#maybe La and sokka really have to meet....

[chiptrillino]

I am... So sorry. I just got very excited.

Your tags on the moon sprit yue joining part time pirate fire lord zuko are GOLD. the first time the gaang join zuko on his ship they had no idea about yue in new moon and they're like "hey buddy why is it so important we're at sea for the new moon" and zuko is like "just. You'll see" and mind you this has been going on for a while. Like a couple years while

The first time yue helped zuko was when there was a storm and some pirates were trying to get away from zuko's ship through the storm and yue is like THE FUCK YOU ARE and just. Fucking flipped them so they were going straight towards zuko's ship bc he had learnt from his youth and decided it wasn't worth it to go through the storm. The next new moon yue went and appeared in front of zuko (who while he knew of yue —vaguely— he didn't know that was her at the moment), zuko went "you're a spirit?" yes "are you going to harm my ship?" no "cool. Want some tea? Uncle would love to meet you". It takes him a while (like... A couple more trips to sea lmao) to finally ask her what kind of spirit she is and a bit longer to realize that's Yue, Sokka's girlfriend who turned to the moon. And then he's like "oh wait i know sokka, i could bring him" and like, she can get away with helping zuko and even appearing in the ship bc it's the middle of the ocean, but she can't do much at land, but still, she's still watching over sokka, so there's no hurry and he's busy so don't worry about it

Anyways some years in and zuko invites the gaang and as they get closer to the time when yue would appear zuko gies "remember that friend i made while sailing years ago?" (sokka has not been jealous of them all this time not at all shut up) and bam there's yue in all her moon spirit glory

Dont be! this was fun to read, thank you for sharing!

all the unlimited powers of the greater spirit are indeed kind of limited. but yue found a loop hole and suddenly eternety seems less grim and way more fun!

[ragzonacamrencruise]

for this ask right here:

okay so, hear meowt, yeah?? ***

THE PROPOSAL (REVERSED)

Azula isn't dumb. She swears she isn't. She literally conquered Ba Sing Se without a single casualty and with only three people. She's the greatest mastermind in the whole world and she knows how to manipulate people like she knows the back of her own hand.

So, she really should've seen this coming from miles away when she had the chance, right? RIGHT?????

Right . . .

She fucking did NOT!

...

[Three months ago]

"I- uhm . . . It looks really . . . sharp? Yeah, sharp. Thank you?"

Katara blinked, her face slightly loosing its glow as Azula said that. "You don't like it?"

Azula ran her eyes over the blue stone, neatly carved and linked to a blue ribbon, a truly marvellous speciman for a betrothal necklace. She knew of its culture from the Water Tribe, of course, but didn't really get around to the specifics of it.

But, what she didn't understand was, why was Katara of all people, giving her a betrothal neclace?!

Then she looked at Katara's neck. It's almost impossible to imagine the girl without her iconic necklace that was given to her by her . . . who was it now, mother? Yeah, she specifically remembered the conversation she had with the waterbender like an year ago, or something. Why she rememebered it? She had no clue.

The necklace lay on her lithe neck almost like it was a part of the girl's skin itself. Well, Azula thought, if mothers can give their betrothal necklaces to their daughters, then maybe, the whole betrothal necklace thing doesn't just have a singular purpose, right?

The girl had told Azula how her friends thought she was too motherly or something. So, when Azula had opened up about how her own mother thought she was a monster and never loved her, the girl had comforted her saying that Azula never has to worry about not having a mother anymore cuz she herself was going to take care of her.

And taking care of Azula, she did spectacularly. She never left Azula's side even for a minute, annoyingly so, and always sided with her whenever a Royal General Meeting was afoot. Sometimes, she even held Azula's arm while they walked through the Royal Gardens, much to Azula's irritation.

So, yeah . . . Maybe, the waterbender gave it to her because . . . she thought of herself as Azula's . . . mother? No, wait that's a weird thought and Azula shouldn't be having it while she's thinking of slamming the girl to the nearest wall and going to town at the very neck she's looking at.

Azula shook herself away from her thoughts. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, the waterbender had been growing on her for the past 3 years, and Azula trusted her with her life. She will never admit it, though. It'll make her look like a fool.

"No, I like it." Azula said, as she placed the necklace on her own neck, tying it into place. "We have a matching set."

Katara looked down at her own necklace. "Oh, yeah." She said, and clutched a strand of her, shifting her weight from her toes to heel.

Azula had been around the girl for enough to notice that that was a nervous tick. Don't as ask her why. She just liked to study people. That's all. She's a people person. She definitely did not pay attention to the waterbender whenever she had the chance to.

Azula looked all around the Royal Garden awkwardly, trying so hard to diffuse the tension. Like, why was it even so tense in the first place?!

"I'm really glad you accepted it." Katara said slowly, looking at Azula with her chin down. "I was really nervous about it and then Sokka hit me on the head really hard saying that-"

"Wait-" Azula interrupted her. "Why wouldn't I accept it?"

Well, sealing friendships in the way of gifts wasn't new to Azula. Firelord Sozin sealed his friendship with Avatar Roku with a gift, right?

Katara blinked. And then her lips spread out in that shy little smile that Azula will never admit as her favourite. "I thought you wouldn't want to." Katara explained. "Aang thought that too. But Zuko and Sokka said I was being an idiot and I should've given this to you sooner."

Azula frowned. Why would Katara consult with Azula's wimp brother and his idiot boyfriend over a simple gift? It's not really that big of a deal, right?

"Okay, rule number one," Azula said, hoping to get the weirdness out of her head, "Never listen to anything our stupid brothers say, yeah? One moment you're all knowledgable and then the next moment you talk to them and lose your brain to the dark spirits."

Katara laughed. A really pretty sound. But Azula had no idea why she was laughing. She didn't even make a joke, for Agni's sake!

But, she was doing something right?

...

[One month ago]

Katara's visit to Azula's chambers had been frequent ever since she'd given her the necklace. Azula had been complaining (but not really) about how she needs to respect the Fire princess's boundaries and personal space.

But, Katara, had just barged in through her door, plopping down right next to her on the bed. If she'd been any closer, she would've landed right on Azula's lap and the princess would've exploded from the sheer pressure of proximity.

"Hi." Katara beamed, her blue eyes sparkling.

"Don't you have any other person you'd like to torture with your presence?" Azula rolled her eyes, trying to put some distance between them but failing miserably.

"No." Katara slid in closer, making Azula's heart rate skyrocket. "Not when you're right here."

Azula gave her a look, that conveyed pure annoyance. And yet, the waterbender only grinned wider.

"You're annoying." Azula stated.

"I know."

"But today it's tenfold."

"Not without reason."

Azula looked at her with a slight raise of her brow.

Katara seemed to read her like a book as she opened her mouth to explain. "I went down to the printer with Aang, and guess what?"

Azula rolled her eyes. "No."

Katara squealed and pulled out a scroll and unrolled it. "The invitation! It's ready!"

Azula looked at the neatly painted design of the invite held in Katara's delicate hand. But she was more enraptured by the hand that was holding it rather than the invite itself. She traced the smooth, brown fingers with her eyes, moving up along the arm and to Katara's neck where her necklace hung. She gulped, thinking of the time when Katara gave her a necklace and the thoughts of the very neck that had plagued her brain after it had happened. Her eyes then landed on Katara's lips and they looked so soft, so full, that Azula wanted nothing more than to know what they tasted like.

When she lifted her eyes up, her heart stopped when she found Katara was looking directly at her. Her blue eyes shined of something that Azula couldn't quite pin-point. It was like the vast expanse of the entire ocean had come crashing down on Azula and she was drowning. Fast.

Azula's hand found a mind of it's own, placing itself on Katara's thigh in a feather light touch, feeling the roughness of her fabric all the way up to her hips where her body curved.

She let out a rough breath, her mind not really catching up with her mouth as she asked, "When?"

She wasn't really sure what she meant by asking the waterbender that question, but she had strong suspicions that it had nothing to do with the invitation the girl was holding and rather had everything to do with the girl herself.

Katara, seemed to be stuck in the same daze as her, her eyes glossing over when it landed on Azula's lips and meeting her gaze again. "Soon." She panted out.

Azula's foggy brain couldn't really register what they were talking about, but before she even had the time to ask, Katara stood up from the bed and rushed out of the room, her face glowing red.

Only then, air seemed to fill Azula's lungs. She shook her head, trying to make sense of what just happened. But then her eyes fell on the scroll splayed on the bed, and she recognised the shape of Katara's and her own name written on it.

She wanted us to go as dates to this wedding? That was what she was excited about?!

Azula groaned as she fell back on her bed.

...

[Present day]

Azula feels rough hands pulling her aside.

When she stepped inside the wedding hall, she did not expect it to be this . . . lavish. And she certainly wasn't prepared to get man-handled by-

"Sokka?!" Azula exclaims. "Get your filthy hands off me, peasant!" But when she saw panic filling his eyes, her demeanor became more serious.

"Why aren't you dressed up?!" He whisper-yells so that no one could hear it except them.

"What do you mean?" Azula looks confused. "I'm the Fire princess. I'm always dressed up!"

"No, you idiot!" And Azula would've smacked him right there if he didn't sound so worried. "Why aren't you- . . . Okay, you know what? Come with me."

He pulls her outside to the way leading to their respective chambers.

...

Azula feels good about her appearance. She really does. Whether she'd like to admit it or not, but Sokka did a wonderful job picking out her outfit and appearance. But what she doesn't feel good about is how her brother Zuko, is making her hold his arm while walking her down the aisle that is meant for the people getting married and their best, closest people.

She looks all around, extemely confused.

What in the name of Agni is going on?!

She doesn't really get it. Is this a sick joke that they're all trying to play on her?!

But that Admiral from a Fire Nation Colony wouldn't be sitting over there, picking his ear if it was really a joke, right?

"It's a big day, Azula." Zuko whispers beside her. "You can at least try to smile, right?"

She opens her mouth to respond. To ask him what the heck is going on. But before she could open her mouth, Zuko steps her up to the stage, and silently relieves himself to the sidelines.

She blinks, trying so hard to wake up from this stupid dream. She came here as Katara's date, right? Then why is her brother making her get on stage?! Why are all the people she knew her whole life and and a bunch of other people who are majorly from the Water Tribes are occupying the hall right now?!

And where the hell is Katara?!

Azula thinks hard. Really hard. But she really can't put a finger on it. Something's strange and it feels like she's the only person in the room who doesn't get it. Standing up here on stage, next to Sokka's big grin, and a bunch of other 'important' people looking up at her from their seats below the stage, wasn't really the place where she thought she'd realise she's dumb.

Maybe she was going crazy, after all.

She turns to Aang sharing the stage with her, who's wearing his traditional monk clothing he wore for her brother's coronation. When his eyes fall on her, he gives her an encouraging smile.

Suddenly, a traditional Water Tribe flute begins to play a tune and everyone in the hall stands up.

Azula recognises the tune. It's the wedding tune played for when the bride enters the wedding hall. Then she suddenly realises that the same tune was playing when she entered the hall too with Zuko holding her hand.

Wait-

She's the bride?! How and why is she the bride?! And why is the tune playing again if she had already entered the hall?! There are TWO brides?!

Suddenly, all heads turn to the entrance of the hall and Azula whips her head around too; to see what the hell it's all about.

The moment her eyes land on the entrance, her jaw practically hangs. Walking in, wearing a blue, flowing, elegant dress Azula's ever seen on a human, is Katara. Her hair's in a bun, her iconic hair-loopies hanging loose to frame her face. And somehow, the prettiest thing she's wearing is the smile on her face.

Her hand is tucked inside her father's arm, who's wearing the traditional Water Tribe Chief's attire, walking the waterbender down the aisle. She's holding a bouquet of fire lilies in her hand and they contrast pleasantly with her blue dress.

When they finally reach the stage, Katara steps up while her father moves to the sidelines to stand beside Zuko.

And that's when Katara's eyes fall on her.

And just like that, Azula's head falls into a spiral, realisation hitting her like a battering ram.

The necklace . . . The invitation . . . The wedding-

OH LORD AGNI, SHE'S GETTING MARRIED TO KATARA!!!!

Panic grips her heart.

Azula isn't dumb. She swears she isn't.

She literally conquered Ba Sing Se without a single casualty and with only three people. She's the greatest mastermind in the whole world and she knows how to manipulate people like she knows the back of her own hand.

So, she really should've seen this coming from miles away when she had the chance, right? RIGHT?????

Right . . .

She fucking did NOT!!

Katara looks at her with a furrowed brow. "Hey . . . Are you okay?"

"WE'RE GETTING MARRIED?!?!"

The entire rooms falls silent.

Katara looks taken aback by the question. "What-?!"

"WHY DIDN'T ANYONE TELL ME?!?!"

Katara's frown deepens. "Azula, what are you talking about?! Of course you knew!"

"No, I didn't!!"

"What?!"

"I didn't realise it until now! You've all been lying to me?!"

Katara gets a bit closer to her, in a attempt to calm her down. "No one was lying to you, Azula, what are you talking about?!"

"I thought you invited me to this wedding as your date! You didn't tell me that WE are the ones getting married!!"

The waterbender's eyes are wide, taking a moment to grasp the information. "What do you mean?! I literally gave you a betrothal necklace and showed you our wedding invitations!!"

Azula blinks. "I thought the betrothal necklace was a gift of friendship. I didn't know you were actually asking me to marry you!!"

"Don't be riddiculous, Azula. Stop it. This isn't funny!"

Azula shakes her head. "No, it really isn't funny. I swear until like twenty minutes ago, I was standing way over there waiting for you to be my date for the wedding. Sokka literally had to dress me up again!!"

Katara gasps, her eyes getting glossy. Silence hangs heavily in the hall, the people looking at the both of them like a volleyball court.

The waterbender takes a moment to speak. "So . . . So you . . . You really didn't know?"

"I did not."

A single tear falls from Katara's eye and Azula's heart shatters. "Y- You don't . . . You don't want to marry me?" Katara's voice is feeble, at the verge of breaking down.

Azula closes her mouth, pulling her head back, stunned. She looks around the hall, to see shocked faces, looking at the stage with wide eyes.

The gravity of the situation decends on Azula. She singlehandedly is ruining the most extravagant wedding she's ever witnessed. And the irony is that it's her wedding. She's wanted nothing more than to call Katara her own, but this truly is shocking to anyone who doesn't even realise that they're getting married! Like, seriously. Why didn't people make it more clear to her?!

Seeing Azula's lack of reply, Katara does break down. She lets out a loud sob, before stepping down the stage quickly to walk away.

"Katara, wait!" Azula exclaims. The princess's nerves finally, FINALLY do their goddamn job and jolts her muscles awake, and as quick as her own lightning, she steps down the stage behind Katara and grabs her wrist from behind. The waterbender lets out a gasp, being pulled to a sudden stop.

Azula flips the girl around, pulling her close. Katara's eyes are filled to the brim with tears, leaking out now and then and Azula can't help but wipe them away.

"You're annoying." The princess says softly. "You're stubborn and irritating and you stick to my side like an elbow leech. You're a pain in my ass and I've been wanting to make you my wife ever since, just to pay you back on how much you annoy me."

Katara's lips fall open, her eyes wide and attentive.

"So, stop crying those pathetic little tears and come marry me." Azula says as she wipes another steak of tear falling down the waterbender's cheek. "Come on."

Azula pulls Katara's wrist back to the stage, and the whole hall erupts in cheers. Aang reads the vows and much to Azula's delight, Katara's tears stop.

But she still isn't 100% herself, and Azula notices it. When Aang asks them both whether they would care for each other in sickness and in health, and take each other as wives, Katara only replies with a feeble "I do" and falls silent again.

"I do." Azula says with a smile, but it falters when Katara doesn't smile back.

...

Azula enters Katara's chambers that night, noticing at once that it was decorated completely with rose petals and fire lilies. A pleasant smell hits her nose and candle lamps light up the entire room with an incandescent glow.

She steps inside, closes and locks the door behind her. When she turns around, her eyes fall on a small frame, sitting on the bed hugging her knees with her head tucked in between them.

Katara.

Azula takes determined steps forward. She reaches her wife in no time and sits beside her cautiously. She's pretty sure Katara's aware of her presence but the waterbender doesn't really respond to it. Azula blinks, her head racing with a million thoughts.

"Hey . . ." Azula says softly. "Look at me . . ."

"Go away." Katara's muffled voice demands, and to Azula, it sounds like she's been crying again.

"I will not." Azula says firmly. "Not unless you look at me."

A beat passes, before Katara sniffles and lifts her head up. Azula's gut bottoms out as she takes a look at her wife's face. It's puffy and red from all the crying and the princess had to admit that she looked kinda cute.

"Leave me alone!" Katara says before letting her head fall again.

"Nuh-uh." Azula disagrees before moving closer and wrapping her fingers around Katara's wrists to pry them open. "We're going to-"

As soon as Azula touches her, Katara bursts. "Leave me alone! Leave me alone! Leave me alone! Leave me alone!"

The waterbender pulls her hand away from Azula's grip and starts hitting her, landing blows blindly, anywhere she can find, all the while screaming, "Leave me alone!"

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, OW! Stop it, Katara, STOP IT!!"

But Katara doesn't stop. "How dare you do that to me?! How dare you scare me like that?!"

Azula lets out a laugh.

"Don't laugh, you idiot!" Katara hits her shoulders, then arms, then legs, and Azula braces herself from the blows, laughing non-stop. "I thought I made a terrible mistake! Like I was forcing myself on you! I hated myself for it!! How dare you scare me like that?!"

Azula finds a gap between blows and wraps her arms around Katara's hips, pulling her forward to her body and holding her close. Katara struggles to get out of her grip, to land some more blows, but Azula's stronger.

"Well . . . you guys are pretty shit at informing people about their own wedding!!" Azula guffaws, placing her hand on Katara's head and pulling it close to her shoulder.

Unable to hit Azula anymore due to the proximity, Katara gives up, clutching onto the firebender's collars desperately. "And you are pretty shit at marrying me!" She shrieks, moving closer to Azula and burying her face in her neck. "I will absolutely murder you, if you do something like that again!"

Azula could do nothing but chuckle. "If only it were true."

Katara looks up at her instantly, pulling Azula forward by her collar. "I mean it, princess! Don't you ever think about doing that to me ever again. And if you leave me for somebody else, I will personally track you down and kill the bitch who stole you from me. Understood?"

Azula smirks, getting lost in Katara's stare. "Yes ma'am."

"Okay. Good." Katara says, before slowly letting her lips curve into that shy smile that always took Azula's breath away.

"You're mood swings are worse than falling from an airship."

Katara giggles before hitting Azula's chest playfully. "Shut up!"

Azula gasps. "You can't tell me what to do!"

"Actually, I can. I'm your wife now, remember?" The waterbender lifts a single eyebrow, a smirk on her face.

"Well, in that case-" Azula says before pushing Katara flat on her back on the bed. "-I believe we have some wife businesses to attend to."

Katara gasps. "Like what?" She whispers.

"For starters-" The princess dips her head down place a feather soft kiss on Katara's neck, finally getting to experience a fantasy that's been hogging her brain forever.

"Azulaaaaaa" Katara whines, low and deep, not really wanting her mood to shift.

Azula stares at her wife. Her annoying, defiant, resilient, stubborn, head-strong, spirited, sophisticated, and beautiful wife.

If she's dumb, then she's the luckiest dumb person on the planet.

***

😭😭😭

there you have it!

thank you @edy-lyy for sending me this wonderful idea through your ask!!!! i had soooo much fun writing this.

also, if you see any typos, no you didn't 🙈🙈

[the-power-of-stuff]

i’m going back and forth between heavily disliking live action sukka (or rather, how their relationship plays out) to appreciating it.

but it definitely added some amazing moments that were worked in with the benefit of foresight! and i love that they fleshed out suki more. i have more of a problem with the execution than the intention behind it.

more than anything though, i miss their banter. but now suki has kissed him and gotten over her awkwardness, maybe she’ll resemble the more sassy suki next season? bc i get it - i’m SO awkward around new people, but once i’ve gotten to know them and are comfortable with them i’m the complete opposite.

anyway after rewatching last night i couldn’t help but bullet point how i think it should’ve gone for them - a mix of both the live action and og show:

1. “you are trespassing on sacred ground”

2. meeting, convinces yukari to let them stay

3. walk with sokka -

* he says something along the lines of “suki, right? well thanks for what you did back there… …you should really put a sign up or something”

* “if you’re a protector of your village, then why are you here?”

