#sokka: he sure was! gran-gran put him to work!

[discordiansamba]

I think the funniest POV in the zuko time travel AU is Hakoda. Just imagine. You hear from Bato, who ran into your children while he was in recovery that they are accompanying the Avatar to the North Pole. You could not be more proud.

...then you hear there's a firebender accompanying them.

...and then you hear that apparently, that firebender showed up in your village a month or two after you left, and that's he's been living there since then. that he's close with both your children and they view him as an older sibling figure. Apparently Sokka said that this 'Li' was a deserter from the Fire Nation army, who fled to the Southern Water Tribe because it was the last place the Fire Nation would look.

Apparently he's been quite helpful around the village?

Okay. You should be worried about this, but you trust your children (and your mother) to have good judgment. Clearly this young man is willing to betray his own people for the good of the world. That takes courage. Judging from the way Bato describes the vicious burn scar on his face, and the equally vicious scar around his heart, leaving wasn't easy.

Months later, you finally get a chance to actually meet Li. The scar is just as vicious as Bato described. It... also looks strangely similar to the wanted posters you've spotted of the banished Fire Nation prince- but they can't be the same person. Li would have been in the village at the same time Prince Zuko was searching for the Avatar. One person cannot be in two places at once. Besides, the young man is just a little too old to be sixteen. Perhaps his superiors just thought it amusing to give him the same burn as banished prince.

That thought lasts right until Sokka breaks you out of jail, with Prince Zuko in company. He is... eerily similar to Li. Seeing them stand next to each other only enhances this effect.

That's when you learn Li is from the future- and his real name is Zuko.

[the-badger-mole]

Swept Away

Katara took a deep breath. In through her nose. Out through her mouth. She wasn't nervous. Not really. Not in the sense that other people mean when they say they're nervous. She wasn't scared. She was eager. In a few short minutes, she would be a wife. She would be Zuko's wife. He was going to be her husband.

"Are you sure about this?" Suki asked for the thousandth time. "Really sure?"

"I am." Katara opened her eyes and turned to her sister-in-law. She couldn't fight the smile that spread over her face. "I'm more sure of this than anything in my life. Zuko's it. He's the one."

"Katara," Suki sighed. "Look, I get it. Zuko's incredibly hot. He's smart. He...seems really nice, but-"

"Suki," Katara started to say, but she didn't get a chance to complete her thought.

"Katara, you've known him three months!" Suki burst out. "You've only been dating for eight weeks! You are the most straight laced person I've ever met. Why are you doing something this...impulsive? You're not impulsive!"

"What are you talking about?" Katara turned from the mirror to face Suki directly. "I'm exactly this impulsive. Don't you remember Jang Hui? My protest about gender equality for STEM fields at the North Pole? The time I started a rally for prison reform?"

"Okay, fine," Suki relented, rolling her eyes. "When it comes to social justice, you are very impulsive. But, this? Katara, you're getting married! Without your dad here. Without your GranGran! I know how much they mean to you."

"They mean the world to me," Katara agreed. "But you know I've never cared about a huge wedding. I love Zuko. I love him. I don't see why I should have to wait to make him my husband just because it would take too long for Dad to fly over to see us get married. We'll have a big party...a huge one later. And everyone we love will get to meet and celebrate. But this feels right!"

"Right?" Suki snorted. "It feels right to get married without telling anyone but me and your brother?"

"Yeah," Katara said. A wistful smile tugged at her lips. "I know it sounds crazy, but...I can't wait to marry him. I literally cannot wait. I've never felt this way about anyone. You know! I know you do. Sokka told me you and he started talking about marriage two months in." Suki rolled her eyes skyward and groaned.

"Yeah, talking about it!" Suki repeated it. "We didn't actually get engaged until a year in! We got married on our second anniversary!"

"Zuko and I don't want to wait that long," Katara laughed. "So we've on a faster timeline. So what?"

"What if there are things you don't like about him?" Suki pressed. "What if he's....I don't know...super anal about the way you put toilet paper on the roll? What if he doesn't wash his feet in the shower? What if he...he hates cats?"

"Did you know Sokka's every annoying habit when you married him?" Katara challenged. Suki made a face at her and sucked her teeth.

"No," she admitted. "But I knew a few of them! I knew enough to know that I could deal with the biggest ones."

"So do I," Katara said. "I know that Zuko likes his food unreasonably spicy. I know that when he's angry, he shuts down and needs a day or two before he can talk about it calmly. I know he thinks rom-coms are a wasted of a perfectly good evening. But I also know that he already values my opinion and will make decisions with me. I know he's put in so much work unlearning toxic traits he was taught as a child, way before he and I met. I know he has the softest heart underneath the hard layers. In three months, he's become one of my closest friends. I trust him, and he trusts me. I love him, Suki. I want to marry him now.

"Um..." Suki swiped at her eyes with her knuckles, and blinked rapidly against more tears. "I get that. I do! I just don't want you to regret doing it this way. I don't want you to regret not having Dad here to walk you down the aisle. Or not having Gran Gran help you into your gown. Don't you want a first dance with Zuko?

Katara turned back to the mirror and considered her reflection. As a girl, she had pictured her wedding. Her dressed in silk and looking the best she's ever looked, and her father walking with her to meet her husband. It was exactly as Suki said, with her dancing with her new husband while people took pictures and tossed confetti. Her extended family together and celebrating.

"I don't need it," she told Suki. "Did you know that the only family that Zuko has is his uncle? His mother is dead. His father is a monster. His sister won't speak to him. He wouldn't be alone- he has friends- but, it wouldn't be the same. Plus crowds make him anxious.

"So he asked for this?" Suki frowned. "He wanted to get married at City Hall?

"No, this was my idea," Katara assured her best friend. "He said he was fine with whatever I wanted. But Zuko's an introvert, and a little agoraphobic. The only buffer he would have would be me and his uncle. He wouldn't enjoy himself. Not as much as I would want. There will be plenty of time later to celebrate with the people we love. But not all at once.

"Dad won't like it," Suki warned. Katara shrugged.

"He'll get over it once I explain it to him," she said. "And he'll love Zuko. They have a lot in common."

Suki stared at Katara for a long while, wracking her brains for something, anything to say to her sister-in-law. She came up frustratingly empty. She should have more objections to her best friend and sister marrying someone she's only known a few months. Katara was convincing. She was very convincing when she wanted to be. Finally, Suki threw her hands up in surrender. If Katara was making a mistake, then the next best thing Suki and Sokka could do was make sure they were at least close enough to help her if she needed it.

"Sokka's not thrilled," she told Katara. "I promised him I'd talk sense into you before it was too late."

"It's been too late for a while," Katara chuckled. Suki nodded and laughed with her.

"I see that now," she said. "Sokka's going to be so disappointed."

"I hope that won't cause any issues with you guys," Katara's brow drew down in worry. Suki just waved her off, though.

"Nah," she said. "I'll just tell him I'm pregnant if he gets too riled up." Katara gasped and leapt up from her seat.

"Are you joking?" she squealed. Suki grinned and shook her head.

"I just found out a couple of days ago," she said. "I was going to take him out to the game this weekend and have it announced on the jumbotron, but I'll use it to distract him from your questionable decision making if I need to."

"I'm so happy for you!" Katara said pulling Suki in for a hug. Suki hugged her back tightly.

"I'm happy for you, too." And to her surprise, Suki realized she meant it.

[quillthrillswriting]

has anyone ever wondered just how different aang and zuko's first battle would be if aang had been frozen at age 16...?

the following is an excerpt from my draft of ch2 of my new fanfic, "the teenager in the iceberg" on ao3. happy reading!!!

---

Because before she could speak, before Aang could speak, horns blared through the crisp air outside. Horns the entire village knew, horns that prompted screams from children. 

Another Fire Nation raid.

Aang didn’t pause, didn’t let himself hesitate. Katara didn’t blame him. She was sure that if he thought about it for more than a few moments, he’d crumble entirely, and considering the situation they were now in, they couldn’t afford for Aang to sort through everything.

Katara didn’t realise how dire a situation it was until the three of them had reached the gates to the village, and Katara watched as the hull broke through centuries old ice as if it were butter. Sokka ran ahead as the bow of the ship split open in a rush of steam and machinery. Katara felt the blood drain from her face as she saw who stepped out. The Fire Nation prince. The one who had been scarred by his own father. He was here, in her village. Terror began to set in.

Prince Zuko wrinkled his nose at Sokka as though he was nothing more than an inanimate obstacle in his way, and shoved him aside, his soldiers following suit. 

“I have come here for the Avatar. For my honour,” Zuko snarled, his words a sharp, lethal weapon. “I know he’s here. I saw his beacon. He should be an older man? Master of all four elements?” His eyes swept through the crowd, passing right over Aang as his gaze narrowed on Gran and the other village elders. Katara felt Aang tense beside her.

With no warning, Zuko and his soldiers blasted a wave of fire straight for the grandmothers and grandfathers who had huddled together. 

And their fire was met by a gust of wind so powerful that it sucked the very oxygen out of the air, extinguishing their flame before it got anywhere near their targets. 

Zuko whirled around, his voice contorting in anger at the sight of Aang, standing tall and proud with his staff in one hand and a constantly spinning sphere of wind in the other. 

“You?” Zuko spat, seething. “I’ve trained for years to face the Avatar. You’re just a teenager.”

Aang, somewhat caught off guard, leaned back, raising an eyebrow in confusion, a teasing grin on his face once he’d realised that he’d managed to bother the Fire Prince himself. 

“...S- so are you...?"

Zuko straightened, fire flaring in his eyes, his fists tightening as the air around them began to sizzle and steam. “A child. A child managed to outmanoeuvre me. A mere boy was running circles around the entire crew I command for years.”

“No, a teenager. C’mon, give me my credit, I had a whole growth spurt and everything, do I really still look like a child to you?” Aang put on a falsely sincere tone, venom behind his words as he bent his knees and tensed his body into a defensive stance. “You hurt this village, or its people, and you’ll see just how much more than ‘just a teenager’ I am.”

Zuko scoffed, fire again lighting up his palm. “Big talk for a pacifist monk.”

“Sure, as a monk, I won’t start a fight.” Aang grinned. “But I can finish them.”

---

♥ check out the first chapter of this (ongoing) fic & my ao3 here! ->

[bard-llama]

WiP Wednesday: The Tournament of Kingship

so I was actually working on a totally separate fic when this idea came to me and I was trying to figure out how to make it work in that ‘verse when I realized... I could just do canon lmao. So have post-canon Toph and Aang goodness.

After the war, Toph found herself a bit at loose ends. Having run away, she didn’t really have anything waiting for her after they ended the war. Sure, she could go see her parents… but really, why would she? Yes, she loved them. Yes, sometimes she even missed them. But no way was she forgetting the part where she’d been forced to invent a new form of earthbending in order to escape the people her parents had sent to kidnap her and bring her back into line.

She was willing to write to them (via Katara), willing to give them a chance to get to know her, but she was not stupid enough to willingly put herself back into a cage. She would not be seeing them in person – ever, because she couldn’t see.

At any rate, the months immediately after the war were strange, because Toph… wasn’t really needed anywhere. Sokka and Katara had eagerly returned to the South Pole to begin the work of rebuilding their tribe alongside their Father and Gran Gran, family reunited once more. Suki had fulfilled her promise to bring her warriors back home to Kyoshi Island. Aang, as the Avatar, was wanted literally everywhere and was going half mad trying to keep up with all the requests for his presence, zipping all over the world like a lunatic. Zuko, having newly been crowned Fire Lord, was working his butt off trying to reshape the Fire Nation and maintain the peace that still wasn’t quite trusted.

But Toph? Toph… didn’t have anywhere to go or anything in particular she needed to do or… really anything.

She was kind of… aimless, not really sure what she should be doing, so she just stuck close to her friends and ignored all attempts to talk about visits to the Earth Kingdom. In fact, she was avoiding the Earth Kingdom itself, because she just knew that if she was there, someone would have the bright idea to mention her parents being nearby and she just… didn’t want to deal with that.

As a result, she was pretty much always sticking around Sparky, because Sokka and Katara were both cool, but the South Pole was fucking freezing and had no earth. 

