#sokka cannot stand that child

[burst-of-iridescent]

You constantly portray Katara (in your posts and in your "dissertation") like some damsel in distress who is in a codependent relationship and does not defend her opinion in front of her partner, to the point that she allows him to mistreat her children. But the basis of her character is that she will never tolerate any shit from anyone. She always defends her opinion, and she does not oppose Aang precisely because their values are basically the same with Aang. You cannot agree with this, because then you would either have to admit that Aang is not the terrible person you paint him, or that Katara is not the perfect girl you want her to be. That is why you are forced to humiliate her and completely rewrite her character, just not to admit that she is in an equal relationship with Aang and their values coincide.

In addition, such a "katara" makes even less sense for zutara, because if her character has a tendency to codependence on her partner and a willingness to tolerate shit from him, then their relationship with Zuko would not be healthy, since Zuko is prone to self-pity, selfishness and outbursts of anger even after his redemption and he does not show even a tenth of the maturity that Aang has by the end of the show (and even if you do not agree with this, I hope you understand that if there is a tendency to codependent relationships in a person's character, then this tendency is realized in any relationship, regardless of the partner. And any such relationship will be unhealthy).

well i lost braincells reading this so i expect reparations for that, but i'm in a nice, salty mood today so... sure anon, i'll bite.

She always defends her opinion, and she does not oppose Aang precisely because their values are basically the same with Aang.

you must really dislike katara, because saying that the only reason she never challenged aang is because she never disagreed with him, rather than that her idealization of him blinded her to his flaws is... so much worse. are you telling me she thought it was right for him to recklessly burn her? or yell at her in the desert and abandon her to take care of sokka and toph alone? or kiss her without her consent? or give their airbending child preferential treatment over their other two children?

because katara doesn't hold aang to account for any of the things on that (non-exhaustive) list, and if your explanation for that is that she agreed with him, then we both know who here is really bastardizing katara's character.

do katara and aang share certain core values? sure. they're both kind, compassionate and hopeful people. but saying that katara's morals are "basically the same" as aang's is objectively untrue when they clash in both the southern raiders and sozin's comet over their personal moral codes on the sanctity of life and whether taking one can ever be justified.

neither of these conflicts are ever truly resolved, even by the end of the show. katara and aang never come to any sort of understanding or middle ground, or even raise the subject ever again, despite it being clear that they don't share the same perspective. katara even explicitly rejects aang's creed of blanket forgiveness by stating that she did not forgive yon rha and never will. i don't know about you, but that feels like a pretty major difference of opinion to me.

additionally, the fact that these are the only two times in the entire show that katara actually pushes back against aang's beliefs and decisions - and stands firm on it - proves my point, because she's only able to do so when she has absolutely no other choice. it's only the trauma of her mother's murder and the literal fate of the entire world that forces katara to challenge aang rather than excuse and coddle him. and that is unhealthy both for aang and katara, because an equal partner should be able to call you out on your flaws and mistakes without first having to be backed into a corner to do it.

That is why you are forced to humiliate her and completely rewrite her character, just not to admit that she is in an equal relationship with Aang and their values coincide.

i really adore this recent trend in atla fandom of insisting that it's zutara shippers who are responsible for adultifying katara or humiliating katara or any and all problems that exist within katara's narrative as if we personally wrote the show instead of just... pointing out what already exists in canon.

i'm not the one who robbed katara of all agency in her relationship, or refused to give her arc equal narrative space with aang's, or turned her into a subservient trophy wife with no legacy or voice. you can go take that up with the creators.

believe me anon, i wish i could manipulate canon for my nasty zutara agenda, but alas you can't have everything in life.

Zuko is prone to self-pity, selfishness and outbursts of anger even after his redemption and he does not show even a tenth of the maturity that Aang has by the end of the show

zuko didn't throw a hissy fit because the girl he liked didn't like him back, pressure her for an answer, force a kiss on her, or be preachy and judgemental towards her during one of the most difficult times of her life - but hey, whatever floats your boat.

(thank you for providing no evidence, by the way. saved me a ton of time reading more batshit insane misinterpretations of canon, or lies, or both.)

In addition, such a "katara" makes even less sense for zutara, because if her character has a tendency to codependence on her partner and a willingness to tolerate shit from him, then their relationship with Zuko would not be healthy I hope you understand that if there is a tendency to codependent relationships in a person's character, then this tendency is realized in any relationship, regardless of the partner.

i'm genuinely bamboozled as to why you seem to think that i called katara codependent, because i didn't. i don't think katara and aang are codependent, and i have never once said that. but i understand that sending anonymous, bad-faith arguments is a difficult, underappreciated job, so let's take the hypothetical and assume i did to help you out.

fictional characters are not real people, and so it is possible for them to have different dynamics with different characters. that's why i can ship taang or zutara or mailee but not kat.aang or mai.ko. because each of these relationships are written to fulfil different narrative purposes, the characters involved are not doomed to repeat the same patterns of behaviour in each relationship as real people might be - and the difference between the zutara and kat.aang interactions in canon proves it.

[thepublishingpress]

the fire burns so bright (until i cannot hide)

Sokka always feels like he has something to prove.

From being a worthy son, a strong warrior, to a wise leader.

But there is something else that he yearns to prove, in his heart of hearts, buried deep.

He wants to prove that he isn’t a monster.

He’s not like them.

His father tells him, again and again, I know you are not like them, I know you would never do that, never betray us.

I know, I know, I know.

But it all feels fake.

It always feels fake.

Sokka knows that in the elders’ hearts, in some of the mens’ hearts, maybe even in his parents’ hearts, they fear him.

They are terrified of what he can do.

And beside him, beside his flame that he can push to the surface and burn this place to the ground, is a blue-faced figure, standing tall, silent and watchful.

But Katara doesn’t know this.

He didn’t know this, for a time.

No one knows this, except for the elders, his parents, and some of the men.

And he was fine with that, he was fine with his powers.

Until they took his mother away.

After, he always felt stares, crawling up his body, 

The judgement, the renewed suspicion.

And so, is it really any surprise that one night, feeling alone, and bitter, and isolated, he cries?

He tries not to cry too loud, to avoid waking Katara or Gran-gran or even Dad and causing them to fly into a panic, muffling his sobs with his parka.

He stops, though, when he feels a hand on his shoulder.

He flinches, and opens his mouth, prepared to shoo away Katara or maybe even Dad, but stops, freezing when he sees its face.

A blue face, marked with intimidating snow-white fangs.

His mother had always told him he was blessed by a spirit, but Sokka had never bought it. After all, the spirits and the Avatar abandoned the world, so why should they care about him? A fire child, an ashmaker.

But here one of them was, crouching next to him.

“Who are you?” Sokka whispers, because he would really like some answers.

The spirit tilts its– his? –head and says, “I do not know. I do not remember. All know is that I am is your protector.”

“I’ll give you your name,” Sokka decides, “The Blue Spirit.” He chooses to call him.

“I like that name,” He tells Sokka, “But now, will you tell me about your pain, child of the flame?”

Sokka blinks. That subject change was very fast. But he supposed Blue was like that. Quick, to the point. Sokka scooches closer to his supposed guardian. “It’s just that I’m Water Tribe,” Sokka confesses, and spirits does it feel good to let this out. “We’re all about, um, watery stuff you know? And I’m, well, like you said, a ‘child of the flame.’”

Blue seems very thoughtful, placing his hand under his chin. “You are Water Tribe by birth, but fire flows through your veins,” He muses to himself. “Agni certainly loves to play such games.”

“I just wish Agni hadn’t picked me.” Sokka complains.

Blue chuckles, only for a bit. “No one, not even most spirits, would like to get caught it Agni’s web of odd games.” He agrees.

Sokka grins at him. “At least I have you now.”

And that was the beginning.

~

When the Fire Princess came, Sokka was terrified. 

He felt ready to run and to hide, but he felt and cold hand on his shoulder, and resolve filled him once more. 

He put on the face paint.

And was instantly knocked down.

Sokka tumbled through the snow, and there was his presence again. He’s taking this guardian role very seriously, Sokka thinks in the back of his head as Katara rushes towards him.

Then the tiny 12-year old boy came, and sacrificed himself to keep their village safe.

Katara tells him they have to find him, and that she doesn’t care if he doesn’t want to, because she’ll go anyway.

(But Sokka, being the genius he is, had the forethought to get a boat before Katara even opened her mouth.)

~

When Sokka had tried to show-off to the Kyoshi Girls, he did have his reasons.

They were dumb reasons, but reasons nonetheless. 

He was also definitely not expecting to be humiliated, the girls laughing at him, and the hot burn of shame scalding him like heated water as he leaves.

But he remains curious as to how they fought, the fluid motions interesting him.

So, later, he approaches the leader– at least, the person he assumes to be the leader– and asks her to teach him.

He humbly kneels down and says, “I’m sorry for what I said,” He apologizes. “I would be honored to be taught by you.”

Suki raises an eyebrow. “Really?” She asks, skepticism dripping off her voice. “You be willing to be taught by a girl?”

Sokka bobs his head. “Of course.”

She smirks. “And you swear to follow all of our traditions?”

“Yes.” Sokka agrees.

Her smirk grows wider, which, honestly, should have put up some red flags for Sokka. “Just so you know, I do mean all of them.”

Sokka didn’t understand until he put on the dress.

Sokka grimaced as he twirled around a little. “It’s a dress,” He complains. “I can’t fight in a dress!”

“It’s not a dress,” Suki says patiently. “It’s our armor.” When the slight pout was still on his face, she says, “Hey, listen. That silk is for bravery, and gold for honor. Wear that with pride.”

Sokka pauses. Those things were good. Maybe it wasn’t so ba—

“Hey, Sokka! Nice dress!” Aang says cheerily, and Sokka knows it’s probably meant as a good thing, but spirits does he want to strangle Aang.

Sokka pulled a face. “Let’s just get this over with,” He says glumly.

He ends up getting knocked down again and again, over and over. He gets frustrated, throwing his fan into the wooden pillar.

Suki sighs. “Sokka, you don’t use brute force in this style of fighting,” She explains. “You use the enemy’s strength against them. Now,” She tugs the fan from the pillar and hands it over. “Try again.”

-

The peace Sokka was feeling was quickly disrupted, for Fire Princess Azula arrived.

She and her crew started attacking the Kyoshi Warriors. Azula was perhaps the most vicious in her methods, flipping Kyoshi Warriors, sending them flying. Sokka felt his heart beat, faster and faster. He flew into action, jumping forward, fighting with his fans, albeit a little clumsily.

But Azula sadly is able to knock him over as well. 

“You seem to be getting better,” She says mockingly. “For a peasant, I suppose.” She raises her fist to deal the finishing blow, but an invisible presence, and Sokka knows it’s Blue, drags him faster than any normal human could.

“Sokka!” Katara cries, rushing forward. “Come on! We have to leave.”

“But–” Sokka tries to say, but then Suki is there.

“You have to leave, Sokka” Suki tells him, and maybe his heart cracks a little here.

“Wait!” Sokka says, “I just wanted to say, I’m sorry for treating you like a girl when I should’ve treated you like a warrior.”

Suki smiles. “I may be a warrior,” She says softly, leaning forward and pecking him on the cheek, “But I’m a girl too.”

He blinks, but he can’t say anything in reply because Blue has started dragging him again.

Later, Aang confirms Sokka’s theory that the bald kid is absolutely insane because he rides the Unagi, that crazy serpent thing, and extinguishes all the fire.

He tries to talk with Blue about it later, but the spirit just huffs, and like a child, crosses his arms and looks away whenever Kyoshi Island is mentioned.

~

The first time Aang meet Blue, they tell him later, is when Sokka is kidnapped by Hei Bai.

Aang finds Blue in a panic, frantically searching for his chosen. The moment he sees Aang, Blue grips his shoulders and begs him to find Sokka.

As they search, Blue explains. “When the spirit kidnapped Sokka, they somehow separated me from him. I can’t– I can’t find him in here, the spirit is hiding him somewhere, I can’t–”

Aang places a comforting hand on Blue’s shoulder. “We’ll find him, don’t worry,” He promises, and Blue relaxes.

Meanwhile, Sokka is screaming as Hei Bai drags him away, kicking and struggling.

Hei Bai seems to quickly tire of this, tossing him away into the fog. 

Sokka hits the ground a bit too hard, and passes out.

-

Blue shakes him awake. When Sokka opens his eyes, Blue sighs with relief and hugs him tightly. 

“You’re alive,” Blue murmurs, his voice muffled by Sokka’s shirt. “I thought I failed and that– that you were gone forever–”

“But I’m not,” Sokka says gently, “I’m still here and sarcastic and incredibly as strong and manly as ever, Blue.”

Blue huffs. “Sure you are.”

(Things don't stay all chummy for long. Aang has a time limit, the comet, and then...)

~

When Sokka heard the screams of his little sister, he ran. 

She was crying, and crying hard as she ran away. Aang stood a few feet away, looking horrified. 

Sokka felt anger rising in his chest, breaths puffing out quicker. 

“What happened?!” Sokka screamed. “Who did this to my sister?”

