#sokka: don't encourage him!

[discordiansamba]

sokka: okay. we have to be smart about this. if we just try to take over the prison rig without a plan, we'll just get ourselves killed.

zuko: have you just tried not dying?

sokka: ...can we have ideas that don't come from the immortal?

aang: I don't know, I think not dying is a good plan.

sokka: that's not a plan! that's an ideal outcome!

[petricorah]

lee from the tea shop boutta get it (wip) [id in alt]

edit: completed illustration here

[ssokkasmoon]

THEIR LOVE LANGUAGE

ZUKO

Physical touch - Zuko is still learning to openly express emotion, but physical touch comes naturally to him as it means of connection. Expect casual affection like hand holding, cuddling with you on the couch, and lingering hugs whenever you're together. Making love is also his way of showing all the feelings he still struggles to put into words.

AANG

Acts of Service- Aang happily handles household chores you don't like so you have less things to care about. He remembers the small things that make your life easier like cooking your favorite meal ,Little pampering back rubs when you're stressed are his love language. His support is unfailing, he'll help you with anything, no request is too small or big.

SOKKA

Physical Touch- Sokka is always finding excuses to be near you, with an arm around your waist or holding your hand. Casual physical intimacy is how he shows his love. Cuddling and lazy morning kisses in bed are some of his favorite ways to bond with you. He gives the best hugs warm, comforting and making you feel completely cared.

KORRA

physical touch and Words of Affirmation - Korra regularly expresses how much she cares through compliments, words of encouragement, and expressing what she admires about you. She's generous with affectionate nicknames that make your heart melt. She also likes to be as close to you as possible, so physical intimacy is very important to her, resting her hand on your waist,holding hands, cuddling,she enjoys each if it's with you.

IROH II

Words of Affirmation- Iroh makes sure to tell you how beautiful, intelligent, and talented he thinks you are every day. Compliments come easily to him. After passionate moments together, he whispers words of adoration and care into your skin. Iroh writes you little cute letters expressing his feelings when he can't see you.

MAKO

physical touch - Mako is surprisingly very affectionate.He enjoys wrapping you in his arms, holding your hand, gentle caresses, kissing your lips/forehead, playing with your hair. Cuddling and intimacy are big for him. Physical touch helps him feel connected.

BOLIN

Acts of Service and physical touch- Bolin secretly enjoys doing thoughtful things to take the load off your shoulders. He'll tackle household chores without being asked or cook your favorite meal. Small gestures to showhe cares. He is naturally affectionate. He loves holding hands, giving you full-body hugs, stealing sweet kisses whenever possible, and finds simple pleasures in little acts like brushing your hair or massaging your shoulders after a long day. Physical intimacy between you is a must.

TAHNO

physical touch -Tahno is very physically affectionate, especially after becoming intimate. He loves holding hands, casual touches, kissing, cuddling, and of course more passionate embraces. Public PDA doesn't scare him,Physical touch is how he feels most connected and shows his deepest affection.

KATARA

Quality Time - Katara is a fantastic listener and gives you her full attention when you're together. Date nights in are romantic - just curled up together talking for hours means the world. She loves learning about your interests. the time you spend together is always meaningful.

ASAMI

Receiving Gifts - Gifts from Her always feel personal ,something she saw that made her think of you. She pays attention to little things you mention in passing just so she can surprise you later.

JET

Quality time - He tries to spend as much time with you as possible, Jet is an excellent listener and loves engaging in meaningful conversation. One on one dates, walks together, dancing, hanging out without distractions are quality time he cherishes.

© 2024 ssokkasmoon

[late-draft]

One, two, three... a couple of moments in narrative, or all of them viewed isolated, could be called "misinterpretation" and "an incurable case of shipping goggles" but when the events start piling up and staying consistent between each other, every new one adds context to the previous events.

Zuko keeps Katara's necklace for 10 episodes? Oh it's a plot device so he can track them. Zuko steadies Katara so she doesn't fall off of the shirshu? Oh anyone would fall off of it while paralyzed. Katara jokes about giving a kiss to Zuko for the necklace? Oh she's uh... teasing Aang to whom this completely goes over head? Iroh keeps encouraging annoying love songs during music nights on the ship? Oh it's typical content for sailors. Zuko randomly recites cringe poetry after basically ending a fight in a draw against Katara while he's clearly running out of time? Oh it's the Rule of Cool. Katara randomly defends Zuko's hairstyle when Sokka insults it? She's uhh... defending Sokka's hairstyle even though Sokka didn't insult his own hairstyle (honestly I have no other explanation for this one). Katara is in Zuko's personal space 5 minutes after they started talking without being on opposing sides? She's uhh just that much empathetic. Zuko smiles at her on the very same day they let him stay near them? Uhhh... He waits an entire night awake to apologize to her? Uhh he's just a master manipulator hiding his selfish motives he's really sorry and would do this for anyone. Katara's glued to his side since their hug? Uhh she's empathetic. Zuko plants himself next to Katara during the play and won't budge? Uhh he's just socially unskilled (for now due to abuse) and does't quite understand what Aang wants from him. Zuko intercepts lightning for Katara in slow motion? It's the Rule of Cool again.

All of these things are true, but it's also true that when viewed as a whole... the narrative is portraying something. Reality is everything, the purposeful and the pointless. But theatrical stories pick and choose what to show, and we are taught how to interpret shorthands. Good writing won't have pointless or unconnected events. Neither is it smart to over-animate irrelevant actions.

And I purposefully didn't even list any of the symbolism or outside events that don't "originate" from the characters themselves (other than Iroh's actions because it's hilarious).

[yandere-avatar]

I'm Not Jealous... Well, Maybe a Little

Summary: How do they act when jealous? [Damn, 3 posts in one day? Wow. Popped this out in like 20 mins.] Characters: Katara, Sokka, Aang, Suki, Azula and Zuko

Katara

She doesn't take jealousy well

She'll pretend she's not jealous and bury these feelings

But they'll end up bubbling inside her and it'll come up in a fit of rage

When your back is turned, she'll attack the person that was flirting with you

You'll be none the wiser to what she did

She'll smile at you and you'll probably be confused

The person won't even see Katara coming or even know what she did

She watches in fury though, while the person hits on you

It definitely irritates her more that you don't realize they're flirting with you

Sokka

He's like his sister, by burying his feelings deep inside

He'll probably know his feelings are bad, but he loves you and it feels so right

He might challenge them to a fight, just out of nowhere

You'll be confused, but the person won't take Sokka seriously

Sokka would make an absolute fool of himself, as long as it meant he had your attention back

He needs your confirmation that you still love him

He'd take your pity over your distaste any day

Aang

He's the most passive about his jealousy

He's very extroverted and will join the conversation, turning the vibe off [at least hopefully]

If they don't, he will get a little angry

He'll control the conversation and the flirter can't do anything about it, because Aang is so likeable

He makes sure the hint is thrown out there, that they need to leave you alone

If they don't? Well, let's just say their house blew down, so now they don't have time to hit on you

You'll feel bad, but Aang will come up with an excuse on why you and the gang need to leave

Suki

Ugh, she gets so huffy

She is very forward though and will enter the conversation

If the person tries to push her out, she will get aggressive

She's very straightforward and will confront them, even if you're there

You think they're just being friendly and the flirter will use that to their advantage

"You're just being paranoid, I was just telling them about the town"

Suki will glare, knowing it's bull, but she quickly realized she was cornered

She awkwardly smiled and turn towards you, "The gang needs our help, we should go now"

You won't think about it much and wave goodbye to the flirter

As you both walk away, Suki will turn around, smirking while waving bye to the person

Azula

Oh, you screwed up bad

When she gets jealous, she gets violent [Though she gets violent a lot]

But, she doesn't know how to healthily express her emotions, or really just express them at all, so she acts out

She hates this feeling because she's used to be confident and adored

She hates when you even waste a second of your time on someone that isn't her

She deserves all your attention, why are you wasting a second on them?

She's mad at them for talking to you, but she's also mad at you for encouraging them

You'll have to calm her down, or she's killing everyone

Her fits of rage cause a lot of casualties

She then blames you for everyone that got hurt

"Well, if you hadn't been flirting with them, this never would of happened"

Zuko

Him and sister have anger in common

He wants to burn them into the ground

Make them suffer for making him watch

He's very annoyed, but doesn't know how to express his jealousy

He won't act out like a child, but he was glare and fire emits from his fist

Anyone can tell he's angry

He'll walk up to you both and glare at the person, before wrapping an arm around you and forcing a smile

"What are you guys talking about?"

You weren't really into the conversation, so you'll say nothing, but Zuko takes it as you not wanting him to know

Did you hate him? Wait, were you talking about him? Why won't you tell him?

God the anxiety eats him alive

He then begins regretting approaching you both. But you just grab him, before pretending to hear your name and pull Zuko along, saying something like "I think I heard Sokka call us. Let's go"

He'll apologize, but you'll laugh, and lightly punch his shoulder, "I didn't want to talk to them. They were so cocky. I'm so glad you saved me. My hero"

You kiss his cheek and he blushes a dark red and you'll continue to walk as he freezes

[zvtara-was-never-canon]

The only way i could see Canon Katara interested on Zuko is if he somehow did his Heel Turn long before the start of the show and has become a freedom fighter akin to Jet, but without the murder.

Obviously, this is impossible, there is no way that a young Zuko could become a better person without his exile, his enviroment is just not place that encourage

Sorry for the last question i send, i made a mistake and send it sooner than i wanted.