Well. There was probably earth down there somewhere. And if it was there, then Toph Beifong could bend it. But she didn’t want to freeze her toes off just to learn a new form of bending again. 

There was no danger of losing her toes in the Fire Nation and she enjoyed making uptight, racist nobles trip over themselves trying to figure out how to handle the personal friend of the Fire Lord, who was… well, Toph. Experimenting with the boundaries she could push was fun, but it did lose it’s charm after a while, especially when that while was spent doing nothing as her friend tried to drown himself in doing everything.

She barely even got to see Sparky some days. 

He’d gotten used to her storming in and kidnapping him for an adventure, but there was a limit to how far Toph could push that. Zuko needed to be made to relax – but he also had a lot of work to do and some of it really couldn’t wait just because Toph was bored.

So when word arrived that King Bumi of Omashu had died, Toph wasn’t really doing anything in particular. Which meant she was the first one Aang found to tell the news to, and then he promptly burst into tears and left her trying to figure out how to play Katara’s role.

It was not a role she was comfortable with, but she did her best. She could understand why he was distraught. Bumi was all he had from his life Before and losing him brought back all the grief of losing everyone else he’d ever known and yeah, Aang had family around him, but he’d still lost his previous family and that just sucked. 

So Toph awkwardly patted Aang on the back and let him cry into her shoulder and desperately wished that he’d found someone else first, because anyone would be better at this than her.

Thankfully, Zuko found them (eventually). He immediately wrapped Aang in a warm hug and let Toph slip away to find non-snotty clothes.

By the time she returned, Aang was in the stage of blubbering where he was starting to calm down and Zuko was walking him through some breathing exercises. They turned to her and Aang managed a smile. 

“Sorry, Toph,” he said, wiping his face. “Um, actually, I came here to find you to give you this.” 

Aang held something out in his hand, but Toph couldn’t tell what it was. 

“Oh. Uh, it’s an invitation. Bumi wrote it for you before he–” he cut himself off, breathing deeply and then clearing his throat.

“What’s it an invitation to?” Toph asked cautiously.

“The Tournament of Kingship in Omashu.”

“The what?” Zuko asked.

“It’s – it’s the way that the King of Omashu is chosen. It’s how Bumi became King. Earthbenders from all over the Earth Kingdom compete for the crown and the strongest becomes King,” Aang explained. “Bumi invited you before he… yeah.”

“Why?”

“Um. Well, the King of Omashu is the Strongest Earthbender in the World and obviously that’s you, so…”

Toph’s eyes narrowed, and she felt Aang’s heartbeat spike in response. He wasn’t lying. But he wasn’t saying the full truth.

“Sparky, what’s the invite say?”

Zuko plucked the card from Aang’s hand and read, Hey Brat, if you want to call yourself the Best Earthbender in the World, then you’d better come wipe the floor in Omashu to prove it. With me gone, you might actually stand a chance.

Toph puffed up in offense at the very idea that she needed him out of the way in order to be victorious. Admittedly, they’d never gotten the chance to fight, so she couldn’t swear that she would win against him – but he couldn’t either. Their reputations both held them as the best, but Toph would never get the chance to see if he deserved that title.

Having spent the last few months doing exactly nothing, Toph really wished that she’d made some time to at least spar with Aang’s old friend. It would have been interesting, whichever way the match went.

They would never know now. 

Toph’s lips pursed. “All right, where’s this tournament?”

“In Omashu, of course.” Aang’s demeanor was dimmer than usual, but he was upbeat and the relief she felt at that was absurd. 

Well. Seemed like she’d be going back to the Earth Kingdom after all. And so close to home, too. No way that would end well, but like hell was she going to let someone else claim the title of Best Earthbender in the World!

“Well, let’s get packing for Omashu, then!”

She could feel Zuko’s wince and apology dripped off his words. “While I’d love to watch you beat people up, I really can’t leave the Fire Nation right now.”

Toph frowned. “You’re not allowed to work yourself to death just ‘cause I’m not here to stop you,” she threatened.

Zuko huffed a laugh. “Don’t worry, my staff have taken to following your example and pestering me about things like eating and sleeping.”

“Good.” Toph punched him. 

“I have no doubt you’ll win,” Zuko said, no hint of a lie in his voice or his pulse. “So I look forward to working with the new King of Omashu when you’re done.”

“I’ll invite you to my coronation,” Toph promised. 

“Guess it’s just you and me, then, Toph,” Aang said, bouncing on his toes. “We can take Appa whenever you’re ready.”

“Ugh.” For all that Toph loved Appa, she very definitely still hated flying on Appa. “Yeah, all right, lemme get my stuff.”

What felt like far too short a time later, it was time to leave her trusty earth and allow her senses to be narrowed down to Appa’s saddle. Zuko waved as they took off, according to Aang, and then they were headed towards the Earth Kingdom. For Toph, it would be the first time since the Day of Sozin’s Comet that she’d be returning to those shores.

Aang didn’t suggest a detour to pick up Suki or Sokka and Katara, and Toph couldn’t quite bring herself to ask, so it was just the two of them for the duration of the journey. 

She really hoped he didn’t cry again, but his friend had just died. He probably would.

Fuck.

[stajorathefallen]

Alright let’s talk about it.

First off, your analysis was thoughtful. Although I disagree with parts of it, I can tell you put a lot of thought into why they might have made this change.

One of the biggest reasons that I feel like the writers didn’t take into account all of the things you discussed originally- and sort of made this change on a whim- is because they made so many other changes to the plot and the characters that simply fell flat for me, didn’t feel like they added anything substantial to the story, and ultimately, felt like they wanted to change it just to change it.

A few examples:

1) Changes made to Katara’s character.

This one is probably the most egregious and unforgivable to me. In the live action, she lost the essence of what made her who she was. She is no longer, for lack of a better term, filled with sacred feminist rage. In the original show, she was angry that she was the only waterbender in her tribe that had been reduced to a fraction of what it had been only a two generations before. She was angry that there was nobody to teach her. She was angry that her brother essentially forced her into a caretaker role for the tribe because he was busy “playing soldier”. She was angry that Aang picked up in two seconds something she had to teach herself over months of practice. She was angry at Zuko. And a TON of other things. To quote some other posts I’ve seen here- this wasn’t a writing mistake. This is what added to so many of her other personality traits- she was determined, passionate, hard working, the “mom” friend. Not to mention she basically just … becomes a master waterbender in the live action without training with Pakku or doing anything to earn it? Changing these things was a massive disservice to her character, completely flattened any aspect of her character development, and felt like a pretty meaningless change.

2) Suki’s character changes

Suki is no longer the sassy yet down-to-earth character who humbles Sokka and teaches him that women can be strong, capable, and warriors, while still maintaining their identity as women. Instead she’s basically a “nepo baby” (quoting another post again) who drools over Sokka, and instead of teaching him to be humble, considerate, and NOT sexist, she instead THANKS him for “showing her the world”. They pretty much removed the most important purpose that her character served from the original. I’m not sure if anyone can explain those changes to me in a way that will convince me that they were an improvement upon the original, much less that they were even okay.

3) The waterbending scroll.

Moving into some plot things now. Katara just… has the waterbending scroll? Didn’t steal it from the pirates as a way to get back at them for stealing it from a waterbender. Just HAS it. Because gran-gran slipped it into her bag before she left. Which like, story wise, makes no sense whatsoever. Gran-gran wasn’t a waterbender. Neither were Katara’s parents. There hasn’t been any waterbenders in the South Pole for almost 60 years. So why would she just have this scroll? And even more, if she did have it from 60 years ago, why wouldn’t she have given it to Katara earlier, when she knew how badly her granddaughter wanted to learn waterbending and knowing full well there was nobody in the tribe to teach her? Feels like a meaningless change.

4) Omashu/The Mechanist

In the LA, they attribute the construction of the Omashu delivery system to the Mechanist. Okay. Why? I dunno. Not to mention that if the Mechanist wasn’t there 100 yrs ago, how would Aang have known about the delivery system…

Additionally, the changes to Bumi’s character/dialogue were completely unjustified. The way he blames Aang for being gone for 100 years- even tho in this version, he ACTUALLY wasn’t even trying to run away. Bumi was one of Aang’s closest friends before the war. He was all about thinking outside-the-box, about alternate possibilities and different ways of thinking of things. In the original, he even lets the fire nation take over Omashu and chooses to do nothing, teaches Aang about neutral jing, and states that he knew it wasn’t the right time to fight back against them and retake their home - he does this during the eclipse instead. So WHY on earth would this man blame Aang for being gone for all that time?? Does not track at all. Felt like a meaningless change.

Some of my interpretations of these things could also be partially or wholly incorrect, but this is how I see them. Now, I could keep going with listing examples- but I want to address some things in your analysis that I didn’t agree with/that I have a different perspective on.

First off, I don’t think Iroh was coy/aloof about how much he cared for Zuko in s1 of the original series. In my view, he was always Zuko’s steadfast supporter. From essentially self-exiling to support Zuko, being his firebending instructor, defending him against Zhao when he tries to attack him after their Agni Kai, to explaining to the ship crew Zuko’s traumatic history and why he acts the way he acts, taking the position of Zhao’s general to assist in their siege of the North Pole (probably wouldn’t have done it otherwise and mainly wanted to protect Zuko), etc etc etc.

Now, that being said, the reason that I have a problem with the way they’ve portrayed their relationship in the live action, is because in the original (with a few exceptions and hints that Zuko cared for his uncle more than he let on), Zuko kinda treated his uncle like shit. He was constantly insulting him, second guessing him, reprimanding him, telling him he didn’t need his help, etc. To me, this is a really important aspect of Zuko’s character in s1 and parts of s2. Because he is the spoiled, angry prince who is still vying for his father’s acceptance and love, who is still blaming himself for his father’s abuse. That was what made Zuko’s redemption so satisfying in the original- that he genuinely seemed like a bad person (although they regularly foreshadowed how he had a lot more humanity than the average fire nation person) and was an effective antagonist in s1. He seems like a pretty bad guy- which is why when he finally redeems himself in s3 (especially after almost doing so and still choosing Azula in Ba Sing Se), it feels so deeply impactful to the audience.

The fact that they changed this in the live action, to where Zuko and Iroh have a much more loving relationship from the get-go, feels like they’re rushing Zuko’s character development and his redemption arc. The fact that in the LA, Zuko is the one who expresses his love and affection in this scene by saying “Lu Ten [I] would have been proud to have you as a father” shows that this aspect of their relationship has either been rushed or flattened.

In the original, Zuko wouldn’t have been the one to say this. At this point in the story, he still hasn’t accepted that Iroh has been more of a father to him than his real father- which is a KEY piece of his development and his eventual redemption.

Iroh says this line in the original, because, despite how Zuko’s confusion, and his unfettering devotion to a father who doesn’t value him, despite the fact that Zuko sometimes treats him badly, he still loves him deeply and sees him as a son. And although Zuko responds demurely, he is still touched by his Uncle’s admission and affection.

In the LA, Iroh is asking him the big questions way earlier than he does in the original. He’s hinting that Zuko might be on the wrong side of the fence. If Zuko is even ready to hear these things at this point (which is probably why Iroh doesn’t say much in s1 of the original), then I feel an aspect of his character development has been flattened. If he is already accepting that he is different than the rest of the fire nation, if he is already questioning whether or not his father’s love and acceptance is worth supporting the fire nation, then there’s… really not a whole lot of room for him to grow, is there? Rather than going from hot-headed, mean, spoiled prince who must capture the Avatar at any and all cost, who is betrayed by his sister (s2e1) but still chooses to join her (end of s2), to redeemed character who denounces his father, in the LA, he is simply a confused person who will quickly acknowledge his shortcomings and his flaws, accept his uncle and denounce his father, and quickly change sides to fight on the correct side of the war.

Idk about you, but to me, that’s not nearly as impactful or well written.

alright look, i just wanna know who is the writer that came up with the dumbass idea of replacing the line “Ever since I lost my son, I think of you as my own” with “Lu Ten would have been proud to have you as his father” in this scene for the Netflix live action series???

