#not that aang swears internally

[yourhighness6]

Saw a shitpost about how the steambabies would be airbenders because of the elements mixing and all I could think was that it was the ultimate ex's revenge

[bunthebreadboy]

i saw a fanart on pinterest when i decided to change my entire phone theme and i can’t get it out of my head.

the art was just after the zuko and ozai agni kai. zuko was knocked out, iroh was getting ready to take him and leave, and azula just came in and said “i took care of it”. if anyone knows what i’m talking about and has it saved or knows the og artist pls lmk!!

anyways. it got me thinking about an expansion of this au (that i will never write because i have neither the patience nor the time to do that) that (unsurprisingly) results in disasterlesbian!azula

so hear me out on this one. there would need to be an entire plot. like. what’s aang going to do??

azula killed ozai by electrocuting him. it’s the first time she discovers her lightning bending. it looks like he had a heart attack in his sleep. (don’t get too wrapped up in the details. azula’s a prodigy she can be overpowered for a bit)

why did she kill her dad? she’ll swear up and down that it was because “he really should have picked on someone with a better fighting ability than zuzu. honestly, it’s stupid he didn’t lose his honor after frying my pathetic firebender of a brother to a crisp.” it’s actually because she kind of sort of loves zuko. she will NEVER admit that.

iroh becomes fire lord, albeit a bit reluctantly. he spends the next three years attempting to end the war, stop the spread of propaganda in the fire nation, and deal with his niece and nephew bickering all the time.

so aang comes out of the iceberg. meets katara and sokka. katara convinces him to take her to the north pole because he’s the avatar, he still should probably master all four elements war or not. all of the traveling is the same (except zuko chasing them) until they get to omashu and king bumi is like “what’s up my dude, welcome back. we’re recovering from a war, so you should probably learn politics and how to not offend anyone while you master the elements!!”

(“there was a WAR?!?!!!” -aang, probably)

so now aang does a deep dive into all of the nation’s politics while also training. katara doesn’t really attend his meetings, but sokka’s a total nerd and is sat for every single one. first is waterbending at the north pole. insert canon things but add in a meeting with arnook.

this is where we introduce the REAL enemy, because the enemy can’t be the gaang attempting to learn international law at 12, 14, and 15 years old. during the full moon someone assassinates the moon spirit! (sorry yue, i love you but you still die in this au…)

so after mastering waterbending the gaang heads to the earth kingdom. they meet toph and she joins. they head to ba sing se, which, after trying to talk politics with the king, they realize is still completely unaware of the war. while in the earth kingdom, we get a name for the big bad. the dai li. after realizing that ba sing se is basically a military dictatorship, the gaang escapes and head to the fire nation.

that’s where zuko, azula, and iroh get reintroduced. aang and sokka consistently come back from meetings with the royals complaining about “oh my god, the princess is such a bitch. seriously, how is she allowed to help run this country??”

katara eventually goes with the boys to a meeting to get them to shut up. toph makes fun of her for being a people pleaser, but katara will do literally anything to get her brother and best friend to stop yapping about the same topic at her every. single. day.

azula (disaster lesbian) doesn’t say a single word throughout the entire meeting. sokka and aang walk out feeling like they were in the twilight zone. katara shows up to more and more meetings. why? definitely not cause the princess is sort of kind of somewhat cute intriguing.

insert azula’s gay awakening crisis here. she eventually starts talking at the meetings, but she’s only ever nice to katara lmao. katara does realize that azula’s an actual genius, though. she decides that the two of them could probably like, take over the entirety of ba sing se in a day if they tried hard enough. but of course that is purely hypothetical.

so one day a meeting gets interrupted by a literal dai li assassin trying to kill aang. he barely escapes the resulting fight.

so the dai li send more assassins. and even more assassins. until finally zuko gets fed up and is just like “alright i’m tired of dealing with these guys. can we please go kick their leader’s ass??”

that is how azula and zuko end up joining the gaang. and how azula can eventually lay siege over ba sing se (even if she reluctantly gives it back when katara tells her to).

—

other misc key points:

- azula and katara get together right before they fight with long feng. it happens cause katara notices that azula is nervous (nobody else would be able to tell) and so she’s like “zula. you’ve got this. we’ve got this” and kisses her lmao

- toph and azula are best friends, to katara’s obvious dismay

- the second azula calls zuko “zuzu” in front of sokka he immediately starts rolling on the floor and laughing. katara has to make sure his lungs are okay afterwards

- zuko: “im literally not gay??” sokka: “yeah, and toph can see”

- toph regularly comes back to wherever the gaang is staying with bags of money. she knows how to find every single illegal fighting ring in the world.

- this is a loooooong term plot. since there’s no reason to worry about the comet it can take place over many years. which also means that katara and azula literally pine for each other until they’re like 20 and everyone around them, especially (and surprisingly) aang, is like “oh my god make it stop”

[innocentimouto]

Positive ways to explore Jet

The Older Sibling

Him being very good with kids. Not to the point of shielding kids entirely from war because...war. Also him taking the role of the adult to the point he ignores a lot of his emotional needs and possible ways he could be wrong. Swearing to protect kids under his care at all costs.

Jet walking into a village and seeing some kids suffering and wanting to help, but if it would endanger the kids he already has with him, he won't risk it.

Jet actually falling for Katara and the Freedom Fighters noticing and wondering if he'll back out from the plan and Smellerbee getting angry and Jet promising that they always come first even though he likes Katara.

(I said positive, not healthy)

Not having faith in the Avatar

What's his view on Aang? Is he a kid to him, or does being the Avatar make him an exception?

For someone constantly painted as an extremist by the fandom, he's not interested in getting Appa to help them or in the fact that Aang's the Avatar. None of the kids are excited about it either. Book 1 had a lot of characters treat Aang differently just because he was the Avatar, whether positively or negatively.

Jet didn't care. There has to be many people who gave up hope on the Avatar. What did they go through? Did they lose hope or did their parents lose hope and so the novelty of the Avatar was never passed on to them?

Exploring that along with Aang's heavy weight of having to save the world and then learning some people gave up hope and the guilt he could internalize from that.

Also Aang bringing hope to people! Aang trying to get Jet to be a kid like he did to Katara. Aang's habit of having fun and bringing joy to others.

Fine with being a villain

I'm interested in the idea that Jet could recognize how bad it is to hurt innocent people and children but seeing no other way to save the kids and himself. Jet ignoring the wrongness of his actions until confronted again and again and then he snaps that it's war, who actually believes anyone isn't getting their hands dirty. War isn't a cute little hero story where you have the power and luxury to always do the right thing.

Jet never allowing himself to sit with his thoughts because then he'll look at the kids around him and then look at himself and then look at how much land his people lost and wonder if he will ever recognize himself again, wonder if it's gotten to a point that he can't remember who he was before the war destroyed his home.

Freedom Fighters not being manipulated

Tired of the gang take. He's 16. He's in the same boat as them. Develop the Freedom Fighters more and their relationship with Jet. Show their reasons for hating the Fire Nation. Jet thought Sokka would understand his actions. There's no way he then assumed the people he lived with wouldn't. The Freedom Fighters knew what they were doing.

Well knew to the point that Jet knew, which is to say traumatized children in war.

Give reasons for why these kids didn't choose to live in other villages. Trauma. Talk about the trauma. They weren't kids playing at being vigilantes under some brainwashing cult leader. They lived in trees, near a village that we still don't know if it was occupied or taken over. Trees. Imagine the winters. How many of them died from the elements? How dangerous was it to simply stay in a village instead?

Have the Freedom Fighters be morally gray too. The show could have used more of what could cause kids to ever do something so extreme something something tragedy of war something something judge the victims less than the perpetrators.

Fascination with waterbending or bending in general

Just sleeping on Hakoda adopting Jet. Or just Jet forming a relationship with any Water Tribe people. The Fire Nation tried to wipe out firebenders, and Katara survived against all odds. Even if we didn't have his quick thinking over how bending could work, out of pure spite he may just be interested in waterbending or airbending.

Maybe have him work with benders. Another contrast to Sokka who disliked bending in the beginning but could still find ways for it to be useful while Jet is fascinated by bending and also good at utilizing it.

Loss of culture

Contrast how much Katara strives to preserve and talk about her culture while Jet forgot everything. The idea is so foreign to him that he questions why it would even be important. Que Katara passionately talking about how it's their identity and a way they're connected to their people which inevitably leads to Jet understanding this is another thing the Fire Nation took from him, which he subconsciously always understood.

And then we have Jet, Katara, and Aang and conversations about importance of culture

Earth Kingdom Nonbenders (and Haru)

I've posted this before, but have Jet, Haru, Teo, Jin, Song and maybe some Freedom Fighters band together. Explore their different traumas and personalities. Will Jet take the leader role? How will Jet and Song feel being the only two without fathers?

Will Song's soft approach to everything rub Haru or Jet the wrong way? Does Jin remember the war or was she brainwashed? Will Teo hide how his father helped the army? Will anyone pick up on the fact that teasing Haru for his bending is triggering?

Having Jet in a group where he isn't the automatic leader seems like new territory and a good way to explore his character.

Also have Jet befriend and clash with people he's not directly responsible for.

[woodlaflababab]

Zukaang Moments In Episode One: The Boy In The Iceberg

(There's A Lot)

-<>-

"Head a course for the light." The first episode and it is already foreshadowed that Zuko needs Aang and that Aang is his pathway to true happiness and peace. It's a literal angelic light that calls to Zuko that can be seen for miles around.

What does that sound like? A lighthouse and Zuko is literally in a boat trying to find a way home. Aang casts a light that calls Zuko home and represents finally finding the shore, an end to the perilous journey at sea for the sailor lost in the night.

Like, symbolic much? Zuko could've been clued into the idea that that was the avatar by a whole slew of ways, but it is a literal becon of light, almost like Aang is less an enemy/something to catch and more a savior/home.

Also, Yin and Yang #1: Zuko knows exactly where he's going and what he's doing, Aang has no idea where he's going or what he's doing.

Zuko angstily staring in the direction of Aang, being unable to sleep.

Iroh going on abt how there's no way Zuko could find Aang bc his ancestors weren't able to. Well. You see Uncle Iroh. Zuko's ancestors weren't soulmates with the avatar.

Yin and Yang #2: Zuko is talking about how he needs his honor, you know, in order to go home and be the prince he's supposed to be. Immediately after we see Aang lying and dying he's the avatar. Zuko is chasing his destiny. Aang is running away from his destiny. (And continues to do so even after accepting his role as avatar bc his destiny is Zuko ;) )

One of their obvious Yin and Yangs but since the scene focuses on Aang's tattoos I'll say it here. Aang has blue markings he accepted willingly as a sign of mastery and honor, granted to him by people who raised him and love him. Zuko has a red marking he had no say in as a sign of 'weakness and dishonor', granted to him by someone who raised him and hates him. Yin and Yang #3

Yin and Yang #4: Zuko is stressed and training, Aang is carefree and having fun. Zuko is stressing out the people around him, Aang is bringing fun to the people around him.

Yin and Yang #5: Zuko is seen practicing firebending and still working on the basics and the only purpose to his learning is to fight. Meanwhile we see Aang, a literal master, use his bending as second nature and for anything BUT fighting.

Aang finds a scary fire nation ship and shows no fear, despite it's obvious danger, only a desire to reach in and find what's inside it. A unique approach to it. Which already foreshadows his relationship with Zuko (and technically the fire nation but shut up this is abt Zukaang), specifically the Blue Spirit, where he shows no fear of Zuko, who's proven dangerous, and only wants to understand him and be friends. Reach in and find what's inside him. A unique approach to Zuko.