“I did!” Aang said, voice cracking. “I'm sorry, I was practising firebending and it got out of control–”

And Sokka’s brain stopped. The words circled around in his head. 

Practising firebending, got out of control, practising firebending–

It got out of control. 

Sokka’s breathing quickened as he remembered the day he tried to firebend and Blue’s face had been burnt and Sokka had cried and cried and begged for forgiveness until Blue told him he was a spirit and he was fine and now this had happened to his sister. 

“Get out,” Sokka said, voice shaking. “Get. Out!”

And Aang obliges, running away. Sokka packs up Appa, rambling to Blue. 

His hands tremble as he places all their stuff. “I could have done that to Katara, Blue. I could have done that to anyone. I already did it to you!”

Blue sighs. “Let me do the packing, Sokka.” Blue says gently. 

“Why?! I'm fine! Completely fine! Totally focused.” Sokka exclaims. 

“Sokka, you're completely rattled. You're even tying up Momo.” Blue points out. 

Sokka realized this was quite true, and begrudgingly obliged. 

~

Sokka’s heart is quaking, because he has to hurry fast. 

He has to save these people.

He’s not what Jet said he was, he’s not an ashmaker, he’s not like those people that took his mom and Jet’s parents from them!

He’s good, and he repeats that to himself over and over.

(Somehow, it feels like a lie.)

But Blue is there, and it makes him feel good.

(But only a little.)

“Please!” He begs the town, “I’m not a spy! I’m serious! The dam will break, and your town will be flooded!”

The soldiers growl, coming closer at them with their very pointy spears. “Just look at your clothes!” One of them says in disgust. “Some other nation scum, I’ll wager. The Water Tribes certainly must be weak if they sent you.”

The others grumble in agreement.

Sokka might’ve been drowned with them, trying to convince them to listen, but someone steps forward.

“Listen to the boy!” An old man says, voice shaking from age. Sokka realizes it's the elderly man Jet tried to attack. “A crazed young man tried to attack me just because I was Fire Nation, even if I did no wrong against him! I certainly wouldn’t put it past him to blow this town to smithereens if given half the chance.”

The town evacuates almost immediately.

-

When he finds Katara and Aang, Katara is beating the living daylights out of Jet, tears forming at the corner of her eyes.

Sokka tells them all of the village’s survival. 

“You’re a traitor, Sokka!” Jet screams at him, “A traitor! You’re no better than the Fire Nation! You are an ashmaker!”

Katara looks murderous, but Sokka cuts in before she could say anything.

“No, Jet.” Sokka says calmly, though inside the words sting, “You became the traitor when you stopped protecting innocent people.”

-

“Sokka,” Katara says carefully as they leave, “Why did Jet call you an ‘ashmaker?’”

And now, he cannot hide anymore. He just opens his palms, and small flame flickers.

Katara gasps. “Sokka, you–”

“I know,” Sokka says shakily, “I know. I’m an– an ashmaker.”

“Sokka,” Katara whispers, “Don’t say that.”

And Katara hugs him, and so does Aang, and then Momo joins in and Appa lets out a little roar.

And, as always, there’s Blue. And even if Sokka can’t see his face, he thinks he’s smiling.

~

The Northern Water Tribe is disgusted by him.

Really, he should’ve expected it.

More awful and hateful words are thrown at him, especially by Hahn. They push him into the snow. 

Yue is the only one who doesn’t care.

She is nice to him, and finds his fire fascinating.

“Why?” Sokka asks. “Why do you like it?”

Yue pauses. “I am a non-bender,” She says softly. “And being a firebender is always better than being a non-bender. At least people take you seriously and they respect you. Even if in their heads they think you a monster.”

Sokka thought about that a while after, and realized it was true.

He and Yue talk a little more, and he realizes he’s falling for her, fast.

(He doesn’t see the angry aura radiating off Blue in massive waves when he figures this out.)

-

Sokka cries after the Siege.

He hates this, so much.

He hates Zhao, he hates the Sun Spirit, he hates–

He hates his firebending!

The hot tears of shame and hatred and grief rush out of his eyes.

And then there’s whispering sounds, going faster and faster until it suddenly stops and Blue appears.

Blue crouches in front of him, and grabs his chin.

Sokka stares into the seemingly soulless eyes.

(But Sokka knows there’s humanity in Blue. He knows how Blue reacted when Sokka got kidnapped.)

Blue carefully wipes Sokka’s tears away with his thumb.

“I know now,” Blue says. “I am not only your guardian. I am also to be your friend.”

Sokka cups Blue’s hand, which is now resting on his cheek.

“Thank you,” He whispers, and Sokka means it. “You give me more warmth than any burning flame.”

&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&

A/N: uhhh yeah it took a while- i decided to split this into the books bc i realized how lengthy some of the episodes would get (like the boiling rock for one. theres a reason its split into multiple parts.)

(also to see if anyone would like this lmao)

@ultfreakme as promised, it is here!

[junkopottershima]

An Early 2000's Child's Observation on Zutara Shipping War.

I awoke from my slumber upon discovering the Avatar fanbase, and the absolute shipping war that I never really gave a shit about until now. Zutara is a relatively new ship to me, as is any other ship that isn’t canon, so I’m gonna run through the list of anti-zutara arguments that I’ve found, and list out my takes on them. I’m doing this, because although I see lots of love for Zutara, there’s some aspects about Katara and Zuko’s relationship in the show that makes me question how well their “chemistry” would actually work. For that, I’m genuinely curious and even politely asking “Zutarians” to please step up and respond with their takes on arguments against Zutara. Though, I should mention that there's going to be some anti-zutara takes that I don't agree with. I'll just be getting them off my chest. Welp, here we go now:

"Zutara can't work because it's Oppressor x Oppressed".

I've seen people saying this, and then saying that you can only "truly" agree/disagree with this point if you're an oppressed ethnicity, class, or whatever. Well, I guess as an African American woman, I honestly think the argument that "Zuko and Katara absolutely cannot work out because he's the colonizer and she's the victim" is rather dumb and blatantly ignores the fact that Zuko was trying to change his ways. Like, that argument is so stupid to me, it's almost offensive. We see Zuko change and try to keep changing his perspective on other nations and foreigners, and the step he takes to do that is by standing up to his father on the day of the eclipse and declaring his new mission to find and help Aang and his friends stop the war. Ozai wasted no time trying to do what he wanted since day 1 of Zuko's life, which was to end him. Zuko put his life on the line to change his ways. If we're going by the logic that Zuko can't be healthy for Katara because he's an oppressor...what the fuck was the point of him trying to gain their trust and trying to help Aang take down his father...if he's an oppressor? If we're going off the logic that Katara should not trust Zuko because he (more like his father and father's army) is an oppressor, shouldn't that apply to the rest of the Gaang as well by the fact that each of their nations and cultures were/are threatened by the Fire Nation? Going off of that logic, it becomes easy to say that Zuko should have never gotten a chance to even be friends with Aang, Sokka, Katara, Toph, and Suki just because his family consists of war-mongering assholes, but why would anyone say that when it's shown that Zuko is actively trying to change his ways at that point? Also, if we're go there (the colonizer stuff), it's almost like saying white people should never be dating any nonwhite solely because many whites in positions of power abuse it to subjugate nonwhites. It blatantly ignores the real-life contexts and instances where individual whites mean no harm and are able to get along with other races. It blatantly ignores the instances of whites being able to find genuine love with people from other races, even in hard times like the Civil Rights Era and various wars. We can see that it's fucked up to generalize...so why do we gotta do that with Zuko? Keep in mind, I'm talking about the point where Zuko is officially redeeming himself.

"It would make no sense for Katara and Zuko to end up together at the end--They only had limited time together".

Now this, I definitely agree with. I understand that Zutarians loved the hell out of Zutara and rooted for them to be together at the series finale, but the in-lore time and development Katara had with Aang, and Zuko with Mai is objectively more grounded and overwhelming than all the "evidence" that Zuko would have had a great romance with Katara. Even with Zuko having redeemed a lot about himself in his arc at season 3 and AFTER Katara learns to trust him, there's literally no time for them to develop any romantic feelings or a relationship because Sozin's Comet was just like several days away at that point. Even in the catacombs of Ba Sing Se, Katara's moment with offering to heal Zuko's scar and to really establish a bond was interrupted by Aang and Iroh before she could waste her spirit water on him--THEY HAD NO TIME. Meanwhile, Mai and Zuko were childhood friends, and knew each other for basically their whole lives. Plus, they were dating throughout the series. In practicality, isn't it going to be Mai that would make the most sense as a love interest due to the fact that of all candidates, Mai understands Zuko the most? Isn't it Mai that Zuko has took the time to write a letter for in the prison, smile and laugh for? With Mai, we see Zuko at his most happy. Point is, Mai is objectively a very important love interest to Zuko, so even though they broke up several times before, I don't think Zuko is the type to just throw his tears away and immediately move on. I mean seriously, Jin was more like a rebound fling and Zuko didn't even blink when he dipped back to the Fire Nation. And I don't think I need to pull up the entire show just to list examples of Aang and Katara having each other's backs and developing an unbreakable bond. Zuko and Katara didn't have the time to develop romantic feeling for each other at their best and even if they had an infatuation for one another, wouldn't Zuko's bond and romantic feelings for Mai predictably just bubble to the surface again? I mean Zuko lost no sleep when he basically ditched Jin and went straight back to Mai. No offense to anyone who loves Jin/Zuko, I'm just telling it as it is.

"Zuko does not consistently consider Katara's feelings".

Again, this is true. After returning to the Fire Nation, Zuko isn't shown to be shaken by his betrayal to Katara. He's just not thinking about her during his time back home. But what I definitely want to talk about is the part where he joins the Gaang, and Katara is vocally distrustful of him. This is the aspect of Zuko and Katara's relationship that has always stopped me from actually shipping them together. Katara is vocal, again and again, that she doesn't trust Zuko because of his history with basically being a serious asshole bounty hunter for the avatar, because of him betraying her trust back in Ba Sing Se, and the fact that she personally blamed Zuko for her mother's death due to associating him with Fire Nation scum. Now while Katara is clearly bothered by his presence in the Gaang, Zuko literally didn't care and was on-board to keep on trucking. It's only after it gets too annoying does Zuko now care about Katara's feelings, and what does he lead with? "This is so unfair!". Upon confronting Katara about her feelings, Zuko immediately declaring that Katara was being unfair just reveals that Zuko was thinking more about himself in this moment. That Zuko didn't do anything wrong, that Zuko must not have done anything wrong because Zuko does not even remember what he did to piss off Katara. Katara is the one that has to check him by explaining why she doesn't like him: his betrayal, her perception of his affiliation with the Fire Nation, and PROBABLY the fact that he sent 'sparky sparky boom boom' man after Aang. Right after that, Zuko goes to see Sokka about he and Katara's mother, and while that's very considerate of Zuko...it shows that he's kind of ignorant about properly apologizing for his wrongs. He skipped doing any apology for what happened in Ba Sing Se, and went straight to "Okay, what's the deal with her mom?". It's nice that Zuko gave Katara the option to do a Quentin Tarantino mission on the dude that murked her mom, but the fact that Zuko put Katara's vocal disapproval and Ba Sing Se event kind of on the back burner of his concerns isn't quite a good look. It shows that Zuko, although in redemption, still possessed from listening problems.

Also, when searching for different takes on Zutara, I found a post by a particular user that I don't remember. But basically, in critiquing Zutara the user mentioned Katara threatening Zuko that she would "end his destiny personally" was 'abuse'. I believe this user is called, 'erin-the-brave'. Well in my opinion, that just wasn't an intelligent perspective on Katara's dialogue. In Katara's perspective, Zuko has been chasing her, Sokka, and Aang across the world to capture him, which to her would mean the doom for the world. Zuko taunts Katara about her mother's necklace, using it to try bringing her into giving up Aang. Zuko is randomly living in Ba Sing Se, and right after she has a short bonding moment with him, he immediately choses to help Azula kill Aang. Zuko then sends an assassin after Aang, in which that assassin locks Katara and Toph up in a jail cell as bait. I get that Zuko helped free her dad and Suki from prison, but goddamn, how the fuck else do you expect Katara to react to Zuko's sudden redemption? Even if he IS trying? Katara isn't a fucking mind reader. Like how did you genuinely expect her to react? "Oh you poor thing! Let me welcome you with wide open arms so I can kiss your ass and wipe it with a sample of spirit water"???

"Oh Katara's being abusive to Zuko because she was telling him that she'll end his life if he hurts Aang again, even though Zuko HAS repeatedly tested everybody in the Gaang". Could it serve as an argument that Katara wasn't given much time to learn with, and trust Zuko in order for a romantic relationship to work? I think so. But would I say Katara's reaction to Zuko's second redemption is 'abuse'? No. I think it would be overreacting to even call that verbal abuse, because in Katara's shoes, who wouldn't be wary of Zuko?

"Zuko was pushing Katara to be a murderer in The Southern Raiders, he was bringing out the worst in her".