But anyway, what i tried to say that, even if that ridiculous scenario that i propossed where to happen, Zuko would be a very different characther from his Canon self. Plus even if he has become Katara's type, there is no way to know if Katara would be Zuko's type on that scenario lol

***

Once again, guys: pre-scar and exile Zuko was already dealing with a ton of bagagge, and post-redemption Zuko was already a "freedom fighter but without the murder." Katara saw him at this worst during all of book one, at his somewhat less of dick moments (Ba Sing Se), and at his best after his redemption - and she wasn't attracted to him at any of these points.

"I don't support war, genocide and/or murder" is the bare minimum for Katara to not want somebody dead. Compassion is an obligation, not something that immediately makes a guy be a potential boyfriend in her eyes.

We have the answer of what would take for her to be into Zuko, and that answer is not "He can't be a villain anymore" but rather "He can't be Zuko." He can't be a dork that says the wrong thing in a funny way, she'd get mad. He can't want to live in the Fire Nation, there's nothing there for her. He can't be as stubborn as she is, otherwise they're gonna fight (just look at how many times she fights with Toph). He can't take himself too seriously, she'll just mock him for it (ask Sokka).

She wants the guy that literally sweeps her off her feet to charm her, or the guy that notices she's feeling left out at a party, dances with her, and smoothly tells her to ignore everyone's eyes on them because "it's just you and me." She would NOT react well to a guy that screams "SHE'S NOT MY GIRLFRIEND!" in the middle of their date (just see how well it worked for Aang when he went "I mean, if it was between kissing you and dying")

And we do know what Zuko's type is: Mai. Gloomy yet sweet, bitchy yet unbothered, out-spoken yet doesn't feel she owes anybody any explanations ever, can handle herself but likes being pampered, apathetic yet caring, has nothing prove yet can be quite arrogant, stubborn yet understanding, aloof to the world in general yet obviously crazy about him in particular.

Zuko might catch brief feelings for someone like Jin (nice, sweet and cheery), but long-term he needs someone as messy as himself so he can relate, but with the kind of mess that balances him out instead of encouraging his worst traits - the yin to his yang. He was not kidding when he said "You're so beautiful when you hate the world"

Katara loves life in general too much for her and Zuko to relate to each other in that regard. She doesn't even know what the word "apathy" means. She doesn't have an "unbothered" bone in her body. Girl went through a ton of trauma and still wasn't anywhere near gloomy, quite the contrary. And she has a bad temper, just like Zuko, which they both know is a bad combo, hence them surrounding themselves with more chill people (Aang, Iroh, Hakoda, Mai, etc).

They're not each other's type AT ALL, hence there being no spark when they become friends. Hence them being not just embarassed, but weirded our and uncomfortable when people mistake them for a couple.

There's a reason zutara fics re-write their personalities completely: there's no other way to force them together because they're fundamentally incompatible. The real Zuko would NEVER be attracted to the real Katara, and vice versa.

[zukosdualdao]

i've been seeing the take recently that what aang is actually encouraging katara to do is to forgive herself and that he’s not explicitly encouraging or expecting her to forgive yon rha.

the ironic thing is that i do think part of what katara needed from the experience of confronting yon rha was to let go of the guilt she held for her mother sacrificing herself for katara. i find this especially evident in the scene where she recounts the story to zuko and remarks that she's "not the helpless little girl" she was when they came, and how enraged she becomes when yon rha asks who kya was protecting. but though she ultimately chooses not to take revenge, katara facing yon rha and realizing what he did is about him and what kind of person he is and was never her fault is ultimately a good thing. it’s not an easy or fun experience, but i do think it was a very necessary one.

i might be somewhat less critical of aang in this episode if that actually was what he was saying (though if he went about it in the exact same way, i would still find it condescending and not a productive way of reaching out to her.)

but that’s just… literally not what he’s saying.

Zuko: Sokka told me the story of what happened. I know who did it and I know how to find him. Aang: Um ... and what exactly do you think this will accomplish? Katara [Shakes her head in dismay.] Ugh, I knew you wouldn't understand. [Begins to walk away.] Aang: Wait! Stop! I do understand. You're feeling unbelievable pain and rage. How do you think I felt about the sandbenders when they stole Appa? How do you think I felt about the Fire Nation when I found out what happened to my people? Zuko: She needs this, Aang. This is about getting closure and justice. Aang: I don't think so. I think it's about getting revenge. Katara [Angrily.] Fine, maybe it is! Maybe that's what I need! Maybe that's what he deserves! Aang: Katara, you sound like Jet.

i think this is the one interaction between aang and katara in which you could maybe argue that he wants her to forgive herself, as he brings up something he's expressed guilt about before, in the storm, (running away before the fire nation killed the air nomads), and she comforted him there and encouraged him not to feel guilty.

but the thing is, he doesn't say anything about how she shouldn't feel guilty. he tries to acknowledge what she's feeling, which is good, but if he was honestly trying to encourage her to forgive herself, i think he would remind her of how she comforted him when he expressed his own guilt. i'm not even totally sure how in tune he is with her guilt. it's not something he mentions when expressing he knows how she feels. (and this isn't me saying he's awful to not know that; it's not something he can necessarily know unless she's expressed it to him, which we haven't seen. but we have seen her try to connect with him over her mother’s death to empathize with him in the southern air temple, and he doesn’t really acknowledge it. so, i do think it shows he has an overly simplistic understanding of her emotions, and that he's not thinking about this in the framework of forgiving oneself.)

if the writers wanted to showcase him encouraging her to forgive herself, they could have had aang say something like, "i know how badly losing your mother must have hurt, but it wasn't your fault, and i'm worried that confronting the man who killed her won't help you."

instead, he immediately makes an argument about moral corruption - he thinks it is about revenge and expresses she sounds like jet because of it. that... is not encouraging her to forgive herself. it's a judgment based on morality. you can argue about whether aang's right or not (i, personally, find his stance reductive in context, but to each their own), but he is absolutely being judgmental here.

this is when the concept of forgiveness comes up:

Katara: Now that I know he's out there ... now that I know we can find him, I feel like I have no choice. Aang: Katara, you do have a choice: forgiveness. Zuko: That's the same as doing nothing! Aang: No, it's not. It's easy to do nothing, but it's hard to forgive. Katara: It's not just hard, it's impossible. [Cuts to overhead shot of the field as she walks away, Zuko following behind.]

in it, aang encourages forgiveness directly after katara expresses she feels she has no choice but to confront her mother’s killer. even if aang does mean forgiveness for herself, katara does not hear it that way, as is made evident by the fact she insists forgiveness would be impossible here, and if he does mean forgiveness for herself, i don't know why he wouldn't try to correct that misunderstanding.

Aang: So you were just gonna take Appa anyway? Katara: Yes. Aang: It's okay, because I forgive you. [Pauses.] That give you any ideas?

this might actually be my least favorite part of the episode. while it is generally not nice to take a friend's sky bison without permission, it is so genuinely condescending and a false equivalence to even try to compare that to the murder of her mother, particularly because of how smug aang is about his example of forgiving her for it.

also, aang is trying to "give [her] ideas" about what she should do, and it's clear he doesn't blame himself for katara taking appa. he is not forgiving himself here and telling her that’s what she should do. his point is that he's forgiving her and thinks she should do the same. (for the man. who murdered. her mother. and, while we're at it, would have murdered katara herself if he knew the truth. it is just... not the same situation at all.)

Katara: Don't try to stop us. Aang: I wasn't planning to. This is a journey you need to take. You need to face this man. [Katara situates herself on Appa's head.] But when you do, please don't choose revenge. Let your anger out, and then let it go. Forgive him.

aaaand there we have it.

aang 100% wants and tells katara to forgive her mother's killer. even if you think he also wants her to find healing (which i actually agree he does want for her, but i don't think he expresses it well/in a way that is likely to reach her, and the show acts like he is wise for this regardless) and forgive herself (if he does realize katara needs this, it's not something he expresses), he also very much does absolutely tell katara to forgive her mother's murderer, and that she won't find healing without doing so.

you can agree or disagree with his stance, but that is absolutely the argument he is making, and it’s weird to try to act like it’s not.

and, as i said before, i personally find it reductive. there are things in this world that we should be angry at. there are things people find impossible to forgive. those things may be different for everyone, but they do exist, and that's completely morally neutral. i find the idea that katara has to forgive the man who killed her mother in an act of imperalist violence in order to find healing and inner peace disturbing. no, actually, she doesn't!

this ideology is also very commonly weaponized against abuse survivors in particular, which is a big part of why it is significant that zuko goes with katara on this journey and defends her right not to forgive yon rha, even as he later also respects her decision not to kill him, which shatters the whole false dichotomy of forgiveness vs revenge being presented by aang’s role in the episode.

we don't actually see the talk in which zuko tells aang about what happened, but based on his perspective the whole episode, i very much doubt he framed it as "katara decided to forgive yon rha."

Aang: Zuko told me what you did. Or what you didn't do, I guess. I'm proud of you. Katara: I wanted to do it. I wanted to take out all my anger at him, but I couldn't. I don't know if it's because I'm too weak to do it or because I'm strong enough not to. Aang: You did the right thing. Forgiveness is the first step you have to take to begin healing. Katara [Rises from boardwalk.]: But I didn't forgive him. I'll never forgive him.

aang hears about what happened and assumes that because katara didn't kill yon rha, she forgave him, and katara corrects him. she (quite angrily) tells aang that she didn’t forgive yon rha, and she never will. katara knows exactly what aang was telling her to do, and even at the end of the episode, it’s clear she resents it and resents aang being “proud of her” for his assumption.

