held it for a grand total of 5 years before losing it to his 16yo son. Damn. A top-tier strategist, isn't he?

My point, boiled down to simplicity is... simplicity, in itself.

Lu Ten is in a war front. An active, violent one. He's in a fierce battle against the best earthbending forces of the Earth Kingdom, who are tasked with defending Ba Sing Se, a city that's supposed to be impenetrable.

These earthbenders do not need dirty money from a Fire Lord's son to decide to kill an enemy soldier. Unless we think that Lu Ten is lazy and cowardly, and that he would not get his hands dirty and would not be involved in the fighting, he would've been in constant danger while serving on the battlefield. The situation, once Ba Sing Se's Outer Wall broke, absolutely REQUIRES for the battle to grow fiercer, as the stakes have never been higher for the Earth Kingdom's defenses. So, with this scenario in mind? Even the most grotesque version of Ozai has no need to hire any murderers to kill Lu Ten. He's in enough danger as it is, and along with Lu Ten, hundreds of other Fire Nation soldiers are bound to have died. He just happened to be one of them.

Ah, and if the working theory is that Lu Ten died because of a firebender? There's no way the show wouldn't have brought this up. If he had been stabbed in the back with a Fire Nation sword/dagger/spear? Same thing. At no point is there any indication that Lu Ten died because he got attacked from behind by his fellow soldiers, it would have been too important an element in his death for the story to not bring it up.

Along with this, I'd wager that any version of Ozai who HAD hired someone to kill Lu Ten would not have been quite so chill, taking over the throne while Iroh just drinks tea and plays the fool. If Lu Ten died by foul play? Provable foul play? (Ozai would leave a pretty damn obvious trail if he was behind this, let's not give Loser Lord more credit than he's due, please) Iroh would not have been so stupid as to not realize it. And, upon going home? The first, most obvious potential culprit for Lu Ten's death is the guy who benefits from it all: Ozai. And I know, yes, Iroh got redeemed and realized violence was not the answer... but Iroh, too, talked about Ozai with a carelessness and a casual demeanor in canon that is completely incompatible with that of a father who at LEAST suspects his son may have been murdered by his piece of shit of a brother :'D

SO!

... in conclusion, no. Ozai didn't have Lu Ten killed. Categorically untrue in Gladiator, and in my opinion, laughable and unlikely in canon as well due to how contrived and unncessary it is, not to mention how badly this reflects on Iroh's inaction and passivity if his son was actually killed by his own brother (imagine being harsher towards your 14yo niece than towards your brother-who-killed-your-son, ffs...). Ozai's bad enough as he is: blaming him for every awful thing that happens in his family feels like an unnecessary way to make him the source of all evil when we all know, already, that he's very, very bad. People die on battlefields. It doesn't have to be because of mercenaries specifically hired to find one specific person amid hundreds or thousands of soldiers and making sure THAT ONE (1) DUDE dies.

I suspect you'll be quite surprised, once we get to the flashbacks that deal with the subject, to discover that Ozai was in fact interpreting Lu Ten as an ally to himself. He thought Lu Ten would wind up actively supporting Ozai's bid as Fire Lord :') he believed he could be helpful for his schemes. And when he dies? It's a blow to Ozai's plans, at first. He tries to work with it later... doesn't go super well, of course. You'll see when we get there :'D

[shrinkthisviolet]

Mai and Ty Lee for the Blorbo Bingo!

Mai:

My love!! She’s amazing and wonderful and I love her so much 🥰

The projection aspect is mostly to do with Maiko, not Mai herself 😂 one of my mutuals and I tend to think of them as “Muslim-adjacent” because of how their romance gives us arranged marriage vibes. Yeah, they’ve known each other for years and loved each other for pretty much that long, but post-war, they’ve missed 3 crucial years (13-16…or I guess 12-15 for Mai)! They know they love each other…but they do also have to get to know each other again. Which you do have to do when you get arranged-married…and when you have a solid foundation of knowledge about that person, like Maiko do about each other, you can make it work wonderfully 💞

(The comics don’t exist to me btw ✋ Mai and Zuko got married soon after the war, and none of that relationship drama bs happened)

But also tbh I relate to Mai’s shyness. I’ve thankfully never had the upbringing she did, but I used to be a shy kid, worried about saying the wrong thing. I wasn’t very good at making friends 😅 but I figured it out eventually…somewhat. I’m sure Mai does too!

Ty Lee:

So admittedly I don’t have as much brainrot for her but I did write a fic about her! Mostly because I wanted to expand on her friendship with Zuko (an underrated duo which, to me, has always been brother-sister-coded).

I’m the oldest of 3, so the projection doesn’t really come from the siblings aspect and more just…feeling like you’re still figuring out what you’re meant for, and what you want to do. One of the few aspects of the comics I do like is Ty Lee bouncing around between jobs, because…that feels real to me. It feels like her. Not quite settled, not quite sure…but eventually, I’m sure she finds something.

send me a character, and I’ll fill out the bingo!

[percyramblesaboutatla]

wish we got more of Sokka being taken seriously and more of him expressing how he feels

like to me i think sokka would think that the Gaang doesn't really need him(when they do)(they really need his goofy ass) and he probably talks to Suki about how he feels and she comforts him about it

Sokka probably feels like everytime something goes wrong it's his fault because he's the plan guy, along with the fact that for a long time he was the oldest in the group.

he probably kept it all in so he wouldn't overwhelm the rest of the Gaang for a really long time

so when Zuko and Suki joined he felt some of the weight lift off his shoulders yk? because now he can talk to someone about it!!

he's also probably used to holding it all in due to the fact he had to take care of an entire village as a child

and considering his sexism in the first season i'm willing to bet that he has some toxic masculinity issues going on too

like he feels weak or unmanly if he expresses how he feels so he just fucking doesn't💀

Suki is probably the one to help him unpack that a little like

"i know i probably seem so weak now huh"

"what? Sokka what are you talking about? you're like one of the toughest guys i know?"

"?but i cried infront of you?"

"so? that doesn't make you weak Sokka? feelings are not weaknesses?"

"???what"

"yeah??? it's completely normal to cry???"

"...oh.."

i love sokka so much hes my little guy