Zuko is once again called to Aang by a light, and this time it's a flare, something sent up when someone needs rescue. And like the last light he followed, this one is also foreshadowing the future.

Where the first light shows how Aang is important/needed by Zuko, this one shows how Zuko is important/needed by Aang. It foreshadows how Aang needs help and Zuko is often called to his rescue. (both with the blue spirit and him joining them in book three, and also that fight with azula, as examples off the top of my head, oh also the freeing appa thing, there's a lot.) Zuko is Aang's hero. @the ember island players were right

"Quite agile for his old age." Not Zuko already praising Aang and being Extra Aware of everything Aang does and everything Aang can do.

Also, 'his'. The avatar could be male or female, the world doesn't actually know. And yes, we could attribute Zuko automatically saying 'his' as him assuming based on internal sexism OR we could say Zuko inherently knows due to his cosmic connection with Aang. >:) There is more on this later, I swear this isn't as much of a reach as it seems.

-<>-

Okay so, Basically, the reason I did this was bc I saw someone list out the moments in the series for their ship and I started thinking about the zukaang moments from the series but like. They're all over the place. The series is about Zukaang, so I thought it'd be fun to list out all the Zukaang moments from just the first episode. (Thematic ones and relationship ones.)

I'm about to do The Avatar Returns, but honestly, I could keep going. I'm heavily thinking about it. The first (two parter) episode is heavily Zukaang, but even the second one, though they don't interact at all, has Zukaang moments. I might go through each episode and point out over-analyzed zukaang. Idk.

If you don't want the zukaang tag flooded by this over the next however long it takes me, speak now or forever hold your peace.

Second Part

[s0sorry]

Avatar Shipping VENT/RANT (sorry to be that person)

I know this dead horse has been beaten to hell and back, BUT……I want to say my two cents about Kataang and why it’s so important to me (and why Zutara still gives me the icks to this day). When the show originally aired I was probably eight or nine so romance was the last thing on my mind. I gagged and closed my eyes at every kiss/romantic scene in the show, no bias, I hated every couple. I’m also ashamed to admit that by the third season I didn’t like Katara….like at all.

I didn’t like Katara because she was emotional and it seemed like she cried ALL. THE. TIME. And I behaved very similarly to Toph, I stomped around bare foot, picked my nose, hated girly things and other internalized misogyny and I’m not like other girls shit (those last two things apply to just me not Toph). But I had a lot and I mean A LOT of emotions, and just like Katara I cried all the time, I was angry and hurt and sad, but unlike Katara I was told to stifle those feelings. To cry was to be soft and weak and if I wanted to survive in my house I couldn’t do that. If I cried it was considered a manipulation tactic by my dad, so when I saw Katara reacting to conflict like I did and watched her be rewarded and loved, I hated it. I hated her, but not really.

This all ties back to Kataang and Zutara, I swear.

As I continued to grow up I would rewatch Avatar reruns a lot, but rarely would they show season one episodes. By the time I was 13/14ish (Katara’s age) I had begun dealing with the unwanted attention of boys and men a like and as the oldest of four kids I was expected to be a grown up by the age of 12. I hated it all. I hated taking care of my younger siblings and I hated the way men yelled at me from their cars as I walked home from school, the way senior boys prayed on my best friend when we were freshman. I was supposed to be an adult so young and I was angry, depressed, and so beyond hurt all the time. I still am.

So when I’d go onto the internet as a child and saw overtly sexual pictures of Katara and Zutara I was thoroughly disgusted, but I didn’t know why. (I didn’t even ship Kataang at the time). It all made me uncomfortable and I didn’t know why.

Of course now I know. I was a child looking at a heavily sexualized children. Katara and Zuko are children, something I wouldn’t realize until I watched the show as an adult. And that’s one of many reasons I don’t like Zutara. They’ve always been grossly over sexualized in medias and as a someone who has been grossly sexualized as a child and adult of course I hated it. Now I know not ALL of the fan art of Zutara was sexualized, but still I grew up on the internet in the late 00’s/early 10’s and I didn’t know the ins and outs so I came across a LOT of gross and often p*rnographic art.

As an adult rewatching ATLA Katara is one of my favorite characters. She reminds me of who I use to be, who I could have been…which explains why I hated her when I was younger (I’ve dealt with a lot of self loathing over the years). Rewatching the series on Netflix allowed me to watch all three seasons as many times as I wanted. I’ll never forget rewatching the Boy in the Iceberg and hearing Aang say to Katara the words I desperately needed to hear as a child:

“You still ARE a kid.”

It made me cry. And that’s when my appreciation and love for Kataang grew. I loved watching these two kids journey across the world together and see their relationship develop over the three seasons. The way Aang always viewed Katara in lovestruck awe and the way Katara found hope and happiness in this boy. They were just two kids who cared deeply for each other, they were two kids trying to cling to the little childhood that hadn’t been destroyed by the world around them and they found that in each other. As someone who has always had to men/boys in my life constantly wanted me to be this hyper sexual version of myself, and being someone who was force to grow up too soon, Kataang resonates deeply with me.

They get to just be kids together, because that’s what they are. Kids. This isn’t even really an argument against Zutara (though I could make many arguments against it), it’s more of an argument against how it’s always been portrayed. Katara is a child, Zuko is a child and the only one who seems to remember that is Aang. Zutara has always been based on the sexualization of two children and because of that I can never get behind it.

[ao3feed-zukka]

the last airbender short stories

Read now on Ao3 at https://ift.tt/ExFDHv5 by Foxybro short story ideas I had that couldn’t be made into big fics so i decided to compile them into a massive fic for all of you to enjoy, they range from romance to humor. will take a while to complete the list, i’ll take requests as well! Words: 475, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English Series: Part 1 of avatar related things! Fandoms: Avatar: The Last Airbender, Avatar: Legend of Korra Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Categories: F/F, M/M Characters: Zuko (Avatar), Sokka (Avatar), Katara (Avatar), Aang (Avatar), Toph Beifong, Suki (Avatar), Iroh (Avatar), Appa (Avatar), Momo (Avatar), Azula (Avatar), Jet (Avatar) Relationships: Sokka/Zuko (Avatar), Azula/Katara (Avatar), Aang & The Gaang (Avatar), Iroh & Zuko (Avatar) Additional Tags: Zuko (Avatar) Needs a Hug, Bisexual Disaster Sokka (Avatar), Past Aang/Katara (Avatar), Aang is a Ray of Sunshine (Avatar), Toph Beifong Swears, Badass Suki (Avatar), Azula (Avatar) Redemption, Jet Lives (Avatar), Zuko (Avatar) Has Anxiety, Zuko has a major crush, Zuko gets the breakdown he deserves, Gay Zuko (Avatar), Pansexual Aang (Avatar), Lesbian Toph Beifong, Bisexual Katara (Avatar), Lesbian Azula (Avatar), Camping, Blushing, Gay Panic, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Azula Needs Therapy (Avatar), Good Parent Iroh (Avatar), Daddy Issues, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Implied Relationships, Morning Sickness, Trans Aang (Avatar), Nonbinary Toph Beifong, Trans Male Zuko (Avatar), Crushes, Kissing, No Lesbians Die, Internalized Homophobia, Panic Attacks, Katara Needs a Hug (Avatar), Iroh is a Good Uncle (Avatar), Mommy Issues, One-Sided Attraction, Adventure Read it on Ao3 at https://ift.tt/ExFDHv5

[ssreeder]

sreedie. it is time.

NO SOKKA baby people want to be your friend you just DONT LET THEM

pls sokka thinking he can gaslight himself out of being in pain is so in character but so. goddamn Frustrating

sokka is giving anna from frozen with his whole “my firebender’s awake so IM awake” deal

listen I get why sokka is like oh I should cut back on the swearing if I wanna Grow as a person but like,,, as an australian the concept of swearing being Bad is just so foreign to me lmao

I think it’s a really interesting component of the zukka relationship (highlighted by your traumatic drowning scene thx sreedie) that sokka’s instinct is to try to hide in/behind zuko??? like he’s obviously very protective of zuko too, but I think that in a way, even when sokka is on the offensive and is the person defensive zuko from the outside world he’s still using zuko as like, idfk a shield?? of sorts??? to deflect away his fear for himself and all that jazz… does that make any sense whatsoever????? idfk lads

STOP ik it’s a super serious moment but all I could think about when sokka was like “he had to do it for zuko” wAS THE FUCKING let me do it for you tiktok sound T-T

not aang talking like an actual certified therapist at 12 years of age omfg- wish I was that emotionally well adjusted fr

damn sokka really said #codependecy

FUCK PLEASE TELL SOKKA ABOUT YHE FUCKINF VEINS PLEASE SREEDIE IM STRESSED AS ALL HELL

F U C K

Y E S

finally ohmygod

katara: I can feel the toxins in zuko’s blood

iroh externally: oh?

iroh internally: whatthefuckwhatthefuckwhatthefuck

LMFAO zuko calling sokkatara momo while his body is actively trying to kill itself as a JOKE is the most zuko thing ever. the most comedic thing about this boy is his absolutely Disastrous timing (by which I mean it’s impeccable)

PRISON PALS I still love that moniker <3

noooo not zuko worrying about shen when we know damn well shen got kebabed >:(

can katara please tell sokka that zuko wants him by his side. like girl. please.

okay I really do Not want this to happen, nor do I think it actually Will happen bc uhm duh, but it would be like,, so ironic of zuko did just die. like they went through all that and for what LMAO (it’s not funny it’s Not Funny why am I giggling to myself)

FINALLY A MENTION IF THE MIRACULOUS TEETH KEEPING OF ZUKKA NATION

lmao sokka is worrying himself into a early grave bc he cares so much about zuko but he’s also 100% ready to immediately assume that zuko let him down by outing sokka as a liar (I mean he’s right, but still. harsh)

woah woah woah sokka calm your tits man, rasu might be sex on legs but your sister is only 14 and that’s just gross

SEE rasu my reasonable child <3 (he’s also so snarky I actually love him so. much.)

insane how fast sokka switches from “rasu >:(“ to “rasu :D” when he learns that rasu knows zuko lol

YOU CANT TAKE THE NERD OUT OF SOKKA BABYYY (same.)

“sipping the sauce” LMAO

uh yeah rasu I think jee has every right to be worried ngl

sokka is just out here exposing himself bc he’s JEALOUS I cannot anymore with this boy

“prince zuko is a character without trying to be one” yKW I JUST REALISED?? ZUKO HAS MAJOR MR BEAN ENERGY just more homocidal and uh,, traumatised

god thinking about jet’s amputation has me squeamish as FUCK

sokka rearranging his book stack so the sex book is in the middle is so relatable agsjekfpf it’s giving the same energy as getting a massage and hiding your underwear between the rest of your clothes after you get changed into the robe thing

not sokka being endeared by zuko’s love for the art of thievery <3 mood

SHIT FUCK QUON

DICKHEAD

OMG WAIT IS HE GONNA RECOGNISE SOKKA AS RHE BITXH THAT ZUKO KISSED PRIOR TO KIDNAPPING

damn. after all that and sokka just exposed himself. cant even blame it on zuko this time buddy.

you can always count on little sisters to put you back in your place (as the little sister can confirm)

woag.

not the angst train going past us like choo choo motherfuckers.