* kiyoshi warrior rant - sokka affronted

4. sokka goes to dojo and is sexist, says something along the lines of “I was trained by real warriors with real and dangerous weapons” and suki asks him to demonstrate in fighting her, beats his ass as per

5. he comes back, apologises and asks to be trained - to which suki agrees on the condition that he dresses up

6. tells him the significance of the outfit and makeup while she does his makeup

7. they train and fight, with suki being a strict teacher

8. she bests him, but then he gains the upper hand quickly and lands on top of her and brags, she flips him over and says “there’s no time to gloat in combat”

9. they finish their training and sokka starts (and struggles) to wash off the makeup, suki tells him about the details of outfit

10. sokka, with makeup smeared on his face, looks up and asks “did i miss any of the makeup?” suki lies and says “no”

11. she heads over to the sink on the other side of the room and asks about his warriors clothing customs, to which sokka replies telling her about them briefly, but that he’s not in reality a warrior himself

12. suki, without makeup, looks up and sokka is taken aback at seeing her without makeup for the first time

12. “i think you’re a warrior… …us non-benders… …truth is, i envy you… …you’re out there, trying to make a difference. here?” “you’re protecting your village” “we’re hiding away”

13. smiles after her speech and wipes the remaining makeup off of his cheek

14. bell rings and they go and fight together side by side

15. watch together as kyoshi appears

16. zhao’s troops retreat and yukari thanks aang, while sokka and suki talk

* “i’m sorry”

* “you’ve already apologised”

* “no, i’m sorry for treating you like a girl. i should’ve treated you like a warrior”

* “i am a warrior. but i’m a girl, too”

17. looks like they’re about to kiss, but suki spots zuko over sokka’s shoulder and tells him to leave

18. she slips her fan into his pocket before he flees

19. once on appa leading zuko away, sokka feels something in his pocket and pulls it out, realising it’s suki’s fan

20. last see suki waving and smiling wistfully at them flying away, while yukari looks at her with a small yet worried smile

id love to know how you think they’ll handle them next season!!!

I love that you mention the LA writers having the benefit of foresight because I have been thinking the same exact thing! They already know how much people like Suki and Sukka, they already know the role Suki plays later in the story, so they can be much more deliberate about laying the foundation for her character. 

(It’s funny, though…I feel like the LA was straddling this line between setting things into motion for later seasons and not wanting to miss certain opportunities in case the series doesn’t get renewed (why else include “Secret Tunnel” in season 1???). Thus they went ahead and had Sukka kiss for realsies.)

And oh my gosh, thank you for sharing your thoughts on how you think the LA should have gone!! There's so many things I love about your ideas...

First, it makes sense for Sokka to confront Suki and be a sexist ass after she challenges him about what he's doing there if he's supposed to be protecting his village. The pride she feels about being a guardian for her village ends up damaging his pride, and so he lashes out by being like, "Oh yeah? Well I fight with actual weapons, not silly fans!"

Second, not only would it have been better for us to have seen Sokka in the Kyoshi Warrior uniform, but 100% we should have seen the process of putting on the makeup. Sooo much opportunity for romantic tension and character development there that we missed out on. And I love the idea of them connecting over their respective cultures' warrior outfits. I'd like to think that Sokka would see similarities between the Kyoshi makeup and the SWT face paint he wears in the first confrontation with Zuko (which we also didn't get in the LA smh) and that this could be a nice segue into them connecting more deeply as warriors in general.

And then, yes, drawing out the tension and development of their romantic relationship by not having them kiss right away is an angle I really enjoy. Slow burn, baby. *chef's kiss*

I’ve had a lot of fun thinking about your question of how things might go for them in season 2. I’ve been thinking about how the differences in Suki’s characterization and her relationship with Sokka might change things, but I’ve also been getting wrapped up in all the cause-and-effect in season 2 and wondering what the LA might bother to keep. (Under the cut though, cuz I am incapable of being succinct!)

For instance, the whole reason the Gaang ends up crossing the Serpent’s Pass is because they lost Appa, and the whole reason they lost Appa was because they went to Wan Shi Tong’s library. Season 1 already introduced Wan Shi Tong, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they don’t intend to use him again. Although I could see the LA coming up with some other way for the Gaang to find out about the eclipse in order to cut down on time. But! I think they would be incredibly remiss to abandon the storyline about losing Appa, however it happens (and I also think the tone of the story after the Gaang loses Appa fits very well into the more grim tone the LA seems to have adopted overall, so it feels to me like something they’d be interested in keeping). 

Anyway! Let’s assume they still lose Appa and they need to get to Ba Sing Se on foot. I could see them reuniting with Suki at the ferry station the way they do in the animated show, but I could also see them learning about the ferry from Suki by chance encountering her on the road. Either way, Sokka will of course recognize her. And I think the two of them would have an enthusiastic reunion. Since they’ve already kissed and basically admitted they have feelings for each other, I imagine they would both want to kiss in this moment, when they first see each other again. And this is where I could see Sokka having that hesitance brought on by the memory of Yue. So they see one another, embrace, look deeply into each other’s eyes, lean in—and then Sokka pulls away. “I can’t.” Suki is even more hurt and confused than in the animated show because she doesn’t even have the context yet of Sokka having lost someone. 

I’ve debated whether the LA would stick with Suki accompanying the Gaang across the lake, but given how much Sukka they gave us in season 1 when they definitely didn’t have to go that hard, I’m inclined to think they’d milk season 2’s Suki encounter for all it’s worth. So she’ll go with them, and Sokka will be awkward and avoidant, or he’ll be overprotective, or some combination of both. I could see them having a late-night conversation of some sort like they do in the animated show where Sokka half-admits what’s on his mind, but LA Suki definitely won’t do her sly “I lost someone once…” not only because I don’t think it’s in her nature, but because there’s no need for a confession of romantic feelings anymore. So I could see this conversation going a couple different ways: either Suki attempts to comfort Sokka and he’s too in his head for it to work, so he leaves; or they end up talking about how Suki came along to make sure he and the others were safe, and she and Sokka have their breakthrough moment right then. Even if it’s the latter, I could still see Sokka needing a moment to process and leaving before they have a chance to kiss again. 

If they don’t kiss that night, I could see the next day going similarly to how it happens in the animated show, except I’d bet large sums of money that they wouldn’t have LA Sokka interrupt Suki with a kiss while she’s in the middle of talking. Instead I think they would just talk, and Sokka might apologize for how he’s been acting rather than having Suki apologize, and then they’d have another look-deeply-into-each-other’s-eyes moment before they finally kiss (again). 

One thing that's kind of throwing me, though, is the idea of a time skip between seasons like the creators have hinted at, to account for the cast aging. If it's been years since Sokka and Suki have seen each other rather than weeks or months, then 1) their reunion might be a little more restrained, and 2) I'm not sure it would make sense for Sokka to still be as consumed with guilt and fear as he is in the animated show. Heck, maybe over the course of the time that gets skipped, Sokka and Suki will have already reunited several times and established a relationship and now she's part of the Gaang. ;)

I'd love to know what you think might happen too, anon! (And anyone else, for that matter!)

[eponastory]

Hey, saw the post where you think Aang is not suitable to be with anyone, and I...kind of agree. I mean, even though Bryke royally screwed up his character like a mother-effer, he's still fictional...and in the words of every person who likes somebody, but sees their dark side, "I can fix him!". XP But yeah, no, in the show, he's really just a shitty self-insert, the worst kind...gosh, I feel like everyone is brainwashed and accepting Aang's idiotic decisions in the comics and all the other crap media that relates to the original show.

But mark my words! The LA version of Avatar: The Last Airbender WILL BE BETTER than the cartoon! And people will know that soon. So get your nostalgia glasses off, Avatar 'fans', cause we gettin' real with this version. Meaning, your cartoon wasn't perfect, it wasn't flawless, it wasn't even epic! It was just a generic show, up when it reached season 3, and that's when it all went downhill. Yeah, I'm salty over the fans, bada-bing-bada-boom! XP

But yeah, even though Aang is played by an actual person, would you say that you like this Aang better than the cartoon version of Aang? Not because it's played by a real person, but maybe because this version of Aang is the REAL Aang that was needed in the cartoon? :O

Absolutely on all counts.

See, when it comes to animation, writers can get away with a lot of tropes and goofy things because it's a different kind of media. When it comes to acting out those goofy things and tropes, it is really hard for a human being to act in the exaggerated manner characters do in animation. That being said, this does lend more of a human connection to LA adaptations, and I also think that's why a lot of adaptations do fail. NATLA has a lot of work cut out for it, but I do think they have the right cast and made the right changes to reflect that. This is why it's getting a lot of heat from OG fans because they seem to forget that animation is hard to adapt. For what it's worth, I do think the show did a good job for the first season. It works. It definitely has some cosmetic and storytelling flaws, but I don't think it completely ruins it.

Looking at you, 2010 disaster.

I do love Aang in the LA because he is much less naive and actually more grounded, which is a plus.

But I do think the show would benefit from not having the romantic subplot of season 3 or the whole series in general. They did well in season 1 with the developing friendships, and I hope it stays that way. Otherwise, I think we will have the same problems that we had in the OG.

BTW Sokka and Suki being very awkward and cringy in the LA is exactly what happens when teenagers meet each other. If you don't remember those days, it's probably because you were born after Facebook was invented.

[atjsgf]

Finished the live action ATLA. Honestly? I actually really liked it, more than I thought I would, and I wasn't even particularly skeptical about it.

I liked Katara and Sokka's dynamic here actually better than I did in the cartoon. Maybe I would be more attached to Katara being parentified in the cartoon if it was ever resolved in that show, but it wasn't, so I'm fine with it being discarded and taking a different angle with her characterization and relationship with her brother.

I have no complaints about the performances given by the actors (though I do agree with the criticisms of casting light-skinned actors for Katara and Sokka, I still enjoyed the performances, though I know I'm coming from a place of being, like. White. With that--like, people with darker skin might have a harder time enjoying the performances despite that and that's valid).

However, Dallas Liu as Zuko was a highlight for me, he absolutely killed it in every single scene. Easily my favorite casting choice in the whole show.

I also really liked bringing in Azula earlier and not making her just like a demon child who enjoys being evil. The golden child-scapegoat dynamic between Azula and Zuko even as they've been separated for years is interesting and I liked it. (In particular I never liked how Azula in the audience of Zuko being scarred just smirks, so I like how in the LA she clearly has more mixed emotions about it. To me she looks morbidly fascinated and afraid at the same time, which feels right to me.)

I thought the show did a good job of covering the most iconic s1 episodes within their limited time frame by tying them into a connected plotline with each other within Omashu. Also I know the secret tunnel ep was s2 not s1 but I think it worked for this plotline, and I liked that it centered on Katara and Sokka's sibling bond instead of a forced k/ataang moment. (I don't care for that ship but Aang antis do not think I am one of you!)

As for the Sokka no longer being sexist thing: I don't know why we're pretending "Sokka being sexist in episode one, meeting a woman who fights good three episodes later and immediately changing him mind and being normal for the rest of the series" is like some huge plot point that Sokka's character falls apart without. The live action is only eight episodes long, it can't cover everything and I'm fine with it looking at that non-arc and going "yeah, that's not fundamentally necessary." He still felt recognizably like Sokka to me.

(Also others have pointed out that misogyny is cultural and we don't really see much if any sexism in the SWT aside from Sokka, certainly not to the level that Sokka exhibits in ep1, so it's kind of an odd trait for him to have to begin with. Like he just decided independently that women aren't as capable as men? Bruh.)

But yeah, I actually really enjoyed it and I hope we get a second and hopefully third season.

[atlabeth]

everything happens for a reason part 11 - zuko x fem!reader

Memories, where'd you go?

part 10 | masterlist | part 12

a/n: alternative name for this fic: y/n gets a crush on every pretty girl she meets. yue, katara, and now suki. she can't help it (and she questions why they're all connected to sokka in some way lmaoo)

anyways, this is kind of filler but it establishes some more with relationships and finallyyy gets us into ba sing se at the end. i know it's a lil annoying because there's a lot of episode-to-text writing, but i promise it'll get more freeform as it goes on

also i know that i just posted something yesterday but i have literally zero patience. like i cant hold chapters i have to post them as soon as i write them loll

wc: 5.3k

warning(s): some feels over zuko as per usual, but overall a pretty tame chapter

chapter title comes from memories by panic! at the disco!

Zuko could barely sleep anymore.

He didn’t know when his life became so complicated, but he wasn’t a fan of it.

Back when it was just him, his crew, and the open sea — it was simple. He had a job, a straightforward mission. Find the Avatar, capture him, return home to the Fire Nation and regain his honor.

Now, the waters were more muddied than ever. Now on the run from the Fire Nation just like the boy he was chasing, all he really felt nowadays was anger.

Angry at the world for setting him on this path, angry at the Avatar for refusing to see what was necessary, his sister and her friends for turning against him, angry at the waterbender for making things so damn hard.

He didn’t want to hurt her. A part of him wished that she had never come back into his life, if it meant he wouldn’t have to constantly be fighting against her. He hated himself for the thought, but maybe it would have been easier for her to remain a memory of a lover than his active enemy.

Late at night, when he was reaching fruitlessly for sleep that would never come, he saw her face. The carefree energy from their childhood morphed into the shock and disappointment from both the North and their fight with Azula, and…

It made him wonder what in Agni had happened to them.

He—

He didn’t know. The way he felt about her, it was different than anything he had experienced before. Zuko didn’t know what it was, but he understood that it was special. And now… it felt like he had just thrown it all away.

Zuko couldn’t stop thinking about what had happened with her in that town — what he had done to her.

He had burned her to try and get to the Avatar, and he hadn’t even allowed a glance back at the damage he had done. He had heard her cry out in pain, pain he had caused, and he didn’t even look back.

What had happened to them? What had happened to him?

He kept telling himself that the mission was the only thing that mattered. And it was, wasn’t it? Capture the Avatar, regain his honor, get his old life back and finally be enough for his father. He didn’t have time for friends, or for these feelings he had, or— or for anything but capturing the Avatar. Because the Avatar was the key to everything, to his honor, and that was all that mattered.

But now…

Now, he didn’t know what he was supposed to do. He didn’t know what was right, or what was wrong, or what path was the one he had to take.

Zuko just wished things could be like they used to be.

~~~~~~~~~~

She didn’t really know when everything had become a mess again.

It all started out fine, like it usually did. Toph had become fully integrated into the group, any past squabbles put to rest in the name of a stronger friendship emerging between all five of them. Katara continued to work on Aang’s waterbending (oftentimes Y/N joining them in their sessions) while Toph slowly but steadily beat earthbending into him — literally.

They had all been working hard for so long that, by decree of Aang, it was ‘vacation time’. They would all get to pick out places they wanted to spend as a break, and after it was over they would get back to work.

Aang had chosen some sort of field with musical groundhogs, and Y/N had opted to revisit an Earth Kingdom village that she had passed through on her journey to the North. Sokka had complained the whole time about how they were ‘wasting valuable planning time’, but had finally conceded after the promise of ‘all the planning his heart could desire’ from Katara after their mini-vacations were over.

Y/N was actually feeling somewhat relaxed for once, but she had forgotten the golden rule — never let your guard down. Everytime she let her guard down, something bad happened without fail. So it shouldn’t have been any surprise with what happened in the desert.

Because after one trip to the Misty Palms Oasis and a journey into the desert with a professor to a long lost library, Appa had been taken by desert raiders.

It was… less than favourable. During their escape from the library, Professor Zei had insisted on staying behind, and now the five of them were stuck in the middle of the desert with no way out and zero guidance. Add some brewing tensions between Aang and Toph because of her being there when Appa was taken, and they had a recipe for a huge disaster.

And a disaster they had. Multiple disasters, actually.

There was only so much she and Katara could do to hold the group together, but by some miracle, they made it out of the desert with only one Avatar State mishap.

(And an incident with cactus juice, but… she didn’t really want to talk about that.)

....at least they had the information about the Eclipse. That was about the only thing keeping her together at the moment.

They had to get the information to the Earth King so they could formulate an attack with his warriors, but without Appa, they had to resort to more traditional methods of travel. Add in one passport problem, and that was how Y/N found herself braving the Serpent’s Pass alongside a refugee family with a baby on the way.

It was… intimidating, to say the least. Despite being surrounded by her element, Y/N didn’t feel any safer from the challenge that faced them. She took a deep breath, trying to tamp down on her fear the way her mother had taught her, as she followed the group, but her thoughts were soon interrupted.

“Hey.” She turned to see who the voice belonged to and was greeted by the girl that had teased Sokka early — Suki, if she remembered correctly. “I haven’t seen you around; are you with the Avatar or that family?”

“I’m with Aang,” Y/N explained. “I’m from the North, and they offered me a spot with them after they helped us defend our tribe against the Fire Nation. I’ve been with them ever since.” Suki nodded as they settled into a comfortable stride.

“That’s cool. Are you a waterbender?”

She gestured to her waterskin and smiled. “Yeah. I’ve been training with Aang and Katara ever since I left.” Y/N then turned her gaze back to Suki, raising an inquisitive brow. “Your makeup — what’s it for? I heard you talking about the Kyoshi Warriors back there; is that some kind of thing with Avatar Kyoshi?”

Suki grinned, her every expression heightened by the sharp reds and blacks above her eyes. “We’re a group of all-female warriors that use the teachings of Avatar Kyoshi and her partner Rangi to defend our home and the place she founded, Kyoshi Island. I’m the leader of our village section.”

“Wow,” she murmured, her eyes falling to the ground for a moment before finding their way back up to the warrior. “That’s really cool. You’re really cool.”

She laughed and shrugged. “Thanks. I’ve been training as a warrior for almost my whole life, so it just comes naturally. I like being able to protect people, and there’s no better way to pay back my home for all it’s done for me like protecting the whole village.”

“Wow,” she repeated with a small laugh of her own. “That’s really brave. I gotta say, I’m kinda jealous — I would love to see what would happen if Master Pakku met you all. Katara literally had to beat the sexism out of him in order to train to be a master.”

Suki chuckled. “Sounds like what I had to do with Sokka. Guess it’s a thing with Water Tribe guys, huh?”

At the mention of Sokka, she internally laughed. There had to be some kind of connection between the two of them, the way their interests kept aligning. “Sokka… he’s had it hard. I can’t blame him that much for any kind of attitude he had before he met you. Pakku, on the other hand? He had to have had something better to do than fight teenage girls.”

“You would think so, right?” Suki agreed. “And Sokka… I know. He’s got a heart of gold underneath all that, he just needed a little push to get it out.” As Y/N glanced over at the girl, noticing a slight pink tint under the white makeup, she gasped.

“La’s fins, are you two a thing?” she exclaimed with a grin.

Suki flushed even harder as she suddenly became very interested in the ocean around her, but she couldn’t help the smile on her lips. “No! I mean— yes— but… but—” she stopped to gather her thoughts before making eye contact again with a sheepish smile. “We’re not… really a thing, but… I do like him a lot. I didn’t really think I was going to see him again after they left the island, so this is really nice.”

“Then what are you waiting for?” Y/N asked. “I can already tell that he cares about you — have you seen how careful he’s being with you?”

“Well—” Whatever kind of excuse Suki would’ve made up was interrupted by a rock falling out just under Than, one of the refugees they were with, saved in the nick of time with Toph’s earthbending.

“I’m okay!” he reassured, but no sooner had the words left his mouth before the Fire Nation ship in the distance started firing.

“They’ve spotted us!” Sokka yelled. “Let’s go, let’s go!”

Aang flicked his glider open and deflected the blast, and Katara grabbed Y/N’s hand as they all began to run. Another blast rocked the mountain, causing several boulders to fall just above Suki. Y/N didn’t even have time to shout out a warning before Sokka tackled her out of the way, but it was ultimately more of Toph’s quick earthbending that saved him.

“Suki, are you okay?” Sokka brushed dust and pebbles off of her uniform as he examined her, and once he was satisfied he grabbed her hand and helped her up. “You have to be more careful! Come on!”

As the two of them caught up to Y/N and Katara, she gave Suki a knowing look. The warrior only blushed once again and glanced away.

After hours of navigating the pass, they were only about halfway through. Sokka made the executive decision to set up camp for the night to give everyone time to rest, and then they would get up at the crack of dawn to finish their trip. It only took a few minutes for Y/N to get a fire going, and soon everyone had settled in with their sleeping bags. Sokka got up from his spot as Suki wandered closer to the edge, and Katara nudged Y/N with her shoulder.

“Hey. How are your hands doing?”

“They’re fine,” she answered with a small smile, flipping her hands over as proof. Where there were once red burn scars on her palms only tiny white marks remained — one benefit to healing via waterbending was that most injuries were able to fade away completely after enough sessions. Her burns weren’t very serious and she was able to heal them almost immediately, so both her and Katara were sure that the marks would be completely gone soon.

The mental scars wouldn’t fade as easily.

“That’s good. And you’re taking care of them, right? Like, you’re not beating up people while we’re not looking?”

Y/N grinned. “No. I think I’ll leave that to Toph.”

Katara chuckled and nodded, turning her hands over in a final examination before nodding. “Good,” she repeated. The silence between them, although comfortable, stretched out for a little too long before she spoke again, this time much quieter. “He did this to you.”

“Katara…”

“I know,” she said. “I know you probably don’t want to hear this from me, or really at all, but… I’m worried about you. Zuko isn’t good for you. Every time we’ve run into him, he’s hurt you. And you deserve so much more than that.”

“You don’t understand,” she countered. “You don’t know Zuko like I do. You weren’t there when I was. I know you think I’m insane for still believing in him, but I— I can’t let go of him, Katara. I know the Zuko I love is still in there somewhere, and I have to try and find it. For me and for him.”

Katara’s eyes were full of nothing but sympathy as she sighed — it was obvious she didn’t believe her words, but in true fashion she was still trying her best to be supportive.

“Okay. I don’t understand it, but… I don’t think I can change your mind.” Y/N chuckled sadly and nodded, Katara’s piercing gaze meeting her own once more. “It’s just… Why are you playing with fire when you know you’re going to get burned?”

And for once, Y/N didn’t have an answer for her friend.