[eponastory]

Gotta apologize again for practically swimming in your DMs lately, but I remembered why people like 'Toph x Aang', and often cited Toph's honesty and lack of glorification to Aang as a reason why she would've been a better romantic interest for Aang than Katara. And I don't disagree with that, Toph is much more likely to put her foot down to let Aang know when he's wrong, which should urge him more to grow. But despite Toph theoretically being a better love interest for Aang, I have a question:

Would Aang be a good love interest for Toph?

Because since you, @longing-for-rain , and other Zutara supporters described Aang's immaturity very well, I have to wonder if Toph would be happy with Aang, knowing how hurtful he can get (Desert, Ember Island, did Aang even apologize for those instances?). What do you think? Do you think Aang has the qualities to be a good love interest for Toph? Could I ask this question for Ty Lee too? Because I see lots of people believing that Ty Lee would've been a good choice for Aang, but would Aang have been a good choice for Ty Lee? You know what, let's just get every popular alternative candidate out of the way, since people ship Aang with Toph, Ty Lee, Zuko, Sokka, and even Azula and Mai. Run the gauntlet (if you want to). Would Aang make a good love interest for literally ANY of the main characters?

Unpopular opinion, but as Aang is written in the show... he's not a good candidate for anyone.

Wait wait wait...

Hear me out before everyone gets up in arms...

This is where we have to acknowledge that Aang is a fictional character and not a real person (we are not going to count LA Aang because technically that would make him an actual person because he is portrayed by an actual teenage boy) therefore everything is written to be as it is. However, because fiction is subjective, we can debate whether or not to treat Aang like an actual person.

So with that in mind, let's begin this deconstruction of Aang's character and how he is not a good fit for any sort of romance as he is written in the show.

Aang's Selfishness

This right here is glossed over many, many times in the show. What I mean by selfishness is the fact that he is unable to look beyond his nose when it comes to other characters and their feelings. In real life, this is a very twelve year old thing to do, but unlike real life there is no one there to call him out on it. Just the writers, and they don't even do that. That coupled with the fact that he is written to be a child, it really doesn't make sense to me. That and he is the McGuffin and 'The One' of the entire show.

Bryke sets it up to be a good show by giving us the premise right from the start, but as the seasons move on, I don't really see any development from Aang. Only the characters around him.

That being said, because you don't get that development, any relationship going forward is going to feel shallow, like most of the relationships (except sukka) feel. Zuko and Katara progress in their relationship well because there was growth from both of them.

When it comes to Aang, he is more concerned with his views than taking a moment to think about everyone else's. Of course, I applaud those who actively seek peace in their lives and with dangerous situations, but Aang is incredibly naive. He doesn't get any better, even when Zuko calls him out on it. We see Aang struggle with the solution, but then Deus Ex Lionturtle shows up and doesn't really encourage that growth.

Because you don't get that growth and him moving past how HE feels, that is where a relationship is going to fall apart. It's not toxic, but if he doesn't change then it can become that way. Again, Aang is not a narcissist. He is just selfish and naive. These are two big things that cost him.

[somebodys-nuisance]

Everybody shut up I'm talkin' about steambabies/how Zutara get together.

Okay, so, Katara and Zuko. They go together to go find Ursa, yeah? They start having feelings in the midst. Like, they're holed up in caves while traveling, start talking about their pasts some more, start talking about the fact that one of them took lightning for the other, then BOOM, they're makin' out. They find Ursa, she's been hiding out in and protected by a village of airbender-descended nonbenders in the Fire Nation. But, Zuko and Katara DON'T get together. They decide to just stay friends, mainly because, yes, Katara gets to know and care for Zuko, but ALSO gets to know the Fire Nation, and learns from Ursa what it's like to be with a member of Fire Nation royalty. So, Katara puts Zuko down gently, knowing she wants to be her own person and figure out her own life, and Zuko's really disappointed, but obviously he's understanding. She doesn't tell him why exactly, just that they're still so young and they have other things to worry about at the moment.

Zuko becomes Fire Lord, Katara spends her time traveling the world once again, bringing all the different forms of waterbending she's encountered together, becoming a true master and creating platforms for the different styles and cultures to become more well-known. She returns to the Southern Water Tribe for what she assumes will be quite a while to take on students, hang out with her new nieces and nephews (Sokka and Suki gettin' bizzay,) and plans to avoid suggestions that she should take on a position as ambassador to the Fire Nation. They've had a few different ambassadors since she turned the position down initially (definitely just because she wanted to finish her life's work of collecting and returning SWT artifacts and becoming a true master of waterbending and NOT because she kinda wanted to avoid somebody...) but now that she's back and all she's really doing is taking on students and occasionally babysitting, she should be able to eke out some time, yeah? And, it's been years. There shouldn't still be anything there, right?

Welp, they get back in contact, and it only takes maybe half a year before they're dating. In that six months, Katara sees the wonderful work Zuko has done in the Fire Nation, how much more accepting they seem to be, not just of her, but of other cultures as well. Zuko's reforms in schools have created such a better atmosphere, and Katara can tell that the Fire Nation is in a better place to accept her. And Zuko makes it clear that Katara's dreams and ambitions will still be at the forefront in her life: although she'll have political sway, she won't have the same responsibilities to specifically the Fire Nation as Zuko does as Fire Lord. So, they date, and the Fire Nation is primarily supportive (Katara has been taught in schools as being part of the group that freed the Fire Nation from the grips of nationalism and fascism, and although there is still a group of Ozai Supporters, they are a much smaller and quieter group now,) and eventually, Katara and Zuko get married. Fire Lord Zuko is, of course, entirely devoted to his people and to enacting ongoing reparations for a hundred years of pain and sorrow caused by his ancestors, while Katara continues taking on students, acting as an ambassador for the SWT, and becomes a cultural icon within the Fire Nation, single-handedly encouraging many people from waterbender cultures to move there and diversify the nation. Then, Katara gets pregnant. The Fire Nation rejoices, ready to meet their future Fire Lord.

Katara gives birth to a waterbender. Cue just mass CHAOS in the Fire Nation. Suddenly, the cracks begin to show. Yes, you can create some change, or at least the appearance of change, in years, but it takes much longer to really, really create lasting differences. Sure, the Fire Lord can marry who he wants, and she can be Princess Katara (Katara hates being called Princesa Katara and only lets people use it when it's culturally significant, like in certain ceremonies) but our future Fire Lord CANNOT be a waterbender. It's FIRE Lord, not WATER Lord. The Ozai Supporters begin to infiltrate these new groups that are patently AGAINST their oldest son taking on his birth right and becoming Fire Lord someday. How can a waterbender ever understand how to best govern a nation of firebenders?

They eventually have another child, a girl who's a nonbender. The nation clings to her, begging their Fire Lord to skip over their son and bestow the birth right to her. Of course, their daughter has little interest in politics, and while they attempt to shield their son, he is very soon exposed to the prejudice of his own people against him. They had always planned to bring up their children in a mixed bending environment (which, considering the original show, is still a very new thing, since most couples we run into either share their bending or are a bending/nonbending couple,) and they uphold that promise, having both the palace in the Fire Nation and a home in the SWT which they share time in. As their son grows, he loves his heritage as a waterbender, but feels a deeper affiliation to the people he knows he's born to serve (as his father puts it) one day. He's a lot like him: methodical, shy, interested more in politics than fighting, and ridiculously hard on himself. Their daughter is more like Katara: fiery, VERY interested in fighting, and wanting to travel and cut her teeth out in the wide world. She connects deeply with her Uncle Sokka and Aunt Suki who teach her a lot about what it means to be a warrior and how to sail. But, their son weathers the great storm his birth has caused and sees that he's been given an opportunity to further his father and mother's efforts to bring about cultural change, not just in the Fire Nation, but the whole world.

Eventually, years later, their son gives a moving and empowering speech about how, yes, he's been raised with waterbending culture, but the Fire Nation is his homeland. And, who can call the Fire Nation a land of only firebenders? That erases the (now non-secret) cultures of the airbenders who live among them, the many nonbenders who feel disenfranchised, and the new immigrants that have revitalized the culture that ONLY moved there because of the promise of their acceptance his mother represented. He understands what it's like for ALL people to live there, not just firebenders.

He finally wins the majority of people over and succeeds as Fire Lord. Their daughter takes after her uncle and aunt (and her father with his dual blades) and becomes a weaponry virtuoso, and their son is the first to suggest and begin creating a place where there is no cultural expectation of what bending you descend from, to mirror his own mixed bending upbringing, which would eventually become this universe's Republic City.

Please give me notes. Please yell and scream. Do you like? Do you hate? Let me know. Bye.

[imagines--galore]

||The Thread of Fate|| Part Thirty-Two

Summary: Soulmate AU. They say the Thread of Fate connects you to your one true love. It may tangle. It may stretch. But it will never break. Wrapped around your little finger it tightens when it feels your soulmate is close and loosens when they are far. And becomes visible with the colors of your soulmate’s Nation when you finally fall in love with them.

Pairing: Zuko x OroraOC (ATLA)

Rating || Genres || Warnings: T+ Romance. Adventure.