I am not going to bag katara in any way, shape, or form for pretending to be sokka to get information out of zuko bc I would’ve so done the same thing with like,, zero hesitation. maybe I’m just a lying liar who lies though so idk

anyways: screaming, crying, destroying your living room and smashing all your lightbulbs.

I’m so mad that there’s no zukka reunion BUT !! you did give us a library which I was SUPER not expecting but enthralled by nonetheless so ig I’ll have to forgive you

ANYWAYS hope life has retired from kicking you around bc that’s my job and I’m the only one allowed to make you suffer >:(

also I just reread my last comment and realised I already said I’d smash all your lightbulbs so ig this is just a trend now. have fun living in medieval times forever ex-lover <3

Oh shit that’s so true, Sokka is very Anna and Zuko is very Elsa haha. (Odd how that happened lol)

Soooo I do think Sokka depends on Zuko WAY too much, emotionally physically mentally - but if that’s all he has to keep him waking up in the morning who am I to stop him. (But building up his own physical strength, dealing with his own issues instead of just focusing on zukos trauma, and allowing other people in his life to get close to him and then help him would be GREAT ;))

Sokkatara is now canon I’m obsessed with the nickname leekie beloved your brain is too big.

Rasu was like “oh no this kids crazy” & then Sokka said “tell me about Zuko” and rasu twirls his hair and giggles “SURE” & that’s how friends are formed. Take notes.

Katara & Sokka just need to get into one big “getting along shirt” and call it a day… but I kind of think Sokka would try to claw his way out… so yeah we don’t do that.

Lies are being exposed and Sokka has ZERO ground to keep standing on so he better accept the help or he is really going to drown. Ha.

LEEKI STOP SMASHING MY LIGHTBULBS I GOT TWO FLASHLIGHTS AND I CANT DEAL WITH IT ANYMORE.

Alright ex love I will see you soon!! :) <3

[mimzy-writing-online]

Writing Toph Beifong, Advice from a Blind Writer

I’m Mimzy, an actual visually impaired writer and blogger who talks a lot about writing blind characters accurately and sensitively. A while back someone sent me an anon asking how to write Toph more accurately and sensitively.

Anonymous asked: Hi there! Your blog has been super-helpful already - I thought I knew a bit about writing with blind characters, but it turns out there was a lot to learn - but this is more specific. I'm writing a The Last Airbender fanfiction, and one of the characters is Toph. I think the fandom has done a fairly good job of respecting her blindness, but what are some things you'd like to see when people write her? I want to represent the character as best as possible; thanks in advance!

It’s taken a while for me to answer because I have a lot of thoughts about it as both a blind writer and someone who has read a lot of atla fanfiction. So here we go:

Before we get started, I want to mention some things: 

One: I have an entire series for writing blind characters that continues to grow with time and the most up-to-date version can be found pinned as the top post on my blog. There will be a time-stamp for when the post was last edited and a long series of links to all relevant posts on the subject.

Here’s a quick link to that post, but again, all you have to do is click my blog url and you’ll find it immediately.

Two: I’ve noticed something amazing about the atla fandom and I would like to thank you for it. I’ve noticed a lot of bloggers have taken to writing image descriptions for both the fanart and memes you post in the fandom, whether it’s OP including the description or another blogger adding it themselves. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a fandom so consistently doing this and that’s incredible. Realizing how many different blogs were picking up this habit has warmed my heart.

I’d like to see writers use her other senses. There’s soooo so much more to her O&M (Orientation and Mobility) than earth sense. 

Beyond sight and earth bending, there’s hearing, touch, smell, taste, sense of direction, hot vs cold, sense of pain, sense of where your body parts are in relation to the rest of you, sense of internal well-being, etc. Before Toph had mastery of her earth bending, she had to have mastery of those too.

Toph also must have very strong opinions about certain smells, sounds, tastes, and textures. Toph is opinionated about everything, and when so much of your understanding of the world depends on senses that most people are ignoring in favor of some other sense you don’t have, it gets frustrating. I’m sure that tree looks pretty but the smell is terrible. Who cares if this fabric looks pretty, it’s scratchy, do. not. like. at. all.

But also in positive ways too. Oh, that flower arrangement looks bland and monochromatic? Who cares, it smells sweet and honey-like. Weird dark cavern with high ceiling and no light? The harmonics are awesome.

Every character probably has a certain sight or image they’re particularly fond of: Katara watching snow fall, or Aang enjoying how small the world looks from up on Appa, or Zuko enjoying the sunrise every morning during meditation. In that line, Toph must have some things personal to her that she enjoys.

I imagine she likes the taste of foods familiar to her childhood, the smell of whatever flowers grew around her home, and the texture of certain kinds of dirt Example: loose dirt probably isn’t the best for seeing, but I think she would enjoy how it feels to run her fingers through it or maybe enjoy the way it softens her perception of the world the same way sighted people like to see colorful, bright lights reflecting off puddles in the middle of rain.

If you struggle with this, that’s okay. I recommend taking some time to think about it for yourself, to find what tastes and smells and textures and sounds you enjoy the most, what makes you feel safe and at home, what brings you comfort, and relate that back to Toph.

In a Modern AU, I want to see Toph have a cane. Even in a Modern AU with bending included in the world building, I think Toph would benefit from having a cane.

The cane has a lot more function than bumping into things. A big part is that it signals to others that you are very obviously blind. Which is a big deal because sighted people are really, really bad at spotting the blind person.

(psst, please stop saying ‘the blank look in her eyes’ because I swear to god it’s been killing me inside for years.)

Also, even in an AU with bending, I think Toph would like the advantage of tapping her cane to create a stronger, more distinct vibration than a small shifting of her weight on her feet. It would have more control.

You could give Toph a guide animal, buuuuuuut, um, Toph is not a guide dog person. Like, there are some people who definitely prefer a guide dog, and some people who definitely prefer a cane, and some who definitely prefer no mobility device at all. Toph does not have the vibes of someone who wants to be both responsible and reliant on an animal when she’s so insistent that she can take care of herself on her own. Toph likes animals, but not that much.

Although, yeah, only 10% of the blind community use mobility devices, so cane and guide dog users are the minority of the blind community, but I stand by the vibe that Toph would love the independence of a cane. Also, it’s almost never ever done. Modern AUs never seem to touch much on Toph’s O&M skills with canes or guide dogs.

I wrote a whole post on everything you need to know about canes, what orientation and mobility is, how you learn O&M, what kind of canes exist, how to use them, how to describe the sensory input a cane gives you, and everything I know about guide dogs from past research.

Honestly, you could give Toph (or any blind character) a cane in any AU, because I fully stand by the theory that canes are a piece of technology that has been invented, lost, and reinvented again and again.

I wrote “I found a piece of lost blindness history” a few months ago after a visit to see my grandparents. My grandmother told me how her blind aunt found a way to write letters by hand to send to my grandmother when she was a child. I speculated on how the long cane has probably been invented and then lost and then reinvented over and over again in history, as well as giving a little history on the growing popularity of guide dogs in the 20th century following World War 1.

About the “blank look in her eyes,” I have a theory to the exact cause and nature of Toph’s blindness.

I know it’s common to think that the milky green color of her eyes is why she’s blind, though I’m not sure how many realize that milky green color is caused by severe cataracts. At least, cataracts is what I assume to be the reason for the color of her eyes. However, people with cataracts still have some remaining sense of light and shadow perception.

Only 9% of the blind community is completely blind, seeing absolutely nothing. The rest have some remaining vision, even if that’s only light and shadow perception or the perception of vague movement.

The percentage of people born completely blind is even smaller.

Toph says that she’s never been able to see, which would lead me to guess that the initial cause of her blindness was a defect with the visual processing part of her brain. I also theorize that the cataracts developed slowly over her very formative years and that she likely wasn’t born with them. For that reason, I think it would have taken a few weeks or months for her parents to realize there was something wrong with her eyes.

Here is a post about the developmental years of blind children and how their life would differ from both sighted children and from someone who went blind as an adult.

What is it like to see nothing?

It’s a concept that sighted people struggle with and I completely understand. I myself didn’t understand the concept of “nothing” until someone explained it as this:

“Imagine trying to see out the back of your head.”

Which, genuinely, imagine that. Try that. Because here’s what I found. There’s no part of my body that can help perceive that. I don’t have eyes there, nor do I have a part of my brain that can process that. Because of this, there is no sense of light or dark, no shape or shadow or movement or depth that I can perceive. There is nothing.

And honestly, it gives me a headache trying to think too much about it.

Toph doesn’t see black, doesn’t have a mental image of it. When people talk about light and dark, Toph has nothing to base the concept on. The closest relation she has to that is silence versus sound, or her earth sense when she’s in the air on Appa versus when she’s on solid ground. But it’s not the same.

I would like to examine the way the show tried to describe Toph’s earth sense, that black void with ripples of white stretching from her feet and outwards. Television is a visual medium so of course their explanation of Toph’s earth sense would be visual, but that’s not what it’s actually like in her head. More accurately, it’s like touching the back of your head to something and feeling what’s solid behind it and what has more give. A wall versus a pillow for example. Slamming your hand on a flimsy table and feeling it rattle under your palm. And for someone so adept at using that sense, she feels not just the table surface under her palm, but the individual rattles down the four legs, how uneven those rattles are because the legs are carved decoratively instead of solid planks, and how the foot of each leg bumps against the ground, and how the floor vibrates in response to the impact, which she feels in both her feet and hand. 

About Toph’s Relationship with Her Parents

It’s not something I see touched on much. There’s been a lot of focus on Zuko and Azula’s relationship with their parents and the abuse, as well as exploration of Sokka and Katara’s trauma with losing their mother, and Sokka looking up to his warrior father while Katara struggles with her abandonment issues.

Please don’t take this as a critique, because there are a few valid reasons for this and I would like to give you some insight on how to explore Toph’s relationship with her parents.

For starters, the show had a lot more reason to focus on Zuko and Azula’s parents, with Fire Lord Ozai being the primary villain and Zuko’s greatest abuser, and Azula’s dependent worship of her father in response to Ursa’s neglect and favoritism of Zuko, which was likely Ursa’s response to Ozai’s favoritism of Azula. Their parents are huge driving motivators for why Zuko and Azula make the decisions and mistakes they do, why they are at one point in the show the villains themselves. (And why I think Azula should get a redemption arc and some healing.)

Katara’s trauma of losing her mother and blaming herself is a huge factor in both her response to the war, her relationship with her bending, and her motherly nature with her friends. The show has to explore that. Just as it has to explore Sokka’s problems with toxic masculinity in response to being the man of his village, and his desire to be a great warrior and leader like the father he idolizes. 

The show needs to explore that to make the plot move forward, and it benefits from these being two sibling sets with different responses to their upbringing and different sibling dynamics, setting them up as foils for each other.

The show also wouldn’t benefit by giving Lao and Poppy Beifong more screen time. Their established character were two nobles who kept as far out of the war as possible and prospered monetarily for it. Poppy was polite and demure and Lao liked to lead the conversation. Unless the gAang decided to return to Toph’s home, those characters had no reason to pop up anywhere in the show. And if they did, they would be a hinder to Toph and her part in the plot as both Aang’s earth bending teacher and as the greatest earth bender in the world, tossing Fire Nation soldiers eight ways to Sunday. 

So truly, I understand that there’s not a whole lot of canon material (comparatively) to go off of when developing this, but I will offer some insight on what is there in canon.