~~~~~~~~~

The night went by quickly, which Y/N was thankful for. It meant that the nightmares didn’t last as long.

After a quick headcount to make sure no one had fallen off the pass overnight and an even quicker gathering of their things, they set off to finish their journey.

It went just as well as she had expected — a giant serpent, the namesake of the pass, had attacked them while crossing through an underwater section. Thankfully, she was able to aid Katara and Aang in defeating it with waterbending with no casualties

But in the wake of one disaster there was always another, and before Y/N knew it a baby had been born. She was mostly there for moral support — Katara had it all handled, and Y/N didn’t expect anything less.

But finally, they had made it across the pass, and they were so close to Ba Sing Se that she could almost smell the city air. Sadly, though, that meant it was time for them to part ways — Aang to find Appa, and Suki back to her warriors. After some sad but hopeful goodbyes with Aang, it was time to bid farewell to Suki.

“Are you sure you can’t travel a little longer with us?” Y/N questioned, apparently not above pleading to try and get the girl to stay. “You’re— you’re amazing, and we’d really love to have you with us.”

“I can’t even imagine what travelling with the Avatar would be like,” she smiled, causing Y/N to get her hopes up for just a moment before they fell back down. “But I can’t stay. I have to get back to the Kyoshi Warriors.”

Y/N sighed, her gaze falling slightly downcast. “I get that. I just really wish you could stay. Or that I could meet your warriors. You seriously don’t know how cool you are, Suki.”

“Well, if you’re ever in town on Kyoshi Island, find us. I’m sure we’ll be able to work something out and do you one better than just meeting them all,” she said with a grin. “I think it’d be pretty cool to have the first waterbending Kyoshi Warrior.”

Y/N was unable to prevent the heat rushing to her cheeks as she smiled shyly, once again averting eye contact. “That would be amazing. I’ll have to find my way back there after the war.”

Suki bumped shoulders with her, causing a startled laugh to spill from her lips. “We’d love to have you.”

“Wait, why does it sound like you’re saying goodbye to her?” Sokka questioned as he walked up to the two of them. Y/N winked at Suki and gestured at him with her head, walking off before Suki could protest to find Katara.

The conversation the two girls were sharing was an extremely thinly veiled excuse to eavesdrop on the lovebirds, and when they kissed Y/N actually had to hold back a scream.

Sokka deserved this. She knew how much he beat himself up over every little thing that went wrong, and it was about time he got to relax even for a moment. She only hoped that Suki would be in their corner of the world sooner rather than later.

What could she say? She was already fantasizing about life as a Kyoshi Warrior.

~~~~~~~~~

Although they had parted ways, they soon found themselves reunited with Aang to stop yet another Fire Nation threat.

“For the love of Kuruk,” Y/N murmured as she stared into the distance, her eyes wide at the sight of a large mechanical drill. “That was Ty Lee who just took down all those soldiers. And if she’s here, Mai and Azula are with her too. Guys, It’s one thing to stop this drill, it’s another thing to take those three down with it.”

“The question is, how do we do it?” Aang questioned.

“Why can nothing ever be easy?” Sokka lamented. His gaze remained trained on the drill for a moment before he realized theirs were on him. “Why are you all looking at me?”

“You’re the idea guy,” Aang said.

“Wait, so I’m the only one who can ever come up with a plan?” he protested. “That’s a lot of pressure!”

“And also the complaining guy,” Katara muttered, drawing a chuckle out from Y/N.

“Now that part I don’t mind,” Sokka admitted.

“Well, Sokka— you were a huge help in the North, and you figured out a way to defeat the Fire Nation during that eclipse at the library! Plus, there’s all that stuff that Katara told me you did before I joined.” She patted him on the back. “If anyone can figure out how to take that thing down, it’s you.”

He shrugged nonchalantly, his ego only slightly bolstered. “...okay. I think I can do it.”

“That’s the spirit!” she said with a smile.

Unfortunately, that smile faded as a young guard came running up to the wall. “Excuse me, Avatar and friends — I’ve heard that you’ve dealt with that… that pink girl down there before.” They nodded and he continued. “It would do us a great deal of help if you could come down and look at our injured soldiers, then.”

Y/N and Katara nodded in unison and started to follow the guard, the remaining three trailing after them. They ended up inside the wall, in what looked like an infirmary of sorts with all the cots and soldiers lying around, and the two waterbenders exchanged looks.

“You know what to do?” Katara asked.

Y/N hummed in acknowledgment, and they both knelt down next to separate cots. “This definitely looks like Ty Lee’s work,” she murmured as she bent water up from the pot and molded it over the man’s arm.

“What’s wrong with him?” the general questioned. “He doesn’t look injured.”

“His chi is blocked,” Katara explained. “Who did this to you?”

“Two girls ambushed us,” the soldier said, moving his arm as he regained feeling. “One of them hit me with a bunch of quick jabs and suddenly I couldn't earthbend anymore and I could barely move. Then she cartwheeled away.”

Katara sighed as she bent the water back into the pot. “You were right, Y/N. That was Ty Lee — she doesn’t look dangerous, but she knows the human body and its weak point. It’s like she takes you down from the inside.”

As if struck by lightning, Sokka lit up. “Oh, oh, oh! What you just said — that’s how we’re going to take down the drill; the same way Ty Lee took down all those earthbenders!”

“By hitting its pressure points!” Toph exclaimed with a grin.

The breakthrough brought a steely determination to Aang’s features as he looked out into the distance. “We’ll take it down from the inside.”

~~~~~~~~~

Like everything they did, it seemed so simple on paper. But now that she was actually inside the drill, it felt a lot more nerve wracking. Toph opted to stay outside where she could see and try to slow down the drill with the earth at her disposal, which left the four of them to somehow take it down from the inside.

Sokka led them through a hallway with a myriad of valves and pipes as he thought out loud. “I need a plan of this machine — some schematics that show what the inside looks like. Then we can find its weak points.”

“Where are we gonna get something like that?” Aang asked.

Sokka thought for a moment before he took his machete out and hacked a valve off a pipe. Y/N instinctively took a step back and shielded her face from the hot steam. “What are you doing?” she cried. “Someone’s gonna hear us!”

“That’s the point!” he exclaimed. “A machine this big needs engineers to run it, and when something breaks—”

“Someone will come down to fix it!” Katara finished with a smile at Aang, a sentiment the boy returned happily.

It was surprisingly easy to take down the engineer once he arrived — with a little bit of frozen mist on Katara’s end, they had the plans they needed. Sokka’s expertise combined with the blueprints got them to the beginning of the outer shell.

“Wow,” Sokka muttered. “It looks a lot thicker than it does in the plans. We’re gonna have to work pretty hard to cut through that.”

Katara crossed her arms. “What’s this ‘we’ stuff? The three of us are gonna have to do all the work.”

“Look, I’m the plan guy!” Sokka explained with a gesture to himself. “You three are the ‘cut up stuff with waterbending’ guys. Together, we’re Team Avatar!”

Katara and Aang looked wholly unamused while Y/N chuckled. “Team Avatar. I like it.”

“Thank you,” he smiled. “At least someone appreciates my genius.”

“Tui’s gills, why do you have to keep boosting his ego?” Katara complained. “Let’s just get this done before it gets worse.”

The three of them got in position — Katara and Aang on opposite sides so they could pass the stream of water between them, and Y/N making the point of the triangle to work on the other side on her own. They were hoping it would be more efficient being able to cut through both sides at the same time, but it was proving to be much more difficult than they had imagined — halfway through the three of them were already exhausted.

By some feat of strength they were able to completely cut through the brace, but their hard work didn’t pay off in quite the way they had imagined — when the beam only shifted a few inches she groaned.

“Oh, you have got to be kidding me,” she breathed as she wiped sweat off of her forehead.

“At this rate,” Katara paused to inhale deeply, “we won’t do enough damage before the drill reaches the wall.”

“I don’t know how many more of those I have in me,” Aang said sadly.

A large creak suddenly rang throughout the large chamber, and they all looked up for the source.

“Did you hear that?” Sokka asked, already backing up to make an exit. “We took it down! We gotta get out of here, fast!”

Just as they reached the door on the other side, a crackle followed by the sound of a man’s voice dashed their hopes. “Congratulations, crew. The drill has made contact with the wall of Ba Sing Se. Start the countdown to victory!”

A collective silence hung in the air between them, the threat now even more imminent as their situation sunk in. Mai and Ty Lee had proven effective in taking down any Earth Kingdom threat posed at them, and despite Toph’s skill they knew she couldn’t take down something like this on their own.

They either had to figure out a way to destroy this drill, or the Fire Nation was going to make it into the city.

Sokka ran back over to the brace and pushed against it, putting all his strength into the feat but to no avail. “Come…. on! Move!”

Katara started pacing around in a small circle, crossing her arms again as she tried to think of something. “This is bad. This is really bad.”

“Sokka, that’s not going to work!” Y/N didn’t mean to snap, but the grinding of metal on metal combined with her nervousness got to her. She sighed and ran her hand over her face. “I— I’m sorry. But it’s still not going to work.”

He groaned as he leaned against the brace. “We’re putting everything we have into busting these things, but it’s taking too long!”

Suddenly, Aang jumped up from the ground with stars in his eyes. “Maybe we don’t need to cut all the way through! Toph — she’s been teaching me that you shouldn’t put a hundred percent of your energy in any one strike. Sokka, get in a fighting stance.”

Sokka complied and as Aang talked through his points, he demonstrated it on Sokka. “You've got to be quick and accurate. Hit a series of points and break your opponent's stance. And when he's reeling back, you deliver the final blow. His own weight becomes his downfall, literally.”

As Sokka fell over from the attack, Katara lit up. “So we just need to weaken the braces instead of cutting all the way through—”

“—then I can go to the top of this thing and deliver the final blow!” Aang finished.

Y/N helped Sokka up from the ground, his spirits not dampened at all. “Then boom! This whole thing goes down!”

“Then what are we waiting for?” Y/N asked, flexing her fingers to refresh them for all the bending she was going to have to do. “Aang, Katara and I can handle the braces. Focus on getting up to the top before anyone sees you.”

He nodded and they all met each other with determined eyes. “Everyone inside that wall, the whole world — they’re all counting on us.”

“Here, take this. You need this more than I do. ” Katara took her waterskin off and handed it to Aang. “Good luck. And be careful.”

Y/N noticed a slight blush on her cheeks and she had to hold back her smile. That was definitely something she was going to tease her friend about later — when they weren’t trying to stop the Fire Nation from breaking into Ba Sing Se.

“I will,” he assured. Aang slung the strap of the waterskin around his shoulder and took off, and Y/N and Katara got to work breaking through the rest of the braces.

With the knowledge that they only had to cut through half of each column and the revitalization that came from having a plan, their work went by much quicker. Just when they finished the final brace, it all went wrong.

“Good work, Team Avatar!” Sokka cheered. “Now we— Y/N, duck!”

She didn’t question Sokka as she immediately dropped to the ground, something she was immensely thankful for as a blast of blue fire seared past her. Her eyes snapped up to the source of the attack and narrowed in recognition.

“Of course they’re here,” she growled as she pulled herself back up. “We gotta go, now!”

Katara and Sokka nodded and they all started running. Bringing up the rear, Y/N was able to hear Azula’s words right before they split off into an intersection:

“Follow them! I’m going to find the Avatar.”

Sure enough, when she allowed a glance back, Mai and Ty Lee were closing in on them. She flicked open the cap of her waterskin and bent some out, managing to freeze it at just the right moment to block the incoming daggers from Mai. Still running, she melted it quickly and let it fall to the ground before freezing it again, creating some ice on the ground that would hopefully give them a few more seconds of leeway.

“That should give us some time!” she yelled as they turned a corner, finally turning her attention back to the path in front of them. “Any idea how we’re gonna get out of this thing?”

“Maybe!” Sokka yelled back, slowing to a stop as they came to a dead end, a large hatch the only thing at their disposal. He started tugging on the wheel in an attempt to open it, and when Y/N joined in they were able to wrench it open.

“Slurry pipeline?” Katara frowned as she read the sign on the wall and looked at Sokka. “What does that mean?”

“It’s rock and water mixed together,” he explained as they looked into the rushing liquid underneath the hatch. “It means it’s our way out!”

Katara nodded and climbed in, Sokka following close after. The sound of metal footsteps got closer and closer, and Y/N ducked inside just as Mai’s knives clanked against the hatch. Never before had she been so happy to be floating in a stream of slurry.

The rest of their mission went by surprisingly easy — at least, on their end. All it took was some waterbending — earthbending, when Toph joined them — and encouragement from Sokka (though unappreciated by Katara). Whatever magic Aang was working at the top of the drill had done its job, because soon enough the drill had collapsed in on itself.

And now, they had reunited on the top of the wall overlooking the sunset. After the chaos that had been their day, it was nice to just relax for even a moment. And there was no better way to do so than with her friends.

“I just want to say, good effort out there, Team Avatar!” Sokka exclaimed as he threw an arm around Y/N’s shoulder.

“Enough with the ‘Team Avatar’ stuff,” Katara said dryly. “No matter how many times you say it, it’s not going to catch on.”

“I like it, Sokka,” Y/N smiled. “I’ve liked it this whole time.”

“You always appreciate my genius, Y/N,” he mused. “That’s why I appreciate you.” She laughed and leaned her head against his shoulder as he continued to list off names.

“How about… the Boomeraang squad! Eh? See, it’s good because it’s boomerang, and it has Aang in it—”

“Yeah Sokka,” Toph interrupted. “We got it.”

Aang grinned and scratched his head. “I kinda like that one.”

“The Aang Gang. Ooh, the Fearsome Fivesome!”

“You’re crazy,” Toph muttered as she walked away.

“Wait, Sokka—” Y/N pulled away from him and held up her pointer finger. “Aang Gang — what if we combine it, so it’s just the Gaang? But still with Aang’s name?”

And at that moment, Sokka looked more proud than ever. “Oh, you— you are a genius.”

“Oh, spirits,” Katara groaned. “Why do you insist on encouraging him?”

“You’re just jealous of our name-making abilities,” Sokka said haughtily.

She rolled her eyes but couldn’t stop herself from laughing. “You two are completely ridiculous, you know that? Let’s just get into the city before the trains stop running.”

Y/N and Sokka winked at each other as they all started walking, unable to keep the smile off of her face. She always thought it was amazing — they went through insane things every day, but at the end of it all she was always able to smile because of them. And as her gaze drifted towards the city in the distance, she hoped it would hold true.

She had no idea what Ba Sing Se had in store for her.

-

shit is gonna happen next chapter so i hope you all are READY bc im not

perm tags: @dv0412 @siriuslyslyslytherin @maruchan77

atla tags: @marianne1806 @brown-eyed-thang @akiris

ehfar tags: @chandies-sideblog @zacatecanaaaa @anzanity @randomthingssss @escapingthoughtsandsecrets @shanksfav @shephard17895 @ilovespideyyy @carisi-sonny @selfship-mishaps @i-belong-in-fandoms @ilistentotayswifttocope @i-make-questionable-choices @3leni

[sokkabeifong]

Toph moves in next door and and Sokka doesn’t realize she’s blind for a while?

Ooh la la. Oblivious Sokka is good Sokka. As always, let me know what you think and feel free to send in more prompts! For whatever ships, too, not just tokka.

Her window is closed. Again. Sokka sighs and stuffs his binders into his backpack. Hefting it onto his shoulders, he casts one last look at the green curtains that cover the window next door before going downstairs.

"Any luck today?" his sister teases as soon as he sets foot in the kitchen. Their father clicks his tongue at her from the stove, and their grandmother rolls her eyes over her steaming cup of tea.

He glares at Katara. "No, and I'd appreciate it if you went back to taking no interest in my life."

"Hey, I want to meet her too." She takes a bite of her pancakes. "I'd just prefer to do it in, you know, a non-stalker way."

"I am not a stalker," he counters. "I... I want to know what she does in there."

"What she does in her bedroom is none of your business, Sokka," his father says, sitting down beside their grandmother. "Surely you understand the meaning of privacy."

"Of course I do, I just..." he throws up his hands in frustration. "Look, I don't have to explain myself to you guys. I'm curious about her! She's been there three weeks, and those curtains haven't moved."

"She probably wants to hide from your ugly face," his grandmother says, but her eyes are smiling. He can't be mad at her.

"Ha, ha, Gran-Gran," he says.

"She's probably just waiting for the first day of school," Hakoda says. "Speaking of which, you two better hurry up if you want to get there on time."

He nods and grabs a piece of toast from his father's plate, shoving it in in his mouth.

"Wait for me!" Katara hurriedly swallows the last of her pancakes and grabs her own bag, sliding up into place beside him. "We haven't walked together since last year."

"There's a reason for that," he says, but allows her to walk through the door ahead of him. Hakoda and Gran-Gran call out farewells as it slams shut.

They make their way down the path from their front porch, and Sokka's eyes can't help but wander to the house next door. This doesn't slip past his sister.

"If you want to meet her so bad, just go and ring the doorbell," she says.

"What? No, I can't do that!" he snaps. "I don't-" Abruptly he stops and kicks her in the shins. She yelps.

"Ow! What was that fo-"

"Shhh!" he hisses in her ear. "Here she comes. Act casual."

She rolls her eyes but gets out her phone and pretends to check it. He does the same, but his gaze remains fixed on the opening door.

A girl about their own age walks out, but she's shorter than them both. Sokka thinks maybe she's around Katara's boyfriend Aang's height. Her black hair is in a bun at the back of her head, but pieces are tumbling down to her shoulders. She switches her bag from her right shoulder to her left as she walks out, and she doesn't even glance their way. Her eyes remain steadily forward.

"Hey, she's cute," Katara whispers. He barely hears her - the door opens again, and this time a middle-aged woman steps out. She fixes something on the girl's bag, but her daughter seems to be pulling away. He catches fragments of their conversation.

"- don't need your help, I've got it, Mom!"

The woman sighs. "Why must you be so difficult?"

"So I'm stubborn," she mutters. "Sue me." She begins walking toward a car parked in the driveway when the woman calls out again.

"Oh, Toph, I forgot. Your father has a meeting this morning, he needs to take the car. You'll have to walk to school."

As the girl protests, he registers Katara elbowing him in the side. "Toph," she says. "Her name is Toph."

"I know, I heard," he tells her. "I think she needs a ride."

"She can just walk to school, can't she?"

"I don't know, maybe if you would shut up we could find out." He tunes in to his neighbor's conversation once more.

"You know I can't do that, I don't know where I'm going!" Toph is saying.

"Just figure it out," her mother says, waving her hand vaguely.

For some reason this enrages Toph. "Are you kidding me? You know I can't!"

"I'm sorry, dear, you'll have to cope. The housekeeper is supposed to be here any minute and I have to show her how to do the basement steps." The woman promptly turns and slams the door in her daughter's face.

"Argh!" Toph angrily tears at her hair. The bun falls apart, but somehow this makes her even prettier. In her rage she turns to where they're standing, and he jumps at the sight of her eyes.

They're pure white.

"Oh, my goodness," he hears Katara breathe. "Sokka... I think she's blind."

"Yeah." Suddenly he feels himself getting angry along with his neighbor. "And her mom just told her to 'figure it out?' What the hell?" He begins walking toward Toph. "I'm going to offer her a ride. We can take the van."

"Okay," she says. "I'll go start it." She hurries off just as Sokka reaches the girl.

"Um." Hesitantly he puts his hand on her arm so she knows that he's there. Immediately she stiffens. "Hi there. Uh, I'm Sokka."