I actually disagree with this. Zuko merely told Katara that he knows the guy who killed her mother, and that would help her find him. If I recall correctly, he didn't push or pressure her into actually killing him. He merely offered her a journey to find the fucker who took her mother's life. Katara contemplating murder, going on the trip, and even blood bending during the mission was 100% her own choice. The fact that Katara almost instantly chose this journey with Zuko seems to imply that this was something she always wanted to do, but just never got the chance for: confronting her mother's killer. Even after Katara chose not to kill the guy, Zuko didn't hold her choice against her. He doesn't belittle her, nor did he ever pressure her to twist Yon Rha to death like a pretzel. Zuko actually tells Katara that her ability to be better than Yon Rha was a person strength, and Zuko even seems proud of her in that moment. He gave Katara the chance for closure, she took it, she tackled the confrontation in her own way as Zuko let her have her spotlight, and they walked away with him being proud of her.

"Zutara would be better if you just replaced Zuko with Azula in the ship".

This is a joke, right? Because the only way this could get funnier is if you threw in Ozai.

"a fic which does 'ATLA’s plot goes almost exactly as canon, except my favorite ship happens' is not clever or innovative".

....it's fanfiction with endless creativity, writing styles, and brains behind it. Rewriting the show's beginning, midsection, endgame, or all of the above is objectively creative and at least a little innovative. Fanfiction absolutely can be creative and innovative, you don't have to lie just because you don't like a ship, my brother.

"Katara offering to heal Zuko's scar is actually evidence that she does NOT fully understand Zuko"

I've seen this take and I think it's one of the best arguments against Zutara, to be honest. A user named 'Maikingsenseofit' explained it so well, I'm just gonna copy and paste it:

"Upon seeing his scar, her immediate thought is to use spirit water to heal it. While this is an outstanding demonstration of kindness for someone she is not obliged to show it to, let’s remember that right before this Zuko says:

“It's okay. I used to think this scar marked me. The mark of the banished prince, cursed to chase the Avatar forever. But lately... I've realized that I'm free to determine my own destiny, even if I'll never be free of my mark.”

This. Right here. It is so important to understand. Zuko’s scar is so much more than a scar. It represents his trauma from his father, the trials and tribulations he faced to earn Ozai’s approval, and is a further reminder that he is the black sheep of the family both figuratively (a son who could never live up to his title, who could never bend like he was supposed to) and literally (the only member of a pristine royal family with an ugly brand on his face).

But his journey with Uncle Iroh in Ba Sing Se allows him to come to terms this trauma, or moreover this scar. It’s a reminder that we cannot escape our past or try to stifle it. We must embrace it and learn to accept it. It is only then that we are fully liberated from the shackles of our trauma and can fully determine our paths forward.

Katara’s offer to get rid of Zuko’s scar represents a regression of Zuko’s hard earned realization. He had just come to terms with his troubled past and accepts the ephemeral mark on his face. He even wears it with pride. He doesn’t try to hide his past or stifle his trauma, not anymore. It is an integral part of who he is. It is what makes Zuko, Zuko.He vocalizes this to Katara immediately before this. Katara however, fails to understand the significance and the journey behind this mark, largely in part because she wasn’t there to witness it. Her attempt to heal his scar falls flat in several ways, but one main reason is because just because something is healed physically, doesn’t mean it’s healed emotionally. But it’s important to consider something else here: Zuko never explicitly asks Katara or verbalizes a desire to get rid of his scar. Based on the earlier conversation, he’s finally gotten around to embracing it and welcoming the significance behind it. What Katara offers is in stark contrast to what he said. He allows her to touch his scar, but it is evident that she would never heal it. Why?

From Belen Edwards, despite the traumatic memories associated with his scar, Zuko never seems particularly ashamed of it. Throughout season 1, his hairstyle ensures that it's completely exposed, showing his identity to the world. In the second season, Zuko tells Katara that he's beginning to accept that he won't be rid of the scar.

And yet despite hearing the last part, Katara still offers a solution to Zuko to get rid of it.

This is where we see that the so called deep understanding and caring that Zuko and Katara held for each other is beginning to crack. Where is Katara’s deep and profound, soul-ular (get it, like cellular?) understanding of Zuko that no one else, other than Iroh, had of him? It begs us to ask if Iroh was in that room, given the journey he embarked on with his nephew both physically and emotionally, would he have encouraged Katara to get rid of this mark? The answer is obviously no. If there is a deep vulnerability and intimacy that they share with each other, and no one else, it does seem pointless given on both ends neither understands the full depth of the other’s situation. This is exemplified by Zuko immediately forgetting his entire interaction with Katara (but not His interaction with Aang interestingly) afterwards and still failing to understand why Katara was mad at him, even AFTER she explicitly tells him. And this is exemplified by Katara not fully acknowledging and understanding Zuko’s acceptance of his scar and offering a surface level solution that will never address the emotional significance and tribulations that come with it. Nothing against either of the characters by the way, and I need to emphasize that in bold font. I am simply observing their interactions and dispelling these “Word of God”-like claims.

Consider Zuko’s interactions with Mai. When he first sees her after years of banishment she gently his scar and touches in it not in an attempt to get rid of it, but because it is a part of Zuko. And when it comes to kissing Zuko, it means touching his scar, touching him in his entirety- including his physical and emotional marks. There’s a deliberate reason why the storyboard artists included Zuko’s scar in the scene. Because she’s known Zuko her whole life and was there when he first received it. Zuko and his scar are not two separate entities for her. They are one and the same"

End dialogue.

What should be mentioned is that Zutarians do like to say that "Katara is the first person to ever touch his scar"...which to be honest, I just don't believe. I just don't believe that Katara got to touch his scar before Iroh or Mai ever did, because it would insinuate that Iroh and Mai have never caressed the side of Zuko's face to comfort him, and after all those years of being close with them. Then there's the claim that Katara is the only person Zuko opens up to in the Gaang, even though he talked about some of his feelings to Toph, talked about some of his feelings to Sokka, and talked about some of his feelings to Aang. When Zuko snatched Aang and hustled themselves into a cave in the middle of blizzard nowhere, Zuko opens up about his rough childhood to Aang. Yes, Aang wasn't conscious to listen, but Zuko DID talk to him. Perhaps Katara is the first member of the Gaang that Zuko opened up to (the "mom talk" in Ba Sing Se) without the other person being too out-of-conscious to listen, but she's definitely not the only one that Zuko opened up to. She's technically not the first person to give Zuko a chance, but Aang was the one who did it right after he was freed by Zuko (who was disguised as the Blue Spirit).

"Toko = Zutara = Zukka = just about any fan pairing/OT100 involving Zuko".

I don't entirely agree with this. For context, a user by the name of 'atla-recluse' posted this in regard to Zuko shipping:

"Toph, who actually wanted to go on one just to hang out with him. Toph, who tried to speak to him about her personal struggles (as they walked together in search of Aang). The sort of thing an actually compassionate and reflective boy would have at least tried to sympathize with, even if only briefly. Instead, he immediately shuts her down. Seems he didn’t have a second to waste on some dumb little girl, right? This same girl who would later on take moments out of her time to sit down with him and comfort him (The Ember Island Players). Someone’s always there when he wants support. An emotionally volatile 12 - 13 year-old comforting an even more emotionally volatile 16 - 17 year-old. Not a good look. And yet…Toko = Zutara = Zukka = just about any fan pairing/OT100 involving Zuko. And the reasons why they’re shipped always seem to be the same, save one little difference here and there. It’s always about pleasing Zuko and his you-know-what. Pardon the innuendo and my mood."

I agree that Zuko was kind of a jerk to Toph with how he dismissed her, even though he dumped his emotions out and let her give some reassurance. Zuko went on a journey to free Hadoka from prison with Sokka, and Zuko went on a journey to give Katara closure for the fucker that murdered her mother. Although Zuko has streaks of selfishness in his good deeds, it should still be noted that he does care enough about Sokka and Katara to help them in regard to their families. Meanwhile, Zuko factually never even said Toph's name during the entire show's runtime. I'm not saying that Zutara is a perfect ship, but I am saying that it IS different than Toko.

The Final Point to mention: They just ain't into each other".

And although I like checking out Zutara fics and seeing what creative combinations the Zutarans had to bring for over ten years, I still don't truly ship Katara and Zuko because they're just not into each other. Look at the Ember Island play scene that depicted Katara and Zuko being secret lovers in an affair. They literally cringed away from each other. They didn't blush or smile, they CRINGED.

So far, those are my takes on this apparent "war" with the Zutara shipping. So here's where I casually call up hardcore Zutarans to ask a genuine and polite question: what is your response to these arguments against Zutara? Will you still ship them after these arguments? I would really like to know your perspectives, and to see if my mind can change. I don't hate Zutara, though I'm not sure if I ship Zuko and Katara either. Again, that's my actual take, and I would super like to read what Zutarans would like to say about all this.

[zvtara-was-never-canon]

It's funny that zk hate Aang and Mai only because these characters are a threat to their fanon ship. Aang and Mei don't interest them beyond talking about ships. If the endships were, for example, Zuko and Toph, or Zuko and Jin, or Katara and Haru, then they would never talk about Mai or Aang, but they would hate Toph, Jin or Haru with fierce hatred. I once read how they were discussing toko (Toph/Zuko). They were talking about some well-drawn fan art and, obviously, sensing a potential threat in the Toph, attacked her with poisonous comments.

Yup. Which is why Jet tends to get the role of "asshole/abusive ex boyfriend" in their fics almost as much as Aang. They cannot STAND the very basic concept of "My ship is not for everyone and sometimes people prefer the 'rival' pairings."

I've had some of them snap at me and shit-talk Zucest and Azula since they know I ship her with Zuko, and I'm like ???????? Buddy, the zucest fandom has about 20 people, including me, why are you feeling so threatened?

But my FAVORITE hate-campain of their was towards the "Zukka" (it was really Voltron fans projecting their Klance headcanons onto Sokka and Zuko) die-hards because EVERYTHING they gave Zukka fans shit for were things they ALSO did on the the regular.

Projecting and completely misrepresenting canon? Check.

Feelings entitled to have their ship be treated as canon? Check.

BEGGING Netflix to make it canon and pretending it was guaranteed to happen? Check.

Harrassing, bullying and threatening anyone who liked a rival pairing? Check.

Accusing everyone of being sexist/homophobic for not shipping it, but writing incredibly sexist/homophobic metas and fanfics with zero self-awareness? Check.

Delusional "The are totally hints in The Legend Of Korra that they raised Izumi together/had a secret love-child"? Check.

Convincing themselves they're the underdog, niche ship appreciated by few and hated by the majority when they were one of the loudest, largest, most insufferable parts of the fandom that wouldn't leave people the fuck alone? CHECK, CHECK, AND CHECK.

Seriously, the ammount of times I've seen both sides go "Your ship will never be as canon as our OTP is!" is insane because neither side ever seems to realize that's not the win they think it is because BOTH SHIPS ARE PURE FANON XD

[some-movies-ive-seen]

Avatar The Last AirBender (the Netflix | Nickelodeon series)

Episode 1: 3/10

Episode 2: 4/10 (Kyoshi brought it up)

I don't really want to even watch further. Let's start off with the good.

I love the music and sounds. Brilliant.

Some actors are very good and their act is believable to the point it makes me forget I'm watching a TV show.

Honestly most of the time there's CG I don't even notice it.

the makeup, the sets, the costumes, wow. wowowoww. wowweeee. I love it.

The bad:

Very very very few actors know what they're doing.

It's a known problem that child actors are just terrible - not because children can't be great actors (c.f., Heidi, literally everyone in Matilda (ily Danny Davito)), but sometimes the show has a director that cannot for the life of them work with children (e.g., Stranger Things, and this ATLA series). Aang, for example, delivers a performance which is painful to watch. I'm not hating on the child, again, the direction is just completely missing. There's a scene where they have Katara just light-jog to Aang, then pivot slightly to Sokka. For what. It's so stiff and awkward and her expression is completely void of life (this happens a lot, her eyes are frozen, and only the rest of her face conveys expression). There are times when the laughter is obviously forced. There are times when dialogue delivered by the children are far too 'complex' for what a child would say. It's just so, it's not good. It feels like a show for kids. But I'm reminded that in the opening scenes a person was burned alive, so unless the kids these days are fine with that (deity knows I wasn't as a kid), I don’t know.

Most of the time it just doesn't seem believable. It feels like some friends and family got together and just shot some scenes on their iPhone to try and replicate the animated series. There are actions taken by characters which make no god damn sense. There are scenes where their facial expressions aren't human, because they're trying to mimic the animated characters (especially Sokka). I also get the vibe that they didn't rehearse lines, like at all. Aang messed up pronunciation TWICE in the first episode* (I'm pretty sure it was both in the first episode, he just mumbled over his words and they didn't think to re-shoot it or fuckin, I don’t know, do a little dub? like?).

There's no real explanation for bending??? Which ig wouldn't be necessary if you've watched the animated series. But like why can't the fire people just spew out a constant stream of fire, why must it be fireballs. Why does the earth bender boy need soooooo long to charge up his move? Why was Aang flying around the first time we saw him, but then he was free-falling reaching desperately for his stick later on (where did the stick even come from???)?