[juniperhillpatient]

Okay, takeaways from "The Avatar Returns" :)

-The scene showing Sokka putting on warpaint paired with Zuko getting on his Fire Nation armor is fun :) Zukka rights

-I forgot that Sokka...wasn't that good at fighting when the show started lol. Seeing him get kicked down by Zuko was an oof moment. But then seeing Zuko get bonked by the boomerang & immediately after that knocked down by Aang was pretty funny xD

-That said...Sokka just STANDING there & not moving as this big ass ship comes toward him is honestly heartbreaking. He probably had a lot of guilt over how the last raid went. You're just sitting there as the audience & begging him to move & he won't, he's just standing there, trying to protect his village :(

-I also like how Sokka asking Katara if she's willing to choose Aang over her people is the thing that gets Katara to turn back. This episode drills in that Sokka & Katara have a lot of loyalty to their people & to each other.

-Zuko yelling at Aang that's he just a child & Aang responding "you're just a teenager" & Aang saying "have you ever tried?" when Sokka tells him they can't fight the Fire Nation with fun & Aang coming up with a list of fun stops for them on their journey the North Pole....<3 <3 <3 <3 Aang's persistent reactions to everything as a CHILD & determination to always find the fun <3 The way he recognizes even his enemy as "just a teenager" <3

-Gran Gran telling Katara that she gave her hope & telling Sokka to "be nice to his sister" as her parting words before their journey is a really interesting moment. It's sweet & both siblings hug their grandmother & she's showing support for their mission to save Aang. It's a nice moment, I don't want to undermine that but it also poses an interesting setup where we see that Katara is considered special because of her water bending & Sokka is constantly subtly (though NOT purposefully) put down because of it. The insecurity over Katara's bending & powers that Sokka feels is something that's prevalent throughout the entire show. Despite this inherent competitive nature to their relationship & the jealousy, Sokka feels toward his sister, their loyalty to each other shines through & they work together to go & save Aang. I'm sure there are no parallels any of us can draw there or anything, just an observation :)

-APPA FLYING <3 That is all. I just really love that moment. I love Sokka flipping his shit & then seeing Katara smirk & trying to play it cool. Love it so much <3

-I like the parallel that Aang plans to "go home to look for the other Airbenders" not even remotely having processed the news that they're extinct & Zuko is talking about how this is his chance to "go home" & we'll later learn that home is a dysfunctional & toxic mess for Zuko. Aang/Zuko parallels my beloved <3

-Speaking of Zuzu - Villain! Zuko my beloved <3 I think the show does a great job making Zuko & Iroh intimidating & scary but also funny & relatable. It's really good writing & I just love when shows do this with their villains, tbh whether a redemption arc is in the books or not it's just fun & improves the story.

-Aang gets his first "oh shit he's so cool" moment in this episode. In episode 1 he's sweet & endearing sure & I like him right away but in episode 2 we get to see badass! Aang make his debut. "I guess you guys have never fought an Airbender" followed by Aang just kicking the shit out of Zuko's crew is so satisfying. Plus I love how it's true - Aang uses it to his advantage that these guys have never met an Airbender & completely shocks them with his powers & it's so fun to watch. Also, the first Aang Vs. Zuko fight is a lot of fun.

-Avatar State! Aang!!!! I fucking loved Aang just BLASTING out of the water & scaring the shit out of Zuko lmao :D

-Iroh going "oh this is great the avatar is just a kid" at the end & Zuko having to point out that Aang wrecked their shit & most of the crew is frozen or unconscious....Okay Iroh...

Anyway another fun episode :)

[chitsangenthusiast]

ive always seen a zuko oh moment, but can you give me some examples of sokkas oh moment? 💞

i love so much that you asked this bc imo sokka would have several oh moments throughout their relationship 🧡

it happens when sokka finally realizes why he's so worried about gran-gran liking zuko.

he's right in the middle of confiding to his dad, trying to both-sides the situation because "i understand if she wouldn't. i don't think i would either if it hadn't been for going with aang and actually getting to know what he's like—but, dad, i just feel like he's similar to katara enough that she could come to like him, right? i mean, gran would appreciate how straightforward he is—he's so determined too, she'd love that, and i have gran's humor so he'd definitely find her funny and would totally put up with her picking on him, and—"

i want to see him spend time with my family. i want to see his first time trying gran's signature dish with freshly-caught sea prunes. i want to see what his smile looks like when it's snowing.

and i just want to see him.

and i really want him to visit more often.

"and—" sokka feels a little faint as the weight of this revelation makes its home into his heart. "and—oh."

"i do like him, you know," hakoda says, carefully casual when sokka stays quiet for a beat too long. they had been looking at each other when it happened, and so he got to watch the way his son's eyes widened with a new sparkling wonder before sliding to the ground in a daze—and how his face suddenly flushed, probably in embarrassment and possibly even wary excitement.

hakoda doesn't try to catch his eye, but he does make sure his voice is strong enough to break through the obviously raging whirlwind of sokka's mind. "and i have a feeling your gran will too, son."

(she does. because sokka's right, it is incredibly fun to pick on zuko.)

—

the thing is, it never really occurred to sokka that these kind of revelations don't always have to be big occasions reserved for special things—like realizing you like someone, or realizing you want to marry them. sometimes, those little oh moments can just be sweet reminders of how much you love someone, which means he's somehow always caught by surprise every time the next one happens.

(some of those little moments do feel pretty monumental to him though.)

—

he's not expecting the second time to happen so quickly—or at all—but zuko apparently thought he was impervious to the cold or something and his clothes aren't as heavy as they should be. katara ends up giving him one of sokka's old coats ("stop pouting you didn't even make this one!") and—

zuko has a tendency to put his hood down and forget to put it back up, despite how cold it is outside, and eventually sokka just starts fixing the hood himself before tucking any loose strands back behind his ears, so that zuko doesn't have to keep batting any flyaways out of his face.

they make eye contact once, after the fifth time, and for some reason it startles sokka enough that he feels he needs to explain.

"uhm—" oh. zuko looks nice in sokka's old furs. his smile is also nice. "sorry—ears. don't wanna lose them, you know."

zuko just rolls his eyes, and lets him keep going it for the rest of the trip.

—

when they get together, sokka didn't think zuko would be big on pda—but apparently it turns out he's the pda king. he has no problem with draping his arm over the back of the couch to give sokka the opportunity to lay his head on his shoulder, or to give sokka a quick kiss before heading off to his next meeting, regardless of who's around. sokka's pretty sure zuko doesn't even think before he does it, and that it's somehow just a natural thing for him to do, except sokka isn't really used to being treated like this, and it takes him awhile to get accustomed to it.

until one visit, when his afternoon is free but zuko's isn't, so he chooses to go laze by the turtleduck pond to work on an upcoming lecture (read: nap).

zuko's stomps are more like little thumps as he stalks over the grass, but all sokka needs is one whiff of that crackling frustration to know it's time to open his eyes.

"was it minister chen?" he asks. things have improved over the years, but that doesn't mean that politics have stopped being politics.

"it's always minister chen," and sokka figures it's good this courtyard is private because zuko never has any issues with being loud when he's annoyed.

"figures. so are you here to hold a turtled—"

sokka doesn't get to finish his question before he's being semi-gently pushed forward and away from the tree trunk he was leaning against, before zuko swiftly shoves himself into the scant space to sit behind him.

there's barely any room for him, and sokka doesn't have to go far to lean back against his chest as zuko wraps his arms around his waist—it happens instinctively, sokka realizes. he had moved to be held without a second thought, and the thought makes him drop his head back onto zuko's shoulder in quiet surprise.

"no, wanted to hold you," zuko grumbles heatedly, but the kiss he drops onto sokka's cheek is incredibly soft. he then peers down at the papers still in sokka's loosened grip, and snorts. "are you working on the ba sing se university presentation? i didn't realize you had already gotten the data or whatever from that project. what'd you find?"

and oh. oh, sokka realizes that he's never going to be able to let zuko go.

—

zuko doesn't get a betrothal necklace right away, partly bc he's the one who proposed first, and partly because it's not really a prominent swt custom again just yet.

(sokka instead gifts him a handmade hunting knife to replace the one he lost on their last camping trip, bc thoughtful practicality is what he grew up with, and seeing zuko's obvious excitement over it is all sokka needed to send him into full-on wedding planning mode.)

instead, zuko gets a necklace for their first anniversary after the idea of it grew on sokka, and—oh, the first sight of his husband wearing the necklace sends him falling in love all over again <3

[capriciouswrites]

on the second day of halloween my true boo gave to me...zuko braiding hair

“Urg!” she wants to cry. There are days where it’s just not worth it to get out of the bedroll, and for Katara this has been one of those days. It doesn’t help that it’s a new moon and she’s just started her period — both on their own makes her bending weaker than normal, together she feels practically useless. And now the day is done and she can’t even go to bed. “Ugh!”

It’s no one’s fault but her own — she knew the knife needed sharpening but there wasn’t ever enough time and it slipped and and is now making everything a hundred times harder than it needs to be.

She was able to make dinner without the use of her left hand — the cut on her palm makes any motion difficult, even though the cut itself isn’t actually that bad.

And she was able to glare Sokka into doing dishes— but now she’s trying to braid her hair for bed and it’s impossible to do with one hand!

“What’s wrong, sweetness? You sound like a badger bear with a toothache.” Toph asks, sprawled comfortably nearby.

She’s clearly not worried about her hair, and for a moment Katara considers just chopping hers off — that would mean she didn’t have to braid it, which seems like an improvement right this moment. (But she still remembers how excited she was when she was old enough to grow her hair out, and while she’s sure Gran-Gran would understand the realities of traveling it still doesn’t seem worth it. And realistically she could sleep without it in a braid, but then she’ll end up with all sorts of things in her hair and end up needing like four times as long to tame it tomorrow.

Of course, she’ll have her ability to heal back, probably, by then, so it might still be easier to just wait.

“I hurt my hand, I can’t braid my hair,” she answers Toph, trying not to sound as petulant as she feels.

“Have Zuko do it,” is the immediate response.

Zuko glances up from where he’s sharpening his blade and immediately pales — perhaps because she’s not glaring at him. She doesn’t trust him still but…well he probably doesn’t know what to do with long hair anyways, other than putting it in an ugly top knot!

“Don’t be stupid, he wouldn’t know how to braid hair,” Katara scoffs.

“Actually,” he starts hesitant, like he’s expecting to be yelled at immediately — but when no one interrupts him immediately his voice gets a little stronger, “I used to do Azula’s hair.”

“Like I’d want to match styles with that psycho,” she says with a scoff — feeling triumphant for a moment as Zuko winces before she realizes he is her only chance at getting her hair braided tonight. Toph’s braids are absolutely awful and closer to just repeated knots, Sokka’s are almost as bad, and Aang has no hair. “But,” she says, trying to sound gracious, “If you think you can do a simple braid I guess that would be okay.”

Toph laughs at her, which is about to be expected, and Zuko still looks wary.

Katara grits her teeth and, “Please.”

“Sounds like that hurt,” Toph snickers, but quietly enough that Katara decides it’s the better part of valor to ignore her and done.

Zuko continues to look wary but nods, “Yeah, of course.” He stands up and seems taller than normal, perhaps because she’s facing the reality of him touching her and — well, at her back. Which is a place she decidedly doesn’t trust him but — but she just wants to sleep.

He sits down silently and she doesn’t know what to say so she just tucks her hands into her lap and waits. It seems to take an exceptionally long amount of time before she feels his fingers in her hair, but she thinks it’s just her anxiety making time stretch. His fingers are gentle and she can barely feel the tug as they work through her hair.

It feels good. It feels better than it has a right too. And he’s radiating heat behind her and it makes her stomach cramps feel slightly better and —

It’s a miracle she doesn’t collapse against him and fall asleep immediately, but she still doesn’t trust him and —

And she’s not at all sorry that he’s apparently fairly quick is braiding hair and holding out a hand for “hair tie?” before she can do something embarrassing. She passes the tie to his hand and then he’s standing up and going back to his blade and she gently touches her braid and — it’s exactly like she does it every night.

She shouldn’t have gotten out of her bedroll today, it clearly wasn’t worth it. But now she’s getting back in her bedroll…and maybe she just won’t get out of it tomorrow until things start making sense again.

[zukoscomet]

Headcanons for zutara with zuko & hakoda interactions?

Hi, anon, this one really got me thinking so thanks for sending it in!