"Wha - where did you come from?" she asks, clearly rattled from her argument with her mother.

"I - I live next door," he says. "Me and my sister are going to school, and we couldn't help overhearing your conversation, and that you seemed to need a ride..."

She's calming down now, smoothing her hair and taking a few deep breaths. She faces him, and he gets a closer look at her eyes. He can't seem to tear himself away.

"That would be good, thanks," she says. "Where's the car?"

He points before remembering she can't see it. "My sister's getting it, she'll pull up in a minute."

"Okay." She holds out her hand. "I'm Toph. Toph Beifong."

"Cool name," he says, shaking it.

She grins, and he decides that he likes her. "Thanks. Yours is pretty cool, too. What's your sister's name?"

"Katara."

"Whoa." Her eyes widen. "Like katana? Like the sword? That's so cool."

He laughs at that. "Yeah. She's as sharp as one, too, and just as deadly."

"That sounds great. The deadlier, the better, I always say."

"As you should." He nods approvingly just as Katara pulls up with their family van. She beeps with good measure.

"Hi!" she calls to Toph. "I'm Katara!"

"Hey," she says back. Addressing Sokka, she says, "Um. I'm sure you've seen - I mean, you know about the whole blind thing?"

"Uh, yeah. Just... figured it out."

"Right, right. Well, seeing as I have no idea where the car is, I could use a hand."

"Oh. Um, right." He quickly grabs her hand and helps her into the van, which has its doors open. Her back is almost touching him, and his heart is pounding wildly, and he is willing himself to Not Freak Out, but it's hard when there's a really cute, really funny girl propped on your chest.

"Thanks," she mumbles when they're all seated. He turns back to see her in the back, and, just for a moment, her eyes seem to meet his. He smiles.

"You're welcome."

[penguinsledder]

look into your eyes (and the sky’s the limit)

Rating: K+ (maybe T for some crass language?) Word Count: 4.8k Genre: Romance, FLUFF

ff.net | AO3 | ko-fi

“If it takes fighting a war for us to meet, it will have been worth it,” he said with a smile, his eyes never leaving hers. 

A fluffy in-universe Kataang AU where Aang saves the world without her, and they meet after the war instead. If you’ve ever wanted to read love at first sight Kataang, pining!Katara, and smack in the middle of charming and dorky!Aang, this might be up your alley. Inspired by the song “Helpless” from Hamilton. For @kataang-week‘s Kataang Valentine’s Bash 2021, with the prompt pair air and water.

A/N: HAPPY VALENTINE’S YALL! Before you read this I must also plug the absolute cutest crossover art by tumblr user @minky-for-short, which also served as an inspiration for this fic. Aang’s 15 here, btw, and Katara’s 17.

This is by far the LONGEST oneshot I’ve written (it was originally supposed to be so short but it got away from me) and … here we go.

I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender, or Hamilton.

--

Katara was not enjoying herself.

She’d only been back at the South for a week when they’d received word of a grand ball at the Earth Kingdom palace, celebrating the anniversary of the reclamation of Ba Sing Se. And while her father and brother were no strangers to these events as the Southern Chief and Ambassador, Katara was very well a fish out of water.

Sure, she’d attended some functions as a master waterbender during her stay at the North, but it was never anything of this magnitude. The glittering gold and jade green that colored the walls were far cries from all the icy whites and blue she was accustomed to all her life. Her gaze swept the room as she took in the hundreds of people gathered, all dressed to the nines in the latest fashion of their nation.

She herself wore a high-collared ocean blue dress with fur trimmings. She decided to wear her hair down for the occasion, but kept her signature tiny braids so she wouldn’t look too different (hair loopies, she could already hear her brother saying). Patterned white and blue bracelets adorned both her arms, standing out against her brown skin. Animal hide boots just peeked out from underneath her long skirt, completing her unmistakably Water Tribe look.

It was one she wore with pride. However as the night went on, she was realizing that if the room were any marker, the Water Tribes were very few compared to the populations of the Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation. On top of that, the Southern Water Tribe was almost completely cut off from the world during the war, so their specific styles hadn’t been seen by the rest of the world in years. And how different they really were—the garb she wore seemed almost out of place alongside the silk robes and dainty shoes common to both larger nations. She’d even been getting looks from different people, some curious, some confused, and some just plain rude.

As if to drive the point home, a gaggle of giggling Earth Kingdom girls with powder-white faces passed by and gave her a cold once over, making her face burn. She tucked a loose piece of hair behind her ear self-consciously as she heard the click of a tongue, then more muffled giggles before they went on their merry way.

She was highly considering bending some of the nearby punch onto their faces when a familiar voice cut through her thoughts.

“Enjoying the party?” She stopped, sighing—it could only be one person.

“No,” she grumbled as she turn to face him. He stood out from the crowd just as much as she did, though he was clad in garments colored a shade darker than hers. “You shouldn’t have brought me here, Sokka. This isn’t my job.”

“Oh, lighten up, little sister!” He elbowed her. “You deserve a break after all that training at the North Pole.”

“That’s why I went home! I wanted to spend some quiet time back home, not at some grand party where I don’t know anybody,” she said, gesturing wildly.

He scoffed. “You’re practically the princess of the South Pole. Think of it as political work.”

She smirked, seeing her opening. “Princess, huh? You introduced yourself as a prince, didn’t you?”

“It’s not not true,” he huffed, crossing his arms.

“I’m sure they were very impressed,” she said dryly.

“Of course she was!”

“Oh, so it’s a she, huh?” she said giddily. The joy she derived from teasing her brother was truly unparalleled.

“Well, how about you?” he goaded her, changing the topic. “Met any guys tonight?”

“A few guys have said ‘hey’ here and there,” she said nonchalantly. “They were … eh.”

“Wow, you truly have a way with words, Katara.”

She stuck her tongue out at him. “Listen, they’re boring. We barely make it past a few sentences.”

Sokka pursed his lips as he studied her. “Ah, maybe it’s because of that.” He pointed at her neck.

“Mom’s necklace?” she said skeptically.

“It’s a betrothal necklace, right?”

“In the North,” she stressed. “We all know it’s just a regular necklace in the South.”

“Ok, but we don’t know what they’re thinking. Here.” He reached over to tuck her necklace into her high collar. “Now you don’t give off ‘I’m engaged’ signals.”

“Hooray, just undeniably single now,” she deadpanned. “Look, it’s probably not that, they’re also just … not my type.”

“Oh? And what is your type?” he asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

A blush crept into her cheeks. “I don’t know. Tall? Handsome? Thinks waterbending is great?” She shook her head. “Come to think of it, some of them get weird when we talk about waterbending.”

A look of understanding crossed her brother’s face. “Ah.”

“What?”

“Listen, Katara. I know you’re like the first waterbending master from the South in decades, and the first female one in the North, but …”

“Are you calling me a show-off?” she said indignantly.

“No!” He raised his hands up defensively. “I’m just saying that some men don’t like that. They got a lot of pride, and they get … intimidated when a woman is—”

She placed her hands on her hips. “Well good, because I don’t want them either. Just because I’m of marrying age doesn’t mean I—” She stopped, suddenly distracted as a tall, striking figure entered her field of vision.

He was clad in autumn-colored robes that weren’t quite as fancy as the red and green ones she’d seen earlier. He seemed to be around her age, and she couldn’t deny that he possessed a certain handsomeness—one that was boyish and yet mature at the same time. She looked on as he chatted animatedly to King Kuei himself, and another young man she assumed to be Fire Nation royalty from the royal hairpiece and his regal red and black outfit.

However, what intrigued her the most was the powder blue marking that arched over his bald head. It seemed to be a tattoo of some sort, and if she squinted, she could barely make out what seemed to be an arrow. It was a familiar symbol, but for some reason, she couldn’t for the life of her remember what it was at that moment. She continued to stare as the boy burst out laughing at the Fire Nation man, and Katara felt a little flutter in her chest as a small smile escaped her—his energy was infectious.

“What’s gotten into you?” Sokka followed his sister’s eyes suspiciously, then let out a loud groan. “Oh … oh no. Of all the guys, Katara!”

“Wh—What are you talking about?” she snapped, looking away defensively.

She heard the sound of his palm hitting his forehead, something she was unfortunately all too familiar with. “I know I kind of expected you to meet a guy tonight but really? So many possible men here and you decide to go for the Fire Lord?”

“The Fire Lord? Huh? What—no!” she sputtered. “It’s not him!”

“Aha, so you were staring at someone!” he said accusingly, wagging a finger at her.

She watched tensely as Sokka thoughtfully stroked an imaginary beard on his chin. “The Earth King then?” Sokka cringed. “Really, Katara, you might wanna try—“

“What do you even think of me?” she fumed.

“Wait.” Sokka’s eyes went wide as he threw a quick glance back at the trio across the room. He gasped, and Katara braced herself. “The Avatar?”

Sokka’s words hit her like a bucket of cold water. The Avatar! Tui and La, how did she not recognize him?! “I—“ She cleared her throat, trying to compose herself. “The Avatar?” she asked as calmly as possible.

“Katara, you were practically eye-fucking him across the room!” Sokka hissed, then shuddered. “Spirits, it creeps me out to say that but it’s true.”

“Shut up, Sokka.” Her face was burning at this point, and it was taking all her self-control not to wrap her hands around his wolf tooth choker and throttle him.

He sighed, not seeming to hear her. “Well, I suppose he is single.”

“Wait, he is?” The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them. “I mean, he’s a monk, right?

Sokka gave her a look that was in between a cringe and disbelief. “Oh, Katara, everyone makes a fuss about that! At any rate, I don’t think he’s … celibate. In fact, he’s practically the most eligible bachelor in the world, and trust me, it’s not due to a lack of choices.”

She deflated, looking down in embarrassment. Great, now she was just like all the dozens of fangirls who’d gotten starry-eyed over the Avatar. But there really was something about him that drew her like a magnet, and it definitely didn’t have anything to do with—

“Spirits, Katara, I think he’s looking at you too.”

She snapped her head back up, and to her shock, he indeed was looking right at her, seemingly awestruck. Sapphire crashed into silver, and he gave her a small, timid smile that made her feel like she was going to spontaneously combust right there and then.

Beside her, she heard Sokka groan. “Okay, he’s definitely looking at you. Guess that means I’m going to have to introduce you now.” He sighed, holding out his arm. “Come on.”

She looped an arm around her brother’s, and together, they walked across the room. Her heart sounding like a stomping herd of buffalo yaks, and she tried to ignore it by focusing on tucking some more loose strands behind her ears. When this was met with little success, she turned to fixing the folds of her dress with her free hand, unfortunately rumpling it even more than before. She only had enough time left to curse under her breath before they’d gotten close enough for Sokka to start getting the Avatar’s attention.

“Avatar Aang!” Sokka greeted him, waving at the young monk.

The young man looked up, a wide smile spreading across his face as he saw who had called. “Ambassador Sokka! It’s good to see you again,” he said as they clasped each other’s forearms in traditional Water Tribe greeting. The contrast between the Avatar’s lighter skin and her brother’s brown tone drew her attention, and she realized with a start that there were arrows on his arms and hands as well. “Are you here with Chief Hakoda?”

“Nah.” Sokka shook his head. “Dad had to take care of some business back at home, you know, with the reconstruction and all.”

“I see. And you’re with ….” He looked curiously at her, making her heart rate grow even more erratic.

“Master Katara of the Southern Water Tribe,” she said, trying to sound confident. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

A questioning look flashed across his features. “Southern Water Tribe?” he asked, glancing at Sokka.

“My sister.” Katara thought she saw a hint of relief touch his eyes, but it was gone in an instant. “Dad sent us here in his stead.”

“Thank you for ending the war, Avatar Aang. We’re greatly indebted to you,” she said, bowing deeply.

He held her gaze for what seemed to be the longest moment of her life before leaning down to take her hand and press a kiss to it. “If it takes fighting a war for us to meet, it will have been worth it,” he said with a smile, his eyes never leaving hers.

There was a pregnant silence as she dumbfoundedly took in his eyes, his words, his hand, his lips on her hand. Her mouth hung slightly ajar, and she was pretty sure Sokka’s was doing the same too.

“All right, this is too much for me,” Sokka finally said, breaking the tension. He raised his hands and started to back away. “I’ll leave you to it.”

The pair watched as Sokka retreated, disappearing into the sea of party guests. Suddenly realizing that they were still in contact, Katara pulled her hand back and they both stood up straight, looking at anything but each other. After a few agonizing seconds, she attempted to start a conversation at the same time as he did, unfortunately, and the two got pushed back into an even more excruciating silence. Just when she couldn’t take it anymore, the Avatar cleared his throat.

“So, I uh, I guess I haven’t properly introduced myself yet,” he said, awkwardly rubbing his neck and putting on the absolute cutest half-smile Katara had ever seen. “I’m Aang. No need for titles.”

“Aang,” she tested it out. It felt surprisingly natural. “Just call me Katara, then.”

“Okay, Katara.” An unexpected thrill went through her as he said her name, and she bit back a smile. “It’s nice to finally meet you. I’ve met with Sokka and Chief Hakoda a couple of times, and I’ve heard so much about you!”

“Oh really,” she said, cringing. “What did they say?”

“Hey, nothing bad!” he assured her quickly. “For starters, they said you were a waterbender, and you’ve been training at the North Pole.”

“Oh.” That put her a bit more at ease. “That’s true.”

“Not only that,” he went on. “But Chief Hakoda said you were excellent and the first North-trained female master in centuries! Master Pakku taught me too so … I know how big a deal that is,” he added cheekily.

“It definitely wasn’t easy convincing him,” she chuckled, fully relaxing. This was going better than every other conversation she’d had that night. “But he’s asked me to help him train his waterbending students, so I guess we’re on good terms.”

“That’s incredible! I’d personally love to see you waterbend sometime.”

Katara blushed. “What? No, I can’t—you’re the Avatar! What’s my bending going to look like to you of all people?”

He was unruffled. “Probably great. I can bend all four elements, but that doesn’t mean I’m the absolute best at them all. You can ask Toph.” He winced.

The waterbender laughed. Toph Beifong was collectively known as the greatest earthbender of all time, partly due to objective acknowledgement of her talents, and partly due to her constant self-declaration of it. “I’ll be sure to do that. Is she here tonight?”

“Nah, she’s busy with her own stuff these days. She’s found other students to yell at instead of me,” he said dryly.

“Good for you,” she said, grinning. “Anyway, I’d love to see you airbend sometime, too. I’ve never seen airbending before!”

Aang perked up immediately, looking excited as he reached into the folds of his robes. “Oh really?! Well, check this out!” He clasped his hands together for a second before parting them with a wicked grin.

Katara blinked. A couple of marbles were spinning around midair in between the Avatar’s palms. Aang looked at her eagerly, and she quickly tried to rearrange her confused shock into a (hopefully) impressed look.

“That’s uh—that’s great!” she said, and much to her relief, he didn’t seem to notice her hesitation.

“Right! This is my favorite trick,” he said proudly, before bringing his hands together again and returning the marbles to his pocket.

He’s a dork, she decided. An unexpected burst of affection swelled in her chest at the thought, and she decided she liked that about him.

“I’ve got another trick to show you,” he said, pulling her out of her thoughts. Katara could have sworn there was an almost mischievous glint in his eye as he said that.

He looked pointedly at a nearby Earth Kingdom general wearing a cape, and she watched as he did several deft twisting motions with his left wrist. All of a sudden, a gush of wind threw the general’s cape up, flipping it over and consequently covering his face.

The pair exploded in a fit of giggles as their victim threw the cape off his face angrily, revealing a very red and livid face. He started cursing as he angrily searched for a suspect.

“Uh-oh.” Aang said, ducking his head. “We better get out of sight.” He paused for a moment, calculating.

“How—“

“Just take my hand.”

She looked at him like he was crazy, but his face told her he was dead serious. All things considered, trusting him did seem to be her best option at the moment. “Okay.”

The moment her hand was in his, he spun her around skillfully into his arms with one turn. She looked up at him incredulously. “Are we going to dance?”

“Oh no, we’re going to be doing some bending practice.” He grinned impishly, placing his free hand on her shoulder. She gulped.

“Just follow my lead, Master Katara.”

The tinkling of the bianqing echoed throughout the room to signal the transition of music, and she decided Aang must have been familiar with the piece, because they took off at the same time the erhu started with its first note.

He led her through the dance floor with utmost grace, blending the both of them seamlessly into the crowd. If Katara didn’t know any better, she would have thought they really were just dancing. But observing closely, she had never seen any dance quite like whatever Aang was doing—the spiraling movements, the ability to turn himself (and her) to a different direction at a moment’s notice. They might as well have been leaves in the wind.

So this was airbending, she thought.

However, as their little “dance” went on, she started to notice a hint of familiarity to their motions—the way he would alternate between drawing her towards him and holding her at arm’s length, the way the weight transferred back and forth between the two of them—unmistakably, there was also an ebb and flow to his breeze, a push and pull.

“Waterbending,” she breathed, low enough that he didn’t hear her. She’d read about how airbenders just trusted the air to let it carry them but she’d never realized how similar it could be to her element’s constant shift of energy. That is, until this display.

A deft spin pulled her out of her thoughts, and before she could process what was happening, she found herself mere inches away from his face. Argentine eyes took up her entire vision, and she could only hear their ragged breaths and beating hearts. Agonizingly slowly, the distance between them started to close, but it wasn’t until she felt his warm breath on her lips did she realize just how close they were.

“So,” she said, ducking her head in a panic and suddenly taking interest in the orchestra playing at the end of the ballroom. The music had quieted to a soft melody, and she fixed her gaze on the bamboo flute producing it. Her cheeks burned both at their almost-encounter, and she prayed to the spirits that her complexion was enough to hide it. “Flight and evasion. Very airbender.”

The Avatar blinked, then shook his head as if coming out of a trance. “You know for someone who says she’s never seen airbending, you sure seem to know a lot about it.” He lightly swayed them to the music, just enough to blend in without actually changing position.

She scoffed. “You’re the talk of the Four Nations, you know. Plus, Master Pakku told me that learning the bending styles of the other nations would help me greatly, so I read up at the North’s libraries while I was training there.”

“From firsthand experience, I can tell you it does help greatly.” He paused for a moment. “On that note, I’m curious if you’ve read anything about the Avatar.”

She shrugged. “Sure. Comes with the territory of the four elements.”

“So, how have I fared?” he probed playfully. “Living up to your textbook expectations?”

“Well for one, I didn’t expect the Avatar would be such an incurable prankster.”

She had to bite back a giggle as her partner did his best to feign offense. “Me? I’m just a simple monk,” he said innocently.

She laughed in earnest this time. “Could have fooled me. Do you always charm girls by kissing their hands and whisking them away to dance?”

“I—“ He stopped swaying. “You think I’m charming?”

Katara flushed. “I—“ She swallowed. “Um … sorry.”

“What? No, why are you apologizing?”

“Sorry, Aang, can we just drop this?”

“If it makes you feel better, I—I think you’re beautiful.” Katara froze, and the Avatar averted his gaze. “And um, to answer your question, no, this isn’t a regular thing.”

Katara’s world completely stopped. Did … Did the Avatar—did Aang just … what did that mean?

“Aang! There you are.” The two immediately jumped apart at the sound. Katara turned in its direction, and her panicked mind picked up various disjointed information about the approaching figure. Regal crimson robes, a golden headpiece, silky black hair, a scar … Sacred spirits, she realized with a start. “I’ve been loo—” The Fire Lord’s golden eyes flitted between their two flushed faces. “Sorry, am I interrupting something?”

Katara desperately willed Aang to earthbend the ground to swallow them whole, but to her dismay, he had other plans. “No, nothing at all,” he said lightly, plastering an easy look onto his face. “Zuko, this is Master Katara of the Southern Water Tribe. Katara, meet his fieriness himself, Fire Lord Zuko.”

Zuko ignored the last part. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Master Katara.” He touched a fist to his palm and bowed to her, and Katara returned the gesture graciously.

“The pleasure’s all mine, your honor.” Something in Zuko’s expression shifted, and to her even greater confusion, Aang snickered next to her. She decided she’d ask about it … some other time.

“Now, what was it you were saying, Sifu Hotman?” Aang asked, a grin still playing on his mouth.

Katara found it harder to stifle laughter as the Fire Lord scowled, making no effort to hide his annoyance at the nickname. “I’ve just gotten word about the New Ozai Society causing unrest back in Caldera City. I need to get back as soon as possible, and I wanted to ask if you could come with me.”

A sinking feeling came over her at the rueful look Aang shot her. He took a deep breath. “Of course. Let’s take Appa so it’s quicker.”