Toph’s relationship with her parents is explored in that it maps out why Toph doesn’t want to be mothered by Katara, why she wants to prove how independent she is, but there’s very little on screen interaction between Toph and her parents.

Toph deeply loves her parents. I think that plays into why she doesn’t want Katara mothering her, because she has a wonderful mother at home who she loves and wants to better understand her, but she had no friends growing up and no older sister, which are the roles she needs and wants Katara to fill. If Toph wanted a mother figure, she would have latched onto Katara. Look at how Zuko never sought out another mother figure but did find a father figure in Iroh as he began to heal from his childhood trauma and separate his self image from his father’s acceptance.

Toph is in a complicated situation, she loves her parents but the way they’re raising her is hurting her in the long run. But Toph can see that their actions are because of their immense love for her. She can see how they would do anything for her. While she never had any examples of how other noble children were treated by their parents, who might have been distant or disinterested or always away for their social and work lives, she was remarkably loved by her parents. Her father put careful thought into her tutors and checked in on her progress. Her mother feared for Toph’s emotional state when she was kidnapped (even if she was incorrect about how Toph would respond), showing genuine empathy for her daughter.

I think their over protective nature became the love language Toph best understood them by, and part of her reasoning for not revealing how capable she was, was because she wanted to keep experiencing that love and care for as long as she could. But it’s not a love language she would put up with from anyone else.

I would like to point out Toph’s genuine excitement to see her mom again in the season finale of Book Two, how badly Toph wants her mom to understand and accept her for who she is.

My thoughts on what Toph can’t do: read, swim, see in the sand, fight things mid-air.

For how incredibly powerful the show makes Toph with her earth bending and the O&M she taught herself through it, they do touch on some of her weaknesses when they come up and find a useful way to showcase them.

The Serpent’s Pass was an excellent example of Toph’s vulnerability in water. From her fear of not being able to see on Katara’s ice bridge to not being able to swim and needing Suki to save her, Toph’s weaknesses putting her in danger added to the excitement and “sitting on the edge of your seat” feeling while watching the episode without turning her into someone who was helpless. She was just in a position where her normal defenses were useless.

Just like the earth benders in the metal prison in the ocean, or Katara having little water in the middle of a desert where her friends needed that water to survive more than she needed it to fight, making her vulnerable later in the show when the insect-wasp things attacked. Just like fire benders being weaker at night, or powerless during a solar eclipse, or a sighted person being lost in the dark. Those were just situations in which the tools you were accustomed to relying on could no longer help you or were taken away.

The show was clever in that it didn’t make her inability to read a direct threat to her safety, but rather as a clever plot device for her to be alone when the sand banders attacked and have to choose between fighting them to save Appa, or holding back an entire fricking building by the tiniest spire on its very top from falling into a void leading to the spirit world. It also showed her weakness to not being able to see or fight as well in sand. Which the show later made an effort to show how she’d improved on that problem in Book Three when she was surrounded by nothing but sand at Ember Island.

Like improving her ability to see in the sand, I would like to see a character teach Toph to swim, or at least float, so that she never feels helpless again. If she took the initiative to improve her sand bending so much, I’m sure she would have learn to swim eventually.

And on the note of reading, I’ve seen some speculation on how Toph could learn to read, whether it’s through using ink that has some percentage of earth mixed in, or developing the sensitivity to feel out the different weight, consistency, and texture of ink on paper. 

I would like to bring your attention to Louis Braille, the blind Frenchman who invented Braille while studying at  the Institut National des Jeunes Aveugles, the world’s very first school for the blind in Paris France (established 1785). Previously Louis was learning to read through a method in which each letter was pressed into the paper to leave an imprint that someone could feel out with just their fingers.

Louis Braille concluded that raised lettering was impractical because-

1.       It is difficult to read, the letters had to be printed in huge font to be fully felt out and printed on thick paper.

2.       Thick paper means higher quality, more expensive. Larger font means more paper is needed for a single text.

3.       This made it inaccessible due to expense and the sheer volume of a text.

4.       If today’s Braille books are hard to access and giant compared to traditional books, I can’t imagine how inaccessible those raised letter books really were.

The subject of Braille, the start and controversial near downfall to  Institut National des Jeunes Aveugles were discussed in a post about writing a blind character during the Victorian Era.

I’ve heard others complain in the past about fantasy universes in which a sighted person invents a solution to allow the blind to read, when the most effective and longest lived method was invented by a blindman over two hundred years ago and is the standard taught in schools today.

And while I couldn’t easily explain it or how it works because I can neither read Braille nor speak Chinese, I can tell you that Chinese Braille exists and works only slightly differently from the Braille western languages use. So, again, modern AUs especially would benefit from enabling Toph to read Braille and use a computer and phone with screen reader.

But just as easily you could choose not to have her learn to read but rather have sighted people read things aloud to her. Whether it’s in a professional setting as an adult having an assistant who reads and writes for her, or as a cute, fluffy little moment between Toph and another character. Both are just as genuine to the blindness experience.

Blind Jokes

If you ever get around to reading my post about blind jokes, I’d like you to remember that it’s primarily written for people writing original characters and that Toph canonically makes blind jokes, so to take away from that would not be true to her character.

Does Toph’s Earth Sense Negate her Blindness?

It’s a question I’ve seen raised before and discussed by both abled, disabled, and blind people. There are multiple perspectives on it, but my own take on it is that Toph’s earth bending does not negate her blindness, but rather functions very much like the process of learning to use a cane.

She had a tool, a teacher, and she learned to use that tool. Instead of a cane, it was seismic perception and her teacher were blind badger-moles. She spent years learning to earth bend as they do and then continued to take it to new heights as she explored fighting with it on her terms against sighted fighters.

Come to think about it, I would love to see Toph teach another visually impaired or blind earth bender who to see and bend as she does.

Is Toph Good Blindness Representation?

This question was posed to me in the comments of my master post, and my answer was something like this: “Toph is good representation, but she can't be the only type of representation we get. She's the best we had 15 years ago, but there are a million ways to nuance the blindness experiences. Toph's experience being born blind, having very over protective parents, being a small girl in a patriarical and wealth influenced society, having no friends growing up. Those are all great aspects of blindness to show, but there is so much more to explore. As for her blindness and whether or not that's negated, that's also nuanced. She has limits, she's not all-powerful, but she is the best earth bender hands down. More or less, I love Toph, she's a great character, give me like a million more blind characters who are completely different from her.”

I want to see accurate and well-written blind characters become much more common in modern media, and that’s why I started this blog. So if you decide you want to write your own blind character from scratch, feel free to come back and look at some of my other stuff.

End Notes:

I want to thank the anon who sent the original question because it never occurred to me how much the atla fandom would benefit from a post like this. 

You should follow my blog. Along with advice about writing blind characters, I write general writing advice and answer questions about writing, college, plot development, character analysis, and living with blindness. I curate writing advice from fellow writeblrs, write my own image descriptions for writing memes, post about mental health and working/living with ADHD, disabilities outside of blindness, and LGBTQA+ topics. 

[likealittleheartbeat]

I deeply appreciate how ATLA depicts all the main characters responses to trauma. Aang’s, for me, however, stands out for its rareness in media. And we are not hammered over the head with the idea that Aang (or any other characters) repeatedly act certain ways because of a single traumatic event. Sure, there are key moments in our lives when a certain event comes to the forefront, but no one experiences the world as constant flashbacks. Rather, we see only in retrospect the way our sarcastic sense of humor or our heightened friendliness were protective responses to a deep emotional injury. Being able to understand Aang’s approach to loss is essential for the show. The structure of the series is founded on his arc (despite an incredible foil provided by Zuko). Our little air nomad initially confronts the loss of his people with a full-on meltdown in the episode “The Southern Air Temple,” where Katara’s offering of familial belonging soothes him. But this kind of outburst is not Aang’s primary response (and actually the literally out-of-character apocalyptic tantrums align with Aang’s overall process of grieving). Instead of constantly brooding (hey Zuko!), Aang leans heavily toward the monk’s pacifist teachings and toward his assumed destiny “to save the world.” He becomes overtly accommodating and joyful, constantly trying to see “the good” in everything with a perfectionist’s zeal. This is not to ascribe his bubbliness only to his trauma. Rather, he comes to emphasize this part of his personality for reasons related to the negative emotions he struggles to face.  Book 1: Water

In the first season, Aang is simply rediscovering his place in the world. “Water is the element of change. The people of the water tribe are capable of adapting to many things. They have a sense of community and love that holds them together.” This is vital to Aang as he initially faces his experience. He won’t get through this if he is not prepared for his life to change. Even if he hadn’t been frozen for 100 years, his world would never be the same. This fact involves eventually finding new people that he feels safe with. After such a massive loss, he’s learning who to trust, and also often making mistakes; not only does he find Sokka and Katara (and I’d argue he’s actually slow to truly open up to them), this is the season where he helps save a fire nation citizen who betrays him to soldiers, befriends the rebel extremist Jet, and attempts to befriend an actively belligerent Zuko (his moral complexity had only JUST! been revealed to the kid!). He’s constantly offering trust to others and seeking their approval in opposition to the deep well of shame and guilt he carries as a survivor of violence. This is also the season where Aang swears off firebending after burning Katara in an overeager attempt to master the element (one will note how fire throughout the series is aligned with, above all else, assertiveness and yang). Aang is so eager to be seen as morally good to others that he refuses to risk any possible harm to them.  And asserting himself carries a danger, in one sense, that he might make a mistake and lose someone’s positive regard, and, in another sense, that he is replicating the anger and violence he’s witnessed. He has no relationship to his anger at this stage of his grief, so it comes out uncontrollably, both in firebending and the Avatar State. It’s through the patience of his new family that he can begin to feel unashamed about his past and about the ways his shame is finding (sometimes violent) expression in the present. Book 2: Earth In the second season he begins to trust himself and stand his ground. Earth, after all, is the element of substance, persistence, and endurance. The “Bitter Work” episode encapsulates how Aang must come to a more sturdy sense of his values. First, there is the transition of pedagogical style. While Katara emphasized support and kindness, Toph insists on blunt and threatening instruction, not for a lack of care towards Aang. Instead, it’s so Aang learns how to stop placing the desires of others above his own--to stop accommodating everyone else above his own needs. Toph taunts Aang by stealing one of the few keepsakes from the monastery that he holds onto. This attachment to the lost airbending culture is echoed in the larger arc with Appa. And, by the end of this episode, it is Aang’s attachment to Sokka that allows him to stand firm. This foreshadows the capital T Tragic downfall in the “Crossroads of Destiny.” Aang gives up his attachment to the other member of his new found family, Katara, despite his moral qualms. Although he has access to all the power of the Avatar state, his sacrifice is not rewarded. Season 2 illustrates Aang coming to terms with his values. He is learning about what he stands for, what holds meaning to him. Understanding himself also includes integrating his grief, and there’s a lonely and dangerous aspect to that exploration. We see Aang’s anger and hopelessness over longer stretches rather than outbursts in this season. It’s hard to watch and hard to root for him. That depressive state leads to actions that counter his previous sense of morality, as he decisively kills an animal, treats his friends unkindly, and blames others for his loss. Letting these harsher feelings emerge is an experiment, and most people discover their boundaries by crossing them. Finding ways to hold compassion for himself, even the harm he causes others, is the other side of this process. Our past and our challenging emotions are a part of us, but they are only a part. Since Aang now has a strong sense of community and is learning to be himself rather than simply seeking validation, we also see him having more healthy boundaries with new people. He’s no longer befriending villains in the second season! He’s respectful and trusting enough, but he’s not putting himself in vulnerable situations nor blindly trusting everyone. Instead, he’s more likely to listen to his friends’ opinions or think about how the monks might’ve been critical towards something (they’re complaints about Ba Sing Se, for example). By knowing what he cares for, he can know himself, the powerful, loving, grief-struck monk. And he can trust that, though he might not be everyone’s favorite person, he does not need to feel ashamed or guilty for who he is or what he’s been through. Book 3: Fire However, despite a sense of self and a sense of belonging, Aang and the group still find themselves constantly asking for permission throughout their time in Ba Sing Se. It’s in the third season, Fire, that initiative and assertiveness become the focus. And who better to provide guidance in this than the official prince of “you never think these things through,” Zuko. It’s no longer a time for avoidance or sturdy defensiveness. It is the season of action. Fire is the element of power, desire, and will, all of which require us to impact others.  We see the motif of initiative throughout the season: the rebels attempt to storm the Firelord on the Day of the Black Sun; Aang attempts to share his feelings and kiss Katara; Katara bends Hama and a couple of fire nation soldiers to her will. In each of these examples, the initiators face disgrace. Positive intent does not bring forth success, by any means, only more consequences to be dealt with. This is perhaps Aang’s biggest challenge. He is afraid that his actions will fail, or worse, they will succeed but he will be wrong in what he has chosen. The sequencing in the series, here, is important. We have already seen how Aang has worked to care for (and appreciate) the well-being of others and how he has learned to care for his own needs. With this in mind, he should be able to trust that his actions will derive from these wells of compassion. But easier said than done. Compassion can also trap him into indecision, hearkening back to his avoidant mistake in the storm, in which the whole mess began. Aang’s internal conflict, here, becomes more pronounced as the finale draws nearer. I think it’s especially significant that we witness Aang disagreeing with his mentors and friends. He must act in a way that will contradict and even threaten his sources of support if he is to trust his own desires. Even the fandom disagrees about the choice Aang makes, which further highlights the fact that making a decisive choice is contentious. There is no point in believing it will grant you love or admiration or success. For someone who began (and spent much of) the series regularly sacrificing himself just to bring others peace, Aang’s decision to prioritize his own interests despite the very explicit possibility of failure is the ultimate growth his character can have and the ultimate representation of him processing his trauma. (This arc was echoed and made even more explicit in many ways with Adora in the She-ra finale.) The last significant time Aang followed his desire, in his mind, was when he escaped the Air Temple in the storm. To want something, to trust his desire and act on it, is an act of incredible courage for him, and whether it succeeded or failed, whether anyone agrees or disagrees with it, it offered Aang a sense of peace and resolution. Now I appreciate and love Zuko’s iconic redemption arc, but Aang’s subtler arc, which subverts the “chosen one” narrative and broke ground to represent a prevalent emotional experience, stands out to me as the foundation for the show I love so much.