I know a lot of fics explore Hakoda having his initial misgivings about Zuko, just as himself and in a relationship with Katara. While I get where that comes from and I think it makes for good plot, I don't think it actually makes sense in a lot of contexts, including in my own works. Zuko put his life at risk to help Sokka free Hakoda from the Boiling Rock. If Hakoda still had doubts after that, then surely Katara and/or Sokka would have had a conversation with their dad about what happened with Zuko at the Western Air Temple, if not there then certainly at some point after the war. And if all that weren't sufficient for Hakoda, he would inevitably end up getting to know Zuko in their capacities as Chief and Fire Lord. With Zuko helping to rebuild the SWT with a strong trade corridor and reparation funding, and coming to the South on state visits quite a lot, Hakoda would have more than enough reasons to like him by the time Katara and Zuko start dating in their early twenties.

I think that when he finds out they're together, he'd have some questions for Zuko about the long-term feasibility of their relationship, i.e. what kind of future does Katara have ahead of her as his consort, but once those are answered, I imagine that Hakoda approves wholeheartedly.

I actually think that any issues would come much later on, when Katara and Zuko have been married a few years and the grandchildren start coming. Like when Katara has issues in her first and second pregnancies, Hakoda is very aware that his daughter is struggling but he can't go to her. It gets to be tormenting, he starts to resent the distance between them a little, and it doesn't abate when the children get a bit older because Katara and Zuko get stuck in somewhat of a catch 22:

They want to go south more often because they have the kids and they want them to have proper bonds with Hakoda, Gran Gran, and Sokka and Suki and their cousins, as well as being in touch with their Water Tribe heritage. On the flip side, though, there's also the temptation to go south less because they have the kids - 7+ days trapped on a ship with young kids would be hell no matter how well behaved they are. It's just a not-great situation all round because everyone involved feels the way they do but no one is actually in the wrong, nor is there like a definitive way for anyone to fix it. Because of that there's never any arguments or anything; it's just mild tension of things being what they are, essentially.

But it gets a whole lot better when powered airships become commercialised, makes international travel a matter of hours rather than days, and Katara and Zuko and the kiddos can visit so much easily and frequently.

On the whole, I hc that Zuko and Hakoda have a really strong relationship. I imagine that Zuko learns a great deal about being a leader and a father from Hakoda, and Hakoda likes getting political advice from Zuko, too, sometimes. I imagine that Hakoda calls him son a lot, even before Katara and Zuko were romantically involved, which Zuko absolutely loves and imparts to his own boys - Zuko is constantly calling Kai and Kallik son because of how it feels and how much it means to him. Hakoda would involve Zuko in all the tribe's rites of passage, too, like Hakoda presides over his ice-dodging initiation and he teaches Zuko how to hunt game, how to navigate on the glaciers, how to sail the cutters, etc.

Iroh would always be the main father figure in Zuko's life and nothing could replace that, even after Iroh passes, but Hakoda would be so important for Zuko, too.

[atcordare]

Okay well this is a thread of the designs of my zukka AU

This is sokka, water tribe attire first and fire nation attire on the second image.

I tried picking elements from the Inuit and Maori cultures, besides canon content from ATLA and some other stuff I pulled out my ass.

For the water tribe attire, i chose to stick closely to the inuit traditional clothing. I added fringes and a little bit of a patterned section- The Southern Water Tribe is extremely poor in canon and even more so in my AU, so I'm pretty sure they don't have a lot of resources to spend in decorations. I did, however, get creative with the cape. It's maori-inspired- I took some elements from the cape that signaled chiefs (the white parts on the top, which are dried plants), and some others from the parts that signaled hunters (the braided section and the dark color of the general silhouette). However, using the skin of an entire animal was my own idea, and I was taking into consideration the materials available in the area they lived in.

The tattoos are mostly my invention as well. There are notes in spanish by them- they ssy that the tattoos on the face point out the role on the tribe (i merded together inuit tattoo designs and the marks people get from ice dodging), because everyone can see them. Then, the ones avobe the heart tell you about the person's name and their family. Inuit society puts a lot of weight into family and such, so I thought it would be appropiate. Then, down the arm, where lays the skills and such, they tattoo the person's accomplishments. A heavily tattooed arm belongs to an enviably accomplished person. However, these tattoos are comsidered to be deeply personal and they're only supposed to be shown to your loved ones (since you're not getting naked in front of just anyone in the south pole...) It isn't specified in there, but you also tattoo the name of the person you marry on the inside of your wrist- avobe your pulse, and ready for you to see when you miss them, at any time.

I thought this was a cool way to keep the written tradition going in a place where you can't really actually write, with all the snow and shit. This and embroidery- but i guess embroidery would be dedicated to tapestries that would show the history of the tribe, kept in like a public closed space. The inuit rely very heavily in oral tradition to pass down their identity as a tribe, and while that IS something I wanted to keep (and I did! but it's not reflected on sokka's design), I don't want the water tribe to be a replica of the actual inuit. I'm pretty sure I couldn't play off the inaccuracies if it was. Oops.

Then the earring- there's a tooth and a black feather. Honestly, the tooth just looks cool and that was my reason to shove it in, but the feather DOES hold meaning. It has a Maori origin, since they used the feathers of a now extinct bird to point out chiefdom. Pitch black feathers signaled a minor chief or a less powerful one, while tgere were white-tipped ones that were used to point out absolute power?? If i understood that right?? And since Sokka is the acting chief of the southern water tribe while the men are at work, I thought it would be nice to show the difference that way. Hakoda keeps his own white tipped feather, but Sokka got the pitch black one from him.

The fire natiom outfit mixes elements of tge forementioned cultures along with the fire nation. He bandages his tattoos so no one can see them, he has an archer glove on his right hand, and the clothes allow ventilation so the man that has lived surrounded by snow his entire life doesn't evaporate the moment he lands foot on the fire nation.

The fringes and the pants are inspired by the inuit again, same as the pattern on the top thing. The cape is a fire nation-ized version of his cape with a fire nation-ized parka hood. Less practical, chillier, just there to give off a more commanding vibe.

The lore behind the outfit is that Sokka used some clothes designed by Gran Gran and made by the fire kingdom so he can travel there for whatever business (I didn't explain this and probably won't since this silly little AU has thiiiin chances of leaving my head, but this is an arranged marriage AU mixed in with political drama, enemies to lovers shenanigans and whatnot). However, the fire nation people were all "nooo put on some REAL clotheees" so he just shuffled in whatever didn't look too awful from what he saw in the fire nation fashion scene and called it a day. The cape is what really did it for the fire nation people, though. Gives off a more royal vibe, attracts the eye, whatever.

He can use bows, his boomerang and spears, as long as you keep in mind that he was trained a hunter and not a warrior. He was left to hunt on his own for his entire village (which includes animals to get the skin for clothes from) since he was younger than 15 so you can bet he's damn good at it (i think it should have been the same in canon since this happens in there as well but whatever). Also, since he's used to constantly running in way denser territory in way heavier clothing at the same speed than people from the rest of the nations, you can bet he's crazy quick when those factors aren't hindering him.

[theclockworkmonk]

Taller

Written for @kataang-week

Day 1: Height Difference

Words: 1,546

Read on AO3

Readon FF.net

******

Despite the ever-present cold, Katara wiped sweat from her brow as she stood back to look proudly at the building made of ice she had just finished. The Southern Water Tribe was swelling faster than anyone had anticipated, and now looked much more like its northern counterpart, with actual streets, canals, and buildings carved with waterbending, instead of the hodgepodge of tents and igloos that Katara had grown up in.

A large part of it had been personally built by Katara herself, and if she was being honest with herself it had long since become unnecessary. A migration of people from the Northern Tribe had come to help rebuilding, swelling the population, and even some Earth Kingdom natives had taken up residence, hoping to establish trade between the two nations for the first time in a hundred years, but they still weren't enough to compare to the population of a proper major city, so large sections of the construction Katara had been working on would remain empty for the foreseeable future.

She knew why she kept going, though. It took her mind off how much she missed Aang.

They had gotten a few months together in peaceful, laugh-filled bliss. But ironically, the same newfound peace that had allowed her to finally slow down and sort out her feelings for Aang, was also what made her finally realize how homesick she was. She had been running all over the world for close to a year, never really having time to think about Gran Gran or all the other people she had left, but as happy as she was in her new daily routine, it still didn't feel like home. Plus, her father had been away from home even longer than she had, and she wanted to make up for lost time. So when he had told Katara and Sokka that he was about to make the journey south, they had both known that they had to join him.

But the world still needed their Avatar, and they needed him in the thick of things, not at the bottom of the world. A hundred years of tension and hostility between the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom hadn't vanished overnight, and new fighting threatened to break out every day, even if it wasn't being ordered by the Earth King or Fire Lord, so Aang had his hands full with his duty as peacekeeper and mediator. He couldn't go home with her.

It had broken her heart, and she hadn't known how to tell him she was leaving, but of course she hadn't needed to. With a smile, her sweet boyfriend had been the one to bring it up, insisting that she needed to go with her family, or Sokka would surely cause some kind of catastrophe without her there to look after him, and promised that he would follow her as soon as he could.

That had been seven months ago, and while the pain of missing Aang wasn't as sharp anymore, there were still multiple times a day when she thought about looking down into his gray eyes, or how nicely he fit curled up against her as they lounged on sofas or grassy hillsides.

And her inability to get Aang off her mind certainly wasn't helped by the fact that everyone in the tribe was constantly teasing her about being the Avatar's girlfriend. Every time she would walk past a group of younger girls, they would giggle loudly with each other and, if they were feeling bold, ask if the Avatar was a good kisser. Even Sokka was still coming up with new immature jokes every day; one would think he would get tired of it by now.

So here she was, enjoying her rare piece of solitude on the outskirts of the ever-growing ice city, making it even bigger.

"You know, the basic idea of going home to your family is to actually spend time with your family." Sokka's voice from behind her made her jump.

"Only if Gran Gran stops making wedding plans for both of us," she answered over her shoulder with a laugh.

"You're in luck, it's actually far worse than that," Sokka sighed, putting an arm around his sister's shoulder. "Her target has shifted, now she's of the opinion that it's time for Dad to find another wife."

Katara spun away from him to face him and her mouth gaped open. "WHAT!?" she shrieked so loudly it echoed off of the surrounding ice.

"Yeah, so stop being a loner and come back with me, we need a united front to squash this," said Sokka, and Katara was more than willing to start following him back towards the center of the settlement.

They were approaching their family's hut, right near the edge of the ice shelf where most of the villagers were still clustered, when something made both of them stop dead in their tracks.

To the north, across the water, she heard the distant sound of a loud, low roar. The unique sound of the roar of a sky bison.

Katara and Sokka looked at each other and their faces split into wide grins. They forgot their current familial crisis and ran towards the edge of the ice, waving frantically at the dark dot growing bigger in the distance. Katara was jumping up and down by the time Appa came in for a landing and she could make out Aang's beaming face. The bison's feet hadn't even touched snow yet when Aang leapt off his head and landed in front of Katara, and they both threw their arms around each other and shared a passionate kiss, trying to pour seven months worth of affection into it.

Katara felt like she was floating. She couldn't stop a very girly giggle rising up from her throat as she pulled Aang's face down to kiss him harder—

Wait. Down?

Her eyes snapped open and she suddenly pushed him away to arm's length.

Her eyes narrowed dangerously as she looked up and down at her boyfriend. No, she hadn't imagined it. He now had a few inches on her. He had shot up so far so fast that he looked like he had been stretched like taffy, his build skinnier than ever and lanky.

Aang frowned in confusion at her reaction. "What's wrong?"

"You're taller," said Katara, like this was a grave betrayal on his part.

"Than what?"

"Than me."

"I've always been taller than you!"

She put her hands on her hips and raised an eyebrow at him to say, Really? But Aang maintained his completely straight face. "Aang, everyone knows, I'm the tall, intimidating waterbending master, you're my tiny, adorable squirrelmunk of a boyfriend."

"What? NO!" Sokka's voice called from Appa's side.

Katara and Aang turned to see Sokka's look of despair. He had finally noticed Aang's change after helping a very grumpy and now-actually-blind Toph down from Appa's back and onto the ice.