Previous Chapters - Masterlist

A/N: Last filler chapter before the Boiling Rock! So excited for those episodes! :3 Sorry for the long wait you guys! I've been dealing with a lot of stuff. Hope you enjoy this chapter!

"Didn't Aang say there would be no more bending battles in the Temple?"

"This is a sword fight, no bending involved."

"But Sokka called it swordbending."

"Don't encourage him!"

Orora glanced up from where she had been helping Toph make a sign board for the fighter they would be rooting for, Zuko, of course. She grinned at the obvious frown of irritation he wore. "Why? It makes sense, and it fits doesn't it?"

Zuko rolled his eyes at her before continuing his stretches. Across the courtyard, Sokka was doing the same. Though his were a poor imitation of the motions Zuko was going through. Orora had been having a pleasant conversation with Toph and The Duke before Sokka had come barrelling by announcing a swordbending duel between him and the Fire Nation Prince. At first Orora had been surprised, since Zuko hardly took part in proving who was the best, a point Sokka made sure to get across while explaining the nature of the duel.

But then he said something about Zuko and his honor, and she rolled her eyes.

Of course.

A fact that she had been using to tease her Soulmate while waiting for everyone to arrive. Add in the new word Sokka had used that seemed to irritate Zuko to no end, and Orora had the ammunition she needed to annoy him for the rest of the day.

"Why? Is it not honorable enough?" She said, barely able to hold back her laughter as she stressed on the word. Zuko shot her another annoyed look.

"Is he making that face again?" Toph asked, grinning. Orora giggled since the face Toph spoke about was the exact expression Zuko wore at the moment. "What face?" He demanded to know, which only made the Waterbender laugh harder. Though what Toph said next had her sobering up pretty quickly.

"Where you frown, pout and get that really annoyed look on your face. Orora says it makes you look like a kid who was told he couldn't have candy, but she finds it cute."

Before Toph could go any further, she found a hand covering her mouth, preventing her from saying anything else. Zuko blinked, his eyes darting to Orora who was glaring at her younger sister, and yet the blush that blazed across her cheeks was undeniable.

His eyes met hers.

And he grinned.

A little too smugly for her liking.

"Is that right?" He all but drawled, bringing one sword up to rest on his shoulder, flat side down, while he let the other hang at his side. Pursing her lips, Orora tried hard not to show just how embarrassed she was at having an intimate thought revealed so blatantly. That coupled with attempting to not let the current tone of his voice and posture get to her too much, which she was failing at if her blush and rapid heartbeat was anything to go by, resulted in a glare that was more hilarious then intimidating.

Somehow, Toph managed to extract Orora's hand from her mouth. Or rather pulled at it enough to allow her to get a few more words in. "Man, her heart's going crazy. You smiling at her Zu-" The rest of her words were muffled as Orora quickly replaced her hand, this time a little more forcefully.

Zuko's smirk persisted as Orora stood, pulling Toph and the sign board as she did, so they could sit a little ways apart from the battle ring. "Come on you little pest." She grumbled. Her reaction as well as Toph's accidental, coughintentionalcough, reveal gave more then a little boost to his ego. The two of them shared one last look, with Orora being the first one to look away, blush still inflaming her cheeks. Zuko turned around to face the ring and his opponent. As he stepped up to face off against Sokka he twirled his swords with a little more flair then was actually necessary.

Was he showing off for the sake of showing off to his Soulmate?

Yes he was.

Did he think it was over the top?

Not when it came to her.

Now that they were all gathered, Aang moved to stand between the two opponents, acting as referee.

"Finally! Some action around here!" Toph stated happily, Orora having removed her hand awhile ago. Her words had both her sisters blinking at her in confusion. "You just saw some action this morning." Orora reminded, as Katara scowled. "What did you think we were doing? Splashing around in the stream?"

Toph grinned. "That was more of a catowl fight." Both older girls sat up wearing identical expressions of irritation. The corner of Katara's eye even twitched as they both screeched. "Excuse me?!"

"We need a little silence from the spectators!" Aang called, taking his role as referee a little too seriously and shooting the two Waterbenders a look. Both of whom slumped into their seats, arms crossed and pouting.

They both glanced at one another out of the corner of their eyes, before looking away again.

Within the ring, Zuko gripped the handles of his sword tightly "Don't get your hopes up Sokka." He warned the Water Tribe Warrior. "I started training with Master Piandao since when I was just a kid, so I think I can take a beginner like you."

"All right, you guys." Aang stated, a hint of warning in his tone. "I want this to be a good, clean swordbending match!"

"There's no such thing!" Zuko stated, before his smile returned in full confidence. Sokka mirrored the smile as they both waited for Aang to blow the whistle.

"So you think you're hot stuff, huh?" He said, his tone loud, hoping to goad Zuko into loosing his composure. His words, however, had the opposite effect as the scarred teen only smirked. "Orora seems to think so."

The girl in question, who'd been watching the proceedings just as eagle-eyed as the rest of the group, blanched at the comment. Since when had Zuko gotten confident enough to make comments like that? And in the presence of other people.

If Zuko continued to tease her, her cheeks would be a permanent shade of pink. "For Spirits sake leave me out of this!" She called, ignoring how everyone, minus Katara, were snickering. The younger waterbender girl instead held up her own sign board, which had a drawing of a sword and the symbol of the Water Tribe. "Go, Water Tribe!" She encouraged her brother.

Beside her, Toph held up the sign she and Orora had made.

Which Orora quickly turned upright since Toph had been holding it upside down.

Within the ring, swords clashed, as both Zuko and Sokka began to face off. "Lemme show you how we do things down south!" Sokka exclaimed, pulling back before swinging at him.

Only to have Zuko step to the side and avoid the hit. "Like I said." He stated, cool and calm as could be, before he swung at Sokka who narrowly deflected the attack. The boy fell backwards, hitting the hard ground with a dull thud.

"Don't get your hopes up."

At the sidelines Orora, Toph and The Duke both cheered at Zuko's victory. Apparently Haru and Teo had decided to root for Sokka. Which wasn't going well for them, of course. Aang held his arm out, indicating Zuko's victory. Sokka however, was not done.

Not by a long shot.

"Rematch." He grumbled, already getting up. "Now!"

Zuko grinned.

"Kick his ass Zuko!"

Sokka turned to stare at his older sister. "Wh-Orora! You're supposed to side with me! Water Tribe for life!" He exclaimed, sounding dejected, something the girl didn't even care about as she grinned.

"Sorry Sokka! Soulmates over Bro-mates!" She called to which Sokka let out an undignified squeak, clutching his heart as if the words physically pained him. "My own family doesn't believe in me!" He bemoaned, playing the act of a wounded brother as he slumped to the ground. Zuko glanced over his shoulder, meeting Orora's excited blue gaze.

He winked.

She bit her lower lip, trying to stop the smile from taking over her face as she settled next to Toph once again.

"You got it bad Ice Princess." The blind girl teased, sensing her elevated heartbeat once again. Orora shoved her shoulder playfully. "I believe in you Sokka!" Katara called, throwing Orora a dirty look, though it lacked the heat and anger from just a few hours ago. "Do it for the Water Tribe!"

Her brother stood up straight with newfound determination, waiting for Aang to give the signal.

Only to be knocked down with a kick by Zuko, not even five minutes later. "Another loss for Sokka!"

Katara buried her face in her hands. "Ouch." She muttered, more then a little annoyed at her brother, but also annoyed at Toph, The Duke and Orora who continued cheering for Zuko.

Was he feeling a little too proud of his swordsmanship?

Maybe?

Did he care?

Not really.

Not when Orora was cheering for him like she was.

He'd never had anyone on his side aside from his Uncle. And while Orora's support meant the world, knowing he'd made friends who would root for him added to that feeling tenfold.

"This is ridiculous." He stated pointing his sword at Sokka and smiling. Though not in a condescending manner as he would have done in the past. "I'm obviously better than you. Why don't you just give up?" Sokka simply stood up, brushing the dust from his clothes. To say his ego was more then a little bruised would be an understatement. But while Zuko may have the advantage of being a better swordsman, yes even he admitted that, Sokka had something better on his side.

Words.

"This from the guy who unsuccessfully hunted Aang for years?" The effect was immediate. Zuko pursed his lip, his eyes flickered with irritation as he scowled at Sokka. "That was totally different!"

"Sure." The word came out in a more sarcastic tone then he had intended, but it worked. "Cause it'll only take me three minutes to beat you!"

Raising his sword, Sokka charged.

Only for his opponent to knock his weapon out of his hand.

"Give up Sokka! This is getting a little embarrassing for the Southern Water Tribe!" Toph called, unable to keep the malicious grin off her face. She lived and thrived in situations like these, where she could tease and make fun of her friends, especially Sokka. It was always hilarious to see how he would react to them. And having Zuko beat him up was the icing on the egg custard.

Raising an eyebrow, Zuko stood over Sokka. "You were saying?"

Deciding that perhaps it was time to play dirty, Sokka reached behind him to grab his trusty boomerang. He threw the weapon, which Zuko narrowly ducked out of the way of. It went flying through the air as the Prince turned to scowl at Sokka.

"Hey! No boomerangs in swordbending."

He paused, blinking. Did he just-?

"Wait! I mea-"

"Zuko! Watch out!"

Too late.

The boomerang retraced it's path and hit the young Prince at the back of his head. Zuko dropped to his knees, clutching the sore spot and groaning in pain. Though his glare never left Sokka's.