[kataraslove]

Why does twitter despise Aang/Kataang so much? I swear to god I’m always seeing hate about them on twitter the most.

im not on twitter for anything fandom related (and thank god for that!) but i have a few ideas:

kataang and aang aren’t as popular in fandom spaces compared to other ships/characters in the fandom (there’s a whole bunch of reasons for this that others have pointed out in great detail before). the fans of the other ship are more active and vocal in fandom spaces. their spaces tend to be predominately female as well. according to the rules of internet feminism, anything that women tend to enjoy should always be free of criticism and anything that opposes the popular thing that women tend to enjoy, even if other women are enjoying it, is by default bad and horrible. also the women enjoying the non-popular alternative thing must have, like, internalized misogyny.

in general, people on that site (on tumblr too, but twitter is a whole other case) have projected their whole ass identities onto fictional ships and, as a result, anything opposing their fictional ship is a personal attack on them. hence their reasons for disliking kataang and attacking anything to do with the ship. they genuinely view kataang as a product of two evil straight men getting what they want (even if said straight men admitted to kataang being forced and also making fun of it). therefore, anything in support of aang and kataang is in support of the two evil straight men who crushed the dreams of millions of young girls by not making their other ship canon. which is why kataang gets so much hate by a very active and vocal crowd on twitter, adding that to the fact that it’s older and taller mature girl with younger and shorter goofy boy, subverting western stereotypes of heterosexual romance.

taking a step back out of general atla spaces, I feel like twitter promotes a very unhealthy way of interacting with fandom due to the tweets in general being very limiting. you can only say what you have to say in a certain amount of words and characters. therefore, twitter generates its revenue by aiming to get knee-jerk reactions (ratioing and rage). that’s why everyone is so angry and fighting on twitter all the time, especially about shipping. it’s the perfect place to rant about ships you despise, because people are more bonded on twitter over things that they dislike compared to things that they actually like in fandom spaces. if you can get a knee-jerk reaction out of something that you hate or something that you find problematic, you can get a hit tweet using buzzwords like “gaslighting” or “idealizing” or whatever.

also, one part of twitter is constantly obsessed over the most “healthiest” parts of fandom, while another part of twitter is constantly obsessed over the most darkest, enemies to lovers parts of fandom. kataang doesn’t make the list for either of these; it’s a pretty unique ship that doesn’t fit the fandom status quo. hence why it either gets ignored or gets hated.

anyway, if you’re a kataang shipper on twitter, you’re braver than any US marine.

[sokkagatekeeper]

bestie did i read that right you CANNOT just say “haru had a brief fling with zuko” in the tags and leave it at THAT-

no but i WOULD like to hear about haru x zuko🤔🤔 (@i-hate-mayo)

yeah well maybe i need to stop talking so much in the tags. that said! me and @/zukkot crafted this scenario (about an 80% of a joke. give or take) in which haru has a brief fling with zuko at the western air temple, most importantly at the same time he has a fling with katara. now i know this sounds batshit but there’s a big comedic value to it.

reasons why haru should hook up with zuko and katara at the same time: it would be further proof of the fact that katara and zuko share the same taste in men (see: jet, who is also sokka-esque); it would mean katara and zuko share not only one, but two ex-boyfriends/boyfriend-adjacents; it would mean dumb teen romantic drama, and i think they deserve it; it would definitely strengthen their friendship. somehow!

people this fling would piss off: katara, for letting another tall boy with nice hair break her heart and for zuko of all people nonetheless; sokka, for being foced to remember the fact that katara and zuko have the same (SHITTY) taste in men; aang, who is deep down a twelve-year old in puppy love; ty lee, who is honestly a little tired of people breaking zuko’s little heart, even if it was kinda funny at one point

people this fling would be a fun little adventure to: haru! and do not misunderstand him, he might’ve made a mistake, but in his defense, he thought katara... knew. zuko knew he was having a fling with katara as well, why wouldn’t katara? overall this was a fun experience that served haru to understand he is, in fact, straight. now “why would haru experiment with zuko, fugitive prince of the fire nation, of all people?” the answer is that haru has no impulse control, next question; toph, who loves teen drama when it’s merely outside of her person but inside her social circle, and whose feet are very aware of everything that went down at the western air temple, is very amused as well.

people this fling would not piss off: zuko, whose heart was not, in fact, broken by haru. he might’ve been hooking up with haru but deep down he was pining after sokka the entire time, the poor thing. which also brings me to my next statement;

zuko can uh... forgive the mustache, when they’re at it. katara thinks it’s hot, sokka thinks it’s hideous, zuko thinks it’s... fine. whatever. five out of ten. but it’s definitely not a plus. zuko likes haru enough, and nothing more — he’s not a sokka, y’know. not even a jet. but that’s fine, because zuko is not looking for romance! he’s looking to distract himself from his embarassing crush on sokka, the crushing weight of uncertainity of not knowing if his uncle hates his guts or not, his imminent defeat and death and general mortality upon joining a 12 year-old’s rebel gang of child soldiers, etc. you know, typical teen boy stuff. so when haru off-handedly mentions katara, zuko is just like “huh. ok?” he simply doesn’t give a shit. good for him! katara on the other hand is not looking for romance on principle, not because haru wasn’t a good candidate, but because you know, the War. girl has her priorities. but haru is so sweet to her she has got to admit she sort of got a crush. now there’s two possible scenarios in which katara finds out;

first, during their last days at ember island, when sharing grief over jet, looking to lighten up the mood a little, zuko says “isn’t it crazy we share two entire ex-boyfriends” and katara is like “what.” and then zuko gets drenched instantly. there’s no witnesses; who’s to say what happened really. maybe a very big wave or something

OR, when toph says, “i knew you had a secret thing with haru!” at the same time katara and zuko, aka the exact same person defensively say, “NO I DID NOT—” and it goes downhill from there

either way. internally, katara is like, “haru wouldn’t do that” but then she concludes she actually doesn’t care that much about haru, and she thinks “i can’t believe ZUKO would do that!!!” and she gets back on her zuko-is-evil mindset the entire day — “you just had to colonize my love life as well, didn’t you???” they are back to being ride-or-die besties by the next morning tho.

upon these very public, very hilarous revelations, sokka sincerely believes it is his right to punch that dude. fuckboying it up not only with his bro, his boy bestie, his pal, his totally absolutely entirely platonic lohl (love of his life) etc etc, but also with his sister!! that is of course until zuko tells him no, haru did not break his heart (jet did tho. poor thing p2. good thing zuko broke his heart right back! but that’s for another post). zuko insists it was a meaningless fling for him, even if it angered katara to no end, and then it angered zuko because it angered katara, because they are both Like That. since then, sokka finds the situation... kinda funny.

so a year after the war has ended, aang and katara inevitably break up. the first thing sokka does upon hearing the news is go directly to zuko like, “if you go after aang i swear to god” and then zuko almost pukes a little. not about to make out with a twelve year old, y’know? (and actually, aang is fourteen at the time, but once you know someone at twelve at sixteen you always know them at twelve at sixteen. privately, aang thinks zuko is kinda ugly, anyway.) during the years aang and katara spend as just friends, katara and haru light up their little flame again for a little while. it’s fun, but it doesn’t last. there’s too much history there, y’know? sometimes zuko will visit and give haru the bad eye, and haru thinks it’s because he kinda broke zuko’s heart, but in reality it’s because he broke katara’s heart and made her angry, and zuko can hold a grudge. eventually tho aang and katara get back together because they go really hard on fate and soulmates. zuko thinks it’s perfectly reasonable, and sokka & toph don’t want to ruin their beautiful love story just yet, so they keep quiet. when sokka and zuko get together, katara looks at zuko straight in the eye and says “no.” and zuko points at aang, and says “no.” so their shared type in men comes to an amiable end.

that is, until one night at a sleepover. zuko takes a sip of his tea (alcohol) and says, “jet was kinda like sokka, though” and katara says “No.” but zuko keeps going, also pretty horrified, “and haru is kinda like aang” and katara says “STOP.” and they happily agree to never speak of any of it ever again.

[tsukihimeyfan]

Azula always lies, and Zuko... well, he tries

Can we all take a second to appreciate how my boy Zuko is a GODAWFUL LIAR? Jesus, he’s such a bad liar. He always fumbles his words or glances away, not once was he able to look anyone dead in the eyes and tell a lie with a straight face. He literally can’t lie to save his life, and I LOVE him for it😂😂.

Exhibit A: uuuhhh yeaaaahhhh we toooooooootally didn’t destroy our ship because we ran into the Avatar! RiGhT, uNcLe?