Zuko nodded. “Thank you, Aang. I’ll just take a bit to look for Mai, then we’ll meet you by Appa.” He looked over at her, bowing once more. “I apologize for the abruptness of this. But it was nice meeting you, Master Katara.”

She bowed back. “Same to you, Fire Lord Zuko.”

She watched numbly as the Fire Lord left. Well, what did she expect? He was the Avatar, for spirits’ sake! It was just her luck that she had to start falling for him, of all people. How did she ever think—why did she ever think something was possible?

And it’s not like she was sure he liked her back? Sure, he called her beautiful, but that could have meant nothing. Regardless, it was just so damn frustrating because something was there, and they were being pulled apart before they had a chance to make sense of it.

“Katara?” He said her name timidly. She turned to look at him. His silver eyes, which had been so light and playful earlier, were filled with sadness. “I—“

“You need to go.” Aang winced, and Katara felt a pang of regret—her words might have ended up sounding much icier than expected. “Aang, it’s not your fault. Keeping peace is the Avatar’s duty.”

He gave a small sigh. “Yes, it is. But that’s not what I was going to say.”

She raised her eyebrows. “Oh. What was it then?”

“I wanted to tell you … I had fun tonight,” he said with a shy smile, easily melting her defenses once more. Spirits, what was with this boy? “I really enjoyed talking to you. And dancing with you.”

“I did too.” She hesitated. Nothing to lose, she told herself. “I … really wish we had more time.” She just knew she was blushing, but she had to try.

“Me too.” She was desperately racking her brain for something to say next, when Aang suddenly perked up.

“Could I write you?” Katara looked up, surprised. “I could send you a hawk once I get to the Fire Nation. And you can send me a letter back on the same hawk—it’d know where to find me. And I could visit you in the South Pole as soon as I can! If you want,” he added quickly.

Her initial shock soon dissipated and was replaced by warmth at his unabashed enthusiasm. He did like her. He was willing to try, and it was going to be hard, but he wanted to make it work.

And truthfully, so did she.

“Sounds perfect,” she told him.

Affection swelled in her as she watched his gray eyes brighten at her response. She listened as he excitedly rattle off a seemingly never-ending list of things they could do, ranging from something as mundane as trying out the local food to a seemingly surreal cloudbending trip (“We can take Appa!” “Okay, who is Appa?” “He’s my best friend.” “That we can ride on?” “Sure. He’s a flying bison.” “. . . oh. Neat!”)

There was really something about Aang that she couldn’t quite place. Maybe it was his surprisingly troublemaker energy, or his catching enthusiasm. Maybe it was the way his native element just exuded from him in every way, and how easily it worked with hers. Or maybe, it was the way looking into his eyes was all it took for her to believe that cloudbending really was a thing they could do, despite her never having heard of it in her experience as a master waterbender. After all, sky seemed to be the limit with this airbender.

But even if she wasn’t yet sure what it was, she couldn’t be happier to know that they were going to have a chance to find out.

“… or you could show me around your village, and we could skate on some ice and I don’t know if this sounds weird but … will you go penguin sledding with me?”

She blinked. Penguin sledding. It was honestly one of the last things she ever thought she’d be doing on a date, and the whole thing was just so … unpredictable. And fun. And free. So … Aang.

“Of course,” she said, her face breaking into a smile.

He beamed at her. “Great! It’s a date!” He immediately blushed when he realized what he had just said. “I—I mean, the date, like you know, the fruit … not …”

That was it. He was just so darn adorable with his attempt to cover up that she couldn’t help but lean over to give him a kiss on the cheek. “It’s a date,” she assured him, watching with much enjoyment as Aang, who was scarlet by this time with his jaw slack, touched the spot where her lips had been.

“What, gotta catch your breath, airbender?” she asked teasingly.

“I—I—um,” he stammered.

Katara shoved his arm lightly. “Get going, Avatar, the world needs you. But I’ll be expecting the hawk.”

“Airbender’s honor,” he said, giving her one last dopey smile before he turned on his heel and walked away. He seemed to navigate the crowd with a new spring in his step, just barely touching the ground. Clearly, walking on air was a literal thing for him, she thought with a chuckle.

“OKAY, I SAW THAT!” a voice interrupted her thoughts with a screech. She turned to see none other than Sokka aggressively making his way to her. “OOGIES CENTRAL, little sister. OO—”

“Sokka, please.” She rolled her eyes. “You talk like I didn’t see you flirting with that Earth Kingdom girl the whole night.”

“That’s different! I’ve met Suki more than once.” She raised an eyebrow at him, but he went on. “I can’t believe it. You … and the Avatar …” he whispered tensely. “Oh man, wait ‘til Dad hears about this. You attend ONE party and you suddenly have a boy wrapped around your finger!”

“Well, didn’t you and Dad say I should meet more guys?” she said coolly. “And now the tribe can stop complaining about me not snagging myself some North Pole husband.”

“We didn’t mean the AVATAR!” he exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air.

“Why not?” She glared at him. “I’m sure everyone would love to meet him.”

Sokka scrunched his eyebrows. “Meet him?”

“Aang said he’d come over to visit the South Pole as soon as he can,” she said a-matter-of-factly. “We’re going penguin sledding.”

“He WHAT?” Sokka sputtered. “The Avatar? Is coming to the South Pole? And you’re going penguin sledding???”

“Yup. He asked me, and I said yes,” she said with a grin, already giddily imagining sledding down the South Pole’s slopes with him. She felt a rush run through her, making her feel light-headed with glee. In that moment, realized she might actually have half a mind to go over to the Fire Nation herself should the New Ozai Society start delaying their plans.

“Ohhh no. I know that look.” Sokka groaned. “Spirits, you’re … you’re helpless.”

Katara kept smiling. Maybe she was.

But so was he.

--

A/N: Btw, the bianqing is a Chinese stone chimes instrument.

The whole point of a Helpless-inspired AU was a love at first sight AU basically, which was an interesting angle for me to write since Kataang is canonically a slow burn friends to lovers couple. Also: first move x pining Katara? Natural charmer x awkward bean Aang? I needed that in my life so I wrote it lol.

I also had so much fun peppering this with so many references (from both the actual Avatar shows and Hamilton!) If you wanna point out as much as you can I would love you for it.

[hello-yue-here]

Yuetara, zukka, and maiko

yuetara

ship

1) its not one of my main ships. i dont rlly read fanfic for them but if i see a cute fanart of them ill enjoy it and i think i first started shipping it because of good fanarts for them.

2) i like yuetara because of how similar they are. theyre both women from the water tribe. they both understand the misogyny that they have faced. and they both said f sexism im gonna be a strong woman. i also love the tui and la parallel. moon spirit and ocean spirit parallel COME ON. YUE IS THE MOON. KATARA IS THE MOST POWERFUL WATERBENDER. THEY ARE THE OCEAN AND THE MOON. the push and pull they could give eachother. that dynamic ftw.

3) i guess if i didnt like something about this ship would be the fact that if i read a fic or see a fanart w yuetara then than means in that particular au i wont get any yuekka and yuekka is probably my second favorite ship. but then again if i get yuetara than i could get a plethora of other sokka ships to go with it so my sadness disappears in like two seconds. gosh shipping is hard sometimes until you remember ‘hey i have like fifty different universes in my head. all ur ships can coexist in ur brain olivia’ other than that i really see no downsides to this ship. maybe i wish it had more content. maybe if it had more content id ship it a lot more but its not one of the more popular ships so the content is kinda few n far between on my feed.

zukka:

SHIPPP

1) my boys. my babies. my loves. i watched this show for the first time when it came out on netflix and when it ended i really didnt ship anything other than kataang. i came onto tumblr to find fun atla content and one of the very first things i saw under the atla tag was zukka content. i was like oh? whats this? zukka? interesting... i was intrigued so i found a list of fic recs and i fell in love with the ship. the rest is history. its probably my number one ship because it was my very first ship here and im nostalgic

2) oh boy there is so much i like about this ship. i relate to a shit ton of characters in atla. but sokka and zuko may be the ones i relate to most. i relate to sokka because i tend to feel second best a lot to my friends. i try to stay positive but things rarely go the way i plan or hope for them too and while im happy for my friends and their achievements i oftentimes find myself thinking why cant that be me? and i see this a lot in sokka especially in sokkas master. i dont feel special a lot and idk seeing sokka feel the same way and then realizing he is special kinda helped me realize that im special too. on the flipside i relate to zuko because i have wild anger issues and difficulty dealing w my emotions a lot as well. i get broody and short tempered and insecure very often and i tend to push people away and i refuse to ask for help (the amount of teachers and adults and therapists who have told me its okay to ask for help ur not any weaker because of it is astounding. do i listen to them? .....im working on it.) and i saw a shit ton of this in zuko. book one and two zuko rarely asks for help as seen in the blue spirit and zuko alone and he pushes away uncle so many times and even when the gaang iffers to help him in i think its the chase he tells them to leave. when he finally has his redemption and joins the gaang and lets them kinda become a better person i was so happy. i want that for myself yk. seeing him finally win the agni kai and overcome his family that always told him he was nothing was such a win. my sister and i get along but when we were children we were very much like zuko and azula. it was extremely competitive all the time and there was so much toxicity and sibling drama to a concerning extent. we get along great now which im very happy about but yeah their sibling relationship hit a lil too on the nose for me. seeing as i relate to these character so much and want them ti be happy i want to live vicariously through them so seeing them together is amazing for me to project into them. i love projecting onto fictional characters and with them i can project onto BOTH so its a winwin. plus so many zukka fics are so well written and heartwarming and heartbreaking and emotional and fluffy anf UGH the talent here us astounding.

3) what do i not like about the ship? again the list is long. oops. mainly the toxic shippers. there are so many toxic zukka stans that sometimes make it hard for me to enjoy this ship but hey! thats what the block button is for:) i despise how often people infantilize zuko and completely ruin his character for the sake of making him a soft weak lil boy who needs protecting. thats just not zuko for me. and ive seen many many accounts even state that this kind of portrayal of zuko is rooted in racist stereotypes about asian men (now i am white so i personally have never experiences racism but i feel the need to bring that up because it is wrong and attention needs to be brought to it because a lot of poc fans have criticised this) and the same for sokka. some ppl rlly skew his character and make him a big strong brute and hypermasculine and once again poc fans have said that this take is rooted in racist stereotypes. again! these are just my opinions! this is my favorite ship! but i think its important to acknowledge some of the bad parts of our ships as well and be critical where criticism is needed :))

maiko

ship

1) I LOVE MAIKO. “i dont hate you” “i dont hate you too” BRUH. my little heart just burst into flames. im sorry guys but maiko is so cute. they hate everything except eachother. BRUH that is one of the cutest tropes. i shipped them the moment i saw them together onscreen and i was so happy when zukos face lit up in the finale when mai came back.

2) “i hate everything but i have a soft spot for you” TAKE MY MONEY I AM A SUCKER FOR THIS. they are so cute together. like zuko is rarely happy in a majority of atla but mai makes him happy and i- 🥺🥺 HE DESERVES IT. and mai is always so supportive of him. when hes stressing out about the war meeting she tries her best to comfort him. and zuko cares about her too. he may not be the best at showing it but oh my god hes TRYING HIS BEST. i think its a very accurate portrayal of teenage relationships because they arent perfect and they do fight but like,, every teenage relationship does that. and even after everything and how he left her in the fire nation she still had his back at boiling rock. she still risked her life against azula to save his butt.

3) the thing i hate about maiko isnt even about maiko. its about antis who think mai is toxic and that zuko deserves better. that has got to be the worst take ive ever heard. they had a fight in ember island. that is NORMAL. they are teenagers. they are not perfect. but underneath all the rough edges and things they need to work out they still care about eachother so freaking much. i genuinelt believe that neither of them would do anything to intentionally hurt the other and i think thats what matters the most. if anything mai is the best girlfriend in the entire world because zuko fucked up like,, quite a few times. he got rlly jealous and dumped her thru a letter and ppl always say that mai was toxic for being mad at him for those two things. umm she had every right to be mad at him for both of those. and while zuko is allowed to feel his emotions and be angry sometimes as well sometimes he needs to think things thru and realize that hey maybe some if this jealousy is unfounded. BUT EVEN THEN. HE RESPECTED HER FEELINGS AND DIDNT TOUCH HER WHEN SHE SAID DONT TOUCH ME. HE RESPECTED HER. so i hate toxic maiko takes because they are literally so wrong in my opinion.

again all of these are just my opinions!! feel free to agree or disagree but please be respectful!! i will respect whatever u think as well because this is all just for fun :)

[zenithpng]

TRUST FALL “Do you trust me?” | taken hostage | pushed

[It’s not that Sokka’s shy about his tics. Unless someone needs silence or there’s an inappropriate word thrown in, he sees no reason to stifle himself. He can’t control them after all, and it’s not like he’s doing anything wrong.

But this was supposed to be a good day, undisturbed by anything that came out of his mouth or happened with his body.

Luckily, Zuko is there to help bear the load, and, strangely enough, so is Azula.]

Read more under the cut, AO3 link ->HERE<-

Sokka loves shopping. No doubt about it. There’s just something about the bustle, the running back and forth, the decisions and the excitement of getting something new that never fails to put a smile on his face. So when Zuko grumbles that he needs to go shopping for some spring and summer clothes, Sokka immediately offers to go with him, having been needing to do the same thing anyway.

They set a date and a time, plan which stores they’re going to so Zuko knows what to anticipate, even coordinate their outfits, for Tui and La’s sake. (Okay, the last one is all Sokka’s idea, but there’s nothing wrong with being well-dressed with your friend and Zuko humours him gladly.)

But there’s something. There’s always something.

This something comes under the name of midterms.

The end of March is always horrendous, and really, Sokka should have known better than to plan something smack in between all the stress. But it’s fine , it’s really fine. He can take a day off from the calculus study guides (spirits, why did he have to take that in the tenth grade) and the engineering workshops because this is Zuko he’s meeting up with!

He likes Zuko, loves Zuko. If anything, this is the absolute best way to relieve his stress.

And so he’s outside the mall at one in the afternoon, foot tapping as he waits for Zuko. Soon he sees the familiar figure strolling up, giving a little wave and a shy smile.

And it’s normal to just not want to tear your eyes away from your friend that just happens to be very pretty, right?

Because Zuko is, in fact, very pretty. Straight black jeans, a red button up with - hang on, are those dragons? - left half-open over a white binder that looks like a regular tank top to anyone who doesn’t know, hair up in a ponytail with loose strands falling out and framing his face.

And Sokka could keep going. Could talk about the belt chain with sun and moon charms, could talk about the matte black on Zuko’s fingernails, could talk about the theatre mask necklace he’s wearing. Because there’s just so much and Zuko- Zuko looks so nice.

God, Sokka must be grinning like a fool by the time Zuko’s finally within arms reach, and he immediately pulls the taller boy into a hug. Zuko lets out a breathy laugh, returning the embrace.

“Someone’s excited to see me.” Sokka shakes his head, the smile never leaving his face.

“Nope, just for the shopping,” he jokes. “Race you the rest of the way, onetwothreego!” And he takes off, dashing towards the front of the mall, laughing when he hears a yell of “Sokka-a!” from behind him.

By the time he stops, Zuko is right behind him, both boys breathing hard and shoving at each other.

“You’re terrible,” Zuko grumbles. “You know I can’t keep up with you.”

“Sounds like a you problem,” Sokka says, spinning on his heel and marching into the entrance, looking over his shoulder to make sure Zuko’s following, not that he really doubted it anyway.

*****

They’re only two stores into their browsing when Sokka snaps his fingers, slapping the nearest clothes rack. He hisses, having hit a sharp corner, and shakes his hand out. Zuko peers over from the other side, expression tinged with the slightest bit of worry.

“Everything okay?” he asks. Sokka nods, wincing.

“Gotta be careful where I hit, I guess.” And Zuko just nods, going back to his searching.

That’s the nice thing about being with Zuko. He never presses like Katara does, or answers to tics like Aang. Unless Sokka somehow manages to hurt himself or is visibly upset, he leaves things alone. It’s refreshing, being around someone that doesn’t pay any more attention to his tics than the laces on his shoes.

Sokka slides over yet another shirt when he sees one Zuko might like. It’s black with red seams and fire embroidered at the bottom and on the sleeves. He calls Zuko around to take a look.

And that’s when everything starts going wrong.

As Zuko’s stepping around the rack, Sokka’s knees buckle, hitting against the carpeted floor painfully as he fails to catch himself on anything. Zuko’s eyes go a bit wider, and he’s on the floor in a split second right beside him.

“Was that a tic?” he asks, taking Sokka’s hands to help him back up. The younger grimaces as his legs straighten painfully and he nods.

“I think so,” Sokka says. “Never happened before.”

“And you’re sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine. Probably just a one time thing.”

And Zuko nods, looking over the shirt he’s handed, dropping the subject.

*****

It’s not a one time thing.

Sokka’s knees keep hitting the floor or coming close, Zuko lunging to try and catch him or at least slow his fall each time. And it seems like each time there are more tics in between the drops, and they’re coming more frequently and his eyes are burning and-

Great, he’s crying. He’s sitting on the floor of an JCPenny, crying and unable to stem the flow of sounds and words and, oh, gods, he just hit Zuko, Spirits-

Zuko’s trying to get him to breathe, looking like he’s on the verge of tears himself.

"Hey, hey," he tries, ignoring any weird stares they're getting. Sokka's hand flies up to hit at his own head, and Zuko brings it right back down, not restraining but simply letting his own hands be an obstacle. "I'm gonna- I'm gonna call my uncle, or your dad? If that's better?"

And Sokka tries to answer, he really does, but between his gasping breaths and the words and trills it's just impossible and he feels so useless-

But Zuko- Zuko is a godsend because he just pulls him in close, hushing him gently, one hand carding through his loose hair.

"I'm gonna call my uncle," he says, "And then if it's okay with you, I'll use your phone to call your dad." Sokka nods, biting his lips to stifle a bubbling-up tic. Vaguely, he feels Zuko shuffling around, hears him talking to Iroh and then his dad, but it's all far away.

Quiet noises still fall from his lips, but he's too exhausted for all his physical tics, and it's the worst feeling ever. His brain is screaming for him to jerk his head, to hit the floor, something, but his body feels like it weighs ten thousand pounds and he just can't. Zuko's hand trailing up and down his back provides some comfort, but it's still just so terrible and he hates it so much.

"Think you can stand?" Zuko asks softly. And Sokka knows good and well that the answer is no, but he nods anyway, only to come crashing back down, stopped only by Zuko's quick reflexes. Sokka nearly sobs again, but Zuko just pulls him up, lifting him like it's no problem. A protest bubbles up, but Zuko quickly brushes him off, saying he's had plenty of practice with Azula.

Sokka has no idea what that means, but saves his questions for when he doesn't feel like he's actively falling apart.

Before he knows it, he's in the back of Iroh's car, Zuko explaining in hushed tones. And when they pull up to the Jasmine Dragon, his dad is already there, pulling him upright and holding him as if he's a little kid. But maybe that's what he needs in the moment, and he lets himself be maneuvered into the passenger's seat and buckled in.

He's asleep before his dad even turns onto the main road, tired beyond belief.

Sure, it’s a sucky experience. No one wants to pass out because you’re so tired you can’t hold yourself up anymore.

But by the end of the day, Sokka’s all right. It’s a Friday, and he’s got on a hoodie two sizes too big and is laying in his bed, spamming Zuko with memes while the other boy replies in all caps to try and end the flow of images. But it’s all in good nature, and before long they’re video calling, stifling laughter in their pillows.

And by the next morning, it’s forgotten. That is, until he drops suddenly in the kitchen, the plate he was reaching for clattering to the floor with him. Bato glances over briefly, concerned, but goes back to getting ready for work, hovering a little closer than before.

Sokka makes it a point to stay seated for as much of the day as possible, going from the couch to the table to his desk in a never ending cycle. He knows he can’t keep this up for ever, but for now, it’s going to have to work. Instead of wallowing about it, he just tries to push through. No point in crying about something that will solve itself.

And for the most part, his dads and Katara are just fine, not really paying attention unless there’s a need for help. That is, until he tics on the stairs and hardly stops himself from falling the rest of the way down.

Hakoda looks up from where he’s typing at the kitchen counter, his face serious.

“You know you can’t keep going like this, right?” Sokka groans, shutting his eyes and laying his head back against a stair.

“Dad, it’s fine. It’ll go away eventually. I just have to tough it out.”

“And how are you going to go to school? How are you going to get to classes?” Hakoda shuts his computer, standing up and walking over to help Sokka up. They make it to the living room without incident, sitting down across from each other.

Hakoda looks like he’s trying to force words out of his mouth but can’t quite get them right. Finally, he speaks.