"Foul!" The spectators called out, with the ones supporting Zuko rising to their feet and demanding a fair rematch. "Call it Ref!" The Duke shouted.

Aang sighed before looking at Sokka. "Zuko's right, you know. You did cheat, so he still wins the match." Sokka, appearing way to smug for someone who had just lost simply grinned. "I may have lost the battle of swords, young Avatar." He held his arms up in victory. "But I won the war of words."

A beat of silence.

"That doesn't even make any sense!" Toph all but screamed, annoyed that the Humiliation of Sokka was cut too short. In her opinion it was shaping up to be quite the story. After all there had been action, drama and romance, if Orora's heartbeat was anything to go by.

Speaking of, Orora walked over to Zuko, who was still rubbing the back of his head, and looking dejected. "Want me to beat him up for you?" She asked. Zuko glanced up to see Orora looking almost murderous as she glared at Sokka.

Sokka grinned sheepishly back at his older sister. There were no hard feelings between them, they each knew it was all in good fun, but Sokka knew Orora would beat him up with no hesitation. She wouldn't hurt him too much. Probably pull his ears, or something? Before punishing him with some horrible chore.

No one had any idea what sort of hold she had on everyone in the group. Maybe it was her presence, or her ability to shut anyone up with a look. But for whatever reasons, they were all intimidated by her. Though not in a bad way.

Rather in the: I did something wrong and now my sister is gonna hang me by my belt way.

All except Zuko, who knew she would put him in his place should he need it. Something that had happened in the past. The Prince chuckled, shaking his head. "Nah." He said, standing up and sheathing his sword.

"I'll get him next time."

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"Hey Zuko!"

Glancing up from where he had been packing away his swords, Zuko was a little surprised to see a rather unlikely trio standing in front of him.

Sokka, Aang and Toph.

"Yeah?" He asked, his tone unsure as he glanced from one serious face to the other. "Relax, Firebug, we just wanna talk to you." Toph said, sensing his heartbeat pick up a little. Sokka nodded. "Yeah, but don't think its not important, because it is." He added, to which Zuko blinked at him in confusion.

"Okay?" Placing his pack on the ground, he stood straight to give all three of them his undivided attention. Out of all three of them, Aang seemed to look the most serious, prompting him to turn to the young Avatar with a questioning gaze.

"Its about Orora, and what your intentions are with her."

The statement came out of nowhere, prompting Zuko to blink at them in confusion. "My intentions?" He repeated, confusion etched on his face. Sokka nodded stepping forward.

"Yeah! Your intentions. If you haven't noticed, she's our sister, and as her siblings we have a right to know what your intentions are with her." He'd barely stopped before Toph picked up. "Yeah, we don't want to see her mopping about just because you feel like going off one day and leaving her alone."

Zuko bristled, a little angry at them for even thinking that. "I would-" But he was cut off by Sokka. "Yeah, cuz when it comes to anything related to you, Orora always looses it."

Once again he opened his mouth, only to be cut off by Toph. "In a bad way. I've seen Ice Princess grow cold, and it is not good. And when Orora isn't happy, none of us are happy."

"What we're trying to say Zuko." This time Aang spoke, stepping forward to silence his friends so that he could get his word across. "We love Orora, and we don't want to see her get hurt the way she did after Ba Sing Se." He paused, allowing Zuko the moment he needed to understand why the three of them were there.

To make sure he wasn't leading Orora on before he left like he did last time.

"We almost lost her Zuko, and we don't want to see her go through that pain ever again." The Airbender paused, fixing his grey eyes on Zuko's face. "So we ask again, what are your intentions with Orora?"

As the three of them waited in silence, Zuko found his eyes briefly flitting over their shoulders, where he could see Orora playing with Momo. She was teasing him with a water bubble, and Momo's reaction to nearly getting wet had the girl giggling. She didn't tease him for long, and as an apology, began to cut up an apple into slices, which she then shared with him.

Watching her sit there, eating the fruit happily with the little animal, Zuko's resolve only solidified.

"My intention," He started, looking back at the three younger teenagers. "Is to stay by her side as long as she will have me. And to make sure no harm comes to her, physically and emotionally. Even from me."

Not exactly the best way to phrase the intensity of his feelings for Orora, but he wasn't about to pour his heart out to the three of them. Sure they were his friends, but if anyone deserved his heart, it was Orora. After all that she had done for him, the least he could do was confess to her what he truly felt. He just hoped whatever he couldn't say, he was able to convey through his actions as time went on.

"He's telling the truth." Toph stated, a smile pulling at her lips. "And that's good enough for me." With that, the girl turned on her heel and walked off. Leaving Sokka and Aang to give the final verdict. Both boys fixed Zuko with twin hard stares, ones that he did not back down from as he looked right back, determination and honesty clear across his face.

Finally, Sokka sighed. "Just, don't hurt her again." He stated, before walking off as well. Leaving just Aang, the only one to smile and reach out to pat the Prince's shoulder. "I guess Fate never chooses wrong." He said. "You're both good for one another."

There was a point in his life where he would've questioned that.

But in that moment, as they all settled down for dinner, with Zuko sitting beside Orora, he couldn't help but agree with Aang.

They were good for one another.

                                           ————————–

The outcome of the battle earlier resulted in Katara not glaring at her every time she and Zuko interacted. As Sokka had advised, Orora had opted to leave Katara alone and work through her feelings and conflicts on her own. Pushing her wouldn't get either of them anywhere.

Still, that didn't stop Orora from missing her sister, and hoping she would come to terms with her decision soon.

Presently she sat within the circle as everyone unwound after the day. Dinner had been served, and the dishes cleared away. Though Zuko was doing something she never thought she would see him do voluntarily.

He was making tea.

Zuko, who thought of tea as nothing but hot water and leaf juice, was presiding over the teapot as if it were the most precious thing in the world.

His Uncle would've been proud.

For a moment there, she had thought of helping him out, but then stopped. Maybe give him a chance to make amends as he saw fit on his own. Hopefully his tea making skills had improved since the last time he had brewed a pot.

While everyone else spoke around her, Orora found herself simply watching Zuko and observing him.

It was ridiculous. It wasn't like she hadn't seen him the entire day.

"No one can make tea like Uncle." Zuko said as he began to pour the hot beverage into cups that were placed atop a tray. "But hopefully I learned a thing or two." He added, as he began walk around and serve tea.

"Would you like to hear Uncle's favorite tea joke?"

Katara, glancing in Orora's direction, and catching the older girl's eyes, pursed her lips before shrugging. "Sure." Orora hid her smile behind her cup. The scent of it was certainly appealing as she closed her eyes and savored the warmth of it before taking a small sip.

It was good.

Really good.

"I like jokes." Aang stated, encouraging Zuko even further with Toph adding. "Bring it."

Zuko nodded as he served the tea to The Duke and Haru. "Okay." He paused, with everyone waiting eagerly for him to begin. "Well, I can't remember how it starts." Orora pursed her lips. It would be extremely rude if she were to laugh out loud at the helpless expression on Zuko's face, she told herself.

"But the punch line is 'Leaf me alone, I'm bushed!'"

She had to quickly take a scalding sip of tea to distract herself. The pain of the hot beverage on her tongue did distract her enough to keep from laughing out loud at the awkward silence that had descended on the group as they all stared at Zuko.

Even he gave an awkward smile. "Well, it's funnier when Uncle tells it."

Katara raised an eyebrow. "Right........maybe that's because he remembers the whole thing." She said, prompting everyone to laugh at her teasing. Zuko smiled as well, handing over the last two cups to Teo and Toph.

Orora, having recovered from her scalding tongue ordeal, sat up a little straighter as she recited. “Why did the green tea refuse to be brewed?" Everyone glanced at her, with Zuko blinking at her in slight confusion. She smiled at him in return. "It said, "I need some time off, leaf me alone, I'm bushed!"

Collective groans followed her statement, with Zuko rolling his eyes at his Uncle's choice of humor.

Toph sighed as she sipped at her tea. "It's nice to get a chance to relax a little. It hardly ever happens." She said, to which Aang glanced at her in confusion. "Weren't you just saying this morning how you wanted some action? He asked, to which the blind girl gave a shrug. "Yeah, but we got to see two fights today, so my quota has been met."

Orora rolled her eyes at her younger sister. "Maybe not say it out loud Toph. You know how fate loves to prove us wrong." She said, her gaze flicking around, as if expecting someone to jump out of the shadows and start attacking them. Then again, with all the trouble they had gotten into in the past, it wouldn't be surprising if they weer ambushed.

"Hey!" Sokka, who had been brooding silently for a good hour now, an act that had made both his sisters suspicious, now approached Zuko. "Can I talk to you for a second?" He stood and walked away. Setting down the tray, Zuko followed after him.

The Duke glanced at their retreating backs. "Wander what they're talking about." He voiced his curiosity, to which Toph shrugged. "Probably trading notes on being a sword-bender."

Well that word had certainly caught on.

It wasn't long before Sokka returned and promptly lay down to go to sleep. Taking his example, the rest of the group began to get ready for the night as well. As she shook out her bed roll, Orora glanced to where Zuko, who had returned not long after Sokka, was setting up his own bedding. Seeing the look of contemplation on his face, and with a strange suspicious feeling gnawing within her stomach, she walked over to Zuko.

"What was that all about?" She asked, frowning slightly in Sokka's sleeping figure. Zuko, a little lost in his head, was a little startled at her abrupt appearance. Though he shook his head at her in response.