They resort to dark / dimly-lit scenes a little too frequently to make the CG easier / less noticeable. but it has the unintended effect of 'I can't see shit, babes'.

I think I'll watch more. I don’t know man it just feels like Netflix is hiring bottom of the fucking skill-barrel. Like I'm glad there's so many new people in the acting space, instead of recycling Marilyn Streep and, that guy, like they used to for the last few decades. But it comes at the cost of 'what the fuck are these people doing, do they want to be here?'. It's very Disney-girl-turns-pop-princess-because-daddy-knows-people. does that make sense.

I don’t know. Kyoshi just. compared to the others around her? Night and day. Night and fucking day, babes. Not even funny; her composure, her delivery, the tiny details, she just nails it for the most part. And then she's standing next to Aang who's just like omg when does this take end so I can go eat my fairy floss teehee.

[juniperhillpatient]

The Storm Re-watch

This is among my favorite episodes of the entire show - which is amazing because there's very little focus on Katara & we only get a very brief shot of Azula. Can't believe I'm a fake fan of the girlies! But I sure do love Aang & Zuko & their dynamic as narrative foils & this episode beautifully explores that.

In this episode, we see that Aang is struggling with guilt over abandoning his role as the Avatar. Zuko is determined to capture the Avatar, even at the cost of his crew's safety. It's fear of duty to the detriment of others & following a mission blindly to the detriment of others - opposite sides of the same selfish coin. I love it so much. This show is so fucking good.

I will say this - I can't really blame Zuko for telling Iroh to STFU about the storm or the fisherman for telling his wife the same or Sokka for taking the job with the fisherman because, at the start of the episode, the skies ARE blue. Also, from Zuko's POV, Iroh has curtailed this mission time & again - just a few episodes ago he changed their whole course because he lost a game piece! However, once the skies start clouding over - THEN these stubborn dumbasses should've reconsidered whether this was the hill - or rather wave - to die on.

Aang's story about his childhood & Iroh's revelation to the crew about why Zuko is a "complicated young man" told in parallel is just brilliantly done. Aang's past with Gyatso, who obviously really cared about him, is heartbreaking. This moment especially stood out to me:

Gyatso: Aang needs to have freedom and fun. He needs to grow up as a normal boy.

Tashi: You cannot keep protecting him from his destiny. Pasang Gyatso, I know you mean well, but you are letting your affection for the boy cloud your judgment.

Gyatso: All I want is what is best for him.

Pasang: But what we need is what's best for the world. You and Aang must be separated! The Avatar will be sent away to the Eastern Air Temple to complete his training.

Gyatso cared about Aang not just as the Avatar but as a person. Aang had to watch his friends become alienated from him. He had to learn about this overwhelming sacred duty that he had to the world. And then he had to overheat that he was going to be taken away from his father figure...What child wouldn't run away?

At the same time, as the narrative is very clear, people suffered because Aang ran away & he was wrong to do so. The world suffered because of his choice. Assigning Aang personal blame seems pretty harsh, but he does need to realize his responsibility. I think that Katara is a good friend to try to ease his guilt though, & I don't think Aang sitting in his guilt & self-loathing will solve the issue. All he can do is work to fulfill his destiny now.

And of course - this is the episode where we learn about Zuko's Tragic Backstory™

Poor Little Meow Meow Status Unlocked!

Okay, but genuinely, this is a harrowing introduction for Ozai. Zuko stands up to a war general in a meeting when a cruel & heartless plan to sacrifice new recruits in a dangerous mission to cause a distraction is brought up. The flashback is where we see Zuko's best traits & how his kindness was literally brutalized out of him by his father. He was punished for - quote - "shameful weakness." It also puts a new spin on Zuko's furious reaction during the dispute over "respect" with Jee when you remember his father said this to him right before disfiguring him publicly: "you will learn respect, & suffering will be your teacher."

Also, who would I be if I didn't get excited over the first appearance of my favorite war-mongering lil baby?

There she is there she is there she is 💖💖💖

Real talk - this scene is as endlessly fascinating to me as it is dark. We see Iroh look away, while the other members of the royal court look on, mostly solemnly. Zhao & Azula alone smile. Azula even gives a victorious little fist pump. I think that these reactions are incredibly indicative of the dynamics at play. Iroh in his endless tendency to refuse to face anything head-on, Zhao in his cruel sadism & Azula - well, we'd be here all day if I started really rambling about her but I think her reaction is telling of how she was raised & the way she views her father.

Anyway - back to Aang & Zuko!

Aang & Zuko both ultimately make the right choice in this episode & we see huge strides in their character development. Zuko opts to turn away from his initial mission (capturing the Avatar) for the safety of his crew. Aang opts to rush into danger to save Sokka & the fisherman from danger. They both make huge strides in character development in this episode, & the audience gains a much stronger appreciation for & understanding of both characters.

This is the strongest episode in Book 1 so far in my opinion. We learn a lot about Aang & Zuko & how their journies parallel & that moment in the eye of the storm - I get chills every time. This episode reminds me why this show is one of my all-time favorites.

[awanderingmuse-ficrec]

To Build a Home (Series)

Fandom: Avatar the Last Airbender

Author: orphan_account

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Violence, Strong Language, Abuse

Word Count:  14,652

Characters: Zuko, Iroh, Ursa, Fire Nation Citizen(s), Aang, Katara, Toph Beifong, Sokka, Suki, Ozai

Tags: Firelord Zuko, Post-Canon, Post-War, Politics, Agni Kai, Ozai Being a Terrible Parent, Assassination Attempt(s), Hurt No Comfort, hand waving canon because fuck it, no beta we die like jet, Zuko is trying his best, I wrote this instead of sleeping and I'm sorry, Can be read as a stand alone, Iroh is a Good Uncle, he just keeps making questionable decisions, Fire Nation Politics, look I tried to write a hurt no comfort fic and then it made me sad so here, Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Crying, let zuko sleep 2k21, I wrote this and now it's your problem, Zuko-centric, Hurt Zuko, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, pls be nice to me I’ve forgotten how to write, Ozai is an Asshole, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Zuko Needs Therapy, but he does get a hug! and that's a start, Vomiting, Medical Inaccuracies, bc I’m fun like that ;), my dual love affair with italics AND parenthesis, Angst with a Happy Ending, Regent Firelord Iroh, POV Iroh, iroh loves his nephew. that's it, thats the fic, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, handwaving canon bc fuck it, Protective Iroh, Iroh Loves Tea, he makes so much tea in this fic whoops, Zuko Needs a Hug, I wrote this and now it’s your problem, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, well post canon divergence lmao

Turn to Dust

Never mind that he won’t be of age for another year-and-then-some. Never mind that he’s sixteen with bandages still wrapped around his chest and a more intimate knowledge of war than these men will ever have. He wasn’t old enough for his first Agni Kai. He isn’t old enough for the crown. No one batted an eye then, they don’t now. The prayer shawl is a familiar weight on his shoulders.

(Youth is no excuse, the generals hiss to one another.

You will learn respect, a palm of flames says.)

House of Stones

Somehow, he survives his first month on the throne, assassination attempts, and Agni Kais be damned. And then he survives the second. By the start of the third, Zuko thinks, I might make it to seventeen.

(Somewhere, the spirits are laughing at him.)

To Build a Home

Iroh steps up as regent. He takes the five-pronged flame crown from his nephew’s head and says with his heart breaking in two, you need to live.

He does not say, I am too selfish to lose you too, and Iroh does not say, I cannot grieve for another son.

He should have done it sooner, he thinks, seeing his nephew look so small in the palace infirmary with bandages around his shoulder and bags under his eyes. He should have done it sooner, he thinks, holding his nephew in his arms as he shatters.

(Iroh has not always been a good man, and he has not always been a good uncle. This, he thinks, is the first step towards being better.)

[crellanstein]

Prodigious

I find it odd how the fandom focuses so much on Aang’s childhood being ruined when he learned he was the Avatar at 12, but there’s very little talk about how discovering she was the Avatar as a toddler affected Korra’s life and how she was raised.

But we’ll circle back to that...

Because this is a good starting point to talk about one of the most prevalent themes in the story, which the mainstream discussion of tends to only focus on a few characters -- That is the Child Prodigy. 

We’ll start with the two most obvious. The ones we always talk about.

Azula.

The clearest example of your typical child prodigy (if there is anything typical about a prodigy). Azula showed early mastery of very advanced Fire-Bending techniques, and is the only Fire-Bender to use blue flames, which was intended to make her stand out amongst the other villains but is also indicative that her Fire-Bending is more pure and powerful (blue flame is produced when burning pure O2 or fuel without contaminant at a very high temperature). 

All this lead to her being praised and favored by Ozai as a child, but as double-edged swords go, this also meant she had a lot of pressure on her shoulders to never fail, and she rarely did. Her ego matched her talent, and let’s be honest she was the baddest bitch the show had ever seen. Conquering Ba Sing Se, defeating the Avatar in combat, and dropping some of the most devastating lines of dialogue in villain history; she was a force nobody wanted to reckon with. 

And that become a problem for one asshole in particular...

Being jealous of his own child is just one item on a laundry list of reasons why this guy is the worst father in the history of fathers. Azula had begun to outshine him with her victories, and Ozai’s maniacal ego couldn’t handle that, so he left her behind to babysit the Fire Nation while he went out to burn/conquer the world, which also was her idea.

And while this wasn’t the only thing that aided in her demise, it certainly was the final straw which sent her spiraling down into this...

In the end Azula is a sad example of how certain unfair expectations are placed upon talented children, and the more they succeed, the more these expectations grow and weigh on the them until they either disappoint those looking down on them or surpass and embarrass their elders.

It is a lose-lose situation which inevitably destroys them.

There is a similar example of the child prodigy, but his story goes a little different.

Aang.

Even as a twelve/thirteen year-old boy Aang by far has the most impressive stats among any character in the Avatar universe.

Basically mastering 3 of the 4 Elements in less than a year, after mastering Air by the time he is twelve (not to mention inventing his own Air-bending move, the Air scooter). 

Aang is an example of a child prodigy who had too much thrust onto him at too young an age because of the talent he showed; because of this he panicked and ran away, and the world was worse off for it. 

Aang/Sokka/Katara’s story is all about how in times of War, responsibilities normally handled by adults are pushed onto kids who then have to grow up very fast in order to deal with it all.

The message is clear. War robs the young of their childhoods. 

Now, let’s talk about a different kind of child prodigy.

The Unacknowledged. 

Yes, of course I’m talking about Toph, the greatest Earth-Bender to ever live.

Because of her blindness, Toph’s family tried to keep her sheltered and safe by hiding her from the world. Refusing to believe she could ever be more than helpless. Anyone who has seen the show knows that is far from the truth.

But because her potential went unseen, there were some negative effects to her personality. Initially, she resented her parents, and rebelled; which established a certain level of independence, a bad attitude, and a hot-headed streak. Over time spent with the Gaang these behaviors subsided because she finally had friends and they accepted her for who she was. By the end of the series she was fully willing to accept aid from them when she needed it, like holding on to Sokka’s arm in environment where her bending couldn’t help her “see”. 

Toph’s story is a foil to Azula’s, both showed immense talent and badassery, but while recognition of Azula lead to ever-mounting pressure for her to succeed; the lack of recognition for Toph created a need for her to be acknowledged and set an undercurrent of frustration which leads to her acting out in the ways she does.

The lesson to take from Toph’s story is not to shelter your kid from the world out of fear for their safety, and to be open to recognizing their talents, not shun them.

Next are two more Unacknowledged.

Katara and Sokka.       

Their story, and the reason behind their circumstances, is one of the more complicated and nuanced ones in the series, so here we’ll focus on how it fits into the subject of discussion.

Because of the War, Katara was robbed not only of her mother but also of any Southern Masters to train her, and any role models Sokka could have looked up to left with his father to fight. Because of this Katara’s potential and Sokka’s genius went unacknowledged not due to neglect but rather due to circumstance. (Yes, I think Sokka is a genius, how many 15 yr olds do you know that can plan an invasion, design submarines, and spit poetry off the cuff?).

This is a further example of how War robs kids of necessary childhood experiences, and these two robberies had particular effects on both Katara and Sokka’s character developments.

Sokka had the responsibility of protecting his home put upon him at a young age. The men of his tribe leaving prevented him from completing his rite of manhood until the Gaang ran into Bato of the Water Tribe, and early on Sokka was constantly trying to prove himself as a man and a leader. Sokka is one of the smarter characters of the series, but he rarely got credit for it until the third season. Not to mention that because he wasn’t a bender he often seemed less useful than the others. The circumstances of war made his talent go unnoticed and because of that he often was unsure of himself and overcompensated to prove something.

Speaking of talent going unnoticed.