"Ugh, I know, right?" grumbled Toph. "I've had to switch from short jokes to skinny jokes, which aren't nearly as fun."

"But I've got seven months worth of short jokes I've been sitting on!" Sokka whined pitifully. He, Toph, and Zuko had greatly enjoyed making fun of Aang for being shorter than his girlfriend.

Katara looked triumphantly back at Aang, daring him to keep the charade up, but he couldn't keep it in anymore and his face broke out into a mischievous grin, and soon he was laughing heartily, which Katara joined him in, despite her best efforts.

"Okay, you got me," said Aang. "But in my defense, I never expected you to get this….upset about it? I actually thought you'd be impressed, and maybe more than a little attracted. Is it really a bad thing that I'm taller than you?"

"Well I don't know….maybe," she said with a pout she hoped looked cute. "You were the perfect height for me to kiss you on the forehead. Now I have to pull you down." She did exactly that and planted a kiss in the center of his arrow. "See? Far too much effort."

"You're right, I'll miss that," admitted Aang. "However, if I may make a counterpoint," he pulled her close and easily planted a kiss on her forehead.

"Hmmm," Katara hummed in contentment, closing her eyes and smiling. "I suppose we can make due with that."

Their romantic moment was interrupted by Sokka and Toph doing a loud duet of simulated vomiting noises.

"Oh, like you wouldn't be doing the same thing if Suki were here!" said Katara nastily.

"Yeah, sorry Sokka, but the Kyoshi Warriors are providing additional security for Zuko," said Aang more kindly.

Sokka's face fell, and he sighed. But then, his face lit up and he gave a wicked smile that Katara didn't like at all. "Well, there is one upside to that. That means all the attention will be on you two."

"What attention?" asked Aang.

Leading Toph with one hand, Sokka placed his other one on Katara's shoulder and started leading her back to their family hut.

"Come on, sister, with the Tribe's biggest golden couple reunited again, it won't be Dad's love life that Gran Gran is sticking her nose into."

Katara groaned and considered jumping into the ocean.

[krastbannert]

And one more for the ultimate ship meme. Zutara.

Ah, Zutara.

Just kidding - sorry, I couldn't resist. It's my responsibility as a Maiko shipper to regard your heathen lovely ship as my arch-enemy.

(Okay to those people reading this who ship Zutara, and don't know me: I actually am joking. Just having a little fun.)

General:

Rate the Ship - Awful | Ew | No pics pls | I’m not comfortable | Alright | I like it! | Got Pics? | Let’s do it! (I actually do like it; I'll admit that sometimes I get tired of seeing constant ZK content, and I'm much pickier about ZK fics in general, but I like the ship) | Why is this not getting more attention?! | The OTP to rule all other OTPs

How long will they last? - So, the way I normally think about Zutara, it happens in one of two ways: a hard and fast burn with a less-than-stellar ending (I think them being exes-turned-best friends is hilarious), or they get together when they're older, after Aang and Mai are gone, and live out their golden years together. So, in canon, it's either a few months, or in the years until their death. I could see them working well together fairly well in an alternate universe, though. (The other sections of this ask assumes this AU version because fuck it, I can).

How quickly did/will they fall in love? - It took them a hot minute to get there; years post-war. I figure maybe in their early-to-mid 20s. They were best friends for years before that.

How was their first kiss? - Probably frustrated, mostly with each other. They're each dancing around their feelings and one of them just says "fuck it" and plants it on the other.

Wedding:

Who proposed? - Zuko would, eventually. He'd definitely give Katara a beautiful betrothal necklace, and make a lovely proposal under the Southern Lights, or maybe in the Crystal catacombs (first place they saw the good in each other).

Who is the best man/men? - Same answer as I did previously: Sokka, and Aang would be one but he's helping Zuko's former crewman Koji officiate.

Who is the braid’s maid(s)? - Probably Toph, Suki, and Mai (yes, I know this might sound strange, but think about it: Katara and Mai being best friends? Hilarious.)

Who did the most planning? - Probably Katara, she seems like the type to get really into it.

Who stressed the most? - Zuko. He knows that Katara loves him.

How fancy was the ceremony? - Same answer as my Maiko one: I figure they'd have 2, 1 public and 1 private. Back of a pickup truck | 2 | 3 (their friends, Hakoda & Ursa (are they dating? Maybe), Iroh, Gran-Gran & Pakku, and Zuko's old crew) | 4 | Normal Church Wedding | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Kate and William wish they were this big (they're royalty; huge wedding is required)

Who was specifically not invited to the wedding? - Um. Well. Ozai is pretty obvious. Other than that...I really can't think of anyone. Jet, maybe, if Katara and he never make up post-war (although I like to think they would, eventually).

Sex:

Who is on top? - Katara's often on top.

Who is the one to instigate things? - Hmm I feel like it would be Zuko. He can't resist; Katara's just beautiful.

How healthy is their sex life? - Barely touch themselves let alone each other | 2 | 3 | 4 | Once a couple weeks, nothing overboard | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | They are humping each other on the couch right now

How kinky are they? - Straight missionary with the lights off | 2 | 3 | 4 | Might try some butt stuff and toys | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 (they like to change things up a lot, keep it fresh, and with two benders...well, they have to put their abilities to use, you know?) | Don’t go into the sex dungeon without a horse’s head

How long do they normally last? - For some reason I get the feeling they'd do a lot of quickies, so that's the norm, but when they want to go all night? They really do go all night.

Do they make sure each person gets an equal amount of orgasms? - Okay, I feel like the answer for all the ATLA guys is the same: yes, they damn well do.

How rough are they in bed? - Softer than a butterfly on the back of a bunny | 2 | 3 | 4 | The bed’s shaking and squeaking every time | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Their dirty talk is so vulgar it’d make Dwayne Johnson blush. Also, the wall’s so weak it could collapse the next time they do it.

How much cuddling/snuggling do they do? - No touching after sex | 2 | 3 | 4 | A little spooning at night, or on the couch, but not in public | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | They snuggle and kiss more often than a teen couple on their fifth date to a pillow factory.

Children:

How many children will they have naturally? - I feel like they would have at least two (Izumi, because of course, and I like the common headcanon of Kya being one), and I could see them having 1 more.

How many children will they adopt? - I could maybe see them adopting a kid in a modern AU, but in the canon timeframe I don't think they adopt any.

Who gets stuck with the most diapers? - Zuko might be the Fire Lord, but the wife is still the boss. Zuko's busy but Katara makes sure he does his fair share. (He wants to do his fair share, he just gets lost in the work sometimes.)

Who is the stricter parent? - I feel like Katara would be, publicly, even Zuko's actually the strict one. Katara doesn't mind the kids getting into a little trouble, she just wants them to be safe.

Who stops the kid(s) from doing dangerous stunts after school? - Katara. Zuko's getting in trouble with them because he's doing them, too.

Who remembers to pack the lunch(es)? - Servants do it. Modern AU is probably Katara who does it more often; she's a night owl so she's up, anyways. Zuko does it, too, though, he just has to beat Katara there.

Who is the more loved parent? - Honestly, it's about equal. Katara and Zuko are amazing parents, and their kids know it.

Who is more likely to attend the PTA meetings? - Uh both, honestly.

Who cried the most at graduation? - No matter who you pair him with, it's gonna be Zuko, I swear. He can pretend to be a bad boy all he wants, but he's a softie. (Katara totally cried, too.)

Who is more likely to bail the child(ren) out of trouble with the law? - Zuko's the one who got them into trouble. They don't get caught when it's Katara leading them.

Cooking:

Who does the most cooking? - Probably Katara; she teaches Zuko a lot, but he just can't get Water Tribe food right (he inevitably adds spice to it), and Katara loves her WT food.

Who is the most picky in their food choice? - Katara because she can't quite handle Fire Nation spice. She doesn't mind low-to-medium levels, but Zuko likes the spicy stuff and Katara thinks he's out of his mind. (Azula agrees.)

Who does the grocery shopping? - Well, servants do it in-universe, but in a Modern AU it's probably Katara, and she brings Zuko out whenever she can.

How often do they bake desserts? - Katara has a sweet tooth, especially when pregnant.

Are they more of a meat lover or a salad eater? - Zuko is all about the meat (Sokka really approves of this), and Katara likes salads as a side, but she loves meat, too.

Who is more likely to surprise the other(s) with an anniversary dinner? - Zuko, probably, since he's a sweetheart.

Who is more likely to suggest going out? - Katara. She's not very familiar with the Fire Nation, especially at first, so she really enjoys going out and walking around.

Who is more likely to burn the house down accidentally while cooking? - Considering Katara is a waterbender and can pull water from almost anywhere, it ain't gonna be her. So, Zuko.

Chores:

Who cleans the room? - Servants, most likely, but they both clean when they can.

Who is really against chores? - They're both just kinda used to it, so they don't mind too much.

Who cleans up after the pets? - Servants, probably.

Who is more likely to sweep everything under the rug? - Between them, probably Zuko.

Who stresses the most when guests are coming over? - Katara; she wants to make sure everyone's taken care of. (Zuko's almost as stressed because he's an awkward potato.)

Who found a dollar between the couch cushions while cleaning? - Katara. She invested it. Made an absolute shitload of money. Now she's in charge.

Misc:

Who takes the longer showers/baths? - Hmm I figure it's probably Katara. She likes the water.

Who takes the dog out for a walk? - Katara, same reason as in "more likely to suggest going out".

How often do they decorate the room/house for the holidays? - Katara loves decorating, and she never got much of a chance to as a kid - life was always about survival in her tribe - so she decorates for every single holiday, Water Tribe and Fire Nation.

What are their goals for the relationship? - Grow old. Be happy. The usual.

Who is most likely to sleep till noon? - Katara, the resident night owl.

Who plays the most pranks? - Hmm between them, I get the feeling it would be Zuko.

[babypandawrites]

Allies, Pt. 2

Jet

Pairing: Sokka x F Reader  Warnings: Injury  Word Count: 5,386 Summary: In your travels with Team Avatar you meet Jet. You do not like Jet. 