“You know it’s okay to ask for and accept help, right?” Sokka nods slowly, not sure where his dad is going with this. Hakoda takes a measured breath.

“Okay, okay. Good.” He swallows hard and continues, “How would you feel if Bato picked up something to help you out on his way home?” And Sokka’s got no idea what his dad might be talking about, but he shrugs anyway. It’s his dad after all. Hakoda only wants the best for him.

“Sure,” he says easily, and smiles. “I’d like that.”

*****

When Bato returns from work that day, he’s holding a long box. He mutters something about leaving it in Sokka’s room and disappears upstairs. Sokka doesn’t really pay it any mind. Bato isn’t someone who’s huge on talking like Dad is. He likes to sit back, give the problem at hand a nudge in the right direction, and watch it resolve itself.

And so when Sokka goes upstairs, he’s not really sure what to expect. He just pulls the keys from his bookbag and slices through the tape on the package, not really paying attention.

But when he finally gets the box open, he freezes. Then, he unfreezes, curses himself for not seeing this coming, and runs an agitated hand through his hair. It’s a cane.

A very cool cane, with metallic blue waves racing up the length of it, but still. That’s… not something he expected.

Sokka takes a deep breath, trying not to get weird about this. Plenty of people use canes. Hell, Toph uses a cane to get around, and they’re one of the toughest people Sokka knows. He’s not doing it for attention or to look cool or something. This is something that will make his life easier for however long it takes this tic to go away.

That doesn’t make this any less difficult though.

(Toph uses a cane because they’re blind. Sokka’s gonna use one because his brain won’t stop screwing him over.)

But Sokka’s nothing if not resilient, and he figures if he’s gonna do this, he’s not going to feel embarrassed about it. So he gets up, supporting some of his weight on the cane. He tics almost immediately, but hey, he doesn’t fall to the floor again. Pacing back and forth across his room for a bit gets him used to the pattern, gets him used to catching himself when his body tries to drop.

It’s fine, he’s gonna be fine. Sure he’s gonna get weird stares at school, but that already happens.

But still, it couldn’t hurt to drop by the Jasmine Dragon, right? Not that he’s nervous, no, of course not. It’s just that Iroh gives such nice advice and Zuko’s smile always makes his day so much better. Really there’s no reason he shouldn’t go to the Jasmine Dragon.

Sokka picks up his phone.

socks - 18:17

Hey do you mind if i stop by tomorrow

Zuko - 18:21

It’s a tea shop, Sokka. We can’t exactly control who comes and goes.

socks

no i mean like to talk

Zuko

We do that every time anyway.

Sokka sighs. Right. He needs to actually explain himself. Zuko’s not the greatest at picking up on stuff like that.

socks

I have some stuff I want to sit down and talk to your uncle about if that’s okay

And maybe talk to you too ;))

Zuko

Oh, yeah. That’s fine. Sundays usually are slow anyway.

socks

Sounds good, cya tomorrow

Sokka places his phone onto his nightstand, switching it to Do Not Disturb. He is going to get some rest, talk to Uncle Iroh, and everything will be okay.

*****

Walking to the Jasmine Dragon with his new cane is awkward. He’s still not quite used to it, and he logically knows that there’s no one giving him dirty looks from across the street. But that doesn’t stop him from turning his head over his shoulder and checking every so often, just to make sure.

To Zuko’s credit, he hardly reacts to the new, ah, accessory when Sokka pushes open the door. His face lights up in a smile when he sees him come through the doorway, and though his eyes flicker exactly once to the cane, his smile doesn’t falter and he punches in Sokka’s order the same as always.

“Uncle’s in the back, we were running low on the rose tea so he’s brewing some right now,” Zuko explains when Sokka’s peach boba tea is ready. He tugs a straw from the box on the counter, handing it to him. “He should be out in just a minute, I told him you were out here.”

True to his word, Iroh shuffles out a few minutes later, and Sokka pauses his scrolling through his phone to smile up at the man.

“Good morning, Sokka,” Iroh greets cordially, setting down his own cup of tea. He blows at it lightly before stirring in a bit of honey. Light brown eyes, dimmed with age but no somehow no less sharp than Azula’s, smile at him.

“My nephew mentioned you wanted to speak to me.” He takes a sip of his tea, nodding in silent satisfaction before looking back up at Sokka. “What troubles you, child?”

Sokka sighs, popping a piece of boba in his mouth before reaching down, lifting the top of his cane over the top of the table. Iroh furrows his brow, nodding slowly.

There’s a slam from inside the kitchen of what sounds like an oven door. Sokka startles slightly, though Iroh hardly reacts at all. It must be Azula baking again. Both turn back to their conversation with not a word about the noise.

“Zuko has told me of your… tics, are they called?” Sokka nods, and Iroh continues. “If this assists you in your day-to-day life, there is nothing to be ashamed of! There is never shame in accepting help, whatever form it may come in. A bird will build its nest of leaves or wool, provided it is soft.”

Sokka bites the inside of his cheek, nodding. It’s nothing he hasn’t heard before, from his father before bed last night, from Bato earlier this morning, from himself on his walk over. It’s good advice, accompanied by the warmth of the tea shop and Iroh’s signature proverbs. But it’s nothing special, really.

Iroh seems to notice, and Sokka feels a bit bad. But the older man doesn’t seem to mind, simply patting Sokka’s hand with a smile.

“I think perhaps I am not the best to assist you right now,” he says, standing and taking his tea cup. “Just a moment.”

He stands making his way back into the kitchen. There’s grumbling from inside before the door swings open again, Azula marching out.

She yanks the chair from under the table and sits unceremoniously, her face flat. She’s sharp where Iroh is soft, but there’s no real boredom or anger in her expression. She sticks out a hand.

“Let me see.”

Sokka passes the cane across the table awkwardly, making sure not to hit anything. She examines it with that sharp gold gaze, nodding in approval.

“Study,” she finally says, which is probably the closest thing to a compliment Sokka’s ever heard her give. “Doesn’t look too bad either, I suppose. Not that looks are the purpose here.” She hands it back, narrowly missing the straw of Sokka’s cup of boba. He’s still not quite sure why Iroh sent her out to sit with him, but he doesn’t really mind. Like Zuko, she’s someone that doesn’t change character because of a situation.

“It looks nicer than my old crutches at least,” Azula says, almost casually. “Those were such an ugly shade of green, I don’t know why Uncle bought them.” And she’s so offhand about it all that Sokka almost misses the meaning of her words.

“Wait, what?” he blurts before he can stop himself. Azula? Who’s always an almost royal air about her? That could probably have him on the ground in two seconds flat? That Azula?

She must have been expecting his reaction (of course she did, it’s Azula), and she simply crosses her legs, resting one arm on the table.

“I used to have so many issues when we first moved in with Uncle,” she begins, her tone still as if she’s speaking about the weather. “I screwed up my body for a while, didn’t eat and threw up what I did.” Sokka tries to imagine Azula as anyone other than the confident person he knows and comes up short.

“It was a series of unfortunate events, really. A weak body meant weak bones, apparently, and a jump I tried to make ended up shattering both my legs. Had to be in a wheelchair for a while, then use those forearm crutches for longer than I would have liked to. But it was fine, I suppose.”

Sokka bites his lip. They both know the question on his mind, and they both know Azula won’t give him the answer until he asks. Finally, he takes a deep breath and goes for it.

“How’d you- you know. Stop worrying that you looked… stupid?” Azula rolls her eyes, though there’s the slightest bit of an upward turn to her mouth.

“Well, anyone who’s opinion mattered to me didn’t care. Do you know how annoying Zuzu was for those months? It was always, ‘Zula, let me carry that, Zula, let me pick that up.’” Sokka nods. He knows the feeling all too well. Azula sighs, casting a glance at Zuko, who’s taking some customer’s order.

“But, as grating as it was, it was because he cares. And anyone who said anything bad, I could hit them with my crutch. I mean really, who’s going to admit they got beat up by a five-foot-one girl with crutches?”

And yeah, okay, that gets a laugh out of him. The image of Azula whacking a rude customer or classmate with what is essentially a large stick is one that he can conjure up easily.

Azula turns fully towards him, her expression shifting minutely.

“Do you trust me?”

Sokka freezes for a moment. Azula and he aren’t close, not like he is with Zuko. But if he thinks, there’s really no reason not to trust Azula. She’s straight forward and doesn’t beat around the bush. And so, Sokka nods.

Azula seems pleased.

“Then trust me when I say there’s going to be hardly anyone paying attention.”

And somehow, despite all the people telling him similar things, it’s Azula that finally drives it home.

*****

The next day at school, Sokka jabs Aang under the table with his cane as the younger boy laughs. Katara’s next to them, trying and failing to hide her mirth, while Suki and Toph smother laughter into their hands. His phone chimes, and he flips it over to see the notification.

Zuko

Hope your day’s going okay. Azula’s trying out a new recipe by the way. She says she wants you to try it.

Sokka smiles, typing his response.

socks

Day’s going great, zukes :)) and i’ll be there, cya later!

[missturtleduck]

Hi! I just found your writing and I binge read your Sokka series last night, it's really good so far!!!! Could I request a drabble or headcannons for Sokka with a Fem reader who can waterbed, but kept it a secret? Thank you so much ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

Okay, so the whole Y/N has a deep, dark secret trope is usually really angsty, but the fact that Sokka didn’t realise that she was a waterbender? Potential for comedy gold. I can do angst if you want, but this time round I feel like we need some levity.

So, I imagine that canon-wise, Y/N would meet Sokka and the Gaang at the North Pole.

Naturally, the North is very patriarchal, and women aren’t allowed to waterbend for reasons other than healing, meaning Sokka would have never seen Y/N bend there.

After the Siege of the North and Yue’s death (RIP to a true queen), Y/N sees an opportunity to leave and joins their travelling company. She doesn’t want to get married yet, and she wants to hone her craft!

Her and Katara? They get along like a house on fire. Aang? Loves her; she’s funny and gets along with Appa and Momo.

Sokka, on the other hand, is suspicious. His instincts tell him that Y/N is hiding a massive secret, so he’ll keep an eye on her.

As they journey on towards Omashu, she practices waterbending with Katara under the moon, never having the space or friend to practice with.

She’s good, but nowhere near ready to be considered a master. 

Because of this, Y/N uses her qiang, a long range weapon being a gift from her grandmother, cooler than any spear the Fire Nation chucked their way.

As she balances sparring with a qiang and with bending, Sokka only ever sees her use a weapon, naturally being her sparring partner.

Oh, spirits, she’s pretty when she fights.

Tui and La, he looks so intense when he get into it.

It’s safe to say that despite the supposed secret she was keeping, they were hardly ever apart.

If anyone asked, Sokka would say he was only making sure she wasn’t a spy, but anyone could see that he liked her - and anyone who couldn’t see.

It’s in the desert that Sokka finally realises she can waterbend, and it isn’t the big reveal you might have expected.

“Y/N!” Sokka exclaimed, pointing in all of his cactus-induced mania. “You’re moving the water!”

“Sokka, what are you talking about?” She frowned, suffering under the sun.

Katara sighed. “It’s just the cactus juice, Y/N.”

Escorted out of the desert and towards the Serpent’s Pass, Sokka has convinced himself that he dreamed it all up, and no one told him otherwise. Why would they?

When they have to battle the serpent, however, Sokka realises that he’s been doubly duped.

She’s magnificent, he realises, watching her and Katara create a great path of ice for them to cross, distracting the monster with great surges of water knocking it off balance.

Toph falls in the water, and he goes to act.

But he’s beaten to it.

Suki has already leapt into the water, Y/N skimming across it like she was skating. Whilst the Kyoshi Warrior swam Toph back to safety, Y/N was pushing all of her strength into knocking the serpent back, cutting its scales with the force of her bending.

It seemed Sokka had a thing for strong women he would realise looking back.

“Y/N can waterbend!” He shouted, the group looking at him agape.

“You didn’t know?” Toph snorted, her voice mocking even through her shivering. “I thought you were our smart guy!”

“I am!” He argued, pouting and crossing his arms, “But I have never seen her bend!”

Katara laughed. “Sokka, we’ve been training together for weeks!”

“Yeah,” Aang giggled, rubbing the back of his neck. “Why do you think Momo has been so clean lately?”

“Or why we have miraculously haven’t been rained on in over a week?” Toph added.

“Sokka,” Suki said softly, hand on his arm. “Even I knew she was a waterbender.”

Sokka looked between them like a crazy person. This was a conspiracy. It had to be. If he wanted to faint then and there he wasn’t given the chance; Ying had gone into labour, and Y/N and Katara had gone into full blown command of their group. 

He did faint when baby Hope was born.

Waking to Y/N’s worried eyes staring down at him, hands either side of his head surrounded by cooling water wasn’t too bad a sight. Maybe he was dead, or maybe this was all a cosmic prank. The universe was giving him a sign, he supposed, like it did with Foo Foo Cuddlypoops; Sokka would be forced to give up sarcasm and meat all over again.

She hadn’t even noticed he was awake, her focus completely on healing his head. She was cute. No, she was beyond cute. Suki was cute, pretty even. Yue had been beautiful and kind. But Y/N? She was stunning. 

He leaned up, startling her from her healing, and planted a kiss to her cheek. In her shock, all the water swirling around her hands splashed onto his lap, leaving him soaked through.

“Great prank you pulled,” He grinned, still completely stunned that he had never noticed.

“I didn’t mean to- “

But he had already cut her off with a kiss to the lips.

They continue to date happily, although Sokka is infinitely bullied with the fact that it took weeks for him to realise his girlfriend could waterbend.

When Zuko joins their gang, Sokka begs him to vouch for him, knowing he could have never seen Y/N waterbend.

He grins as he recounts how Y/N knocked him into the canal during the Siege of the North with such force he had bruised ribs for weeks.

She apologised profusely, but everyone else roared with laughter as the story got better and better.

Here you go, anon! Hope you liked it <3

[worstloki]

Wait...ATLA AU with Waterbender!Loki, and FireNation!Asgard. Mayhaps the spirits are more relevant in this AU, so people especially blessed by non-main/non-elemental spirits (so anyone other than La, Tui, Agni, uhhh Guain and Shu are the earth kingdom ones I think, and The Autumn Lord or air) can have some manipulation of Qi, but it works differently and is very, very rare, depending on the power level of the spirit, a bending blessing can last 1 generation without renewing it through more bending blood, or like 20 generations but it skips a few. So you can have Non-bender (but actually water bender Loki), or Insert Cannon Spirt that can give him some shape shifting blessed and maybe still Water bender but figures that that out waay later Loki. This ask is a little bit of a mess, but just Water Tribe Loki (who’s stuffed full of ‘water Tribe’s are barbaric’ propaganda) Living in Fire Nation Asgard.

because Loki, like me, simply must be the center of the universe:

- Asgard is the fire nation, obviously, and Odin has 3 kids: the fire-bending lightning-bending prodigy daughter, the spare fire-bender who is good but not as good who will strive to do what his father asks because Father simply must be right (even if he’ll realize later and switch sides), the non-bender who is the dishonorable family disgrace who freaks out and makes a run from home when he realizes he can water bend and neither of his parents can and realizes he was adopted? stolen?? and is maybe the avatar and oh frick Odin’s razing the other nations trying to find the avatar and AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

- The “air nation” can be four temples/realms (svartalfheim, alfheim, vanaheim, muspelheim) which were wiped out on by the last Sozin’s comet, so the cycle moved on to the water nation (southern water tribe/jotunheim) (northern water tribe/nifleheim) and there ain’t no way he’s going there those people are barbaric monsters... aren’t they?

- he joins a Midgardian (earth-kingdom) circus road-trip that’s touring across the realms (yes, he juggles) that’s actually just the Avengers and maybe they’re all non-benders? maybe some of them are? None of them are too flashy but Loki’s trying to observe the mix of bending styles and pick up on bending techniques without making it too obvious that he’s not a non-bender

- cue Loki getting in touch with the Earth spirit and getting some neat blessing gifts with bending and now he can Earth bend too and suddenly BAM Thor attacks the circus and Loki water bends to defend his circus friends from his fire and they make eye contact and Loki is so scared/devastated at having to go up against Thor who is angry at Loki for leaving home and has been tasked to retrieve Loki - the water bending throws Thor off and in his confusion Loki freezes him to the ground and apologizes and runs for it.

- now the circus folks are all “um, dude??? the prince of the fire nation just attacked us and you didn’t tell us you could bend?? what’s up with that???” so he tells them he may or may not be Fire Nation Prince Loki and they all feel betrayed because “those colonialist jerks??” but Loki explains how he’s actually a water bender... and may also be an earth bender... and they’re all totally on-board with the avatar returning because it’s about time and the earth kingdom is on thin ice with them (ba sing se is Svartalfheim btw) and yes the reason we’re a mix of benders is because this circus is actually the white lotus the avengers and were touring the realms to low-key try finding the avatar who is supposed to be the saving grace and end of this war please

- now the circus folks are helping Loki meet all the other nation spirits (yes they venture into the terrifying Jotunheim and Nifleheim while searching for the spirit (”what do you mean you don’t know where the spirit is?? how’d you find the last ones??” “I only met one!! and it came to me!!” “well I guess we’re stuck searching everywhere in this frozen wasteland then”) and additionally he only gets to meet the spirit who grants him the bending after he accepts parts of himself and others (for example, the water bending was a result of him finally realizing that he didn’t stand a chance at the throne and it wasn’t until every shred of hope that Odin could one day be proud of him was gone that he was messing with the turtleduck pool and maybe saw the water spirit in the reflection and bent water) (the earth spirit comes to him when he accepts that there are people that will still be proud of him and he can move on with life because the circus folk like him for who he is and were excited when he successfully landed a bunch of throwing knives on targets and decided on that as an act he can do)

- The circus folk are also trying to teach Loki what little they know about bending btw since he’s admitted to copying and mixing their techniques together (he does all the bending in one style and yes it’s as chaotic for the opponent as that sounds because you can never tell what he’s going to bend) but there 100% has to be an episode where he steals the water-scroll  

- Thor chases them down and Loki can bend water now?? and he’s just trying to bring Loki back like Odin asked him too and then one time he catches up to them and Loki panics and bends Earth too and Thor realizes and stops fighting and tells Loki to just go. Thor goes back to the Fire Nation and argues with Odin and calls him out because Loki is the avatar?? he’s from the water tribe?? and he feels betrayed and does the Zuko-Ozai-Black-Sun-Speech-Without-The-Black-Sun about how neither Loki nor Thor need to prove themselves and he won’t tear this family apart any further (Frigga is in fact an absent mother here btw) and then Thor goes and chases Loki down over weeks and saves him (blue mask hero?? except... feathered-helmet hero??) from Fire Nation soldiers who got their hands on him and the circus folk are NOT happy to have him around (air bending comes to Loki when he finally forgives Thor for being an arrogant self-righteous meanie to him for years because Hela is attacking them now and this is so much worse and Thor gets his eye burnt by Hela and Bruce isn’t that good but he can water-bend and heal a bit so it’s not too bad and he takes a moment to breathe and goes for a walk and BAM air spirit) 

- they get attacked a few more times, loki tries getting over the trauma that is realizing the harm that the fire nation has done to all the other realms (and thor is learning this too by the way so when hela attacks you bet they try mentioning the damage and loss of culture the fire nation is resposible for even if she doesn’t care because she’s the heir she needs to be perfect because her two brothers weren’t and look what happened to them they were exiled and live with a blasphemous blend of peasants (and rich-kid-metal-bending-earth-nation-runaway-royalty tony (”WHAT?! SO THAT’S WHERE YOU GET THE MONEY?? I thought you were scamming people not selling cool metal toys and what are we doing that attracts all these royal snobs to us??”))

- Loki has a dream where the fire spirit tells him to keep searching and then one day Hela goes to burn Thor again and Loki just goes ahead and fire bends right back at her and hoo boy his fire isn’t blue but it sure is a lot and Thor does the “........YES!!!” thing and Hela gets stuck in a ring of fire while everyone else laughs and leaves and she can’t lose so watch as her “close friends” end up not being ty lee and mai but the valkyries (the kyoshi warriors are the Red Room Assassins in this AU and no it’s not a childhood torture house it’s just a mostly-women midgardian protection group (maybe Nat trained there so if the circus ever bumps into them she’ll know them? Jane should get to be one of them too even if she’s more into inventing... she and tony should Talk... maybe she and Pepper can beat him up and give him some Respect Women Juice the same way Sokka got his?)) 