"Nothing." The word came out rushed and urgent. Almost as if he was putting extra effort into making her believe that there really was nothing going on.

Orora, however, grew even more suspicious. And even though she figured that she should leave the matter alone, since Zuko would've told her if he wanted to, it was because he didn't tell her that she knew that whatever Sokka had spoken to Zuko about was either illegal or dangerous, or both.

And she wasn't about to let either of her boys do anything stupid. Not unless she had anything to say about it.

Was it nosy and over-bearing of her?

Maybe.

But she'd come so close to loosing her family that she was beginning to grow a little protective.

For now, she simply gave her Soulmate a look, prompting him to reassure her once more. A rather weak effort on his part, which they both knew.

Still, she didn't pester him any further. With a nod, and a wary look in his direction, Orora returned to her bed roll.

                                           ————————–

As a group of young soldiers, sleeping with one ear open was natural. Anyone or anything could attack them at any moment, and since her days of traveling alone, Orora had trained herself to be on alert, even as she slept.

It was the slight bump against her feet that had ice blue eyes opening abruptly.

Her mind was trying to fight off the fog of sleep that hung about her head, but she recognized the figure as they walked away. There was just enough light to inform her that it was early morning and the sun had only just begun to rise. She lay perfectly still, not wanting to alert Zuko that she was awake.

She stayed in her sleeping bag, even when Sokka tip-toed past her with a bag slung over his shoulder. Once he too had disappeared from view, Orora stood, picking up her water skins as she did.

She never slept without them.

Slinging them over her shoulders, the young Waterbender stood behind a pillar, hiding from view as she listened to the conversation the two boys were having.

"Fine, you caught me." She heard Sokka say. "I'm gonna rescue my dad. You happy now?"

"I'm never happy." Came Zuko's response, prompting her to step out from behind the pillar, arms crossed over her chest. "I am rather offended by that statement Zuko." She stated, keeping her voice low so as not to wake up anyone else. While Sokka rolled his eyes, and grumbled something about nosy sisters, Zuko winced at her words. He opened his mouth, to apologize, to make an excuse? She didn't know. Orora simply fixed her brother with an inquiring gaze.

"What're you doing Sokka?" She asked. The Water Tribe Warrior looked like he wasn't going to answer, but then his shoulders drooped and he sighed. "Zuko told me they might be keeping Dad at this place called the Boiling Rock."

The girl blinked. "So you're going to get him out by yourself?" She asked, walking towards him as Zuko jumped down from where he had been sitting on Appa's back. Probably to catch Sokka in the act.

Picking up the supplies that had fallen out of his bag, Sokka continued. "Look, I have to do this. The invasion plan was my idea, it was my decision to stay when things were going wrong." He stood up straight, glancing between the Firebender and Waterbender. "It's my mistake, and it's my job to fix it. I have to regain my honor. You can't stop me." With that he moved to climb atop Appa.

Zuko let out a laugh of derision. "You need to regain your honor?" He asked, prompting Orora to glance at him. "Believe me, I get it. I'm going with you."

Seeing this as her chance, Orora stepped forward. "And judging from the name, I'm willing to guess the place has something to do with water." At Zuko's nod of confirmation, Orora hummed and nodded. "Then I'm coming too."

Shaking his head, Sokka turned to glance over his shoulder. "No. I have to do this alone."

Scoffing, Zuko gestured towards Appa. "How are you going to get there? On Appa? Last time I checked, prisons don't have bison daycares." The observation prompted Sokka to pause and glance at Zuko who simply stated.

"We'll take my war balloon."

Sokka looked torn, but only for a moment, before he nodded in confirmation and climbed down from Appa. "You're not coming Orora." He stated, trying his best to be authoritative. His sister blinked at him.

"Would you rather I wake up Katara and tell her what you're up to?" She questioned, or rather threatened. Sokka opened his mouth, but then closed it again, knowing her couldn't argue. Not when she had that determined look in her eyes. Though Zuko was torn between having Orora stay behind and be safe, but also knowing that having a Waterbender would prove to be an advantage, stayed silent. Smirking in satisfaction, the girl tightened the straps of her water skins.

"We'd better leave a note."

                                           ————————–

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[wilcze-kudly]

What are your favorite Beifong family headcanons?

Oooh that's a great ask. I have a lot of headcanons and I'm pretty sure I've talked about them a lot at least a few times, but I've tried to condense them as best I could!

I've rambled about my headcanons surrounding seismic sense but here's some more. The twins and Huan learnt seismic sense very early on in their lives and were provably encouraged to lean into it. Huan particularly has very well developed seismic sense. To the point where it makes him uncomfortable and he tends to shy away from using it by wearing thick socks or shoes.

When Kuvira first arrived to Zaofu, she didn't really get along with Baatar Jr. I can see Baatar Jr being very protective of Opal, since they were the two nonbenders of the family. I can see him not looking too kindly at whom he saw as his mother's attempt at having a "better daughter".

Kuvira and the twins are permanent parts of Suyin's dance troupe. (Canon for Kuvira.)

Due to not having much interaction with people outside the family, the Beifong kids are/were super close. Which leads to even more pain as they slowly untangle and mature.

They were also very close with the staff that worked at the manor and other of their family friends, due to this being their only social interactions outside family. Aiwei and the Chef (he only calls himself chef and never reveals his real name cause he used to be a pirate and is wanted in all four nations) are basically surrogate uncles to the kids.

It having been just the six of them, i can see it being hard for them to fully interact with new people.

Huan wanted to be a doctor as a kid and pretended to do operations on his siblings. Their father, a renown architect, even built them a little play hospital. The other Beifongs... weren't fans.

Kuvira enjoys bubble baths. That's it.

Wei collects crystals and cool looking rocks, similairly to how Su collects meteors. He's a nerd about it too. He has several opals and whenever he's in an argument with Opal he will dramatically move them to the back of his collection.

One of my fave silly headcanons/theories is Baatar Sr being Suki and Sokka's kid. Like, I know it's very unlikely, but it is a lovely idea in my head and I could ramble about it all day. I don't see a lot of people talking about it. I see plenty of people using Suyin's sons looking like Sokka as proof that Su is a Tokka baby, however the Beifong boys actually resemble their father a lot. Also I have plenty headcanons around this idea and Suki would be an epic grandma. Kyoshi warrior Opal (and the twins). Living in my head rent free. Forever.

Wing and Opal formed a little book club and like reading together/talking about books they've read. Their siblings aren't allowed to join. One time Kuvira and Wei crashed the little meeting and Wing was so offended he pretended to run away and join the circus.

When they were children, Kuvira was the ringleader for sure. She'd take the much more well behaved Beifong kids on wild adventures, after which they'd come back to the house covered in mud.

Wing is hard if hearing. Comes from that one scene where he sent Lin and Su to their deaths after misshearing Mako.

Aiwei was the first one to encourage Huan to pursue his artistic talents and most of Huan's first works are still in Aiwei's house.

Wei is named after Aiwei, but they already had a Juniour in the family, so he was named an abbreviation of his namesake.

Aiwei ultimately regrets betraying the Beifongs, to teh point where his nightmares in the Fog of Lost souls are about the Beifongs.

Can't believe Zaheer sent the only confirmed gay man ever shown on screen to super hell. Homophobia at its finest

Ugh you don't know how happy getting asks about the Beifong family makes me. Sorry if these were more focused on the Zaofu crew, I know they're not as popular as Lin and Toph but they are my faves.

[sokkastyles]

If you examine the things Zuko has to say about his childhood with Azula in "The Search," what you see is a desire to connect with her.

It's Zuko who brings up the memory here, and he talks about playing with his sister with fondness, and the way he's looking at her seems to indicate that he hopes that she'll remember it fondly, too. But there's also some bitterness present in the memory. Zuko says he doesn't understand why he always had to be the villain. It's not surprising to us, the audience, though, given Zuko and Azula's upbringing. Without context, it's a pretty typical dynamic between children. But given that we know Azula and Zuko were raised with the golden child / scapegoat mindset, Zuko being forced to always play the villain indicates the children acting out even in their play the roles Ozai had assigned to them. This particular episode is more benign, but it does show a part of Zuko's hurt related to feeling like he could never measure up to his sister. It's interesting, though, that he seems to be looking for some acknowledgment from her. Probably because throughout this comic, he is trying to connect with her as part of the family he is longing for.

We also see Zuko express similar sentiments in flashbacks as a child about his sister. This time, the action is less benign and more hurtful. Azula burns Zuko for telling on her after she burns a flower in the garden "because it was less pretty than the others."

I see a lot of discussions about Zuko and Azula's relationship that paint him as blaming Azula for their bad relationship, but that doesn't ring true especially when we see scenes like this where Zuko doesn't blame Azula, even when she hurts him. Instead we see him react in confusion, similar to present-day Zuko's memory of their play as a child. Confusion, and hurt because he clearly wants to have a good relationship with his sister.

What's so tragic about this is that we know that this dynamic between them was created by Ozai. We know why Azula keeps hurting Zuko or why she won't let him be Dragon Emperor when they play. And I've seen a lot of discussion arguing that Zuko needs to understand things from Azula's perspective, and how much pressure she was under to prove she was better than him, but the problem with this is that it requires Zuko to again ignore how much those things hurt him as a child.

As a child, Zuko was never allowed to express himself and never allowed to blame Azula, because she was the favored child. Nor was he allowed to acknowledge how abusive his father was. He could tell his mother, but her power was limited and she left when he was ten.