Zhao: did you really expect to find the Avatar? He was killed a 100 years ago...

Zuko: *internally* oh crap oh crap don’t screw it up don’t give anything away...

Zhao: shit really? He’s alive?! 

Exhibit B: Uuhhhh noooooo I’m SOOO not good at swordfighting! I’m TOOOOOTALLY not the Blue Spirit! Really, I swear!!!

(my boy REALLY has to work on glancing away when he lies)

Exhibit C: shit, what’s a good fake name??? Maybe Lee, it’s super common in the Fire Nation so it should be just as common here RiGhT?? Yeah, let’s go with that! Wait I forgot about Uncle! Uuuuuuuuhhhhhh..... 

Exhibit D: Shit shit shit this kid’s name is the same as my fake name! I can’t use it! Quick, think of something else! “I’m...... Uhhhhhhh.....”

Oh thank god I’m saved!!! 

Exhibit E: uuuuhhhhh what is a believable excuse for moving around so much?????? Because we were refugees looking for a new home? No, too trite. How about...  

Oh no now she wants to know what I did in the circus!!! What talents do I have that would fit in a circus??? Parkour? Nah. Swordfighting? Nah. Picking up/balancing stuff with my swords? Nah. Oh she said something thank god!

This absolutely can’t go wrong, I mean it’s not like she could ask me to demonstrate or anythi- OH SHIT

Exhibit F: 

shit shit shit shit the Avatar is probably alive! I can’t let Azula know! 

She knows!!!! Aaaaaaaaahhh Ok don’t panic I just have to deny it!

Oh no I looked away, I have to maintain eye contact!! That’s important when lying believably right???

Nailed it!

My boy does the glance-away thing even when he’s not outright lying but someone just says something he knows is untrue 😂 Like here with his father:

Or here when Aang tells him maybe the altitude affected his firebending

He’s so bad at lying it’s painful at times, thank god the Father Lord wasn’t looking at his face that one time or he would’ve been in real trouble. 

My poor honest boy, hopefully once he became the Fire Lord he worked a bit on that “glancing away whenever he lies” thing 😂😂😂

[my-bated-breath]

On Ideals and Idealization

OR: My-Bated-Breath’s interpretation of Aang and Katara’s relationship in The Southern Raiders

When Bryke said that Kataang was in the DNA of ATLA, it was not a complete lie - Katara and Aang, in many ways, are each other’s anchors. For Katara, Aang is hope revived, the Avatar that has come to restore balance to the world. Meanwhile, for Aang, Katara is his guide in a cruel and unfamiliar 100-year war, loving him unconditionally in a world that hates him for abandoning it. As a result, Aang naturally loves her in return.

The narrative itself suggests that Aang’s love for Katara is nearly divine (and it suggests that it’s a love so blinding that it becomes his most selfish attachment). But for a love that appears so pure and untouchable on the surface, the episode “The Southern Raiders” reveals countless fractures lying underneath the surface.

Aang loves Katara, yes, but he is in love with an idealized version of her. In his mind, he holds close the idea of a gentle Katara, a smiling Katara, a compassionate and all-loving Katara. Even though he has seen her darkest moments when she bloodbends Hama - arms bent in disjointed angles, fingers curled as if manipulating puppet strings -  it does not tarnish his image of her because, at this moment, she is not the persecutor, but the persecuted.

After her experience with Hama, Aang is there to comfort her and help her come to terms with the terrifying power she now possesses. With her face streaked with tears and eyes widened with horror, it is clear that this is a power that Katara does not want, that it has been thrust onto her against her own will.

The conclusion that Aang draws from this is that Katara’s inner darkness is a separate entity from her inner light, and he perceives this acquired part of her as a blemish on her inherent goodness. As such, in “the Southern Raiders,” when he witnesses how Katara’s anger and grief drive her to hunt down her mother’s killer, he equates Katara seeking closure to Katara succumbing to darkness, tainting her purity and compassion in the process.

Dialogue from The Southern Raiders

Katara: Ugh, I knew you wouldn't understand.

Aang: Wait! Stop! I do understand. You're feeling unbelievable pain and rage. How do think I felt about the sandbenders when they stole Appa? How do you think I felt about the Fire Nation when I found out what happened to my people?

Many have stated valid reasons why Aang cannot possibly understand Katara’s pain in this scenario - he was not there to witness his people’s genocide or the theft of Appa; he has no way of confronting those who were responsible for his loss - but perhaps the reason why Aang thinks that he understands Katara’s pain should be expanded upon as well. As stated before, Aang has seen how bloodbending is a power Hama forced Katara to learn and how “bloodbender” is an identity unwillingly pushed onto her.

Maybe, in the same way that Aang believes that he knows Katara’s pain, he believes that he knows Katara’s inner conflict as well. After all, to take on an unwanted power and identity is something he knows all too well.

Dialogue from The Avatar Returns

Katara: Why didn’t you tell us you were the Avatar?”

Aang: Because… I never wanted to be.

When the sandbenders stole Appa, Aang succumbed to the Avatar state. When he found out what the Fire Nation did to his people, Aang succumbed to the Avatar state. In the Avatar State, Aang forfeits control over himself, loses sight of his pacifistic nature, and in return, he gains the power to hurt the people he cares about.

Aang enters the Avatar State in times of desperation and, as he alludes to in his dialogue, in times of anger. So to see Katara express her rage in The Southern Raiders scares Aang - no, it terrifies Aang - because he is seeing Katara is “giving in” to her own Avatar State, one where she has no control over herself and loses sight of her compassionate nature. 

Dialogue from The Southern Raiders

Zuko: She needs this, Aang. This is about getting closure and justice.

Aang: I don't think so. I think it's about getting revenge.

Katara: Fine, maybe it is! Maybe that's what I need! Maybe that's what he deserves!

Aang: Katara, you sound like Jet.

To be impassioned in her search for her mother’s killers is to be impassioned in her search for revenge, and to want revenge against a war criminal is to want to attack the innocent. As soon as Katara descends into violence, she will slide down the slippery slope where she will become Jet, where she will become Hama.

Only morality is not quite as black and white as Aang depicts it to be, and Katara’s psychology is not as similar to Aang’s as he believes to be. While Aang views Katara’s compassion and rage as a dichotomy in her character (meaning that they are mutually exclusive) or as an internal conflict of good versus evil, in truth Katara’s compassion and rage can often be described as a reciprocatory relationship where one drives the other. I expand upon this concept in much more detail in this meta, but here I will simply quote an excerpt and summarize:

Excerpt from “Rage, Compassion, and the Bridge in Between” (give this a read if you want an analysis on how Katara’s rage and compassion embody the complexity of human emotion) 

“…Katara’s anger and compassion do not simply split themselves into two identities. Instead, they coexist and coalesce into one. They drive each other; they feed into each other; they are two sides of the same coin.”

Katara’s rage fuels her compassion because her relationship with grief and anger is what allows her to sympathize with other people’s grief and anger, which is why she shares the story of her mother’s death with Aang, Haru, and Jet. Then, to quote again from my meta, “Katara’s compassion is what grants her a protective instinct, and her protective instinct is what moves her anger and violence.” To clarify, Katara’s protective violence describes her frightening Fire Nation soldiers in order to protect the Jang Hui village in “The Painted Lady” and her threatening Zuko in order to protect Aang in “The Western Air Temple.”

Thus, to Katara, rage is not always an emotion that causes her to lose sight of herself. Instead, it’s one that incites her to act on her ideals of justice and protection.

Dialogue from the Southern Raiders

Katara: It's not the same! Jet attacked the innocent. This man, he's a monster.

Of course, that is not to say that Katara’s anger does not lead her to violate her morals since she bloodbends the captain of the Southern Raiders despite her previously swearing to never bloodbend again. But while the Southern Raiders shows Katara coming to terms (or at least beginning to come to terms) with the idea of good and bad, justice and revenge, and right and wrong, Aang stalwartly clings onto the notion of two separate “Katara”s - the good and evil, the compassionate and the rage-driven - and unfairly takes on a position of moral authority against the “dark” Katara in hopes of reviving the “light” one.

Excerpt from “On an Immensely Popular Post” (most of the analysis in this one is about platonic-romantic relationships, but I dissect the Aang-Sokka-Katara dialogue from TSR in-depth here):

“While I believe that Aang’s principles of forgiveness are morally sound, the way he pushes his beliefs onto Katara undermines much of her grief. At first, Aang tries to relate to Katara’s experiences by comparing them to his own, but there is a forceful connotation to his dialogue that suggests that Aang considers himself to be the moral authority compared to Katara. Hence, Aang judges Katara (“I think it’s about getting revenge”) without trying to reach out and understand her, forgoing the empathetic common ground in favor of taking on the moral high ground.”

Aang forgoes the common ground because he believes Katara’s morality to be as black and white as his own, and then he takes on the high ground because he thinks he understands Katara’s internal conflict. Except he doesn’t, since what rage means to Aang is vastly different from what rage means to Katara. What he understands as Katara’s ideals stem from his idealization of her, and this crack in their relationship, this masquerade of misunderstandings and attachment and “falling in love” - it all comes to a breaking point in the Southern Raiders where the truth finally makes itself known:

Aang idealizes Katara by rendering her into a dichotomy. Katara draws the agency to act on her ideals from her duality.

[cablesscutie]

Zutara and number 20!

Thank you for sending this - sorry this took so long! I decided to write it as a follow-up to this ask.

“I just want to see you happy.”

“So you set me up with a guy that passed out on your couch?” Katara raises an eyebrow as she regards Ty Lee over her mug.

“He doesn’t usually do that!” Ty Lee defends. She would never try to set one of her friends up with anyone that wouldn’t be good for them - especially Katara. “That was just a rough night. I swear, Zuko’s a really great guy. I’ve actually been wanting to set you up for a while, but he’s sorta shy about blind dates.” This is an understatement, but it won’t hurt Katara not to know that.

“So how’d you get him to agree?” Ty Lee bites her lip. She can’t outright lie to Katara, but she is pretty sure I got my girlfriend to blackmail him would just lead to Katara going back to the drawing board of finding a friend of hers that Aang didn’t know to bring as her date. This task got significantly harder when Ty Lee helped her weed out the options that would absolutely not understand that it was just an “as friends” thing. Half their friends seem to be in love with Katara at least a little bit at any given time. Ty Lee will even admit that prior to getting with Mai, she had spent a while as part of that half.

“I showed him your Instagram?” She winces as she says it, the expression on Katara’s face already registering danger.

“You what?”

“Well -” Ty Lee cuts herself off. She can’t really justify her actions here. Even if she’d gotten Zuko to tentatively agree based on blackmail, she had still sent him her Insta in hopes that Katara’s looks would make him more inclined to show off the more endearingly awkward parts of his personality, rather than the reluctant prickliness she knew would drive Katara straight from apprehension to loathing. She doesn’t feel great about compromising her feminist ideals to intentionally make Zuko play nice out of sheer thirst, but if they both let down their towering, barbed-wire-covered walls for just a moment, she’s pretty sure it can lead to something amazing. “Yeah,” she finishes lamely.