- epic chase across the realms since Loki can bend all the elements now he just needs to figure out how the Avatar state works but until then the gaang is struggling to stay ahead of the Valkyries and get Loki trained up to take down Odin (Thor teaches Loki fire bending so that’s covered but no one else except Tony who is a metal-bending expert really learnt properly and Loki isn’t even a metal-bender)

- eventually Hela snaps from all the losses and as she becomes more unhinged Brun jumps sides and Hela kills off (or fires, if we’re staying PG) the rest of the Valkyries and now Brun is super guilty but she’s fighting to avenge them now 

- blah blah blah Sozin’s comet day and Loki goes up against Odin with the help of the Avengers (maybe Thor can take down Hela with the help of Brun and Nat?) etc. etc. 

- so anyways Loki takes Odin’s fire bending and that was the first time he’s entered the Avatar state and when everyone asks how it felt Loki goes “oh i’m not the avatar” 

- “you’re WHAT” “not it” “but you JUST went into the avatar state and everything” “yeah and kyoshi gives good head pats but I’m not it” “but-- you mastered ALL THE ELEMENTS?!” “yeah because I was gifted them by the spirits” “but you needed to renew the cycle after it was gone from the world for so long--” “nah I think the spirits just liked me and wanted me to have it” “they... just... like... you...??” “yeah” “so you actually ARE a non-bender Brother??” “oh yeah definitely I was, but not anymore :)” “so you ARE the avatar” 

- [twenty minutes later] “I just went into the avatar state and they just told me i’m not it” “...this happened while you were in the avatar state though???” *shrugs* “eh” “don’t SHRUG this off is there an actual avatar out there or no???” “maybe the real avatar was the friends we made along the way” “shouldn’t we go find them???” *cue everyone setting out on another grand quest to find the ~actual~ Avatar*

[thethiefandtheairbender]

i'm going to shamelessly say that i've read all your metas and i was wondering what you thought about aang being able to unlock the avatar state in the end with his fight with ozai & if you think it's a cop out in the sense that lots of people make that an argument for why katara/aang shouldn't have ended up together bc the reason he had to give katara up in the crossroads of destiny in order to unlock his chakra was bc his feelings for her were unrequited? (1/2)

(2/2) do you think they made that the case in the crossroads of destiny to let katara have a new love interest (zuko) bc she didn't feel the same way for aang, and aang was supposed to really let go of katara in the end in order to unlock the avatar state, or do you think him unlocking it the way he did and not giving up katara was all intentional? (sorry this is so long & might not make sense)

i’m gonna work a bit backwards and address the arguably second part of your question first, and then talk about my main point because it’s something i’ve wanted to talk about regarding aang for a while now. 

so, first: in the way canon was constructed with its pacing and development, zuko being katara’s love interest is laughable. not only are seeds of maiko sown in early s2 but katara makes her interest in aang clear from the very first episode, in my opinion. like, in jet, katara falls for a heroic leader boy, and moments before that was insisting that aang was the leader of their own group. aang is her first friend her age and the first ever bender she ever meets. they can relate to one another’s loss of culture and the loss of a parent. if canon had been constructed differently, and every opportunity to reaffirm kataang (ie. tui and la are ocean and moon - the sky - like. come on) hadn’t been used, then maybe it could have gone differently. but toph was also supposed to be a boy and so was azula and katara’s name got changed, etc. basically: by the time canon shaped up to be what it was, ZK, if it was ever considered, was clearly off the table. 

it is also a common misconception that aang didn’t let katara go in “the crossroads of destiny” even though he did. that’s why he entered the avatar state in the first place and azula was able to kill him in it. he let her go. she did not halt that development. full stop. 

but as for aang, katara, and the avatar state in a deeper look... 

Let’s talk about Aang and the Avatar state. As we learn in 2x01, it is a defense mechanism, putting the Avatar at their most vulnerable and their most powerful. It is induced either by spiritual communion (with Roku, Kyoshi, or the ocean spirit) or by trauma until the Avatar can learn to control it and enter it at will.

The very first time we see Aang he is in the Avatar state, and by breaking him out of the iceberg, Katara frees him from it. Then, when he falls in the water near the end of the next episode, it is Katara crying his name that activates the Avatar state. This is reflected even in the episode titles. In 1x01 by bringing Aang out of it, Katara finds “The boy in the iceberg”; in 1x02 my causing Aang to go into it, “the Avatar returns.” 

Then, at the Southern Air Temple, the avatar state is initiated by immense trauma, grief, and pain. Not only are Aang’s people dead but his father figure is too. Katara, like I said, can relate to both sides of this loss, although arguably less, as more of her people (nonbenders that is) are alive. 

Katara is able to bring him out of it - “You still have a family! Sokka and I, we’re your family now!” - but that was already established, imo, with this exchange in the pilot: 

Aang: A hundred years! I can't believe it. Katara: I'm sorry, Aang. Maybe somehow there's a bright side to all this ... Aang: I did get to meet you.

Already, this girl means this much to him (and Katara more than returns it with her “Fine! Then I’m banished too!” we stan a ride or die best friendship) and Katara smiles. Aang has been through immense trauma and loss, but Katara is the bright side, the silver lining, to it all and he quickly knows it.

We see this time and time again. Thinking Katara was dead (and that, in Aang’s eyes, it was his fault) activates the same traumatic trigger response in 2x01. When he loses Appa, Aang by and large loses himself until it reaches a boiling point until Katara, the only one who’s confident he won’t hurt her (and she’s right), mourns with him and brings him out of it, because: “For the people who love you, watching you be in that much rage and pain is really scary.”

When Aang sees his grief out before him, the love his people had for him has been transformed into the love he has for Katara. Again, we’ve seen this earlier in the show. She’s become his best friend, his teacher, his family, and the girl he loves.

Aang: I thought I was trying to be strong. But really I was just running away from my feelings. Seeing this family together, so full of happiness and love, it's reminded me how I feel about Appa... and how I feel about you. [Katara sheds some tears. Aang and Katara embrace, Katara's eyes still watering.]

But love is a form of energy, and it swirls all around us. The Air Nomads' love for you has not left this world. It is still inside of your heart, and is reborn in the form of new love. [The smoke in front of Aang forms a face and shows the first thing he saw upon waking up from his iceberg: Katara. Back in the real world, Aang is starting to cry tears of joy.]

So Aang, understandably, is hesitant about “letting go” of his strongest earthly attachment. This is not the first time she’s impeded his growth as the Avatar, either. Aang refuses to firebend after he accidentally hurts her and he risks his waterbending training for her. Katara is also his biggest asset as the Avatar, giving him hope the same way he gave her, and helping him along his waterbending/earthbending journey as much as he helped her with waterbending and believing in her. 

I’d just like to take a moment and say that while Katara is Aang’s biggest source of comfort, she is not a crutch. He is very aware that she’s flawed. He’s independent and open with other people in his life. He comforts her as well, like after Jet’s death or when she needs a hug at the end of the season one finale. He takes responsibility for his own actions, to the extent that he shuts down in “The Serpent’s Pass” treating his emotions as collateral damage. But when he comes out of it, he acknowledges his own faults and treats Katara with respect, love, and gratitude. 

However, Aang does decide to let her go in order to access the Avatar State in “The Guru”.... at first. There’s little doubt in my mind that, although incredibly difficult, he would have gone through with opening the final chakra if it hadn’t been shown that Katara was in danger. Learning how to master the Avatar state was important to him. We know from Aang’s own fears regarding the Avatar state (“It was scary. I was scary” and “I hurt all of those people”) that not only is the Avatar state often activated through pain/fear/grief/trauma but that being in the state itself is a source of trauma for him. He is scared about losing control of himself. He is scared of hurting people. 

So seeing Katara seemingly in danger and/or hurt is understandably enough to make him choose her - for the time being. Then, when Aang sees her directly in danger in front of his eyes in the crystal catacombs, he realizes that in order for them to win this, he has to let her go. So he does and enters the Avatar State.

This is important for a number of reasons: 1) Aang has let her go and ascended, which means that 2) he’s done the emotional and spiritual work to get there, ergo 3) Aang is in many ways a fully realized Avatar by the end of season two. If Azula hadn’t shot him in the back with lightning, he would have been able to go in and out of the Avatar state at will all throughout season three and have full command of himself while he was there. But because she does, that pathway is physically blocked.

So Aang having it physically unblocked also makes sense; he’d already conquered it spiritually and emotionally in so many ways. He’d already done the work. However, Aang being forced into the Avatar State in Sozin’s Comet provides a dual purpose. Like I said before, over half of Aang’s experiences in the Avatar state were due to trauma. Previously, Katara was the one who could pull him out of those trauma induced states.

This time, however, when Aang is forced through fear of his own survival and the world’s into a trauma induced Avatar state, he pulls himself out of it. 

This time, for the first time, when Aang is pushed into the Avatar by his breaking point, he is able to overcome it on his own because he has mastered himself. That’s why him being forced into the Avatar state is important in the finale, that’s why him still having control over himself is crucial. He is more than his trauma and pain as the last airbender. He is more than just the Avatar, following through on a violent destiny that he did not choose. He is able to overcome the manifestation of his trauma, in both its trigger and its consequence. He let go of his attachment to Katara a season ago, but he refused to fully lose himself after sacrificing so many other pieces, and as a result, proves his spirit is unbendable. 

So then, when he enters the Avatar State for the last time in the show, it is the first time he willingly enters and willingly leaves it. And he uses the same element that he first bent in it: water, this time to heal. Just like he has.

[yukippe]

wonder what she thinks of me

for @yuekiweek ​ day 3: reunions | word count: 2.3k | read on ao3

“you need to buy your books suki!!” sokka lectures through the phone. last year suki didn’t buy the books for any of her classes and she was fine. she isn’t actually planning on buying books this year either, except now sokka’s roped her into coming to his book club and she can’t lie and say she doesn’t like to watch sokka rant about something dumb while enjoying the baked goods that sokka will have convinced his gran gran and his parents to make for them.

unfortunatley, this means suki has to brave the bookstore during some fancy author signing to try to buy the book sokka’s demanded everyone read for next week. he’s still talking through the phone, though suki’s mostly tuned him out. she’s normally much better at listening to sokka’s rants, but the bookstore is packed with awkward high school students and suki would rather not, at the moment. she slips around a table of overpriced waterbottles and planners and weaves past a random grandpiano over to one of the computers with the bookstore directory. “sokka,” suki asks as she almost trips over a four year old holding a picture book. “why did you have to send me to this bookstore at this time?”

there’s a huff on the other end of the line and suki sighs deeply, “suki, please you should be thankful! they’re running a special discount if you buy a tote bag to go with the book this weekend!!” well. okay, maybe suki collects tote bags and sokka is probably being a good friend. but suki hasn’t been to this store before, having not bothered with buying her textbooks last year and getting anything for fun as an ebook. but sokka believes in the experience of a physical copy or whatever, so tote bags and author signings it is. 

suki puts her phone between her shoulder and ear as she sets her fingers onto the keyboard of the computer directory, “hey, what’s the name of the book again?”

“have you listened to anything i’ve ever said to you?” sokka asks her. suki can picture him in their apartment at his desk, doing something fancy with math as he coaches her through a bookstore, pinching the bridge of his nose out of frustration. suki doesn’t actually need him to tell her the name of the book, she just likes to rile him up sometimes. she types in the title. suki thanks him for his help, asks him if hes found his glasses yet (the same glasses she hid before she left) and hangs up with a smirk.

adaptation by malinda lo. there, young adult section. it’s supposedly sci fi thriller and sokka, though he lacks taste in most things, has always had solid book taste. suki looks around for the sign to section she needs and spots it, tucked behind a tech display and next to the little cafe. suki walks over, eager to grab her book and get out of the shop. she walks through the shelves searching for the author’s with the last name l. malinda lo. there, suki reaches out to pluck the book of the shelf, when the back of her hand brushes against someone else. 

suki steps back, book in hand, to look at the girl next to her. she has brown hair in a pretty updo and really cute heart shaped beaded earrings. she looks familiar, but suki isn’t sure where she recognizes her from. 

“hi,” the other girl says, her voice sounds like a princess. all bells and whistling wind. 

“uh,” suki coughs, smiling crookedly and titling her head. “hi!” 

the other girl giggles at her, but her smile is warm and suki finds herself settling. “i’m yue - so adaptation? what made you interested in it?”

“oh, my friend is hosting a book club and this is this months pick,” suki tells her. maybe she should have done a little more research on the book before she’d shown up. she hadn’t really pictured a bookstore as the spot to meet a cute girl. 

“oh!” yue says, surprised. “i have the same one assigned for my book club. do you want to grab something to drink and let me tell you about it?”

“sure,” suki says, her smile growing even wider. “that sounds great” 

yue winks at her as she grabs the same book of the shelf, “perfect, there’s this bubble tea place a block a way i want to show you.” yue turns on her heel, her hair falling onto her back as yue bounces in her steps. suki checks to make sure her flannel is neat and her docs are tied before hurrying after yue. 

the two of them wait in line one behind the other at the register and yue flips through the display before the register of pins and pens and bookmarks. a rainbow lion turtle eraser set catches suki’s eye and she lifts it up to her face to look at it closer. it’s the type of thing aang would like, so suki puts it on top of her book when she gets to the register. after she picks out the simplest canvas tote bad (most of them have obnoxious book puns katara would make fun of her for months about) and pays, suki finds yue waiting by the door peeling a sticker off of a sticker sheet suki remembers seeing on the display. 

“so,’ yue asks. “where do you want your sticker?”

suki blinks, “what?”

yue waves the - oh it’s a hello kitty sticker with fairy wings. suki blinks at it, “um. cute?” she gets a smile for her efforts and then yue leans in and grabs her wrist, turning suki’s hand around and carefully placing the sticker onto the back of suki’s right hand. 

“so,” yue says, after failing once more to steal a drink of suki’s boba. her mouth is screwed up in a light pout, but it feels teasing. “do you go to ba sing se u?”

only a little while later, they are wandering to nowhere in particular, still holding hands. yue keeps trying to steal a sip of suki’s drink even though when suki ordered yue had made a face at the idea of coffee boba. yue’s own drink is sweet like her. strawberry, reportedly to match yue’s nails which are done up in a neat mimic of the fruit. 

suki nods, squeezing yue’s hand and lifting her drink over her head, too high up for yue to reach, though that doesn’t stop yue from playfully batting at it. neither of them caring about what passerby might think as they wobble on the sidewalk smiling at each other full of silliness. “yeah, i’m majoring in gender and women's studies with a minor in literature and art.”

yue lights up, the way she’s done every time suki’s shared a fact with her. suki’s face feels flushed, yue makes her feel like she’s on her first date ever. “oh wow!” yue says. “i’m majoring in four nations politics with a minor in theology and spiritual studies but i would love to see what your classes must be like. i think i could be a student forever, you know?”

and then yue doesn’t let go of suki’s wrist. instead, she links their fingers together and suki watches their hands held together hang between them. she looks up and smiles at yue, stupidly happy for a moment. and really, suki doesn’t even know for sure if yue is into girls even if yue does seem to be flagging. for now, suki just lets yue tug her down the street as her phone buzzes in her new tote bag with texts from sokka she’ll ignore for now. 

“hm, not really, i think one degree is enough for me. but academics are cute,” suki says, watching as yue swings their hands back and forth as they walk. they’re both absolutely terrible at walking together, suki’s noticed. they can’t seem to walk in a straight line and suki’s almost fallen off the sidewalk twice already. it’s nice. suki’s finding that yue makes her comfortable everywhere. 

“oh?” yue asks, her eyes twinkling. “does that mean you think i’m cute, suki?”

“hmmm,” suki teases out, a trace of laughter in her voice as yue finally manages to dart forward to steal her drink, finally realizing her success would be increased if she let go of suki’s hand. suki doesn’t even mind that much, wow. “well,” suki settles, after a moment of false consideration. “yeah, i think you’re pretty cute.”

yue winks at her, the same way she did in the bookstore, and takes a sip of suki’s bubble tea. then she makes a completely disgusted expression shoving suki’s drink back at her. “suki! that’s so gross, tui and la, how do you drink that?” 

suki can’t help the laugh that spills out of her as yue sticks her tongue out and crosses her eyes, making a fuss that shouldn’t be as sweet as it is. well, suki’s always been a sucker for clowns. suki reaches out and links their hands back together and they both sip at their drink as they seem to stop together at the bus.

they make shy eye contact as a bus comes up to the stop. “so,” yue says. “i’ve got to go, i’m meeting up with a friend. but this was really fun, right?”

suki smiles, “yeah, it was really fun.”

“that’s great! i really liked talking with you!” yue informs her. then, yue leans forward and kisses suki’s cheek before turning around, and her earrings sparkle in the sunlight as she jumps onto the bus right before the bus doors close and it pulls away with the rest of the flow of traffic. suki blinks and watches it go, still feeling the soft touch of yue’s lips on her cheek.

when suki pulls her phone out of her bag to video call sokka he immediately points out the lipstick mark on her cheek and she resolves not to give him any details, no matter how much he pesters her 

-

two weeks later, after bemoaning to ty lee about how she was dumb and completley forgot to ask the cute girl she met at the book store for her number, she sees yue again. at sokka’s book club.

the members of the secret book club hadn’t been a surprise for the most part, consisting of sokka (obviously), aang (one of sokka’s only friends who wasn’t a gay girl), azula, mai, ty lee and suki (the gay girls sokka was friends with). sokka’s parents, hakoda, kya and bato, had baked with sokka all last night and prepared a whole table full of snacks that sokka had made her haul over to their apartment. suki thinks it’s a ridiculous amount of food for their handful of friends, and then she and sokka ate a good section of it before their friends even show up.

mai, sokka and azula are arguing over the finer points of the book already even though the meeting has yet to officially start. sokka and azula, to be fair, have actual opinions that they are fiercly defending from their spots on the floor as mai causes problems on purpose on the couch she and ty lee stole as soon as they stepped through the front door. 

there was only one person that had yet to arrive, and apparently only aang had met her before. azula had raised an eyebrow at the pronoun and asked sokka if he’d made friends with another gay girl. the answer had been yes, and suki who was looking for another chance at talking to a cute gay girl after flopping earlier in the month and failing at getting yue’s number or social media or anything, was looking forward to meeting the newest cute gay girl sokka was friends with. 

sokka had impeccable taste in cute gay girls (besides azula). so really, maybe suki shouldn’t have been so surprised to answer the door when the bell rang to find yue holding a tray of pastries. 

yue stands out in the hallway with its broken light, looking as pretty as the moon in the sky. her face breaks into a smile at the sight of suki, and suki’s sure her expression matches. “suki?!” yue asks. “wow, small world huh?”

suki nods back, her cheeks starting to hurt with how big she was beaming. “so,” suki says. “do you think i could make up for last week and get your number?”

laughter comes from behind suki, and suki knows her friends are probably making fun of them right now, but she’s too interested in yue’s answer to pay any attention. 

yue rolls her eyes, but she doesn’t stop smiling, “of course suki, now do you want to help me bring these in so i can program it into your phone? no excuses not to call me this time.”

“don’t worry,” suki says as she takes the sweets from yue. “i’ll be sure to blow your phone up more than sokka when he’s trying to prove a point.”

she’s rewarded with another kiss to her cheek (and teasing from her friends at another lipstick stain) and yue’s number in her phone saved as yue🌙💖😘. 

yue, through suki’s phone, texts something to herself and suki leans over yue’s shoulder to see what it is. 

omg yue you’re so hot please go out with me <3

suki bumps yue’s shoulder as best as she can with her hands full and raises an eyebrow. “so, yue?” suki asks. “will you go out with me?”

yue giggles, her lipgloss sparkles and suki wonders what it tastes like, “of course, suki.” 

a few seconds later, suki has her question answered and can confidently report that yue’s lipgloss tastes like mango. 

suki passes the tray off to sokka, who was helpfully waiting right behind her with the tried familiar expression of accidentally setting up his exes. then, suki tugs yue into the loveseat, kicking out aang who had been sprawled across it.

book club is much more fun than suki was expecting, though almost all things are improved, suki finds, when she’s hanging out with her friends and eating sweets and practically sitting in the girl she likes lap while yue braids her hair and teases sokka with her. yue winks at her as aang and ty lee stop azula and sokka from getting into a fistfight with mai and sticks another hello kitty sticker onto her cheek. suki leans over and kisses the same spot on yue. fair is fair after all. 

[army-of-mai-lovers]

Flamey-O

fic request from @shrinkthisviolet: Aang-centric fic with the prompt “Rough day? Can I make it better?” 

(Lavi I love and appreciate you and I hope you’re okay with me using my Flamey-O Noodles hc as a springboard for this fic but if you’re not just say the word and I’ll write you something different) 

fic under the cut!

Aang was sulking in their room when Katara walked in. 

“Rough day?” she asked. Aang nodded, and she sat down beside him. “Can I make it better?” 