Part of Zuko's lingering trauma, a part that I don't think he understands because he was never allowed to express it, is the ways he was hurt by his sister and the ways Ozai encouraged Azula to hurt him.

At one point in the comic, Zuko seeks Sokka's advice in an attempt to repair his relationship with his sister.

Again we see Zuko's bitterness towards his sister present itself, as he points out to Sokka that he is getting the short end of the deal. Sokka says he doesn't mind, because Katara is his sister, and he loves her and feels a duty to look out for her.

This parallel only partially works, though. Although Sokka and Katara do have their disagreements, they were not raised in an environment where Katara was encouraged and allowed to hurt Sokka. We see Zuko looking guiltily towards his sister, feeling a desire to protect her in the way that Sokka protects his sister, and he will later act on it. But before I get to that part, I want to again emphasize the point that Zuko still has not been allowed to acknowledge the ways his sister has hurt him, or the ways their father encouraged and allowed her to hurt him. And his talk with Sokka only exacerbates Zuko's trauma because it reopens those wounds of obligation towards someone who continually hurts him. Zuko and Sokka's relationships with their sisters cannot be compared in this way, nor should they be. This isn't Sokka's fault, but I wish the comic had acknowledged this.

It kinda does in the next scene.

Zuko attempts to imitate Sokka's caring for his sister, accepting Sokka's advice about "getting the short end of the deal." But once again, we see what getting the short end actually means for Zuko. He sees the letter that his sister stole, which she lied to him about destroying so that she could manipulate him into letting her come on the journey to find their mother. Zuko discovers that Azula has been lying to him this whole time.

It's also worth noting that the letter contains not just information on Ursa's whereabouts, but some very personal information about Zuko possibly not being Ozai's son. The fact that it turns out to later be a lie is not relevant. What is relevant is that Zuko attempts to put aside his trauma - something he's actually been forced to do his entire life - to take care of his sister only to find another way that she's hurt him and taken advantage of him, since allowing her on this journey, unrestrained and with his trust, is the only reason she was able to steal the letter in the first place.

That brings us to the scene where Azula discovers that the letter is gone and attempts to steal it back from Zuko by force, a battle which ends in him besting her and confronting her with all of the feelings he's been bottling up.

I've seen...a lot of uncharitable posts about Zuko here, that he's wrong for being angry at Azula, that Azula isn't in a place to be held accountable because she isn't in her right mind. And one of the tragic things here is that Azula is currently hallucinating and responds by blaming Zuko for conspiring with Ursa. And part of the issue is that I think the hallucination storyline is both ableist and unnecessary, and actually detracts from the real conflict. And the way I see it used by the fandom confirms this, as it's often used as a way to shift the discussion away from the actual things Azula did to hurt Zuko.

And the other thing about it is, even a hallucinating Azula who is imagining that Zuko is out to get her and conspiring with their mother does not have a right to steal from him or attack him, and Zuko is in the right to stop her. He is also in the right to be angry at her, not just for this but for all of the things she did.

But still, he doesn't just blame her. Even in the moment when he's holding her over that cliff, there is no question of whether he will actually hurt her because we know that is not what he wants. He asks her why.

And again, we know the answer. I think Zuko does, too, at least on an intellectual level. But that doesn't erase the hurt, it doesn't erase the pain, it doesn't take away the feelings that someone who should have been on your side wasn't, especially for a child dealing with abuse. And while Azula and Zuko were both abused, I have no doubt that Zuko would have been on Azula's side if she had ever shown any kindness towards him. Even with the way things were, he still makes attempts to connect with her and repeatedly expresses a desire for things to be different. She never does, though, and that's the tragedy.

At which point is Zuko allowed to express anger at someone who continually hurts him who is never sorry about it? Because expressing anger at the people who abused him and being able to feel that hurt is very much a part of healing. And I'm deeply suspicious of anyone who tries to say that it isn't.

[freckledsokka]

wip wednesday

a wee snippet of the self-indulgent tense-fuckery zukka fic i'm working on that no one asked for! most of this fic is sokka (ghost sokka? spirit sokka? who knows) waxing poetic about zuko grieving him, but i wrote this scene with korra for a touch of levity (while still being a little angsty).

note: this is NOT a reader fic. do not let the use of "you" fool you. this is fully from sokka's pov as if he's narrating this to zuko.

"You remind me of him," you tell the Avatar, something wistful tugging at the corner of your mouth, reaching to the creases of your eyes. Korra looks almost bashful, or maybe just flattered. "I get that a lot," she says quietly, as if it's a sore subject but she doesn't want to offend you by mentioning it. You smile at her, warm and reassuring. "I don't mean Aang." "Oh." She sounds surprised, which quickly gives way to embarrassed when you offer her an encouraging smirk to help the thought along. "Oh," she says again, nearly in a different octave. "Oh, I'm so sorry, I should have realized that's — of course, that's who you meant." She laughs nervously, waving her hand vaguely at herself. "Southern Water Tribe, duh." "It's not just that," you tell her, and her nervous energy seems to settle a little at the calm, smooth tone of your voice. "You have the same tenacity, the same spirit. He would be proud to see the Avatar you've become."

Korra is quiet for a moment, either out of respect or simply a loss for words. Then she smiles, a little sheepishly but no less grateful to be honored in such a way. "Tenzin told me he — the Chief? — was with you and my father the night the Red Lotus tried to kidnap me." She looks away, guilt seeping into the set of her shoulders, the way she wraps her arms across her chest. "I'm sorry, I — Did he —?" She glances back, eyes bright, pleading for some kind of forgiveness she doesn't need to be given. "Was it my fault?"

"Korra," you say slowly, frowning, placing a gentle hand on her arm. "What did Tenzin tell you? The Red Lotus had nothing to do with Sokka's passing."

Her eyes go wide. "Really? But he made it sound like — I mean, my dad became Head Chieftain not long after that, I thought —"

You can't help the chuckle low in the back of your throat, a rumble of distant thunder, warm as a summer storm. "No, Korra. Sokka never was particularly suited to be Chief. He felt it was time to pass it on, is all. That, and he felt he could do more good behind the scenes, or through his work in Republic City. But, more often than not, he was with me. Those years were some of our best." 

Korra lets out a trill of nerves, huffing in relief. "Thank the Spirits." A beat, the haunted look of someone who is technically thousands of years old yielding to the vulnerability of someone barely out of her teens carrying the weight of the Spirit and human worlds on her shoulders, knowing she is the reason your — our — friend is gone. This is the cycle we were all prepared for, and yet — "Is that why I barely remember him? Didn't he ever visit Katara at the compound? Why didn't he ever say hello?"

"I wish I could tell you, Korra, but he never gave me his reasons." A wry smile. "I'm sorry if I kept him from you."

Korra twists her mouth, setting her jaw defiantly. "Lord Zuko, if I may —" She isn't really asking permission and you know this, but you nod anyway. "That's bullshit, and you know it. He was your husband. Don't tell me you didn't know just because he didn't tell you."

Your mouth twitches knowingly, even as your expression remains impressively neutral. "I had my suspicions, of course."

"Which were?" Korra presses.

If she weren't the Avatar, I suspect you would've said something along the lines of None of your damn business or Nothing to concern yourself about. Being the Avatar still has its perks in dragging honesty out of you, it seems. Still, you manage to make it a whole production, sighing like it physically pains you to admit it. 

"He wanted to wait until you'd mastered all four elements before he would teach you" — an exaggerated eyeroll, fingers pinching the bridge of your nose — "the 'fifth element.'"

Korra's brow furrows. She blinks like she's waiting for a punchline. "The — what? There is no fifth element, unless you count energy, but —"

"I know," you agree, exhausted. "I know."

"Then what?" Korra demands, sounding as flabbergasted as she looks.

You take a deep breath, wearily replying, "Swordbending."

Korra is frozen for a moment, maybe in shock, maybe in disbelief. Then she bursts out laughing, bright and cool as snow crunching underfoot, until it dawns on her that maybe you weren't actually joking. "Wait, really?" she asks incredulously. "He actually wanted to — to teach me? Why didn't he just team up with Katara? Spirits, it would've been so much fun to have a swordmaster around."

"You told me you have to learn the elements in order, Zuko," you say in a poor imitation of my voice. It's been so long, you've almost forgotten it. "He didn't want to influence your bending, or distract you from your role as Avatar, or so I assume."

Korra huffs. "Sounds an awful lot like he did tell you things, then," she mutters indignantly.

You shrug. "Not in so many words. He said a lot without ever saying it." That wistful slant of your mouth softens into something closer to melancholy. "When you're with someone as long as I was with Sokka, you learn to read between the lines. We had our own language, in a way."

"But if you suspected, why didn't you say anything? Why not encourage him?"

There's a sadness in your smile, an ache in your eyes. "Because, young Avatar," you say gently, "you always think you'll have more time."

[kingwuko]

Also I've made a post about this before but aside from Airbender Wu I'm obsessed with the idea that canon nonbender Wu has the potential to be a competent badass like Asami but different, in his own style.

And I actually got this idea during the clip show episode and the wuko segments, when it occurred to me that Mako is probably training him to fight the way Mako himself learned to fight.

And I don't think that fighting style fits Wu's mindset, temperament, build, anything really, it's a style informed by street fighting and firebending, two things Wu could not be further removed from.