Katara is definitely one of the more talented benders of the series. After training herself for years with little progress, she essentially mastered Water-Bending in a few weeks under Master Pakku. While her anger towards the Fire-Nation mostly centers around the loss of her mother, it can’t be ignored that the delay in her training was a direct result of the Fire-Nations’ actions.  Toph’s anger and frustration vented itself as rebellion. However, the same frustration and anger is within Katara, but because she wasn’t as natural a bender as Toph she sought to learn and be respected, and when that was denied to her is when that anger bubbled to the surface in some terrifying ways. 

While Toph’s talent went unnoticed because of her families neglect, Katara and Sokka’s wasn’t acknowledged because there was nobody to acknowledge it. Because of that both brother and sister wanted to prove themselves to the world.

And then there is Zuko.

I know what you’re thinking. Zuko wasn’t a prodigy, his Fire-Bending skill didn’t catch up with Azula’s until the finale and he never mastered Lightning-Bending, but this section is about the Unacknowledged.

Zuko had many other talents besides Fire-Bending, he was a master swordsmen, and was able to successfully break into every secure facility he attempted in the show (which was almost every secure facility the show featured).  Unfortunately, these talents were never recognized, because the only thing the royal family cared about was bending ability (It’s possible the reason he learned the sword was because he lacked skill in Fire-Bending). 

As per usual with Zuko, this part of his tale is quite sad. Many can relate to being outshined by a sibling, and when it becomes all too clear that one cannot match another’s talent it’s quite understandable to focus on what they do excel at, but even then there is no promise of recognition for their own talent. Zuko was even mocked by his father during the solar eclipse when Ozai tried baiting him into attacking with his swords. 

This lack of recognition is one of many sad aspects of Zuko’s early life, but it is a definitive example of one of the hardest unacknowledged prodigy’s cross to bear. The Outshone prodigy, one whose talents are never noticed because a bigger and brighter star stands in the way of such recognition, and arguably the most frustrating type mentioned here. Toph/Sokka/Katara all came from situations were there was no recognition being given to them or anyone, but Zuko had to bear watching massive amounts of praise be piled on to his sister while he and his accomplishments went by the way side.

Ozai summed up the situation best.

“Azula was born lucky, Zuko was lucky to be born”

Alright now where have I been going with all this?

So, far we’ve covered a lot of wrong ways to treat a child, whether they show talent or not, and how the circumstances of war can also take many things from children.

But what happened to Korra?

(Before we get into to this I should state that I like Korra, and the purpose of this is not to bash her as a character or her arc, but rather to give a little of my insight into it.)

It’s well established that Aang was told of his heritage too young, and that was a detriment on his development into an adult, but what would have happened if he realized his powers himself not long after he could walk? We’ll never know, but we do get to see the effects it had on Korra. 

When she revealed herself as the Avatar, Korra set her entire life in a new direction, and because Aang tasked the White Lotus with finding and training her that direction was out of her control. There are two key differences between Korras’ and other Avatars’ lives.

1. She grew up in isolation on a White Lotus compound.

Every Avatar before Korra we know of spent a portion of their early lives traveling the world in order to master the elements; along this journey they not only learned how to bend the other 3 elements, buy also many things about the 3 other nations and the world they are tasked to protect as a whole. By confining Korra in safety and bringing the masters to her the White Lotus deprived Korra of this opportunity to learn and grow and understand the world and the people within in. It also deprived her of learning modern bending styles until she reached Republic City.

While this might have kept Korra safe from the Red Lotus, it grew within her a naiveté about how the world worked, and because of this when she actually did venture out into the world she was terribly unprepared for it.

2.  She was trained and mastered 3 of the elements by the time she was 16.

Most Avatars don’t know they have this power until they reach 16 and then they spend several years learning to control it. Korra’s natural talent in the bending lead to her training being expedited not by necessity like Aang’s, but due to her talent and eagerness. Korra excelled at the physical part of being the Avatar and because of this by the time she reached maturity she had become over-confident in her abilities and true to what her Fire-Bending master said in Ep.1 she lacked restraint.

I’m not saying her bending isn’t great, but rather because it is so great it’s her go-to solution to anything, and she enjoys that so she uses it with enthusiastic gusto and not a lot of thinking before striking.

This overconfidence coupled with her naiveté of the world is what lead to many of her rash decisions and actions, most of which had negative consequences, and I believe are the reason behind some fan are dissatisfied with her. Aang had been almost the complete opposite, even by the age of twelve he was an experienced world traveler and an incredibly humble guy. 

Some may have been dissatisfied by these character decisions, but they served a purpose, they are only the beginning of her arc. The internal challenge Korra must overcome through 4 seasons is to humble herself before the world, and learn from it. This was finally achieved in the 4th season when the metal poisoning in her body forces her to face others in the world as equals, only then had she completed her journey.

And why did it all go this way?

Because she is a very unique child prodigy, what she demonstrates in the first episode of LOK would be akin to a toddler playing the violin or hitting a three-pointer; she could bend 3 elements close to just after learning to walk. That is the kind of prodigious talent rarely seen because it is mostly impossible. How does a rational person handle a child like that? 

It’s a tough question, and something this essay has been circling around the whole time. Each example here is the wrong way to handle talented and different children, but what is the right way?

As always look to Iroh.

Who treated his surrogate son Zuko with both respect and compassion. 

Unlike Toph’s parents, Iroh worried over Zuko’s well being, but also allowed him to be independent, make his own decisions, and take his own risks.

Unlike the Nomad Leaders, he didn’t want Zuko weighed down by his position in the world and the responsibility that came with, and always encouraged him relax and take advantage of the moment.

Unlike Ozai, Iroh would always be there to support Zuko in his victories and his failures. Iroh shows him the right path but does not force him down it.

And even after Zuko betrayed and abandoned him.

Iroh was never angry with him, and embraced him upon his return.

He wanted Zuko to grow and be a better man. Even if Zuko wasn’t a prodigy like his sister. 

And that is the answer here. The way to raise a prodigy is the same way anyone should raise any child. Love, Support, a Guiding Hand rather than a Forceful Shove, Recognition of What Makes Them Unique, and Forgiveness When They Falter. The problem comes along when you start treating children differently because you see them as different or special. All children are different, all children are special.

Kids are kids, and they all deserve a proper childhood.  

[burst-of-iridescent]

Zuko is peaceful when he sleeps. 

Katara doesn’t get many opportunities to see him like this so she takes her chance now, tracing the line of his jaw, the pall of his eyelashes against his cheekbones, the way the skin turns from ivory to rusted crimson just beyond the bridge of his nose. The early morning light softens the harsh edges of his scar, the furrow of his eyebrows; he is more a child now than he has ever been, ensconced in her arms. 

She can stay here a little while longer, Katara decides, can let herself have this before the duties of a lifetime of war draw her away once more. Besides, she can’t bear to wake Zuko when he looks like this, content and undisturbed as he rarely is in life. He must be more tired than she thought, to sleep so far past the sunrise that calls to the fire in his blood. 

The first rays of dawn wreathe his hair like Agni himself has come to crown him, the golden prince who reclaimed his kingdom, and he looks so very young suddenly that her entire being aches with the need to protect, to love, to pour in through his skin all that he’s ever lost so no hurt can ever touch him again. 

He’ll wake any moment now, she knows. Blink at her with those sleep-dazed golden eyes and give her that lopsided half-smile that’s tender and disbelieving all at once, like he still can’t quite believe any of this is real. 

(She hates herself for that, hates the girl of misplaced rage and caustic grief who pushed him away, hates that he always flinched like he expected a mortal blow. She’ll spend a lifetime in penance.) 

But that’s okay, she thinks. Everything is okay now, because she has a lifetime to change that, to love him, to live. They have time, so much time that she doesn’t quite know what to do with all of it, but they’ll figure it out together. 

Katara curls closer to Zuko, looping her arms around his neck and waist, and closes her eyes. 

He’s still warm, the way he was when she first hugged him with the sunset at her back and the waves beneath her feet. Still warm, still burning, still here.

Her brilliant, beautiful firebender.

A hand settles on her shoulder. 

“Katara?” 

The word comes to her across a great distance, as though Sokka is still back in the South Pole instead of right beside her. Or maybe she’s the one who’s far away, gone somewhere he cannot follow. 

She blinks, and watches the final, fading trail of the comet recede into the blue, blue horizon. Blue for new beginnings, blue for peace, blue for the crack of Azula’s lightning. 

“Katara,” Sokka says again, and now there’s something terrible in his voice, something she’s heard only once, almost seven years ago. “Please.” 

At Zuko’s side, his uncle weeps. He’s bent to press his forehead to Zuko’s hand, murmuring words of guilt and love and sorrow.

There’s no need, she wants to say. Can’t you see? He’s right here.

She brushes the hair off Zuko’s face and gently kisses his scarred cheek.

“Katara.” There is no joking Sugar Queen, no teasing in Toph’s trembling voice. “You have to let him go.” 

Katara shakes her head mutely, and curls her body around his.They’re partners, her and Zuko – them against the Southern Raiders, against Azula, against the world. 

She’ll always have his back. 

(Later, they’ll tell the stories of how the last Southern waterbender held the crown prince’s body through the night. Later, they’ll whisper about how she had to be dragged kicking and screaming from his side, how every bit of water in the courtyard rose to cover the fallen prince with a shield of ice, how they had to knock her unconscious to keep her from flooding the palace.)

Later, Sokka will not meet her eyes when she wakes. 

Katara goes where he tells her to, in the days that come after. Follows him to a garden of white silk and ash, to the shaky beginnings of a new world, to a ship that carries her across the element that failed her. 

She stands on deck and watches the long-hated land of her childhood fade into the distance until it is nothing more than a faint speck on the endless expanse of the sea. She thinks of a smoke-singed courtyard, the beat of a ruined heart; thinks of a beautiful boy lit in lightning and the sobbing girl he died to save and the story that died with him, forever unfinished, forever frozen.

“It’’ll be okay,” Sokka tells her gently, when a faintly familiar land of ice and snow forms in the distance. “Let’s go home.”  

(She doesn’t, though. Not really. Not ever.

She never goes home again.) 

[nyamadermont]

I Never Stopped (Angstpril 2022, Day 5)

“Honorable Chief Beifong, how may I assist you today?” The woman gave her a stiffly formal bow with the most disturbingly large smile Lin had ever seen. She was reminded of Uncle Sokka’s descriptions of Joo Dee in Ba Sing Se. What little humor she had left was tickled, imagining what he would be saying or doing behind her back, if she’d asked him to come with her.

Which of course, she couldn’t.

He would be on his nephew’s side, even if he weren’t in the North Pole, helping look for the new Avatar child.

She shook her head, and handed the agent a small piece of paper with a small number written on it. “One furnished apartment within three blocks of police headquarters, for that monthly rent.”

The agent’s face was a comedy of expressions. Disbelief seemed to win, resolving into the same painted-on smile she had been wearing when Lin first entered.

She bowed again. “Chief Beifong, this is an extraordinarily low number for this residential area. A person of your standing surely should be able to afford something more befitting your station. We have several managed buildings with specialized plumbing fixtures. One building even has one elevator strictly for our more high-profile residents, who each have a key to their own floor.”

Lin just waited for the speech to come to a stop.

“This is how much of a detective’s salary should be allocated to rent. If you cannot help me find a place to live on that salary, I will not be able to live within my assigned precinct. If I cannot live in my assigned precinct, I might have to turn in my badge.” She raised an eyebrow.

“But, Chief Beifong, surely an exception has already been made. You have lived on Air Temple Island for years.”

Lin took a peculiar satisfaction in seeing the bead of sweat at the agent’s temples.

“I never stopped to think what resources my officers required to maintain their lives. I have begun to notice several of them sleeping at their desks or in the overnight quarters, without being on assignment. If you and the other real estate agents cannot ensure that my officers can live in the city they protect, I will have no choice but to demand a larger budget from the Council. And that will mean higher taxes on those of us who can afford to pay.”

She paused.

“Unless you’d like to be known as the agent who got me fired because you couldn’t find me a place to live.”

[reinerispretty]

rotations. (zuko x f!reader) The End.

hello everyone!! i just wanted to say thank you so so soooo much for following this story to the end!! it makes me so happy that it brought you guys joy and it made me happy just writing it! if you could please share that would be wonderful but no worries if u can’t :) enjoy the last chapter!!

pt1

pt25

The three men sat around the table in Zuko’s room, drinking tea and swapping stories. Even though he had heard them a million times before, Zuko asked his friends to recount their adventures with (Y/N), before the two had reconciled. It made him happy to know that she had been taken care of in his absence. 

(Y/N) couldn’t contain her nerves. Every inch of her body felt alive, like electricity flowed through her veins. This electricity translated into not being able to sit still, which greatly annoyed the servants that were helping her get ready. She kept having to get up and walk around to stretch her legs, or take a quick trip outside to get some fresh air. 

Katara eyed her as (Y/N’s) foot tapped against the marble floors of her bedroom. She had barely spoken all morning, which was very unlike her dear friend. Toph coughed from her spot on (Y/N’s) bed. 

“Could you stop doing that?” Toph asked. “I can barely see with all the movement you’re making.” (Y/N) halted her foot immediately. 

“Sorry, Toph,” She muttered. She looked down at her hands, which still shook, but she clenched her fists to get them to stop. 