“Can you make ‘flameo hotman’ accepted modern Fire Nation slang?” Aang muttered. 

Katara frowned. “I’m sorry, what?” 

Aang pouted. “Okay, so Zuko invited me to go to that meeting with the Fire Nation council, right? Well, when I got there, I introduced myself and said ‘flameo, hotmen!’ And they all just stared at me like I’d grown a second head.”

Katara rubbed his shoulders. ���So you’re upset because ‘flameo, hotman’ isn’t catching on?” 

“It’s real Fire Nation slang!” Aang insisted. “Or at least it was, a hundred and twenty years ago. I don’t know why it fell out of fashion.” 

Katara shrugged. “It’s been a long time, Aang. Sometimes things die out.” 

Aang stared at her with wide eyes. “Do you think...” He took a deep breath. “Do you think maybe things that die out can come back?” 

Katara wasn’t entirely sure what the real question was, never mind what the actual right answer to it could be. But she nodded. “If it’s meant to come back, it will.” She squeezed his hand. “We thought the Avatar was gone forever, and then we found you.” 

Aang smiled and kissed her cheek. “Thank you, Katara. I love you.”

“I love you too,” she said, smiling back. 

___________________________________________________________________

That night, Aang lay awake, thinking about the past. This wasn’t an uncommon occurrence for him; the first few weeks traveling with Sokka and Katara, he’d barely slept, thinking about how everything and everyone he knew was gone, and he was alone in a world that didn’t understand him. But he wasn’t alone, and he never had been. Sokka and Katara had made sure of that, and then Suki, and then Toph, and Zuko. 

Zuko. 

Flameo. 

He remembered it clear as day. The monks had just told him that he was the Avatar, and they wanted him to train in etiquette so that he could meet with dignitaries from other nations. Aang didn’t really understand what more he needed to learn, considering he had friends from all over the world, but the monks had insisted. So there he was, reciting from an etiquette book while Monk Gyatso made a pot of Aang’s favorite noodles. 

“A popular informal greeting among Fire Nation citizens is ‘flameo, hotman.’“ Aang giggled. “That one’s good. I’ve got to use that on Kuzon next time I see him.” 

Monk Gyatso scooped up the noodles and vegetables and put half a hard-boiled egg on top of Aang’s plate, with the other half on top of his own. “I like that one too,” he said, handing Aang his noodles. “I had an old friend, when I was just about your age, who really enjoyed that greeting.” 

“Were they Fire Nation?” Aang asked, his mouth full of noodles and vegetables. 

“Eat slower, Aang. Savor your food. And yes, he was Fire Nation” Gyatso said, a little sadly. “He came to stay with us for a while, and we became great friends.” 

Aang shoveled more of Gyatso’s noodles in his mouth. Spirits, this is so good. “Gyatso,” Aang asked. “When we’re done with the lesson, can you teach me how to make noodles?” 

Gyatso laughed. “Not exactly the most necessary skill for a young Avatar.” 

“Well, what if the Earth King wants a good meal? I want to have something to make for him,” he said. “Come on, please? I’ll be good, I promise.” 

Gyatso looked at Aang fondly. “You already are good, Aang. You always have been.” He rubbed Aang’s head affectionately. “i think you know quite enough about how to talk to foreign dignitaries. Come on, let’s make some noodles.” 

So Gyatso took Aang through the steps of making the noodles: making a well in the flour to put the eggs and water in, mixing it with his hands, kneading them, rolling them out, slicing them. Gyatso cut up some more vegetables while Aang was slicing the noodles, and they put all the ingredients in a pot to boil for a couple minutes. When it was done, Gyatso gave them each second and third helpings. 

“Flameo, hotman,” Gyatso said slyly. 

Aang grinned. “Flameo.” 

Katara snored beside him, snapping him out of his memory. The moon hung high in the sky, and Aang could practically feel Yue scolding him, telling him it was long past time to go to bed. He turned on his side, trying to clear his mind. And then he turned again, and again. But nothing worked. 

Finally, he sat up. He wanted noodles. 

It had been over a century since that day, but Aang still remembered. His technique was a little clumsier than Gyatso’s had been, but it was a simple recipe nonetheless. He hummed as he chopped up his vegetables and sliced the dough into noodles, before tossing all of it in a pot and waiting for it to boil. 

As he set the pot over the fire, he saw Katara, groaning as she rubbed her eyes. “Aang, what are you doing?” 

He smiled at her. “I’m making noodles.”

She frowned at him. “In the middle of the night?” 

“I just--” He sighed. “I’m sorry for waking you up, but I, um.” He scratched the back of his neck. “I wanted noodles.” 

Katara rubbed at her eyes, and smiled blearily at him. “Can I have some?”

So Aang pulled out two bowls, one for him, and one for Katara, and scooped some noodles and vegetables into both of their bowls. He sliced a hard-boiled egg in half, putting one half in his noodles, the other half in Katara’s, and set the bowl in front of her. 

She raised an eyebrow. “All right, let’s see if these middle of the night noodles are any good.” 

She gingerly ate a little bit, and her eyes went wide. “Tui and La,” she breathed. 

“What?” Aang asked. “Do you like them?” 

“Do I like them? Do I like them?!?!? Aang, this is almost as good as Bato’s sea prunes.” 

Aang raised his eyebrows. “Oh, that’s... that’s great!” 

Katara kicked him lightly under the table. “They’re really, really good Aang. You know,” she said, stuffing more noodles in her mouth, “If you ever get sick of the whole Avatar thing, you could be a really great chef.” 

“Thanks, Katara,” he said. “I can make them for you again. Any time you want.” 

Katara nodded vigorously. “You’d better.” 

_____________________________________________________________________

He ended up making them quite a lot, actually. A few weeks after middle of the night noodles, Katara found out that she was pregnant, and there was many a night where she poked at his side and mumbled, “Noodles?” His technique improved every time he made them, and he loved watching her face light up every time he made them for her. 

Bumi was born, and for a while he was too wrapped up in figuring out how to be a good dad to think about the noodles. But he thought of Gyatso, often. Wondering what he would think of Bumi, of Katara, of the life that he’d made for himself. Of how he’d handled being the Avatar. Of how he’d survived the unsurvivable, and held onto the memory of the Air Nomads while he did so. 

When Bumi turned a year old, Katara decided they should invite everybody over for dinner to celebrate. “You can make those noodles!” she suggested excitedly. 

Aang laughed. “I would think you were sick of those.” 

“Oh, I am,” she said. “Just a little bit. But everybody else hasn’t tried them, and it is so hard trying to figure out something that Zuko and Suki will both like. But I don’t see how either of them could not like the noodles.” 

Aang agreed, and so he served the noodles to all of his friends, to their absolute delight. “You really can cook, Twinkle Toes,” Toph said, whistling. 

“This is amazing, Aang,” Suki said. “Almost as good as sea prunes.”

“This is way better than sea prunes,” Zuko said, holding out his bowl. “Can I have some more?” 

Somehow, every time Aang and Katara went to go see Suki and Sokka, or to the Fire Nation to see Zuko, or to the Earth Kingdom to visit Toph’s metalbending academy, they always managed to bring up the noodles. “You should have brought some,” Toph grumbled. “Could really go for some Twinkle Toes noodles right now.” 

“I wouldn’t call them ‘Twinkle Toes’ noodles,” Aang scoffed. 

Toph raised an eyebrow. “Really? Then what would you call them?” 

And before Aang could even think about it, he said, “Flamey-O. Flamey-O Noodles.” 

Toph burst out laughing. “You’re really never going to let that go, are you, Twinkle Toes?” 

Aang shook his head. “Nope. I’m bringing it back.” 

“Well, you know, if you ever wanted to turn ‘Flamey-O Noodles’ into something real, one of my students’ moms is in the restaurant business.” 

Aang stared at her. “You mean you want me to make this into... a business? I don’t have time for that.” 

Toph shrugged. “All right. Just something to consider.” She smirked. “You know, if the name Flamey-O was plastered all over Ba Sing Se, saying ‘flameo, hotman’ might come back into style. And not even just in the Fire Nation, either. All over the world.” 

Aang’s eyes glinted mischievously. “What did you say your student’s mom’s name was?” 

____________________________________________________________________

“I must say, it’s not every day the Avatar is approaching me for a business venture. I’m quite honored to be in your presence, your grace.”

“It’s nice to meet you too! You can just call me Aang, though. In fact, I’d prefer it.” 

Bao was a short, stout woman, probably twice Aang’s age (without considering the time he spent in the iceberg.) She had a warm presence that he liked immediately, although she did seem to be making a lot of the whole “Avatar” thing. 

“Spirits, I’m on first name basis with the Avatar,” she breathed in awe. “Come, come, sit, please, tell me how I can serve you best, your-- Avatar Aang.” 

“Just Aang,” he said quickly. “And I’m more interested in serving you... some of my noodles!” He set a bowl in front of her. “They’re not fresh, sorry, but I think they’re still really good.” 

She frowned. “Noodles? Av-- Aang, don’t you have Air Acolytes waiting on you hand and foot? Why would you make your own noodles?” 

He laughed nervously, scratching the back of his neck. “No, they don’t wait on me hand and foot, although I’m sure if I gave them the opportunity they’d jump at it. But, um. Well, I learned how to make these noodles from the monks, and my wife and my friends seem to really like them, and my friend Toph knew you from the metalbending academy, and she said that you could get these noodles out to a lot of people. So I wanted you to try them, and maybe we can talk about going into business together?” 

Bao stared at him. “You do realize that what you’re proposing is absolutely preposterous, right?” 

Aang’s eyes widened. “But you haven’t even tried them!” 

“It’s not about the noodles, Ava-- Aang. Aang. Look, I am absolutely wonderful at the food business, but I had certain values instilled in me from when I was a child, and one of those values was absolute and total reverence for the Avatar.” 

“But can’t you just try them?” 

“The Avatar is supposed to bring balance to the world, manage international conflicts, mentor all of us in the values of wisdom and serenity, and you want me to eat your noodles?”

She stared at him expectantly, and Aang shifted in his seat. “Well. Yes.” 

Bao narrowed her eyes at him, and looked down at the bowl. “All right, then. If that’s what you wish, Avatar.” 

“Just Aang is fine.” 

She ignored him and stuck her chopsticks into the noodles, chewing very slowly. Savor your food. There was no expression on her face as she kept chewing, just a furrowing of her brow. 

“Have you made this dish often, Aang?” she asked. 

He nodded. “I made it a lot while my wife was pregnant, and then my friends kept asking for some, and--”

“Stop,” she said. She took another bite and continued chewing. “If I were to go into business with you, you would want to call the company what?”

“Um, Flamey-O Noodles, ma’am.” Her expressionless chewing had suddenly made him feel very small. 

“Well, it’s certainly distinctive,” she mumbled. “Though I don’t know how well it would go over with people in the Fire Nation.” 

“Are you--are you saying you’ll go into business with me?” 

“Aang, those noodles are quite simply the best I’ve ever eaten,” Bao said matter-of-factly. “And I’m not saying that because you’re the Avatar. In fact, I would say that even if you were a toad-pigeon. And I hate toad-pigeons.” She smiled, finally, and Aang let out a breath he didn’t even know he was holding. “I would be absolutely delighted to help you in creating Flamey-O Noodles.” 

He got up from his seat and wrapped her in a hug. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” 

“Avatar Aang, this is rather improper,” she said, but it was somewhat muffled by his chest. When they pulled apart, she shook her head at him. “In business, we shake hands.” 

“Right.” He took her hand and shook it. “I promise, you won’t regret it!” 

“I imagine I won’t,” she said. “Now, let’s talk packaging....” 

___________________________________________________________________

Zuko and Mai were on their evening walk through the city, disguised so that no one would recognize them as Firelord and Lady. As they moved towards downtown Caldera City, they stopped in front of a large poster with the words “Flamey-O Noodles!” in bright neon yellow, beside Aang’s smiling face. 

As somebody passed by them, they raised their hand in greeting. “Flameo, hotman!” 

“What? What are they talking about?” Mai asked. 

Zuko groaned. “I hate him.” 

[koiotic]

The Fire Nation becomes a democracy (maybe the real political restructuring was the friends we made along the way)

I have no impulse control so I wrote a thing based on my own post 

Tagging @dreyri-infinity-aldranaris because they commented on my original post and it gave me two years of serotonin 

———

“The war’s over.”

Katara blinked. “What?”

“War’s over,” Sokka repeated blankly.

“What?” Her voice cracked a little, but he just held up the piece of paper in his hand, looking a little dazed.

“People were yelling about it when I went to buy food. Apparently someone beat us to taking down Ozai.”

“Who?” Aang cut in before she could ask, disbelief clear on his face.

Sokka took a deep breath, then reread the paper in his hands like he needed to double check. “Zuko.”

Katara laughed, and she was aware it sounded a little unhinged. “No way.”

With a small shrug, he passed her the paper. ‘Firelord Ozai was removed from power by his son, the banished crown prince Zuko. The new Firelord ordered the removal of Fire Nation troops from all foreign territories and has started peace negotiations. There have been discussions of a large scale change to the Fire Nation’s governance.”

“This... This is... What?”

“This...” Aang hesitated, then glanced up almost hopefully. “This is good? I think?”

“So what do we do?” Katara asked.

“We could go talk to him?” Aang suggested, far too optimistically for her taste.

“Aang, he hunted us! This could be a trap!”

“But what if it isn’t?”

“Either way,” Sokka cut in, “I want to know what in La’s name is happening.”

•••

“We’re making it a democracy,” Zuko said for what felt like the millionth time. The advisors were still staring at him like he had two heads.

“But- but your majesty, we can’t ju- just do that!”

“Why?”

There was more spluttering, but no one seemed to have an answer. One of the advisors buried his head in his hands.

“Well, if no one has any more objections, that’s sorted then.”

•••

Sokka was honestly still expecting this to be a huge joke and/or trap, but no one started shooting fire when they landed in one of the gardens. The gardens of the Fire Nation royal palace. In the Fire Nation. Which was inhabited by firebenders.

But no fire yet, so that was at least a plus.

There was a very high-pitched “hi!” and then a blur of pink was cartwheeling towards them, followed much more slowly by a girl in black, who seemed far less enthused to see them.

“You must be the avatar, the waterbender and the asshole with a boomerang,” the girl in black said, a tiny trace of a smirk on her lips.

“The asshole with a boomerang?” Sokka asked, half offended half amused.

“Nice to meet you!” The pink blur announced, stopping in front of Appa. She was a girl, looking around the same age as the other, but radiating excitement and enthusiasm like her life depended on it. “I’m Ty Lee, and this is Mai!”

She slung an arm around Mai’s shoulder ignoring the other’s glower.

“Hi,” Katara said, a little faintly. “Uh, Katara, Sokka and Aang. We came to talk to Zuko. Sorry, who are you?”

“The royal guards,” Mai deadpanned.

“Cool,” Aang said after a beat. “Um, is Zuko here?”

Ty Lee shook her head, braid swinging around wildly. “He’s in a meeting right now, but you could come have tea with us while you wait!”

“What she means,” Mai drawled, “is that she wants you to get off the bison so she can pet it.”

———

As it turned out, there didn’t appear to be a trap. Ty Lee seemed way too enamoured with Appa to attack them, and Mai didn’t seem inclined to do much at all. The two girls led them to a table in an alcove and even sipped their tea own tea first; Sokka was fairly sure that meant it wasn’t poisoned. If it was, that was some serious dedication to killing them.

“Would you like some coffee?” Ty Lee asked.

“What’s coffee?”

“No idea, but Zuko’s been drinking it and he hasn’t slept in two days. It’s pretty good!”

“No thanks,” Sokka said quickly, before Aang could respond. He was hyperactive enough on good old fashioned sugar in his tea.

“So...” Katara said after an awkward pause. “Zuko’s the Fire Lord now.”

“Yep!” Ty Lee said brightly.

“Okay. Right. Cool. But... how? And why?” Sokka possibly sounded a little frenzied, but that wasn’t the issue right now.

“I believe,” Mai said evenly, “his exact words were ‘fuck it, I’m ending the war’.”

Aang blinked. “So he... just did that?”

“I thought you of all people would know that Zuko never gives up.” Mai shrugged. “When we were kids, I asked him for a knife and he spent three weeks making one from scratch.”

Ty Lee giggled. “We still haven’t told him she just wanted him to pass her a knife at dinner.”

Sokka was having a hard time reconciling the image of Angry Jerk Zuko with the absolute dork being described to him.

“You grew up with him?” He asked, mostly to have something else to think about. And also for the possibility of blackmail worthy information.

“We were best friends!” Ty Lee chirped.

“-with his sister,” Mai finished dryly. “Actually, you’re probably lucky she’s out at the moment.”

“Is she worse than him?” Katara asked, then seemed to remember she probably shouldn’t be insulting the new Fire Lord in the Fire Palace of the Fire Nation. Did Sokka mention the fire?

Ty Lee laughed again. “Azula’s great, as long as you don’t do, say or be anything that annoys her. Like talking to her too much. Or breathing too loud. Or standing too close to her. Or not telling her that she’s the best, smartest, most amazing person ever enough.”

“She’s a bitch,” Mai said blankly. “I like her so much.”

Was everyone in the Fire Nation insane? Was Zuko actually the most normal Fire Nation person they knew?

“She sounds nice,” Aang said, a little awkwardly.

“She is!” Ty Lee agreed. “She only threatened to kill me once today! That’s a record!”

He caught Katara’s eye across the table, and tried to silently communicate ‘what the actual fuck is happening?’. She sent back a helpless shrug.

Sokka had never been happier to see Zuko.

The new Fire Lord appeared a moment later, and Sokka almost didn’t recognise him. Thank the spririts, the ponytail was gone. Well, not really, but there was more hair around it. Looking at it no longer made Sokka want to pin him down and fix that spirits forsaken hairstyle. He was wearing what was probably Fire Nation royal clothing, but it looked like it had been at least a two days since he last slept.

“It’s a democracy now,” he said, and then seemed to process the three new people in front of him. “Oh, fuck.”

Aang gave a little wave.

“Uh, I’m really sorry? For hunting you and all that?” Zuko looked like he was expecting someone to kill him, and wasn’t strongly opposed to the idea.

“What do you mean it’s a democracy?” Sokka cut in, as the last few seconds started being processed in his brain.

“Oh,” Zuko blinked. “The Fire Nation. I made it a democracy.”

“Wait, you can do that?” Katara asked.

Zuko gave a small shrug. “Well there’s nothing to say I can’t.”

Sokka considered himself to be very eloquent. He was a smart guy, a hobbyist in poetry, and generally great with words. “Dude, what the fuck?”

“Do you have a problem with democracy?” For a second, Angry Jerk Zuko was back.

“No!” Sokka almost yelled. “Democracy is great, but what the fuck is happening?”

“I... made the Fire Nation a democracy?”

“No. We gathered that much. How in La’s name are you even the Fire Lord?”

“I’m not the Fire Lord,” Zuko said slowly. “I’m the head of a democratic government.”

Sokka briefly considered screaming, then shelved that thought for a later date.

“How did you become leader of a democratic government?”

“Oh, I fought my dad.”

His head was starting to hurt. He had a feeling that wouldn’t be going away any time soon.

“Why did you just switch sides? You were yelling at us about honour like, last week.”

“Well I kind of realised that hunting the avatar was kind of stupid, and that I may have been misinterpreting the message my dad was trying to send.”

“Which was?”

“Well, he said ‘you’re banished until you find the avatar’ but apparently that means ‘I’m hoping you die on this suicide mission and I never see you again so I can make your sister crown princess’.”

And that... that was a lot to process. There was a beat of silence, then Aang chimed in. “Are you currently in the market for a friend?”

“A what?”

If Sokka had known all it took was a hug from a tiny airbender to render Zuko completely nonfunctional, the past few months could have been a lot easier. Aang practically vaulted over the table and caught Zuko in a hug, and the firebender looked rapidly between him and the others with a look of abject confusion.

“Great,” Mai sighed, “you broke him.”

Ty Lee perked up almost immediately. “Are we allowed to hug Zuko now?”

“No!” Zuko managed to get out, a little strangled.

“I’m your dad now,” Aang declared, clinging on staunchly even when Zuko tried to shake him off.

“No one is my dad!”

“Then I’ll be your grandad!”

“My grandfather also tried to kill me!”

“I’ll be your great grandfather!”

“That was Sozin!”

“Your other great grandfather-“

“Please let go of me.”

“Respect your elders, young man!”

“You’re, like, ten!”

Sokka glanced over to Katara again, but to his horror, he recognised the look on her face. “Katara, no-“

“Katara, yes-“

“Please, don’t-“

“We’re-“

“No, we’re not!”

“We’re keeping him, Sokka.”