He's an earth kingdom prince used to fine silks and jewelry, expertly moving about the world with the grace and balance of a dancer even when confronted with physical aggression...

Say, doesn't that sound familiar to anyone else?

I'm just saying, he could be the earth kingdom royal to denounce the Dai Li and bring the Kyoshi Warriors to the forefront of their culture.

By becoming one himself.

When it comes to Wu learning to defend himself and fight, I have two favorite hc.

1. Yes yes yes to Wu training with Kyoshi Warriors. I will say that I'm hesitant to have him become a Kyoshi Warrior, because Kyoshi Warriors are women. (Though if people have hc about Wu's gender being different, that's certainly worth exploring!) But much like Sokka was permitted to train with them, I see no reason why Wu couldn't learn from them as well! I think if given the opportunity, Wu would pick up the fighting style quite well. The method of fighting practiced by the Kyoshi warriors, and originally taught to them by Rangi herself, is focused on turning your enemy's strength against them. Seems like an excellent style for Wu, as he's built much more slender. I think he'd be into the overall aesthetics, too. I also love the idea of some Kyoshi warriors becoming his royal guard and replacing the role of the Dai Li.

2. Training with Asami. Asami has taken formal self defense lessons since she was a child. She has the technical know how of self defense and since she learned it formally, I think she would be excellent at teaching it formally. To further my Asami-teaching-Wu propaganda, check out the description of Asami as a teacher from the Avatar Legends Wan Shi Tong's Adventure Guide:

As a teacher, Asami is encouraging and supportive—she prizes an individual’s own inventiveness when channeled appropriately, far more than her own ideas. When it comes to the overall tone and style of mastery conditions set to PCs, Asami will emphasize thought over force, clever ideas over direct results. Asami wants those who learn from her to see how problems can be solved in many ways, and there’s nearly always a better way, in addition to seeing how they can help others and don’t always have to solve the problem on their own.

I just feel like Asami would make a good, patient teacher, I think her formal training would translate well into teaching skills, I think she might actually appreciate Wu's creativity and out-of-the-box thinking, AND I think her foundation in self defense would be ideal for Wu to learn. I don't see him needing to be a fighter in the thick of battle right alongside the rest of Team Avatar, but he should certainly learn to hold his own to protect his own life and limb.

Regardless of how Wu learns self defense and/or martial arts, we can all agree on one thing, I'm sure. Mako is a terrible person to be teaching him. He was literally the worst teacher in Remembrances lol like what was he even doing. And you're right, his style of fighting does not match the kind of fighting that Wu should learn or that he would be able to master.

That's ok. Mako can cheer him on from the sidelines!

[kimwarris]

NATLA Sokka's trauma (contains spoilers)

Okay, some more thoughts of mine about Live Action Sokka.

Most of it is referring to Episode 5 and the flashback to after his ice-dodging test. After having thought about it for a while, I came to the conclusion, that Sokka is the village's weird kid.

He apparently gets mocked by the other boys - the reaction to his ice dodging test kinda implies, that it's not the first time that they are commenting about his lacking abilities as a warrior.

 Sokka knows that people don't see him as that or as a future leader, but he thinks his dad does. Unless, Hakoda doesn't. Sokka has to hear how his father confides in Bato, that he doesn't think that Sokka has it in him to become chief one day.

Something about how the conversation between Hakoda and Bato goes, gave me the impression that it is not the first time that they discussed the matter. Point is, Hakoda doesn't believe in Sokka. Instead, he's disappointed and (at least that's how I interpreted it) ashamed of his own son.

This was really heart-breaking to watch. Honestly, it got to me more than some of the Zuko backstory.

Side note: Gosh, I just loved Bato in this. Trying to convince Hakoda that everything was fine, that the test wasn't as bad as they say. Bato believes in Sokka, apparently more like his dad does. He knows that even if Sokka falls short in some aspects, he has other qualities. I don't know, somehow Bato really gave me Mom-vibes in that scene and I love that for Sokka.

However, apparently Hakoda takes ALL the boys with him when he leaves, except for Sokka and that other one (who was probably too young at that time). He might claim it as needing to leave someone behind to protect the village, but let's think about it for a moment.

Was there any real thread for the village after the Fire Nation raid to kill the last waterbender? Probably not. It's small, meaningless village at the end of the world. The adult women were apparently more than capable, because nobody can tell me, that it was Sokka's task alone to go hunting / fishing for an entire village.

Back to Hakoda being ashamed of him: Personally, I think he didn't WANT to take Sokka with them because he was afraid that Sokka would do something that puts him as a chief into a bad light. Somehow I got the vibe that Hakoda wanted him out of the way to avoid any trouble.

That also explains why Sokka is much more bitter about Hakoda leaving, than he is in the original series.

Sokka knows that there is not much he can do in the village for his father to be proud of once he returns. Thus, his mantra of being the protector of the village. Sokka will tell himself that what he does is of great importance until he believes it. At the same time he knows, that no one is taking him seriously. Not even his little sister.

Which is why the journey is so important for him, because suddenly there are people that respect him:

- Suki doesn't make fun of him or his boomerang skills. She clearly shows him that her way of doing things is more effective, and she teaches him.

- The Mechanist compliments him for his understanding of physics (did you see how Sokka's face lit up, when Sai said that he could see him as an engineer?) and he encourages Sokka to do something else than being a warrior, if that's not what he truly wants. I really loved that scene, because finally someone acknowledged his abilities instead of criticizing him.

- Hahn asking him if Sokka could share his experiences and knowledge of the enemy with them. You could see how Sokka becomes instantly insecure. He is not used that someone asks him for guidance, or values his opinion on such things. (Theory: Hakoda maybe tested him by asking him questions on how to react in a situation or another and usually Sokka's answer would be wrong).

In fact, in this series he is less of a comedic relief. Sokka is much softer BUT they made it make sense. I really like the changes they did to his character.

He is much less adventurous (not wanting to fly on Appa at first, repeatedly suggesting they go home in the first two episodes). He hides behind Katara more than once, when danger is ahead, etc. He's great with kids: a lot less harsh to his little recruits than in the original series and that scene with that little Earth Kingdom girl? Pure sugar.

I think this Sokka has so many issues, something that really doesn't get addressed enough in the original series. I really appreciate that deeper look into his character and I might incorporate some of those aspects in some future fanfics.

Urgh, Sokka has always been one of my favorites, but somehow the live action series made me love him even more <3

[the-chaotic-christian]

Disclaimer; these are just my opinions. I'm not looking to start a fight.

I'm getting concerned about Katara's character in Netflix's show.

In almost every trailer, advertisement, interview-at least the ones I've seen-they've been really trying to drive home the point that she's a warrior. Which she is; there's no disputing that. By the second half of the first season she's a force to be reckoned with.

But that's not what I think of when I think about her.

It's not her defining character trait. Her main goal isn't to become a warrior; at least, she doesn't want to be a warrior just because. It happens out of necessity, because she has talents and abilities that are huge assets when fighting.

But at her core, she's a caretaker. She's a girl who sacrificed her dreams and own desires for people who needed her at the age of eleven.

Having her openly pursue and argue with Sokka over the whole 'warrior' business almost seems to discount that. It adds a touch of immaturity and naivety to her character that just feels shallow. Katara has always understood sacrifice; what it means to give up your own wants for another's-she does this all the time.

It's one of the things I find most admirable about her character.

From episode one it's established that she's the person that makes sure everyone has everything together; she's not, primarily, a fighter. She can fight-and she does-but she's more than that. Katara holds the gaang together, both physically-cooking, repairing clothes, making sure everyone's healthy-and emotionally-calming Aang out of the Avatar State, encouraging Sokka, attempting, albeit unsuccessfully and overbearingly, to curb Toph's reckless antics. Even in season 3, when Zuko shows up, her mistrust and dislike of him is because she's trying to protect everyone else.

When I think of Katara, the first word I think of is 'motherly'. I don't want Netflix to box her into the Marvel-girlboss-power stereotype, scrubbing her of any depth and femininity in the name of making her a warrior. Being motherly doesn't make her weak; being the one who cooks, cleans, and makes sure people are, i don't know, sleeping, doesn't make her weak.

It makes her incredibly strong.

She's a warrior, but that's not her first characteristic. She's one of the few people in the series who truly understands how consequential their actions are. She understands that sacrifices need to be made; she's seen them made first hand. Katara's motherliness is an outward sign of the way that she sacrifices for others; she gives them her time, her energy, and her love. That's different than how her brother sacrifices, how Aang sacrifices, how everyone else in the series sacrifices; but that's okay.

I don't want Katara to be just a warrior. I don't want her arc to be purely about 'fighting sexism' or whatever. She's deeper than that. I'm sick of these copy-and-past boss girls hollywood keeps churning out. A;tla is full of so many complex female characters, they don't need to be changed to be 'strong' or something along those lines.

The greatest thing about Katara is that she was a strong female character before she had the ability to throw grown men across the battlefield; and her arc in the first season was so much more about her growing into her abilities than all oh 'woe is me, a female in a patriarchal society!' and I love that. She didn't just complain; she changed the status quo and proved that the Northerners were just plain wrong.

Her magic abilities aren't what make her strong; her ability to fight isn't what makes her strong; her proving that women can and will fight if necessary isn't what makes her strong;

Her passion, hope, love, motherliness, compassion, desire to impact the world in a positive way, and arc about learning to let go and forgive are the things that make her strong.

C'mon Netflix, don't scrub that for some Marvel copy-and-past.