“It’s going to be okay,” Katara said, placing her hand atop (Y/N’s). She stared into her friend’s eyes. Katara was always honest, especially with her. (Y/N) let out a small chuckle. 

“I don’t know why I’m so jittery,” she admitted. “It’s not like I haven’t known this day would come for the past year.” 

It had been almost exactly one year since Zuko had proposed to her on her birthday. She remembered grabbing him by the arms and asking him if he was sure that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. “I’ve never been more sure of anything,” He had said, and the biggest smile appeared on her face as she accepted his offer. He had slid an engagement ring on her finger almost immediately. “I’d been planning on doing this since the first day I saw you after my banishment.” 

“Even though I was fighting against you?” Zuko nodded, his eyes crinkling from his own smile. 

She stared at the ring now. It never failed to take her breath away. He had it made especially for her. Traditionally, a Fire Lord would propose with his mother’s engagement ring, but Zuko thought that would be a bad omen on their marriage considering how things ended with his parents. 

“You’re excited,” Suki said, leaning back into her seat. She and Katara were also being pampered by the servants. They scrubbed at her nails and feet and combed her long brown hair. Toph had opted out of a beauty treatment, considering how she had thrown a woman through a wall the last time someone touched her feet in Ba Sing Se. 

“There’s going to be so many people there,” (Y/N) mumbled. Growing up as Fire Nation nobility, she had always been around large crowds of people, but that didn’t mean she liked it. She like to keep her circle small and if it were up to her, she would have had the smallest wedding possible. Maybe Momo as the officiant. But Zuko was the Fire Lord, and with that title came certain expectations. The people of the Fire Nation were invited to watch the ceremony. From what (Y/N) had heard, it was something they all looked forward to, so who was she to deny them of that? 

“We’ll be there too,” Katara assured her. “Besides, you only have to focus on one person.” (Y/N) felt butterflies flutter in her stomach. She and Zuko hadn’t been able to see each other at all that day. It was customary for the bride and groom not to see each other until the ceremony, but (Y/N) hated it. She couldn’t run to the one person who gave her comfort and it annoyed her endlessly. 

“What kind of food will we have later?” Toph asked. “I’m starving.” 

“I can ask the servants to bring you something,” (Y/N) said to her friend. Toph rubbed her hands together as she listed everything she wanted to eat in that moment. 

Zuko was in his room on the other side of the castle, with Aang and Sokka. Both had agreed happily to being groomsmen, but Zuko extended the special invitation of best man to Aang. They had been through so much together and they had both changed for the better. If it weren’t for Aang, Zuko might never have reunited with (Y/N) again. Aang graciously accepted his offer. Momo and Appa had been given the titles of honorary groomsmen, but they wouldn’t fit at the altar with the rest of them. 

The three men sat around the table in Zuko’s room, drinking tea and swapping stories. Even though he had heard them a million times before, Zuko asked his friends to recount their adventures with (Y/N), before the two had reconciled. It made him happy to know that she had been taken care of in his absence. 

“She took care of herself,” Aang said with a laugh. “It was hilarious seeing an enemy’s face once they realized we had a firebender with us.” 

“Especially when we were fighting against the Fire Nation,” Sokka chimed in. “You guys were all ‘Who? What?’ and (Y/N) was all ‘Boom, Bang! Fire blast!’“ 

“She is a strong fighter.” The guys turned to see Iroh standing at the doorway. Zuko stood and smiled, bowing to his uncle. 

“I’m so happy you could come,” He said as they hugged. Iroh squeezed him tightly. 

“As if I would miss my own nephew’s wedding! The tea shop is busy, but never too busy for you.” Iroh took a seat at the table. “So, have you prepared your vows?” 

Zuko’s face paled. “Vows? Vows? No one told me I had to do vows!” He began pacing around the room, scrambling for a piece of paper and a brush. 

“Zuko, it’s fine!” Aang assured him. “Just speak from your heart!” 

“It took me years to tell her that I loved her and you want me to speak from the heart?” Zuko was spiraling. How could he have forgotten about the vows? He had made sure that everything else was in line except the one thing that he actually needed to do. (Y/N) would be absolutely mortified is she recited her vows to him and he didn’t have any to say back! What kind of husband would he be if he couldn’t prepare vows?

“We only have an hour before the wedding,” Sokka said, pulling Zuko back over to the table and making him take a seat. “So we all need to brainstorm. All of us know (Y/N) and Zuko pretty well. We’ll just give you ideas of what to say and then we’ll write them down!” 

Zuko nodded. “Okay, that sounds good.” 

Silence fell over the table as they all thought of what Zuko could say for his vows. Each man stared at each other, waiting for someone to speak up. Finally, Iroh spoke: 

“Tell her that she is as lovely as freshly brewed tea.” 

Zuko sunk into his seat and groaned. This would be a long hour. 

In (Y/N’s) room, she and her friends were putting on their dresses. In the Fire Nation, all women wore different variations of white and red to weddings. The bride’s dress was supposed to be the most elegant, so that she would be set apart from the other attendees. Her hair was placed in an intricate updo, with the traditional royal family crown placed on top. 

(Y/N) stared at herself in the mirror. She could barely recognize herself, but she felt beautiful. “I look like a princess,” She said to her friends. 

“Like a queen.” Ursa stood in the doorway, smiling softly at her future daughter-in-law. (Y/N) smiled widely, running over to embrace her.

“I’m so happy you’re here!” She pulled away from Ursa, her smile faltering just a bit. “Did you...?” 

After announcing the engagement to Ursa, she had asked (Y/N) privately if there was anything that she could do to help prepare for the wedding. She had only one request: locating her own mother to see if she would attend the wedding. 

(Y/N) and her mother had had their ups and downs throughout her life, but after their moment in her jail cell, she really began to miss her. It was obvious that her mother was under her father’s thumb and had no way of escaping. And while she loved Zuko’s family like her own, the idea of not having members of her family present at her wedding saddened her.

Ursa smiled, stepping to the side to allow (Y/N’s) mother to enter the room. It had been years since they had last seen each other, but the signs of aging were lost on her mother’s beautiful face. Much to (Y/N’s) surprise, her mother’s eyes watered as soon as she saw her. 

“You look so beautiful,” She whispered, embracing her daughter in a hug. (Y/N) gripped onto her for dear life. She felt a wave of relief wash over her as her mother held her. 

“I’m so happy you could come,” (Y/N) said with a smile. She turned back to her friends. “These are my friends! Katara, Suki, and Toph.” 

“You raised a wonderful daughter,” Katara said, but her mother shook her head. 

“She did that all by herself.” 

“Can you stay for the ceremony?” Her mother’s eyes quickly turned sad. 

“Your father forbade me from attending. I had to sneak away just to come here with Ursa.” 

“Why would he do that?” Suki asked. (Y/N) sighed. 

“Because he disowned me. As far as he sees it, I’m not their child anymore. But Mother, I’m marrying Zuko. You know that if there’s anything you need--” Her mother held up a hand to silence her. 

“I am being taken care of, my dear, and you are as well. That is all I could ask for.” 

“You’re going to let your stupid husband keep you two apart?” Toph asked. She was always far more blunt than the rest of them. 

“It’s complicated,” (Y/N) said quietly, before her mother could say it. “I understand. I suppose he can’t forbid you from coming to a royal summons?” Her mother smiled. 

“No, he cannot.” She hugged her daughter tightly. “I love you, and I am so proud of you.” 

(Y/N) felt her tears swell, but she forced them down so she wouldn’t ruin her makeup. Ursa led her mother out.

“Are you okay?” Katara asked. (Y/N) nodded. 

“She said she loved me and she was proud of me. And I know I don’t need her approval to know that I’ve been doing the right things but...” She took a deep breath. “It still meant a lot.” 

Her friends smiled and wrapped her into a big hug. It took Toph a little bit to join, but once she did, they squeezed her tightly. Despite everything, (Y/N) missed her parents a lot. But she knew she had been given an even better family in her friends. 

Zuko, Iroh, Aang, and Sokka, had used every minute available to complete Zuko’s wedding vows. It took a lot of trial and error, but Zuko figured they were as good as they were going to get. “Remember,” Aang whispered as they walked to the altar. “If all else fails, speak from the heart.” 

Zuko stood at the top of the steps of the palace courtyard, Sokka and Aang standing a step below him. Momo stood at Sokka’s feet at the bottom of the steps. No one was really quite sure how he had acquired a bowtie, but they decided not to question it. 

Iroh stood beside Zuko. He and (Y/N) had asked if he could officiate their wedding, and he had graciously accepted. He smiled gently at his nephew before leaning close. “From the time you were small, I could tell that your souls were intertwined. You loved each other in a past life and will love each other in the next. Congratulations, my nephew.” 

Zuko smiled at his uncle. His comment made him emotional, but he was trying not to think about it. The idea that he and (Y/N) would always be perfect for each other made his heart swell the biggest it had ever been. 

Toph was the first to walk out, guided by Suki. She stood across from Momo while Suki stood across from Katara. Toph raised an eyebrow. “Why’s Momo with the groomsmen?” Suki shushed her as Katara walked out, taking her place across from Aang. They smiled at each other. 

“I can’t wait to marry you,” Aang mouthed to Katara, which caused her to blush. 

Finally, (Y/N) exited the palace, the long train of her dress flowing behind her. She kept her head down so that she wouldn’t trip, and only looked up when she took her place beside Katara, across from Zuko. When her eyes met his, all of her fear and worry melted away. She smiled at him.

Zuko couldn’t help the few tears escape from his eyes as he stared at (Y/N). She looked absolutely beautiful in her wedding dress. The sheer realization that this was actually happening, that after everything they had been through together and apart, was enough to make him cry. 

She reached out and wiped away his tears, her own sliding down her cheeks. They held each other’s hands as Iroh began the ceremony. (Y/N) felt like every word that Iroh was saying went in one ear and out the other. All she could focus on was Zuko.

When it came time for vows, (Y/N) cleared her throat. She had spent weeks memorizing her vows with Katara, to the point where she had them down perfectly. Her only worry was that her emotion would get the best of her as she recited them. 

“I wrote and rewrote these vows a thousand times. What can you say to the person who means the world to you? No matter how hard I tried to shake you and shove down how I felt about you, you always came back to remind me how much I loved you. I loved you every single time that we fought against each other and I loved you every time that we fought with each other. I’m not big into the spiritual stuff, as you know, but a very wise old man once said that you and I were connected by an indestructible thread. No matter how hard either of us tried to cut it, it would never break. And I think that’s true, because no matter where I went, I always found you again.” She inhaled a shaky breath. “You are my sun, moon, and stars. You are everything I ever wanted out of life and more. I love you, Zuko, even more than I love the palace’s fruit tarts.” 

When she finished, Zuko couldn’t help but press his lips to hers. (Y/N) giggled into the kiss before softly pushing him away. “You weren’t supposed to do that yet.” 

“I don’t care,” Zuko said with a smile. 

He pulled his piece of paper out of his pocket and inhaled a deep breath. He only hoped that he could do her vows justice. “I’m not good with words. You know this. I shut down and I keep things bottled up a lot. I’ve been like that for as long as I could remember. But you...you wouldn’t let me. Whenever I was upset as a kid, you’d ask me what was wrong and wouldn’t leave me alone until I had an answer to give you. You’re stubborn, and I’m stubborn too, but your stubbornness always wins in the end.” (Y/N) smiled at him. 

“For a long time after I was banished, I wouldn’t let myself be happy. I had one main goal in life and would stop at nothing to achieve it. But when I saw you again for the first time in three years, you threw my goals off course. I was trying to hunt the Avatar, but I knew one step closer to him would be another step closer to you. It didn’t matter that you were fighting against me. Seeing your face gave me the spark that I needed to continue another day. Whether I was sad, happy, or angry, I always wanted you at my side. And I want you to be at my side everyday for the rest of our lives. Because when I’m with you, no matter what I’m feeling, I’m still the happiest I’ve ever been.” 

(Y/N) was fully crying now, her makeup undoubtedly ruined, but she didn’t care. She loved Zuko with all of her heart. Every bad thing that had ever happened to her, every battle, every tear that she had ever shed, faded into nothingness. 

They said their “I do’s,” and before Iroh could get the last few words of the ceremony out, Zuko’s arms wrapped around (Y/N’s) waist and pulled her close. Their kiss sealed their marriage. Neither could believe that after everything that had happened, they were standing together, finally married. It had been a long time coming, full of trials and tribulations and heartache and sadness, but they both wouldn’t change it for a thing. 

The couple pulled apart, smiling at each other, before turning to the crowd to present themselves. They waved at the people who watched as Iroh boomed behind them: “I present to you: Fire Lord Zuko and Fire Queen (Y/N)!” Their friends and the people of the Fire Nation cheered for them. She saw Mai and Ty Lee at the front of the crowd, both wearing smiles on their faces as they clapped. Momo leapt into (Y/N’s) arms, giving her a big lick on the cheek. 