The ensuing lecture lasts long enough that Ty Lee finds herself wishing she’d gotten a top-up on her tea before starting down this road, and includes a solid minute of silence while Katara searches through her phone for a screenshot of an article in her women’s studies class. Because spirits forbid she paraphrase. Irate Katara always brings receipts, even when chewing out her friend for “actively subjecting her fellow woman to the male gaze.” Ty Lee is too good a friend and too keenly aware of her own internal hypocrisies and contradictions to point out that Katara hadn’t been too concerned about avoiding gaze when she’d asked Ty Lee to take some shots of her new swimsuit that would, quote, “make Jet eat his stupid heart out.” So she just nods along, letting Katara make her valid points, unaware that Ty Lee has already come to terms with the dubious morality of her approach.

At the end, when Katara is taking a long, satisfied sip of her matcha latte, Ty Lee leans forward to take hold of her free hand, their fingers tangling familiarly. “What can I do to make it right?” she asks. Katara’s forgiveness is easily earned most of the time, the asking usually the bulk of the price. When a grin starts at the corner of her mouth, it transforms her face, revealing Rebound Katara, one of Ty Lee’s favorite agents of chaos.

“I mean, you showed him mine, so…” she waggles her eyebrows, and Ty Lee giggles, fishing out her phone. Zuko doesn’t post anything on his Instagram except occasional vacation photos that he’s never in. Ty Lee, however, has plenty. She opens up her album from the last big trip to Ember Island, and slides the phone across the tabletop. Katara flips through the photos, her eyes widening the further into the album she gets. When she gets to the one of a shirtless Zuko holding Kiyi on his shoulders to throw a volleyball over the net, she quickly locks the screen and pulls her hand back like she’s been burned. Ty Lee takes no small amount of satisfaction in it when Katara looks up at her and declares, “I am going to die.”

send me a number!

[missmorosis]

Terrible

Hi! Hello! 

Part of the inspo for this fic is here! Whump & fluff are my soft spots… I really loved this prompt by @whumpster-dumpster​ omg I was scrolling through your prompts and I LOVE THEM!! I’ll definitely have to do one or two more in the future!

Please please please send in requests through my asks!! I would LOVE to write more for y’all~

Pairing: uhhhh soo it can be Zuko x reader, buuut it’s pretty much Gaang x reader :) pairing can apply to everyone? idk

Warnings: Just some dizziness, sickness, fainting! Also please pretend that covid doesn’t exist here~

Word count: omg i wrote 2.5k words!

Summary: Y/N is very sick, but of course, she’s so stubborn that she still needs to help set up for Aang’s birthday party.

When Y/N woke up, she wasn’t sure what was wrong, but she felt out of it. She blindly reached out next to her, feeling for Zuko’s warm body, but he wasn’t there. He must be off at work at the Jasmine Dragon already or something…  

Y/N turned on her phone and groaned. 8:30 AM. She had to get up; she had promised Katara that she would help set up for Aang’s birthday, and she was supposed to meet her in one hour. Sighing, she kicked her blanket off and peeled her eyes open, slightly shivering from the cold. She squinted her eyes. Why was the sunlight so bright? Her eyelids felt heavy, and she wanted more than anything to pull the blanket back up and make herself comfortable once more. However, she scooted her body out of bed, forcing herself to get up. 

Her body didn’t approve. She groaned, rubbing her pounding temples with her hand. She stayed still, hoping for the headache to pass before she made any sharp movements. After a while, the throbbing ceased a bit, and Y/N deemed it safe to move. She checked the time. 8:42 AM. She cursed, getting clothes from her closet as fast as she could. Ignoring her headache, she made a quick mental checklist of the things she needed to do. 1. Take a shower. 2. Get dressed & get ready. 3. Pick up the cake from the bakery, and 4. Drive over to Katara’s and help her with anything else. She could do that in 48, now 47 minutes, right? 

She trudged through her room, through the hallway, heading towards the bathroom. She brought her clothes over, setting it down on the counter next to the sink. She paused, leaning on the bathroom door for just a second, feeling lightheaded. She sighed, closing her eyes. Why was it so hot all of a sudden? Why was the room spinning…? That never happened before… Where was this sickness coming from? Her knees sank into the ground. No. She promised to help Katara. She lifted herself up with difficulty, using the edge of the sink as support. She staggered, but eventually, she pulled herself up.

Maybe a shower would make her feel better? She pulled her clothes off and got into the shower. The warm water ran against the skin, flowing through her hair.  She was going to be fine. She needed to help Katara! She didn’t want Katara to set up the party all by herself. 

Ahh, yes, this was making her feel… better. Right? The water steamed, fogging up the shower glass. She shampooed her hair, running her fingers through her scalp, but it wasn’t making her feel better. No, it was making her feel worse. She was feeling incredibly dizzy and her limbs were weak. The steam from the hot water made her even more dizzy. The shower violently swayed to one side, the world spinning too fast for Y/N to keep up. She washed out the bubbles in her hair, her body slowly sinking into the floor of the shower booth. She was now on all four, unable to stay standing. 

What was happening to her? Y/N washed her body with a loofa, still sitting on the floor of the booth, moving slowly with low energy. She washed all the bubbles off and turned off the water. She crawled out and grabbed a towel and the clothes from the countertop. She wiped away the water with the towel and she slowly pulled the clothes on, starting with her lower body. The ripped jeans she picked out were seriously annoying to put on. Her feet kept getting caught in the holes, and it was especially hard because Y/N was seeing double. She then pulled on her top and exhaled in relief. She reached for her phone. 9:13 AM. She internally screamed; she spent way too long to shower. She only had 17 more minutes to do… what?

What was number 2 on her checklist again? She couldn’t make her brain think. She was too busy trying to stay conscious. She closed her eyes, shakily bringing her legs in, moving her body into a fetal position. She rested her head on her knees, trying to stop the room from spinning so severely, trying to stop her from feeling so weak, and trying to stop herself from passing out. She felt faint and she didn’t know if she could get up. She would rather lay on the cold tiles of the bathroom floor. 

“Y/N?” Someone knocked at the door, and Y/N barely recognized his voice. Her brain was not working at all. 

“Zuko?” she weakly managed to call his name. Hadn’t he gone to work? 

“Hey, are you okay? Can I come in? You’ve been in the bathroom for over 40 minutes.” 40 minutes!? How has time gone by so fast?! Y/N reached one arm up and unlocked the bathroom door, grunting at the effort. The door burst open, letting in the cool air from outside the bathroom. She sighed, and tried to look up at Zuko. “Oh my gosh, Y/N!” He kneeled down next to her, his hand immediately on her forehead, checking her temperature. “You’re burning up! What happened?”

“I- I woke up feeling sick and now I’m about to pass out,” she breathed. Her wet hair was dripping onto the white bathroom tiles. Her breathing was shallow, and her surroundings were still wobbly. Her eyesight was going wonky… why was everything blacking out? She squinted, trying to focus on Zuko, but he kept moving. “Z- Zuko, stop moving, I can’t focus on you.”

“Y/N,” he looked at her with concerned eyes. “I’m not moving.” Her mouth opened to form an “o” shape, and she blinked. She was sure he was moving. “Here, lean on me, okay?” She could hear him repositioning himself. She rested her head on the front of Zuko’s chest. She could hear his heartbeat. Thump… thump… thump…  She slumped further onto his knees as the world spun and her vision went black.

✧･ﾟ: *

“Y/N? Hey, are you alright?” Zuko was above Y/N, looking very worried.

“Z- Zuko? What time is it?” Zuko checked his phone.

“9:53, but that’s not important. You literally just passed out.”

“9:53?!” She was late! “Oh no, oh no. I need to pick up the cake and get to Katara’s!” She quickly sat up, which caused her to groan. She shouldn’t have done that; she buried her head in her hands to try and stop the room from spinning once again. 

“Hey,” Zuko gently pushed Y/N back down. “I’ll take care of it. It’s okay, you need some rest. Clearly you’re not okay.” He spoke in a soft, calm voice, which calmed her down a bit, but Y/N’s frantic eyes darted all over his face. She shook her head.

“No, I’m fine,” she insisted, despite her headache and the dizziness. She couldn’t get up, let alone drive, but she was undeniably stubborn. She had to help, even though she was definitely not fine. “I promised Katara I would help with Aang’s birthday party. The cake is under my name; only I can pick it up from the bakery. I swear, I’m fine.”

She got up to prove her point, but it backfired. Her knees collapsed from weakness, causing her to trip over herself. She clutched the side of the couch for support. Why did she have to be so dizzy? Zuko’s arms grabbed her from behind, and she lay limp, allowing him to carry her. Why did it take so much effort to stay standing?? 

“Y/N. I’m worried about you, and you definitely can’t go alone.” He sighed. “If this is really important…” Y/N eagerly nodded. It was important! “I’ll go with you. Sounds good?” Y/N nodded again. That was fine! She checked her phone. 9:58 AM! Already?! 

Oh wow, she had a lot of messages. She scrolled through her notifications... 

Katara: Hey Y/N! Are you coming?

Katara: Y/N?

Katara: Sokka and I are starting to worry…  are you okay?

Sokka: helloooooo?

Sokka: Y/N? you’re… very late ahaha

Sokka: seriously tho- hello?? can ya answer

Sokka: y/nnnn answer me :(

Sokka: heart 💔 been broke 📉 so many times ⏰ i don’t know 🤔 what to believe 

Katara: Missed Calls (4)

Sokka: Missed Calls (5)

Y/N groaned: she didn’t mean to make them worry! She was completely fine. She quickly texted them back, letting them know that she was running late but she’ll be coming soon. She clicked her phone off and got up, letting Zuko support her. Y/N was grateful; she didn’t think she could walk on her own. He led her to the car, once again looking at her worriedly. 

“Are you sure you want to go? You can just text them that you can’t make it,” he said. She waved it off. She was going to be fine. She slumped further into the seat, rubbing her temples. Her head still hurt like crazy, and on top of that, she was shivering from the cold. Why was her body like this…? “You’re cold?” She nodded. She was very cold. “Y/N… it’s 82 degrees.” Oh shoot. Now he was going to worry even more. 

“It’s fine, it’s fine. I’ll be fine,” she reassured him. She sent him a smile, just to tie it in. He bit his lip, perhaps to bite back some more worried comments, but instead he started the car. The dizziness multiplied as soon as Zuko started driving. She probably should have stayed home, but it’s too late now… “Head over to umm…” Y/N racked her brain, trying to remember the name of the bakery. She closed her eyes as another headache struck her temples. She was tired of this. 

“Y/N?” Another worried glance. She had been “thinking” for too long.

“Oh, umm, the one in the plaza next to Katara’s house. It has brick walls.” Zuko changed course, heading to the bakery Y/N described. The car ride felt terrible. Every second, her head hurt, the world kept spinning, and Zuko kept on looking at her as if she was going to pass out again any minute. Which could actually be a possibility, but she put that aside.

Finally, they arrived at the bakery. Zuko gestured for Y/N to stay in the car, which she was totally fine with. She felt like she closed her eyes for a second, and when she blinked, Zuko was already back in the car with the cake in the backseat. 

“Oh, hi… Welcome back!” Y/N said. Zuko sighed.

“Y/N, you need to rest. You… look terrible.” 

“Gee.. thanks.” She knew, in fact, that if she looked as bad as she felt, she looked very terrible. “But it’s too late now! We’re practically already at Katara’s house. I can see it from here.” Zuko sighed again and started the short drive. After only a few minutes, the two pulled up in Katara’s driveway. Zuko helped Y/N out, and she was not ready. Her leg crumpled as soon as it hit the floor, but Zuko caught her. She mumbled “sorry” as she tried to stand up straight. Zuko practically carried her; she definitely could not walk on her own. Everything was spinning, including Zuko, so she trusted him to lead the way. He rang the doorbell. Sokka answered the door.