-Navigation- | -Allies Masterlist- | -Atla Masterlist- 

After a while of travelling, Y/n, Aang, Katara and Sokka found themselves resting in a clearing, alongside Appa. Y/n sat on the ground, leaning against one of Appa’s legs. While the others gave a short explanation as to why they wanted her to join their group, she still didn’t completely understand. It felt like there was something else that none of them wanted to bring up. But what other reason could there be exactly? It made perfect sense they’d want her survival knowledge if they were travelling the world and having to be outside a lot, there shouldn’t be a different reason.  It wasn’t often her instincts were wrong, but it didn’t make sense for them to be right on this.  Aang stood up from where he sat, looking around. “Where’s Momo?”  A yowl from the lemur echoed through the forest.  They all started to look around, trying to tell where it came from.  “That way.” She pointed to the trees in front of her. “I think.”  Nodding, Aang ran off in the direction, Katara, Sokka and Y/n close behind. It didn’t take long for them to get to another clearing, Momo had been caught in a snare.  “Hang on Momo!”  Aang used his airbending to leap between the trees, and reach up to where Momo was trapped. After a few short moments, Aang, Katara and Sokka had gotten Momo down and out of the snare. The animal was quick to go at a handful of nuts on the ground, seeming to forget that he’d just gotten trapped, from what she could guess was something similar. Groaning, Sokka hit a hand to his forehead.  Breathing out a quiet laugh, Y/n reached down and snagged the nuts from the ground. Momo jumped up onto her shoulder and took them from her palm to eat. She patted the lemurs head, watching as the other three freed some Hog Monkey’s from another snare. “Let’s be a little more careful, alright Momo?” He chittered quickly, before going back to his nuts.  Sokka approached one of the traps, and kneeled down to examine it. “These are Fire Nation traps- you can tell from the metalwork. We’d better pack up camp, and get moving.”  They went back to their little camp, and started to pack their things up on Appa.  “Ah-ah… no flying this time.”  “What?” The three paused, looking at Sokka with question.  “Why wouldn’t we fly?”  “Think about it. Somehow Prince Zuko and the Fire Nation keep finding us. It’s because they spot Appa- he’s just too noticeable.”  Katara was about to say something, but Y/n stopped her before she could. “Woah woah woah. Wait. You guys are being chased by Prince Zuko and the Fire Nation?”  Aang, Katara and Sokka looked between each other. Katara glared at her brother. “Did you not tell her?” “I thought Aang was going to tell her!” “Wait, Katara I thought you were going to tell her.”  Sighing, she rested her forehead in her hands. “That would have been nice to know before I agreed to help… Okay it’s fine. I’ve had run-ins with the Fire Nation before, this is fine. I think Sokka is right, if you’re running from the Fire Nation, it’ll be pretty easy to be found when you’re riding Appa. He is pretty noticeable.”  “He’s not that noticeable!”  “Thank you Y/n- Yes he is! He’s a gigantic fluffy monster with an arrow on his head- it’s kinda hard to miss him!”  Appa turned his head to look at Sokka, and groaned at him. From where he sat, Aang patted his head. “Sokka’s just jealous ‘cause he doesn’t have an arrow.”  “Listen, I know you two want to fly, but my instincts tell me we should play it safe this time and walk.”  Katara crossed her arms over her chest. “Who made you the boss?” Sokka raised an eyebrow at her. “I’m not the boss- I’m the leader.” “You’re the leader? But your voice still cracks!” “I’m the oldest and I’m a warrior.” Pausing, he tried to speak in a deeper tone. “So… I’m the leader.”  Y/n scoffed. “What kind of warrior gets scared by an arrow?”  “A warrior that doesn’t want to die?!” “I thought warriors weren’t supposed to fear death?”  “You know what-”  Getting between the two, Katara shot glances to both of them. “If anyone’s the leader, it’s Aang. I mean, he is the Avatar.” “Are you kidding- He’s just a goofy kid!”  The three looked over to Aang, who was dangling upside down from Appa’s horn. The bison looked unimpressed. “He’s right.”  Groaning, Katara rolled her eyes. “Why do boys always think someone has to be the leader? I bet you wouldn’t be so bossy if you kissed a girl.”  The girl's comment caused Y/n to break into laughter, receiving a glare from Sokka.  “I-I’ve kissed a girl- you...you just haven’t met her.”  “That sounds like something a person who’s never kissed a girl would say.”  “You stay out of this! I bet you’ve never even kissed a boy before!” She looked at him with a blank expression. “I’ve lived in the forest by myself since I was ten, I have an excuse.”  “Sounds like a poor excuse to me-” Once again Katara had to reinsert herself into the conversation. “Who Sokka? Gran-gran? I’ve met Gran-gran?”  “No- Besides Gran-gran! Look, my instincts tell me we have a better chance of slipping through on foot and a leader has to trust his instincts.”  “Okay, we’ll try it your way Oh Wise Leader.”  Aang stepped over to the group, wearing a backpack. Momo sat on top of it. “Who knows- walking might be fun.” 

The group trudged through the forest. Sokka was in the lead, Y/n not too far behind him. Aang and Momo, then Katara and Appa followed behind them.  “Walking stinks! How do people go anywhere without a flying bison?”  “Usually by walking…” Her comment was ignored.  “I don't know Aang. Why don’t you ask Sokka’s instincts- They seem to know everything.”  “Haha. Very funny.”  “It was kind of funny-” “I thought you were on my side?!”  “Hey! I just agreed that Appa was noticeable, I never agreed to force everyone to walk when they didn’t want to. Anyways, my instincts say that your instincts are wrong. This was a terrible idea.”  “Oh yeah because I’m sure your instincts know what they’re talking about.” “You know, they’ve never been wrong actually so-”  Aang groaned. “I’m tired of carrying this pack.” “You know who you should ask to carry it for a while? Sokka’s Instincts!”  “That’s a great idea Katara! Hey, Sokka’s Instincts, would you mind-” “Okay okay! I get it. Look guys, I’m tired too. But the important thing it that-” He pushed a branch to the side, looking back at Aang and Katara. “-we’re safe from the-” “Fire Nation..” “Yes! Thank you, Y/n.” “No, Sokka. Look.”  Sokka turned to look back in front of him, expression dropping at the Fire Nation camp that sat in the clearing in front of them. Most of the soldiers were seated on logs at the opposite side of the camp, bowls in hand.  “RUN!” The soldiers leaped up from the logs from Sokka’s exclamation, swords in hand. One of the soldiers launches a fire at them, it misses them, but sets the bushes behind them on fire.  “We’re cut off!”  “Sokka, your shirt!” Looking at his shirt, Sokka yells in panic at seeing that it got caught on fire. While Katara used her bending to put out the fire, Y/n got her bow ready. The four stood with their backs together once they had been surrounded by fire and soldiers. “If you let us pass, we promise not to hurt you.” Katara whispered to her brother quietly. “What are you doing?” “Bluffing?” The one eyed caption smirked. “You? Promise not to hurt us?” Y/n aimed an arrow at his good eye. “Yeah. I suggest if you want to keep that eye you call off your men.”  This time it was Sokka who whispered. “What are you doing?!” “Not bluffing.”  A quiet zip then a thud sounded. A surprised expression took over the captains face for a moment, before he groaned and doubled over. His men lowered their swords some.  Aang glanced at Sokka. “Nice work, Sokka! How’d you do that?” “Uh… instinct?” “Look!” Katara pointed up above them. A figure stood on the massive branch of a nearby tree. The person dropped something, and drew two blades from the middle of their back. They stepped back off the branch, but instead of falling, they used the blades to catch onto the branch, allowing the person to sling themself in the direction of the camp. Thet kicking over two of the soldiers furthest from the group, landing with a foot on each of their backs.  Now that the person was closer, Y/n could tell they were a young man, who looked to be around her and Sokka’s age.  The boy rushed forward, sword in each hand, hooking the ends of the curved blade on two soldiers' legs making them fall backwards. “Down you go.”  Y/n was about to run into the fight, but was stopped by Katara grabbing onto her arm. Lowering her bow, she shot a glare at the girl, but stayed. Katara looked pleased at the help, Aang was in awe, while both Sokka and Y/n weren’t very happy about it.  The boy had fought off two more of the soldiers, one of the soldiers who’d managed to land on his feet looked up. “They’re in the trees!”  A small boy dropped down from above, and landing on the soldiers shoulder he spun his helmet around blinding him. He staggered, while the boy on his shoulder laughed. Before the last three soldiers could react, several arrows shot down at them, disarming each of the soldiers without hurting them.  After a few minutes, the group joined the battle.  “Finally..” Y/n mumbled, running at one of the soldiers. He swung his sword at her, but she was quick to duck out of the way, and swipe her leg under his feet knocking him down. She kicked the sword out of his hand, and used it to block an attack from a soldier who approached her from the side. Before she could get an attack on him, the boy from before ran by, knocking him down with his curved sword.  She glared at the boy. “I had him.”  “My bad.” He shrugged with a smirk before rushing back off into the battle.  A grump Sokka walked over, leaning an arm on Y/n’s shoulder. “He did it to you too?”  “Yeah.” 

After a bit more fighting, and a bit more aggravation on Sokka and Y/n’s end, they gathered back together. Aang looked at the boy in awe. “You just took out a whole army almost single-handed!”  Sokka scoffed. “Army? Pfft. There were only, like, twenty guys.”  Next to him, Y/n crossed her arms over her chest. “I could have done that…”  The boy seemed to ignore them. “My name is Jet, and these are my Freedom Fighters. Sneers, Longshot, Smellerbee, The Duke, and Pipsqueak.”  Aang approached The Duke and Pipsqueak. “Pipsqueak- that’s a funny name.”  The larger of the two bent down to Aang’s level. “You think my name is funny?”  Despite being nervous, Aang plastered a smile on his face. “It’s hilarious.”  After a short moment, the three of them ended up in laughter. 

The Freedom Fighters had started to raid the camp. Jet leaned up against a trunk, Katara approached him. Y/n was sitting on the ground, close enough to hear their conversation.  “Um… thanks for saving us Jet. We were lucky you were there.”  Y/n rolled her eyes. Again, she could have taken care of those guys. Wouldn’t be the first time after all.  “I should be thanking you. We were waiting to ambush those soldiers all morning- we just needed the right distraction. And then you guys stumbled in.” “We were relying on instincts.” “You’ll get yourself killed doing that.”  Y/n scoffed, causing the two of them to turn to her. She pushed herself off the ground.  “Following wrong instincts will get you killed. Not the right ones.”  Katara gave her a look, but didn’t say anything as she walked away. Sulking, she moved to sit next to Sokka. He leaned close to her ear.  “Please tell me you don’t like these guys either.” “Not one bit.”  “Glad to know I’m not the only one…” 

They’d ended up following Jet to the Freedom Fighters hideout. After a little while he stopped. “We’re here.” “Where… there’s nothing here!”  Jet held out a rope with a loop at the end to Sokka. “Hold this.”  “Why… What's this do?” The loop was put around his wrist, without warning he got pulled up by his arm. “Woah!” It didn’t take long for him to disappear among the branches above.  Jet offered a similar rope to Aang and Momo. “Aang?” “I’ll get up on my own.”  Momo launched himself from Aang’s shoulder, the boy following with an airbending move. Jet then offered the rope to Y/n with a smile.  “Here, Y/n.”  She snatched the rope from him with a glare, using one hand to hold onto the loop she used the other to keep a good grip on her bow. Not too long after she got up to the tree house, Jet and Katara appeared. It did not take an expert to realize Katara was having a teen girl crush on this kid. Yikes.  Taking a look around she had to admit, it was a nice treehouse. The craftsmen ship on it was amazing.  Aang and Momo fly over to the landing area. “Nice place you got!”  Looking around, Katara nodded in agreement. “It’s beautiful up here!” “It’s beautiful… and more importantly the Fire Nation can’t find us.”  Smellerbee landed near them. “They would love to find you. Wouldn’t they Jet?” “It’s not gonna happen, Smellerbee.”  The group walked along a bridge, sans Aang and Momo, who were zip lining around the tree house. Katara looked at Jet with raised eyebrows. “Why does the fire nation want to find you?” “I guess you could say I’ve been causing them a little trouble. See, they took over a nearby Earth Kingdom town a few years back.”  Jet and Katara had been leading the group, Pipsqueak behind them. “We’ve been ambushin’ their troops, cutting off their supply lines, and doing anything we can to mess with ‘em.”  Behind Pipsqueak, Sokka tried to see over the large boy, hopping to get a peek over his shoulders. He wasn’t doing very well. Y/n didn’t have as much interest in trying to see past him as Sokka did. Jet started to talk again.  “One day, we’ll drive the Fire Nation out of here for good and free that town.”  “That’s so brave.”  Grabbing onto Y/n’s wrist to pull her with him, Sokka managed to push past Pipsqueak and get behind Jet and his sister. “Yeah, nothing braver than a guy in a treehouse.” Y/n laughed at Sokka’s sarcasm.  “Don’t pay any attention to my brother or Y/n.” “No problem. They probably had a rough day.”  “So, you all live up here?” Sokka sulked and slinked back at being ignored, Y/n resting a comforting hand on his shoulder.  “That’s right. Longshot over there? His town got burned down by the Fire Nation. And we found The Duke trying to steal our food. I don’t think he ever really had a home.” “What about you?”  Jet stopped, and aside from Katara the rest of the group moved on. 

Later that day, they all gathered at a banquet table. While everyone ate, Jet stood up and climbed up onto the table.  “Today, we struck another blow against Fire Nation swine.”  The fellow Freedom Fighters cheered, Aang and Katara watched with smiles, Sokka and Y/n watched grumpily.  “I got a special joy from the look on one soldier’s face, when The Duke dropped down on his helmet and rode him like a wild hog monkey.”  A helmet-less Duke stood up and joined Jet on the table. Amid the cheers, he took a victory walk around a fish platter.  “Now, the Fire Nation thinks they don’t have to worry about a couple kids hiding in the trees.” He paused, taking a drink from his wooden cup. “Maybe they’re right.”  The Freedom Fighters booed.  “Or maybe… they are dead wrong.”  This time they cheered.  Jet hopped off the table, and took a seat on the platform between Katara and Sokka. Katara turned to look at him.  “Hey Jet, nice speech.”  “Thanks. By the way, I was really impressed with you and Aang. That was some great bending I saw out there today.” He paused, turning to look past Sokka, and at Y/n who sat on the other side of him. “And your fighting was really good too, Y/n. You definitely have a good mark of intimidation on you.”  She didn’t say anything in response.  “Well, they’re great. Y/n is a great survivalist and Aang’s the Avatar. I could use some more training.” Katara blushed softly, when Jet turned his attention back to her and Aang. “Avatar huh? Very nice.” “Thanks Jet.”  “So I might know a way that you and Aang could help in our struggle.” Sokka stood up from his spot. “Unfortunately we have to leave tonight.”  “I have to agree.” Y/n said, standing up herself.  “Sokka, Y/n, you’re kidding me! I need you two on an important mission tomorrow.”  Stopping, Sokka turned around to look at Jet. “What mission?”  “Seriously Sokka…?” Y/n face palmed. 