A dagger flew through the crowd, narrowly missing (Y/N’s) head as it sank into the wooden pillar behind her. Throngs of people dressed in black jumped over the palace wall. The crowd screamed in terror, and (Y/N), Zuko, and their friends watched as the men and women in black began fighting their way toward the palace. 

Zuko looked down at (Y/N). “Are you ready?” She nodded. 

“It wouldn’t be a party without at least one battle.” Zuko chuckled. 

As a team, (Y/N) and her friends sprung into action to fight. As she fought with her firebending, she couldn’t help but think that this was the perfect wedding. 

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[sokkagatekeeper]

zutara for the ship asks >:)

uhhh i think it’s a very shallow ship merely based on the #HeteroCulture of pairing the two best-looking people of closer age of opposite sexes together, mixed up with a little yelling that can be misinterpreted as s*xual/romantic tension and ignoring the fact that katara and zuko are just not romantically compatible at all; they cannot fulfill each other’s emotional needs in a balanced way because they are simply too similar. in any case, zuko kinda thinks of katara as a child in comparison to him (which is a normal perspective to have as a sixteen year old!), and katara... does not need That in her life atm. i believe their friendship is one of the bestest things in atla and i cherish them forever. the way the care for each other, their empathy with each other, the parallels between them, their overall bond is everything zutara shippers say and more, it’s just not romantic. in my opinion. lol. and i don’t want to waste too much time talking about the fanbase, it is known they’ve messed up quite a bit throughout all these years and will continue to do so in the years to come. all of the trouble with zutara enthusiasts (apart from racism and misogyny, which we are all familiar with) comes from 1) the fact that they are very entitled and as if they were personally wronged over something that doesn’t have any foundation on the text 2) there’s a certain disrespect for everything the show and its themes stand for (aang), mostly by viewing the show thru shippy lens which is a fatal mistake in itself and therefore drawing batshit conclusions on the show’s themes and what represents them, and 3) there’s a certain plain misunderstanding of not only katara’s and zuko’s characters but aang’s, mai’s, and sokka’s (to name a few) as well. and whatever, really, it’s an old and uninteresting tale in my opinion. overall i understand why people would ship it not because the ship itself makes any sense but because of the society that we live in, to put a name to it, and what notices and values and how it’s willing to (sometimes even unknowingly!) manipulate the textual facts in order to instinctually see romantic potential between any conventionally attractive characters of the opposite sex interacting with each other.

send me a ship and i’ll give you my (brutally) honest opinion on it

[agentcalliope]

Azula and Hakoda headcanons post-Azula's healing? *eyes emoji* (I don't mean to make every ask abt Hakoda, but I am trying to be thought-provoking.)

They all offer to come, so she wouldn’t have to do it alone. None of them did it, alone, they say. They all had each other.

She knows that, of course. Aang, Katara and Sokka. Zuko, Toph and Suki. She wasn’t there, for theirs, but they’re all here for hers. Just that is enough. Azula’s been practicing for so long that she’s perfect, and that’s not a lie.

 Besides— she won’t be alone, not really.

And so, Hakoda takes Azula ice dodging. The others watch from the shoreline, their figures becoming smaller and smaller until they disappear. It’s just the two of them, Hakoda and Azula, on the cutter sailing ship. The wind whipping at their faces. The sky so, so blue above. Hakoda sits on the deck and sways with the turns and twists as Azula steers, secures the mainsail, and controls the jib. He is calm. She is calm. They both know she is prepared. And when it is over— face red, top knot undone, sweating profusely, breathing heavily, heart pounding, muscles aching— she stands with her shoulders back and head high as Hakoda dips his fingers into black paint and draws it across her forehead. He asks the spirits to bear witness. Azula holds her breath.

She earns the mark of the Trusted.

This? This is not how it began.

Hakoda first hears about Azula through Katara. Knew about her before, of course. The favored heir of Fire Lord Ozai. The prodigy. The weapon. Hakoda holds his daughter close to his chest and squeezes his eyes shut, listening to her breathe Tui and La and she’s alive thank you thank you. Katara tells him about the Agni Kai— Herself. Zuko.  Azula. The haunting, agonizing screams. The tears. All Hakoda can think, thanking every spirit out there that Sokka and Katara are alive and okay, is that this girl has tried to kill his children, all these children, over and over again. He cannot forget. He will not forgive.

But she is a child herself, isn’t she? Hakoda sits on the couch, his children leaning against him. Sokka’s on his right and Katara’s on his left. He glances over at Sokka and tucks a strand of hair behind his boy’s ear. Looks over at Katara and watches her eyelids flutter. She murmurs in her sleep and nestles against him. Just children.

Just a child.

Hakoda knows that children are molded and shaped and made by war. 

And their mothers. 

And their fathers.

Hakoda thinks about Zuko. Fire Lord Zuko. His children whisper when they think he can’t hear. They talk about the Fire Lord. Not Zuko. Zuko keeps visiting him, although it hurts. You can see it in his eyes. I don’t understand. He visits Azula, too. He’s really trying with her. He’s trying so hard.

Dad would never pit us against each other like that. Dad would never hurt us like that.

Here, is a boy with a mark on his face in the shape of a hand. A boy with a sister who was believed to be perfect in every way that he was not. Was loved by their father, when he was not.

Here, is a girl with blue at her fingertips and believed she was perfect and loved until she wasn’t.

And she screamed and cried and broke.

 It’s… sad. Hakoda realizes. It’s just. Really, really sad.

 He pulls his children closer.

(Hakoda takes Zuko ice dodging. Takes Toph and Suki, too. His children and Aang and Bato and Iroh cheer from the shore, and the smiles on all their faces feels warm enough to melt all the snow and ice in the South Pole.)

 (He listens to Katara talk about how Azula apologized to Aang about what happened in Ba Sing Se.  Hakoda hears from Sokka that Azula’s living back in the palace, which so far, hasn’t been reduced to ashes. She is trying, they say. She is trying so hard.)

Azula is smaller than he had expected her to be.

Zuko has a hand on her back as he introduces them, and she extends the Flame and bows slightly. Hakoda bows back.

“It’s good to meet you, Chief Hakoda of the Southern Water Tribe.” She says.

“It’s nice to meet you too, Princess Azula.” He replies.

She sees Chief Hakoda many times after that. She hasn’t spoken to him since Zuko introduced them, that first time. Why would she? Why would he?

 Once, at dinner, Katara jokes with him. No, taunts him. Azula grips the table and waits for his anger and frustration. Instead, he laughs.

 Once, Sokka’s losing to Zuko as they practice with blades. Azula stares at Sokka, and then his father. Waits for his displeasure and disappointment. He cups his hands around his mouth, and shouts Go Sokka!

 She is learning, and unlearning. This father is... a lesson. He is fascinating.

The man who is chief, who is the father of Katara and Sokka, watches Azula as she practices her katas in the garden. She swallows a biting remark and takes a deep breath, extending her arms and shifting her weight to her front leg. Exhales. Continues on as he leans against a pillar and folds his arms. Slowly, eventually, Azula realizes that she’s okay with this. She doesn’t feel uncomfortable. Or uneasy. It doesn’t feel the way Ozai used to watch her as she flawlessly performed— and she would feel perfect and powerful.

When she finishes, Chief Hakoda waits for her to walk over to him.

She does, and then she, too, waits.

“What do you know about ice dodging?”

She travels to the South Pole with Uncle and the chief. 

She’s not sure blue’s a good look on her. It makes her amber eyes look harsh. The people are wary of her, and she understands why. The children hide behind their parents. Of course she understands. The grandmother cooks her food and sews her furs but does so with tight, pressed lips. Of course she understands. It would be hard not to.

Azula spends her days shivering on the ice and sweating on the cutter sailing ship. The chief shouts over the wind, instructing her how to rig the mainsail and steer and no not that! She ducks just in time to avoid the beam of wood. Chief Hakoda is not so lucky. Hand on his stomach, and weezing, Chief Hakoda says it’s okay, Princess, you’re learning. Azula clenches her jaw and forces herself to nod. 

She learns, and practices, and practices and learns.

She finds that the Chief is a good teacher.

Slowly, eventually, the children of the tribe giggle when they see her. They aren’t afraid anymore, and beg to see her blue fire and laugh as she tosses it into the air and makes sparks. The people smile and wave as she walks pass. She talks with them, sometimes. Gran-Gran clucks and pinches her cheek, spooning more sea prunes into her bowl. She eats without complaining, nods when Gran-Gran tells her she’s still too skinny. Chief Hakoda becomes Hakoda. Princess Azula becomes Azula.

The cutting sailing ship feels like home beneath her feet.

And honestly, she doesn’t mind wearing blue, so much. Uncle says it compliments her eyes. She knows he’s right.

 Hakoda says she’s ready to ice dodge. For real. She knows he’s right, too. 

Her brother and his… her… friends come to watch.

They all, even Suki who still has a hard time looking at her (Azula understands, of course), offer to help.

 But Azula has a really, really good teacher. And she won’t be alone, not really. 

And now, here, Azula stands still and tall as Hakoda draws the paint across her forehead.

She earns the mark of the Trusted.

Azula blinks, makes the Flame with steady, shaking hands, and bows low to ground.

And then, she lets them hug her. Zuko first. Lets him whisper in her ear how proud I’m so proud of you, Azula. And then lets Uncle. He is crying, wiping at his face and holds her close. And then Aang. Katara. Sokka. Toph punches her arm, first, but then hugs her tightly. Suki nods.

Azula meets Hakoda’s eyes, and sees a glimmer of what she always thought she saw in father’s. What she was told was there. What she convinced herself was there. She looks around and sees it in Iroh’s eyes, too.

Azula smiles.

This? This isn’t even the ending. Not even close. This is still the beginning. She is still learning, and unlearning. It will be life long, but spirits Azula’s going to do it.

And she’s not alone.

YE ASK AND YE SHALL RECEIVE

[gaeilgeoirgay]

Whumptober Day Four

“Do You Trust Me?” 

Ao3 Link

Hope you enjoy!

misguided notion of glory

Zuko is relaxing beside the turtleduck pond with Izumi and Sokka when everything goes horribly, horribly wrong. It’s a beautiful day, one of the perfect summer mornings that the Fire Nation is renowned for, and both he and Sokka have a rare day off to spend with their daughter. Mai and Ty-Lee are due to join them for lunch and Azula had asked Zuko to train with her, without a trace of malice in her voice. It’s a good day.

Izumi is lying on her front, drawing the turtleducks, her little tongue poking out the corner of her mouth as she focuses intently. She’s the mirror image of her father, who’s doing the same thing over a blueprint. It’s one of Sokka’s personal projects, and he gets so little time to work on them nowadays. Zuko is content to watch them, meditating peacefully as he gazes upon his family.

The fire dancing between his hands is full of riotous colours, purple and orange and pink and red. It’s dragon-fire and the very heart of it pulses with life as it beats in time with Zuko’s heart. It’s one of the best meditation sessions he’s had in a while.

That’s why it catches both him and Sokka off-guard when a figure simply hops the low wall of the garden pond and grabs their daughter with a fistful of flames to her throat. He and Sokka are both on their feet within seconds of the assailant’s appearance but Zuko’s own fire dies in his hands as he sees how close the attacker’s flames are to Izumi. Any movement he makes won’t be fast enough to stop them before they burn her.

Sokka has evidently realised the same thing as while his sword is gripped tightly in his hand, it’s not pointed towards Izumi and her captor. The bastard is smirking as he holds fire to a seven-year-olds throat and Zuko is abruptly reminded of a duel fourteen years ago and a man who had smiled as he burned his own son.

“Let go of our daughter. Now.” He growls, threat in his voice, but the man doesn’t move.

(There are tears in Izumi’s eyes but she doesn’t let them fall. There will be time to fall apart later but for now, Izumi keeps herself calm. She knows her fathers will save her.)

“No, I don’t think I will. My name is Yoshi Sentaku and I am Fire Lord Ozai’s faithful subject. You have him imprisoned beneath this palace and I demand his release. Otherwise, I will kill your daughter where she stands.” Sentaku says confidently, assured that Zuko and Sokka will follow his directions.

Zuko… doesn’t know what to do. If he releases his father, the world will be wreathed in flames once more, and thousands will die. If he doesn’t, it’s his daughter that will burn. Questions like this always seemed so easy in the abstract. Let one person die in exchange for millions, but the person is Izumi and he loves her. He loves his people too though. How can he choose one?

He sees the same indecision in Sokka’s eyes. They cannot place a single life above the fate of the world, but Izumi is their daughter. Ozai no longer has his bending but that won’t matter to his followers, as consumed by hatred as they are. They will set the world alight for some misguided notion of glory and It will be Zuko’s fault.

But he can’t let Izumi, their miracle child, die because of her familial sins. The clock is ticking though, and Sentaku is waiting for an answer. It’s not a choice at all, but he never wanted to have to do this.

Zuko takes a deep breath and feels his chi paths come to life, sparks racing through his blood. He catches Sokka’s gaze, electricity in his eyes, and Sokka understands instantly, the brilliant genius he is. Sokka turns to Sentaku, trusting Zuko to watch his back and Zuko silently says a prayer to Agni to ask Them to look after this family for him, because he has been denied too much love to lose it now.