“Hey guys! Hi Zuko, didn’t know you were coming.” Y/N smiled. Sokka looked at the scene in front of him. Y/N knew that they must look really weird: she was leaning on Zuko, and Zuko was supporting her with one arm around her waist. “Y/N, you guys are getting reeaaal comfy there.”  She could see Zuko rolling his eyes. “Anyways, come in! We’re just finishing up decorating.” 

Zuko kicked his shoes off and he helped Y/N do the same. Ahh shoot. Everything spun around her once again. She shut her eyes as tight as she could until it passed. She opened her eyes, looking up at Zuko. His concerned eyes met hers, asking a silent question. Are you sure you’re okay? She nodded, sighing. 

“Hey Y/N!” Katara waved at her. 

“Sorry I’m so late, I got held up.” Katara nodded in understanding. She could feel Zuko’s eyes on her but she ignored him. She did get held up. By passing out... but she could leave out the details.

“Can you help me put this up?” Katara held up an orange banner in one hand. She read the banner: Happy birthday Appa! Appa? No, she read it again. Aang. Ugh, she couldn’t even read anymore. She climbed up the ladder with one side of the banner in her hand. Shoot. She stopped midway, gripping the edges of the metal ladder as everything spun harshly around her. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to squish out all of the dizziness.

“Y/N?” She heard Katara’s voice calling to her, but she couldn’t tell from where. She felt someone pulling her off the ladder. The warmth of the body told her that it was Zuko. 

“Y/N, are you okay?” someone asked her, but she couldn’t tell who. She felt Zuko pull her in tighter, but she couldn’t see anything since her eyes were completely shut. She wasn’t planning on opening them until everything was back to normal, which meant that it would be a while. She felt terrible, the room wouldn’t stop spinning, her head pounded, and everything was gross. She buried her head further into Zuko’s arms. Everything hurts so much. She wanted everything to stop.

 “Y/N?” Zuko asked her gently. 

She heard someone (Sokka?) open and close a cupboard. “Let me take your temperature. Holy- 104.8! Y/N! You shouldn’t have come here. You need to rest.”

“That’s what I was saying, but she insisted on coming.” She heard Zuko’s exasperated voice. She choked back a sob. Everything hurt so bad, the room was spinning and she couldn’t even open her eyes. She should have just stayed home. 

“Y/N? Are you going to pass out?” Katara’s worried voice asked.

“Y/N, it’s not healthy to pass out twice in one day,” Zuko whispered.

“Twice?! When did she-”

“This morning. I found her on the bathroom floor.”

“That’s why she was late..? Y/N! You didn’t have to come if you weren’t feeling well!” Everyone else mumbled in agreement.

“Hey, Y/N?” Zuko asked again, softer than before. “Can you say something?”

“I’m sorry,” she muttered. Everyone let out a sigh of relief.

“It’s okay, but you seriously need to rest, alright? It looks like it just keeps getting worse. How do you feel right now?” Zuko’s hand gripped hers. 

“Terrible.” That summed it all up. She felt herself be lifted up, and she was carried away. Zuko’s footsteps echoed in her brain. She was set down on a bed and tucked in.

“Get well soon, okay?” A tender kiss was planted on the top of her burning forehead. She was going to get well for Zuko’s sake.

A/N: that ending do be weird tho

SOOOO that kinda made no sense & it wasn’t too realistic buuut I did write a lot! Hopefully you guys liked it! If you read that mess, THANK YOU!! HUGS TO ALL!!

Please request something in my asks... I would love to write for y’all! I LOVE YOU GUYS!! STAY SAFE!!

[klm-zoflorr]

Issues with the Tyzula ship that Tyzula shippers/fics typically avoid

Stereotypical Tyzula Ty Lee: “Azula-san, I completely forgive you for everything you ever did to me or my best friend and have always loved you unconditionally. I will help you become better if it means risking the quality of my life, my other relationships, my sanity, and even my life. I will magically be able to help you deal with your myriad of mental issues as if you always only needed love/affection instead of real medical help. I will always love you even if you don’t really change your behavior or worse, remain the same power hungry bitch you grew up to be. I love you ‘Zula.”

Look, I am not opposed to Tyzula for I actually think that they had a real friendship, even if there was a massive power imbalance, that got fucked up by Ozai’s abusive teachings and Azula trying to act as her sovereign and friend at the same time. But there is a tendency among Tyzula shippers/fics to make Ty Lee forgive Azula way too easily, make Azula not deal with her flaws or make (proper) amends to Ty Lee and Mai, retcon Azula into a soft baby who didn’t do anything wrong other than get abused, and/or gloss over the issues between the two.

For example, If Tyzula occurred pre-Boiling Rock like some fics imply, do you think it would have been consensual? Especially considering that there has been a massive power imbalance (Azula is Ty Lee’s Sovereign) since their childhood that Azula took advantage of even then; Azula forced Ty Lee to join her squad at firepoint; and Ty Lee is deathly scared of Azula? And if it happened post-Boiling Rock there is a massive power imbalance in favor of Ty Lee since the moment Azula “acts up” (it doesn’t have to be a big thing since Ty Lee is scarred shitless of Azula) Ty Lee can either call Zuko to jail her and/or have Aang de-bend her. There are some Tyzula fics that properly deal with, imo, the pre- and post-Boiling Rock power imbalances but most of them just gloss over them.  Not helping is the fact that comics imply that the two never had a real relationship at all and that Ty Lee is still deathly afraid of Azula, willing to chi-block Azula the moment she is anything other than docile. 

Also, how come most Tyzula shippers/fics don’t touch about LOK’s Turf Wars said about Sozin outlawing homosexuality and the implications it has for a lesbian/bisexual Azula? If Azula, who tries to be the model princess in a post-Sozin Fire Nation, can’t even realize that using fear is not a good way to maintain relationships, how would she deal with the fact that she has feelings for girls? Most of the Tyzula fics or headcanons I have read don’t seriously deal with the fact that either Azula is deep in the closet and/or suffering from serious internalized homophobia and would not likely express her sexual preferences in public unless she was in an extraordinary situation or got serious therapy plus years of self-reflection/character growth. Not to mention the fact she would be one of the leading perpetrators of homophobia by virtue of being Ozai’s right hand general/advisor.

So, do I have a valid point about how Tyzula shippers and fics often engage in abuse and/or toxic friendship/relationship apologism? Or I am just being too harsh on a group of shippers that have been vocally condemned by the greater ATLA community and most likely will never see their ship be canonized? And yes, some of my own fanfic works do contain Tyzula so feel free to call me out if I am being a hypocrite and holding people to standards that I can’t uphold.

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This was a very interesting submission, Anon, and I don't think you're "in the wrong" here, even if I don't necessarily agree with you. At least you're polite, so I won't swear at you xD I'll sum up your points for clarity's sake

"Tyzula shippers make Ty Lee dumber and ready to do anything for Azula. They write stories without depth and without adressing the imbalances in their relationship"

Here's my personnal opinion on that: this kind of drama/angst is hard to write, and I don't want to waste my time for 10 chapters while they're angstying over whether or not to love each other. Mental health issues are hard to write too, and I want azula to be happy, so I can just make them dissapear. I completely acknowledge it isn't the most realistic kind of writing, but I don't care, I just want to have fun. I wouldn't pretend it's canon either.

Now, some Azula fans are just biased towards her, and like to pretend her canon character did nothing wrong and is purely a victim and is owed Ty Lee's love. I'm not gonna shit on them, in the grand scheme of things it's quite inconsequencial, but I don't think that's accurate.

"Tyzula shippers make it happen even if Azula is still a "villain" and hasn't redeemed herself for her sins"

I can link this to my first point a little, and erase all moral complexity for the funzies while acknowledging it isn't canon. But there's also the fact in ATLA, Ty Lee has little to no redemption arc herself. She just betrays azula, and then the good guys accept her and mai with no problem? We could interpret that as "she was always supporting Aang's cause and hated azula secretly since forever" but I don't think that's very correct, because Ty Lee never shows any sign of it, never talks treason, never helps the good guys while azula isn't looking (unlike mai!). The only thing that could possibly make her betray Azula, in my point of view, is seeing her other best friend almost die to her hands. And even then, it isn't a moral choice. I firmly believe Ty Lee was just as indoctrinated in the Fire Nation's ways as everyone else there. And that she actually supported her nation and obeyed Azula as her commander not only because they were friends, not only because she had to, but because she was loyal to her nation. And the only reason I can see her go to the good guys' side at the end of atla was simply because of self preservation with a side of unbrainwashing from FN propaganda

So, in conclusion, I don't think Ty Lee is a completely good character, and I don't think she has a problem with Azula's crimes.

"There is a power imbalance"

I'm not going to deny that. But who told you all relationships with a power imbalance are inherently bad? They're more likely to be toxic, but they won't always be. If the person with the upper hand is respectuous and nice, everything works out perfectly. It's more of an advice towards people who don't have the upper hand in their unbalanced relationship, and who could get taken advantage of. But Ty Lee is smarter than she looks, and I believe she would know to stay away from that.

Pre-boilling rock, there is indeed problems with them getting together, but they're not due to one of them being toxic. Azula is Ty Lee's princess, and it isn't her fault. She was literally raised to lead. And Ty Lee was raised to follow. We see that despite that, Azula still considers Ty Lee as her friend and gets her in her team in a nice way. But it isn't her fault she was raised in the middle of a war and sees the will of the fire nation as more important than anything.

Additionally, I don't think Ty Lee hated Azula, for the reasons I mentionned before.

Post-boilling rock, I just don't think Ty Lee would be scared, or cruel enough, to jail or unbend Azula for no reason. Because, again, I don't think she hates her.

"The fire nation is homophobic"

As is usual with me, I loathe the comics and don't consider this as canon. It doesn't even make sense, apart from saying "fire nation's evil, they're homophobic now too" to be honest, if anyone's gonna be homophobic it's gonna be everyone, cause there was no gay representation in atla.

Oh, and f*ck this, I hate homophobia, I don't want my fictionnal worlds to have it too. It's dumb as shit and everyone is gay in the Fire Nation. There.

"So, do I have a valid point about how Tyzula shippers and fics often engage in abuse and/or toxic friendship/relationship apologism? Or I am just being too harsh on a group of shippers that have been vocally condemned by the greater ATLA community and most likely will never see their ship be canonized?"

You do have a valid point that some tyzula shippers have the same problem as some azula stans, as in that they put her on a pedestral and say she did nothing wrong. But some also just don't want to bother with that and just want to write fluff, and that's fine. There are way worse things they could be doing.

It is true that Tyzula is kind of a controversial ship, and for this reason I don't think you should care too much about it. Bullying people never help anyone, and criticising tyzula shippers will only push them back in their fandom spaces and make them unable to tell apart genuine, objective criticism and mean bullying.

I don't want Tyzula to be canon, btw. Well. For me canon kinda stopped at the end of atla, so everything is possible after this point lol. Not that I even care much about canon.

You are not an hypocrite for liking tyzula and criticizing it. You can call out the behavior of people in your own community, it's perfectly fine and should be encouraged. I'd pay more attention to your opinion too, because I know you don't just dislike the ship and want to find any reason for it to be "problematic"

I'm gonna put that submission in the Tyzula tag, if anyone in there feels offended by that do let me know. I don't intend to shit on this ship at all. Also, if anyone wants to add points or give me perspectives I didn't think about go ahead!