Somehow, Y/n had been convinced to come along with Sokka and Jet. She really didn’t like it, but would rather not leave Sokka alone with that guy. Something about him rubs her the wrong way. The three of them were perched up high in the trees. Jet cupped his hands together and made a bird call whistle. Several trees down Pipsqueak and Smellerbee step into view from their branches. There is a reply call back.  Sokka rammed his jawbone knife into the trunk of the tree, gaining a skeptical look from Jet.  “What are you doing?” “Shh… it amplifies vibrations.”  He looked impressed. “Good trick.”  Cupping his hand around the pommel bone, Sokka put his ear to it. “Nothing yet.” He lowered his voice. “Wait! Yes, someone’s approaching.”  At his words, Y/n prepared her bow.  “How many?” “I think there’s just one.”  Jet whistled. “Good work, Sokka. Ready your weapon.” He looked at Y/n with a smile. “You get prepared fast, huh?”  She simply offered a nod to him.  “Wait! False alarm… he’s just an old man.”  Despite Sokka’s words, Jet still stood. Extending his hook swords, he leaped down to the ground. As she lowered her bow, the two watched in horror.  “What are you doing in our woods, you leech.” “Please sir, I’m just a traveler.”  Jet stepped closer to the old man, swiping his sword at his cane. It flew to the side, as the old man backed away. He tried to flee, but ran face first into Pipsqueak’s chest, the force of the impact knocking him to the ground. “Do you like destroying towns? Do you like destroying families? Do you?!” The poor man looked horrified. “Oh… please.. Let me go… Have mercy..”  “Does the Fire Nation let people go?! Does the Fire Nation have mercy?!” Jet got ready to kick the man, but Sokka snagged his foot with his club to stop him. Y/n jumped down from the tree, landing in between Jet and the old man.  “Jet, he’s just an old man!” “He’s Fire Nation! Search him!”  Pipsqueak grabs onto the man and holds him up, Smellerbee steps up.  “But he’s not hurting anyone!” “Have you forgotten that the Fire Nation killed your mother? Remember why you fight?” “The Fire Nation killed my parents too, Jet! That doesn’t mean you get to go around harassing everyone who’s from there! This man has travelled through my forest before, he’s not a danger to anyone! You aren’t supposed to fight to hurt others, but to protect those you care about! This is pointless. ”  “This is protecting the people we care about!”  “We’ve got his stuff Jet.” Smellerbee holds up the satchel the old man had.  “This doesn’t feel right.”  “It’s not right.” “It’s what has to be done, now let’s get outta here.”  Jet pushed past Sokka, as Smellerbee and Pipsqueak pushed past Y/n. The two looked at each other, before looking at the old man.  “Come on you two!” Y/n ignored Jet, as she helped the man up, giving him his cane. Sokka waited for her to be finished, before they ran back to the others. 

Aang leaped off the zip lines and onto the platform. “Sokka! Y/n! Look what The Duke gave me!”  He wore a satchel, and pulling a small pellet from it he tossed it at the platform next to Momo. It exploded with a pop, Momo puffed up like a startled cat. He growled, before lunging for the satchel. Momo crawled up onto Aang’s shoulder, and tossed pellets at his feet.  “Ow! Quit it!”  Sokka sat oblivious to his friend, sitting with his back to one of the tree trunks, he looked up at the platform above him. Y/n sat next to him, her head resting on her knees. Katara approached the two.  “Hey Sokka. Is Jet back?” “Yeah- he’s back. But we’re leaving.”  Aang looked at him with confusion. “What?”  “But I made him this hat.” Katara pulled a cap made of stitched leaves and flowers from behind her back.  Y/n lifted her head to look at them. “Jet’s a thug.”  “What? No, he’s not.”  “Your boyfriend is messed up Katara.”   “He’s not messed up, he’s just got a different way of life- A really fun way of life.” “He beat and robbed a harmless old man!” “I wanna hear Jet’s side of the story.” 

“Sokka, Y/n- You told them what happened but you didn’t mention that the guy was Fire Nation?”  The four of them and Jet were in a lantern-lit hut. Jet was sitting on a hammock bed, the others standing. Sokka and Y/n stood as far away as they could. Aang had donned the hat Katara wore.  “No, they conveniently left that part out.”  “Fine! But even if he was Fire Nation, he was a harmless civilian.” “He was an assassin, Sokka.”  Jet pulled out a knife and thrust it into a nearby block of wood. The blade was curved, and four spikes evenly spaced along the grip with enough space for singers to go between them. There was a ring on the butt of the knife.  “See? There’s a compartment for poison in the knife.” He pulled on the ring, and removed a small glass tube filled with red liquid. “He was sent to eliminate me- you two helped save my life.” “I knew there was an explanation.” “I didn’t see any knife!” “That’s because he was concealing it.” “See, Sokka? I’m sure you just didn’t notice the knife.”  Arms crossed over her chest, Y/n glared at Jet.  “Sokka didn’t notice it, because it wasn’t there. He’s lying!”  “Yeah, there was no knife! I’m going back to the hut and packing my things.”  Turning around, Sokka left the hut. Y/n was close behind him. 

When Aang and Katara entered the hut they had been staying in, Sokka and Y/n were both getting their things together.  “We can’t leave now with the Fire Nation about to burn down a forest!”  “I’m sorry Katara. Jet’s very smooth, but we can’t trust him.”  “Sokka’s right, there’s something seriously wrong with that guy.” “You know what I think? You two are just jealous that he’s a better warrior-” Katara paused, looking at Sokka. “And you’re jealous he’s a better leader!”  “Katara, I’m not jealous of Jet. It’s just that my instinct-” “Well my instincts tell me we need to stay here a little longer and help Jet.” “That’s great Katara! But my instincts agree with Sokka’s, and they’ve never been wrong before.”  “Come on, Aang.” Katara left the hut.  Aang looked between the two. “Sorry Sokka, Y/n.” He followed her out. 

That night inside the group's hut, Katara and Aang slept on their bedrolls, while Sokka slept propped up against his still packed stuff. Y/n found herself awake. “Let’s go.”  She reached over, and shook Sokka awake. He stirred awake, looking at her confused. “Wh-”  She brought a finger to her lips to shush him, and nodded outside. On the ground below them, the Freedom Fighters were quietly pushing a loaded wagon as Jet led them out of the camp. Sokka and Y/n stealthily followed them.  They emerged from the forest, onto a bare cliff that stood above a dam. Jet goes to the edge of the cliff and looks down at the dam, before turning back to the wagon.  “Now listen, you are not to blow the dam until I give the signal. If the reservoir isn’t full, the Fire Nation troops could survive.” The Duke jumps off the wagon. “But what about the people in the town, won’t they get wiped out too?” Jet placed a hand on his shoulder. “Look Duke, that’s the price of ridding this area of the Fire Nation.” He turned to Longshot. “Now, don’t blow the dam until I give the signal- got it?” Longshot nodded.  Sokka and Y/n watched them incredulously from the bushes. Rustling could be heard. Before they could react, Pipsqueak grabbed them by their hair, dragging them out from the bush. Smellerbee had a knife to each of their throat’s in seconds. “Where do you think you’re going?”  Jet watched as the two were dragged out. Pipsqueak kept his grip on their hair.  “Sokka, Y/n. I’m glad you decided to join us.”  The two were pushed onto their knees. Sokka rubbed his shoulder. “We heard your plan to destroy the Earth Kingdom town.”  “Our plan is to rid the valley of the Fire Nation.”  Y/n glared at him.” There are people living there, Jet. Mothers and fathers and children.”  “We can’t win without making some sacrifices.”  “An entire town isn’t some sacrifices!”  Sokka pointed an accusatory finger at Jet. “You lied to Aang and Katara about the forest fire!”  “Because they don’t understand the demands of war, not like we do.”  “I do understand. Understand that there’s nothing you won’t do to get what you want.”  “I was hoping you’d have an open mind, Sokka, but I can see you’ve made your choice.” Jet looked at Y/n, as Pipsqueak and Smellerbee grabbed Sokka. “You understand where I’m coming from, don’t you Y/n? I mean we’re basically one in the same, parents killed by the Fire Nation, living in the forest with no one but who we run into. You get it, right?”  Gulping, she glanced between him and Sokka. “Yeah, I do get it.”  As Sokka’s expression fell, Jet offered a smile. “I get that you’re just as ruthless and horrible as the Nation you hate so much.” She was quick to flip backwards onto her hands, kicking Jet in the chin as she flipped into a landing.  Jet stumbled back, as she jumped up to grab onto a branch and pull herself into the trees. “We can't have them warning Katara and Aang! Get her!”   Longshot offered a silent nod, pulling himself up into the trees. Jet looked at Pipsqueak and Smellerbee. “Take him for a walk. A long walk.”  “You’re not gonna get away with this Jet! Y/n is going to get to Katara and Aang!” “No, she won’t. But cheer up Sokka. We’re gonna win a great victory against the Fire Nation today.” 

Y/n was quick to jump between the branches of the trees, behind her she could hear someone following. Jumping across a long gap between trees, she was barely able to grab the branch. Before she could pull herself up, an arrow zipped through the air, stabbing through her right hand and pinning it to the branch. She shouted in pain. Using her teeth, she bit down on the arrow and pulled it from the wood in the tree. She didn’t have time to try and get it out of her hand, so she opted to break off the end with her teeth so not as much was sticking out. As she was pulling herself up onto the branch, another one lodged into her ankle. Not having time to deal with this one, she just left it there for now.  Gritting her teeth, she did her best to keep jumping through the trees. With the two arrows in her it was hard to move around, and it made her slower. Longshot was catching up to her. When he jumped onto the same branch as her, Y/n jumped down to the ground, hitting it with a roll. The arrow sticking out of her leg hit the ground awkwardly, making her yelp in pain, but at least some of it broke off. She groaned in pain, but forced herself up.  “Y/n!”  Turning around, she saw Sokka running at her, Smellerbee and Pipsqueak hot on his tail. Longshot jumped down to the ground, landing right as Sokka passed him. Running past Y/n, he grabbed onto her wrist and started to drag her along with him.  The two of them jumped over a pile of leaves, while their three chasers did not. Smellerbee, Pipsqueak and Longshot all ended up getting caught in a snare, hanging several feet in the air.  The two stopped, turning to look up at the snared trio.  “While you two are up there you might want to practice your knot-work.” Sokka held up the bindings they had been using for him as he spoke. Y/n laughed quietly at his words, following him as he turned and walked away.  “You have a plan, Sokka?”  “Yeah-” His expression twisted to concern when he looked at her. She was limping a bit. Were those broken arrows sticking out of her hand and leg..? “You’re hurt.”  “I’ll be alright.”  Wordlessly, he grabbed onto her arm, and pulled it around his shoulders, wrapping his other arm around her waist to help her walk. She breathed out a quiet sigh of relief. “Thanks.” “No problem. C’mon we need to get to Appa. I don’t think we’ll be able to stop Jet, so we’ll just need to warn the town.”  They’d been quick to find Appa, and ride out to the town. Y/n had stayed up on Appa while Sokka warned the town. When they doubted him, the old man from before vouched that he was telling the truth. The town was completely evacuated, a few minutes before the dam was blown and water flooded it. They flew up to the cliff Aang, Katara and Jet were at.  “Sokka and Y/n didn’t make it in time.”  “All those people… Jet! You monster !” “This was a victory, Katara. Remember that. The Fire Nation is gone and this valley will be safe.” “It will be safe, without you.”  Their entrance really didn’t need to be so dramatic, but she was sure that Sokka would disagree if she brought it up. Katara and Aang looked at them with relief. “Sokka! Y/n!”  “We warned the villagers of your plan, just in time.”  “What!” “At first they didn’t believe me. The Fire Nation soldiers assumed I was a spy. But one man vouched for me- The old man you attacked. He urged them to trust me, and we got everyone out in time.”  Jet glared at them. “You fools! We could’ve freed this valley!” Scoffing, Y/n rolled her eyes. “Who would be free? Everyone would be dead.”  “You traitors!”  “No, Jet. You became the traitor when you stopped protecting innocent people.” Jet looked over to Katara. “Katara. Please, help me.”  “Goodbye Jet.”  After Katara and Aang climbed up onto Appa, Sokka flicked the reigns. “Yip yip.”  “We thought you guys were going to the dam. How come you went to the town instead?” Katara leaned forward on her elbows, looking at her brother. “Let me guess- Your instincts told you.” “Hey! Sometimes they’re right.” “Um… Sokka? You know we’re going the wrong way right?” Y/n let out a laugh.  “...And sometimes they’re wrong.”