“Ozai was a failed king, who was beaten by a twelve-year old. He’s not fit to lead those turtleducks, let alone a nation. He’s a monster who deserves to be left to rot in the hole we threw him in.” Sokka says, taunting Sentaku until his only focus is on Sokka. It leaves Zuko free to enact his plan.

After many years of experimentation, Zuko has finally learnt the firebending forms that work for him. They’re bright and full of energy, and they complement his sister’s bending which is all power and precision. But he hasn’t forgotten how he got there in the first place and he draws on all his knowledge for this final move.

Bending is structured into forms for the precise reason that chi needs to move if you want to use it. Even earthbenders, planted rock solid in the earth, use movement in their artistry. Fire especially, needs to move, needs to seek out oxygen to fuel it and life to sustain it.

Lightning though. Lightning only needs sparks of negative and positive energy to connect and create a bolt. Benders are still used to moving though so a form was created. But it’s not the only way to make lightning and Zuko is determined to use another.

“Izumi, sweetheart.” He says, meeting her frightened eyes. “Do you trust me?” He asks and she nods, absolute in her conviction. The sky is blue, firebenders rise with the sun and she can always trust her dads to catch her. It makes Zuko ache for the child he was at her age but he pushes the emotion away. He can cry later.

“Then close your eyes please, darling.” Zuko tells her and Sentaku laughs. “I want my leader freed of course, but I didn’t think you would have the guts to condemn your own daughter to death just to keep him locked away.” He cackles and Zuko grins.

“Oh, I’m not. The only person dying today is you.” He says and lightning strikes.

[that-was-anticlimactic]

kai from tlok or hakoda, maybe even bumi ii?

hello, my beloved :) jeg siger undskyld (i apologize in danish) for the uh. belated response. work got uh. a lot. and then i got far too invested in sds for my own good anD THEN I MOVED lol aNYWAYS here's all of them as a treat:)

kai

how i feel about this character: i absolutely adore him. i think he has a lot of really good moments--especially when everyone thought he was dead but then he wasn't and rather than saving himself, he risked his life to save the people who, essentially, saved him from a rough life on the streets. not to mention that this was probably the first time they realized people cared about them. like, the group was so happy to see that he was alive, and before he joined the air acolytes, he probably didn't have anyone who would have mourned them. he shows so much courage and passion when he gets invested in something and i love them for it.

all the people i ship romantically with this character: kainora my beloved !!! and like shipping him with pretty much anyone but jinora and maybe ikki would be. weird and kinda gross tbh. but he and jinora balance each other out yet aren't afraid to encourage the other and have fun together and that's just. that's so good.

my non-romantic otp for this character: mako and kai !!! like... they both have a lot to learn from each other and i love them for that. it's after mako realizes that bolin is old enough to take care of himself, he fixates on kai as his younger sibling to try and make up for that and to feel needed and able to protect someone because he sees bits of his younger self in kai. and it's kai showing mako that he doesn't always need to be the big brother, that he can depend on other people but also loving having an older brother figure and not knowing how to process that so they act out because that's all they've ever known... it's messy and weird but it's them and their odd sibling-esc relationship and i love it<3

my unpopular opinion about this character: idk if this qualifies as unpopular but demiboy he / they kai rights !!!

one thing i wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: i wish we got more backstory for him--like, that we learned more about his life as a child and that they explored the mako and kai sibling-esc relationship more but's it's all good--i can always headcanon :)

~

hakoda

how i feel about this character: hakoda my beloved !!! ngl, at first i didn't like hakoda because he seemed like the perfect person for awhile--swt chief loved by everyone, best warrior ever, can do no wrong... and that bothered me a lot when i first watched the show two years ago ??? anywas, i love he now. he's a good dad and the love he has for his kids is extraordinary and heartwarming and i love it and him<3

all the people i ship romantically with this character: bato !!! sometimes i forget that bakoda isn't canon... like... genuinely i forget that it's a fannon ship. that is how deeply i ship bakoda.

kyoda is obviously wonderful too! bakoda just holds a special place in my heart. but i wish we got more kyoda scenes in flashbacks or something because they were adorable.

my non-romantic otp for this character: hakoda & sokka, hakoda & katara are my two biggest ones. i mean,,, that reunion hug at the end of boiling rock ??? like,,, yes that family is everything to me. plus, as much as i love the possibility for great dynamics and healing with hakoda being a father figure to zuko, there are more fics under the tag 'hakoda & zuko' than there are with both watertribe siblings which is just. very sad. so i feel like zuko's possible relationship with him gets more attention than hakoda with his kids. like... don't get me wrong, i love the hakoda and zuko dynamics... but like. sokka and katara...

also hakoda and toph. i feel like they'd get along really well and would be too powerful for this world.

my unpopular opinion about this character: that... hmmm... idk if i have an unpopular opinion about him... yeah, i can't think of any oihgvhj

one thing i wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: i wish we had more scenes with hakoda and his kids, but that's me being greedy. i also wish canon would just admit that bakoda is canon already p l e a s e they !!!

~

bumi ii

how i feel about this character: oh boy, where do i staRT !!! i love bumi ii. he is my 1.5 favorite lok character and i absolutely adore him. i wish we got more of him--i do. and that is me being greedy because i think we got more of him than kya ii, but still. he is everything i love in a character--feels useless compared to the others because he can't bend, feeling disconnected an unimportant in his own family because they're all super powerful benders and he's just... he's just bumi ii, the nonbender. acting out for attention because, at this point, even negative attention is better than constantly being overshadowed. and despite the resentment he may feel towards his siblings for being "better" and "more important" than he is, he's still a big brother at heart and would do / sacrifice anything for them.

all the people i ship romantically with this character: no one !!! bumi ii is aroace thank you and goodnight <3

my non-romantic otp for this character: bumi ii & izumi. i just,,, i just feel like they would get along so well??? like. i cannot describe it, but in the gaang's kids crew, they are the best friends. izumi is one of the first people he comes out to as aroace and bumi ii is the first person izumi comes out to as nonbinary. they find solace and peace in each other and understand parts of the other that no one really understands.

bumi ii & sokka also. they have so much in common and they deserve to be besties. bumi ii needs reassurance from someone who understand being the resident nonbender, and sokka needs someone who recognizes and verbalizes that he's amazing and someone worthy of looking up to.

also, naturally, bumi ii & his family. i mean, the sibling relationship was a bit strained, but the three care about each other so much even though they don't get along well. bumi ii is used to looking out for them and taking the blame if kya ii or tenzin did something bad because he wants to protect his siblings the best he can and he may not have magic bending powers, but he can do this. and bumi ii's relationship with aang and katara is definitely better than how they made it seem in the show--change my mind. aang may accidentally give tenzin more attention due to, ya know, airbending, but there is quite simply no way that aang or katara would ever neglect a child as much as the show made it seem. the kataang parents are good parents and i stand by that.

my unpopular opinion about this character: bumi ii has tourette's !!! he got it from his uncle sokka and actually, i headcanon that he actually doesn't curse or say vulgar things a lot because he has some form of coprolalia and always has to curse / say vulgar things against his will, so he does his best not to curse if he isn't being forced. also aroace bumi ii rights.

one thing i wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: i so desperately wish that bumi ii had tourette's in canon... y'all have no idea... i also hate the way that the show had him join the military like ??? that's just weird and i just. did not like it that much ??? so i wish it happened differently. no. you know how i wish it happened? since he has coprolalia, he struggled to find jobs willing to hire him. the other sailors didn't care that sometimes he yelled inappropriate things--it didn't matter to them.

and, lastly, may i suggest reading never been in love (and it's all good) by my bestie @zukkaclawthorne ! it is an aro bumi ii fic about him coming out and it's the content we don't deserve but cherish <3

[tragedykery]

my fics masterlist

until that final sunrise

Ead cannot stop thinking about Sabran, and worries it will consume her.

ead x sabran, yearning, self-doubt, the gazing at the horizon yearning for your lover type of balcony scene

word count: 820

—

apple tarts and strolls along the river

In Jannart’s opinion, Niclays needs to take a break.

niclays x jannart, fluff and angst

word count: 1140

—

delirious

This was all madness, Reyna decided.

reynabeth, post-battle kissing, first kiss

word count: 940

—

lie in my arms (for a little longer)

Piper is sick. Annabeth tries to care for her.

pipabeth, sickfic, domestic fluff

word count: 1890

—

through the cold, i’ll find my way back to you

It’s the middle of the night, and when Sadie gets hurt, Jaz is the only person she can go to.

jadie, patching each other up, sharing a bed

word count: 3910

—

darling when we fight (i swear i can feel the sparks)

“What about…a fight?”

“Why would I do that? I don’t have to prove myself to you.”

“Oh, you don’t have to if you’re scared.”

“Bring it on.”

gallory, sparring, first kiss

word count: 2530

—

light blue nail polish (and blood-stained nails)

First: Charles and Silena have a picnic.

Then: Silena after Charles’s death.

charlena, regret, angst with a fluffy beginning

word count: 1210

—

love, when the sea rises to meet us

mermaid/pirate au inspired by this post.

In which: Piper learns that there is more to the pirate Reyna Ramírez-Arellano than the fame and fear her name carries.

pipeyna, background ruegard, fluff and light angst but mostly actual plot

word count: 15K

—

better left unsaid

femslash february prompt 1: “what are we?”

It’s night and they’re alone when Ty Lee asks the question. Mai doesn’t answer.

mailee, fluff and angst, secret relationship, aspec mai

word count: 790

—

find our somewhere

femslash february prompt 11: historians think we’re best friends

No one knew about the lingering touches and kisses stolen in dark corridors. But perhaps it was better this way.

gallory, royalty au, implied/referenced homophobia and child neglect

word count: 2320

—

under the stars

femslash february prompt 15: late night

Ty Lee finds Mai sitting on the roof of the school in the middle of the night.

mailee, modern au, fluff and light angst with a happy ending

word count: 1110

—

good morning

femslash february prompt 27: sleeping in

Reyna wakes up with her partners beside her, and decides to go back to sleep.

pipeynabeth, domestic fluff, sleepy cuddles

word count: 610

—

in this moonlight

atla side character week day 7: pre-canon

Yue stands on her balcony, looking at the moon, lost in thought.

yue-centric, character study, canon-typical sexism, implied/referenced character death

word count: 1110

—

looking back (i wonder)

mailee week day 1: boiling rock

Mai and Ty Lee + a look back on the Boiling Rock.

established relationship, post-canon

word count: 1710

—

this moment (just for you and me)

mailee week day 2: flowers

Mai and Ty Lee sit in the shade of a tree in a flowery meadow.

fluff, flower crowns

word count: 320

—

show me where my armour ends (show me where my skin begins)

mailee week day 3: hair

In the prison, Ty Lee asks Mai to do something they haven’t done in years.

hair-braiding, pining

word count: 1370

—

with your arms around me (i feel safe)

mailee week​ day 5: cuddling

Ty Lee wakes up with Mai next to her.

little spoon ty lee/big spoon mai, fluff

word count: 520

—

i think i’d better go (before i try something i might regret)

mailee week day 6: college au

They’re at a party, and Mai and Ty Lee almost kiss.

modern/college au, angst

word count: 1280

—

my heart overflows (on paper)

mailee week day 7: free day

A letter Mai writes to Ty Lee, and one Ty Lee writes to Mai.

unsent (love) letters, fluff

word count: 740

—

on this path in your absence

Sokka thinks about Yue as he keeps watch.

yuekka, angst, sokka-centric

word count: 460

—

if i could choose (i would choose you)

zukka week day 5: soulmates

In a world where soulmates amplify each other’s traits, two people find love against all odds.

[Or: a Zukka soulmate AU with a twist.]

soulmate au, pining, getting together

word count: 11K

—

wherever you go

riordanverse sapphic summer 2022 day one: future

Piper tells Reyna about her plans for the future as she braids her hair.

pipeyna, hair-braiding, hopeful ending

word count: 500

—

scissors held by a trusted hand

One afternoon, Azula asks Jin to cut her hair.

jinzula, haircuts, pov jin

word count: 1240

—

when it’s cold (i’ll wrap my scarf around you)

Back from the search for the Avatar, Kelsang finds Kyoshi in less than ideal health, and vows to never let that happen again.

kyoshi & kelsang, hurt/comfort, pre-canon

word count: 1300

—

can i call it love? (in-between or something else entirely)

An exploration of aspec Katara + her relationship with Aang.

katara-centric, queerplatonic kataang, aspec katara

word count: 1290

—

silent apologies

Piper and Drew talk the night before Piper leaves.

drew & piper, complicated sibling relationships

word count: 910

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happy moments

Sokka and Yue take Bumi, Kya and Tenzin to a fair.

yuekka, fluff, modern au

word count: 4230

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leaving tonight (leaving behind)

Mai and Ty Lee's last night together at the Academy.

mailee, pre-canon, late night conversations

word count: 2980

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mowing grass in order for flowers to grow

Do-it-yourself haircuts and all they can entail.

pipeyna, haircuts, gender identity

word count: 2030