[the-badger-mole]

No Sound But Silence: Interlude

It was the day before the arrival of Sokka and Katara's grandparents. Katara had spent the first two days of her winter break cleaning and preparing for their guests. Or at least that was her intention. Between her father and her fiancé, they wouldn't allow her to do much more than wash the dishes for fear of her over-extending herself.

"You can't do heavy-lifting," Hakoda had chided her as she was preparing to clean the floors.

"It's a bucket," Katara said drily. "It's only half full. I can lift five pounds."

"This is ten pounds if it's an ounce!" Hakoda took the bucket of mopping water from Katara's resistant hands and picked up the mop. "It's better for the baby if you rest."

"I think I liked it better when you were pissed about all this," Katara grumbled.

"I'm about to become a grandfather," Hakoda retorted. "Of course I'm still pissed. Cleaning is my outlet."

"Cleaning is my outlet!" Katara stamped her foot on the floor in annoyance, but Hakoda continued as if he hadn't heard her. He went into the kitchen, humming a song he always played when cleaned.

Zuko wasn't any better. He stopped by the day before Katara's family was to arrive to bring some ingredients for a stew Hakoda was making. He had been granted a key, so he'd let himself in with the groceries. He found Katara in the living room, cleaning the windows. His strangled yelp startled her, nearly sending her toppling off of the step ladder she was on. Zuko flew across the room and steadied her until she found her footing.

"You can't do that!" he whisper-yelled. "You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

"I almost gave you a heart attack?" Katara turned off the music she'd been listening to and pulled her headphones out. "I didn't even hear you come in."

"Why are you on a ladder?" Zuko demanded. "Where's your dad?"

"He stepped out," Katara huffed. "And I was trying to clean the windows. Pakku is a stickler for cleanliness. He said it's because of his years in the military, but Gran-Gran said he's got a stick up his-"

"You were on a step stool alone?" Zuko huffed in exasperation. "That's so dangerous! What if you'd fallen off?"

"I was doing just fine before you startled me." Katara folded her arms and scowled at Zuko.

"Katara you're getting bigger."

"Hey, watch it, pal!" Katara put a warning finger under his nose. "You played a part in this."

"That's not what I meant," Zuko assured her. "It's just that your balance is going to change. The baby could throw off your equilibrium."

"Are you seriously turning this into a physics lesson?" Katara groaned and rolled her eyes.

"I just don't want anything to happen to you," Zuko said softly. He pulled Katara into a hug and kissed the top of her head. "To either of you." In spite of her aggravation, Katara smiled as she leaned against his chest.

"I'm fine," she assured him. "It's just that everyone is coming tomorrow, and I want to make sure everything is done."

"You could have called me," Zuko said, pulling back slightly. "You don't have to do all this by yourself. Uncle taught me how to clean windows so well they look invisible. I need vinegar and some newspapers-"

"I appreciate the offer," Katara cut in. "But I just needed to work off some energy." Zuko paused and pulled back until he was only holding her hands loosely in his.

"I know you're stressed, and you clean when you stress," he said. "But there's got to be something else to clean. What about the microwave?"

"I did that yesterday," Katara huffed. "The windows and the vacuuming are the last things. I thought I'd be able to get them done since Dad was out."

"I just got a new video game," Zuko offered. "I can bring over my game system for you. It's great for stress relief." Katara rolled her eyes hard at that.

"Or I could just clean like I always do when I'm stressed," she said.

"My love, you are pregnant," Zuko reminded her. "All this heavy lifting, and the chemicals, and the climbing isn't good for the baby. Let me help! Katara, let me spoil you!" Katara wanted to be annoyed with Zuko. She wanted to be annoyed with her father. It wasn't as if she were invalid. She was pregnant, and very healthy, according to Aunt Wu. Some light housework wasn't going to jeopardize her child!

But Zuko looked so earnest, so weirdly excited, that Katara couldn't help the smile that tugged at the corners of her mouth.

"Alright," she relented at last. "You win. You can do the windows. I'll vacuum the carpets." Zuko turned and hurried out of the room.

"I'll grab the vacuum for you!" he called behind him.

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14, Part 15, Part 16, Part 17, Part 18, Part 19, Part 20, Part 21

[nothing-more-than-hot-leaf-juice]

Idea: Iroh and Hakoda not only share custody of Zuko, but Toph and Aang too, making Zuko the older brother. On certain weeks the two of them get sent to the fire nation to hang out with Zuko and stay at the palace, along with Aang going to school (Toph refused to go), then once the week is over, the duo either stay at Hakoda's in the SWT or Iroh's in Ba Sing Se. (also everyone in the gaang has their own bedroom in the palace for when they stay around, although Sokka sleeps in Zuko's room)

I like and appreciate this a lot, but personally, I have my own post-canon headcanons for the gaang and the adults that looked after them. 

They all stayed in the Fire Nation capital for a little bit until the Fire Nation troops were recalled from the Earth Kingdom and Zuko’s advisors were able to be replaced by people who weren’t loyal to Ozai. 

Aang went on 1000 field trips with Bumi. The two of them just went around the world causing mayhem when they had free time riding giant animals and committing casual misdemeanors. But what are they gonna do, arrest the Avatar and the King of Omashu? After a hundred years of Bumi thinking Aang was killed with the rest of the Air Nomads and Aang still coming to terms with losing everyone else from his childhood, they deserved time together. 

Katara and Sokka got some much needed time with Hakoda because, you know, they were separated for a good two years and deserved some family time. They went back to the SWT so they could spend some time reuniting with the returning warriors. Bato and Hakoda thoroughly enjoyed hazing Pakku (who had to put up with every bad dad joke from Hakoda so he could stay on Gran Gran’s good side). 

Toph stayed at Zuko’s place to keep his advisors in line, but mostly because she had no interest in going back to her parents. Toph was always around to make sure that Zuko didn't work himself to death and always reminded him that he was still a teenager (and importantly, a teenager with a whole bunch of power that could be used for fun things like ordering dessert bars and throwing mini ragers). After a while, Toph decided that she wanted to return to Earth Rumble VI and not being anonymous anymore and actually knowing the Boulder and the Hippo, the lineup all took one look at this talented little punk kid and collectively looked out for her. They didn’t boss her around or pander to her, but the lineup always looked out for Toph and she didn’t say it, but she felt seen by them in a way she never did with her parents. 

Zuko didn’t really get the break he deserved, but he was happier than he’d been in a long time. Iroh was there and he was always looking out for Zuko. He’d always looked out for Zuko during his banishment period and he was going to keep looking out for Zuko until the day he died. For the first time, there wasn’t Ozai’s shadow or all of their family baggage getting in the way of Iroh and Zuko’s relationship. For Zuko, family meant Iroh. After the war, he was finally able to realize, accept, and express that. After the war Zuko didn’t have to worry about his father’s approval or getting hurt again. He didn’t have to worry about a destiny someone else forced on him. He knew who he was by the end of the series and it was who Iroh always knew he could be. Zuko finding friends and gaining a found family was so important and good for him, but the most important aspect of Zuko’s end to the series was having all doubts and fears cleared away so he could just experience family with Iroh fully and completely. 

[ultranos]

How does baby dragon!Azula's act when she's finally on a sleeping and eating regimen appropriate for a growing dragon? Is she strictly carnivorous or an omnivore? How do Team Avatar and the White Lotus react to the way Azula changes when she has proper care?

As much as she hates to admit it, the “enforced bedtimes” (as the Water Tribe boy - Sokka, she mentally corrects - would put it) and diet that doesn’t leave her hungry half the time has done wonders for her mood and stress levels. Sure, she still finds them idiotic at times, but her brother’s new friends (her friends?) are...tolerable. Even the Avatar’s smelly pet bison isn’t so bad (smells like grass and sunshine and tastes like the west wind). Little things no longer set her teeth on edge.

How could anyone even tell if she wasn’t being a dragon perfectly? Her options for comparing herself are rather limited. And Ran and Shaw (Mom and Dad? That’s...going to take some getting used to. But it’s getting easier) aren’t telling her she’s failing.

Is that a dragon thing or...something else?

----

I’m currently thinking dragons are pretty much obligate carnivores, although their diet is probably mostly fish, ungulates like deer and boar, and possibly the occasional seal. (although I suspect Ran and Shaw themselves could probably take on a whale, so that might be on the list too.)

(Katara and Sokka would totally puppy-eyes if the dragon parents caught a whale or seal one day. They’ve been eating EK and FN food for MONTHS. Please let these children eat food that can remind them of home.)

----

Zuko is, of course, the most baffled and astonished by Azula’s changes. He grew up with her. Sort of. And okay, maybe he missed a lot of stuff and didn’t know his little sister as well as he could have, but still. They’re getting along. (She can’t even talk and she’s still sassing him, though. That might just be Azula. Can’t win them all.)

Aang stops being wary pretty quickly. Of course he was wary; she shot him with lightning! When she was human-shaped! (Aang will freely admit he found human-Azula a lot scarier than dragon-Azula) But Appa likes her, and Appa is an excellent judge of character. But more than that, Aang knows about dragons. And he knows they’re proud and they’re awfully protective of what’s theirs. And Zuko is her brother. Aang could have hurt him if he went into the Avatar State underneath the city. So of course she protected him then. He can be quietly happy that she’s acting that way about them now (he won’t tell anyone; she’d just deny it)

Katara finds Azula’s more annoying traits are softened now. Even the arrogance and ruthlessness are at least understandable because, duh, dragon. And if Azula gets too annoying, all Katara has to do is remind her which of the two of them have thumbs and speech.

Sokka is still confused by all this and offended in the name of science. (Seriously, what the hell? Somewhere, a biologist is crying.) But Azula is surprisingly tolerable when she’s not trying to capture them for her shitty not-dad. (Sokka remembers a story Gran-Gran told him about a sled dog they found, early in the war. They’d found the dog near the body of a dead Fire Nation soldier; they’d tried to cross the ice in those days in stealth. The dog was hurt, but was a vicious thing. Abused all its life, which isn’t surprising because duh, Fire Nation. They were debating to put it down, when Sokka’s grandfather, then just his age, took the beast in. Fed it, tended it’s wounds, the works. Slowly, grandfather earned that dog’s trust.

Sokka also knows that dog ended up saving his father’s life.)

Toph didn’t really know the Fire Princess that well at all before this. She heard stories, sure. According to Zuko, she’s practically mellow now. If that’s true, it’s a good thing, because a dragon that’s even more tightly-wound sounds like the worst thing ever.

For the White Lotus, Iroh is having a bit of A Time. He’s got a lot to work through with regards to his not-niece (that...feels like the safest term at the moment. Iroh eyes “daughter” like it’s a viper). Like...everything he ever knew or thought he knew about her. The rest of the White Lotus are in a similar situation, since most of their knowledge of Azula comes from Iroh, so there’s a total disconnect between their strange reality and Iroh’s apparently-biased assessment. At some point, one of them will try to figure out what this means for Fire Nation Succession and they’ll all have an aneurysm .

Well, except Bumi. Bumi thinks this situation is the most entertaining thing to happen in decades.