#zuko “i hate having emotions so anyone who knows has to die”

[petricorah]

more 🐢🦆 wip [id in alt]

edit: completed comic here

[sokkastyles]

Galaxy bra1n on Tumblr What do you think about this post? I just happened upon it honestly, and it just... made me squirm tbh. I just don't like it. But I'm not sure how to put it into words, so I'd really like to know your thoughts on it if it's not too much of a bother ofc. I don't mean any offense to the OP too, it's just that this take rubs me the wrong way. Really love your blog!

Yeah lol this take is weird for a few reasons. First of all if you don't mind the ship idk why you care about what is a "good" reason to ship them. Characters can and have been shipped together because they looked at each other once and for no reason at all, and that's perfectly fine because like, who cares?

Second, I am so tired of people blaming Zuko for Azula shooting lightning at Katara. Zuko wasn't goading Azula out of stupidity or pride, he was trying to end the fight quickly without involving anyone else using a move he knew Azula had no defense against that he had used once before against his father, to quickly end a fight without violence. He did not think Azula would go for Katara because that is against the rules - that Azula set, because she challenged Zuko - of an agni kai. You could MAYBE say that Zuko should have anticipated that Azula would cheat, but that's always been their dynamic. Zuko is always too honorable and Azula is always lying and cheating. What has changed is that she's no longer able to manipulate Zuko and is revealed to be the lying cheater that she always was, but that still doesn't mean he could have anticipated her aiming at Katara, who had to be exactly in the right place at the right time.

As far as him "doing the bare minimum"...I mean, I do think he would have done it regardless of who it was who was in danger and his relationship to them, but that's not a reason to diminish what he did, either. It takes incredible fortitude to put yourself in harm's way for another person, and fast reflexes to get there in time. Katara herself is frozen to the spot, which is a natural reaction to danger, but if Zuko had done that or not reacted fast enough or even been slightly off, she or he would have died instantly. So let's not belittle what Zuko did in sacrificing his own life to save someone else in an incredible act of selflessness, compassion, and heroism just because we don't like a ship.

Third, these takes always miss WHY it's seen as a shippy moment. It's not only the culmination of a specific narrative arc between the three of them, the thematic motif of Zuko being positioned between what Azula and Katara represent to him, respectively, the choice between selfishness and selflessness, hate and love, cruelty and forgiveness - which alone are pretty damn good reasons to ship them. But not only that, it's the strong emotions that are created from that act. I don't think Zuko jumped in front of the lightning because he loved her. But you can't help but love someone after that, after giving your whole being to another person in that moment. And Katara does the same thing for Zuko. Sure, you could argue that she would have done it anyway, her morals wouldn't allow her to let him die, but the act itself still remains, with all its meaning, and the emotion behind it.

And the narrative goes out of its way to tell us that this is impossible! That a failure to redirect lightning correctly will result in perma-death. That Katara's powers of healing alone weren't enough to bring someone back from that precipice without spirit water. But they do it anyway. They save each other, through sheer force of will, and they can't not be tied to each other after that.

If that's not a good enough reason to ship, I don't know what is. Which doesn't mean you have to, of course. You are free to not vibe with a ship, regardless of the reasoning behind it. But don't tell me it's not a damned good reason.

[litterateur97]

I am going to cause riot 😌😉

Question 1, 2, 5 and 6 for death note please.

Question 8 for atla.

Lol, thank you for the ask!

1. What OTPs in your fandom(s) do you just not get?

For Death Note specifically, I'd say the only OTPs I don't really get are Light x Misa and then when Ryuk gets shipped with anybody. I'm not against anyone shipping these pairings, I just personally don't see it. The entire story of Death Note to me shows that Light x Misa are not good together, and Light doesn't love her, and Light comes across as gay or asexual in my opinion. But I guess if people are just shipping them in an unhealthy way I can understand it. And then Ryuk just doesn't make sense with anyone to me lol. I mean I'm down for monster fucking type ships (I enjoy Rem x Misa), but Ryuk comes across as asexual and I just can't see him ever being interested in anyone like that.

2. Are there any popular fandom OTPs you only BroTP?

I'm not sure there's any pairing that I only see as a BroTP, but I guess I see L x Matsuda as more of a BroTP than an OTP. I like the idea of them as L as the older brother who is condescending towards his younger brother Matsuda. L does bully Matsuda quite a bit throughout the series lol so I can see them more as family or close friends in some ways.

5. Do you have a NoTP in Death Note?

I don't personally enjoy any incest type ships, so anything where it's like Light with his family or L with Watari is a no go for me.

6. Has fandom ever ruined a pairing for you?

Oh boy you might get me in trouble with this one lmao. Yeah, the Death Note fandom definitely ruined lawlight for me for awhile there. When I first joined the fandom, I was really into the fanart and most of the fanfics for lawlight, but idk it felt so everywhere and in my face all the time, so I started to get bored of it. I was more interested in the crack ships or rare pairs for the series because I didn't see them as often. And lawlight never quite gave me the same emotions lawmane did anyway. But then some folks would accuse you of homophobia if you shipped something other than lawlight, and that particularly annoyed me because I am gay. I think the fandom has gotten a lot less intense about it now though, so I'm enjoying lawlight again even if it's not one of my favorite pairings, but I definitely don't have the enthusiasm for it that I could have if the ship hadn't been ruined for me in my starting days in the fandom.

8. Unpopular opinion about ATLA?

I'm not sure how unpopular this opinion is (I always feel like there's a lot of hate towards Katara for this but I don't really know for sure if there is), but I very firmly believe that Katara had every right to threaten to kill Zuko and not accept him with open arms when he first joined the gaang. I mean I think people really ignore her perspective on this. She was the first one to trust Zuko, and then he immediately betrayed her, a betrayal that led to her best friend, who she saw as the only hope for fixing her world, dying. And so many people gloss over that fact, but Aang did in fact die at the end of season 2 and was revived by her when she used the spirit water. And then it took forever (months?) for Aang to wake up from his coma and can you imagine how scary that must have been for Katara? She was probably thinking about when she lost her mother or how the world was about to lose its only hope for peace or about how she'd never have fun penguin sledding with Aang again. Of course she threatened Zuko when he joined the gaang, she couldn't let him hurt Aang ever again. And the scene where she tells Zuko "bring my mother back" is obviously her response to the trauma of almost losing Aang reminding her of the trauma of her mother's death. Aang dying in front of her retraumatized her and reminded her of her mother dying in front of her. She sees Zuko as responsible for Aang's death, which I think is fair considering the betrayal, and because Zuko couldn't bring back Aang (Katara already did that herself), she tells him to bring her mother back. It makes complete sense to me.

[azula-omnipotens]

So. Do you think you can challenge the Entity in it's own realm? You think you can defy it? Think again. The Entity is above the level of a God. It's a being of immeasurable cosmic power. One that inhabits the very fabric of the cosmos itself. It had beaten it's realm of Gods and Eternals and now seeks to devour the soul and energy of all living beings just to sustain itself. How many terra worlds it has devoured? No one knows but it might have reached into the 10s of thousands. All from different places and different times. Yes. The Entity sees all, feels all and knows all. It's everywhere and anywhere at all times in all places and can be anyone and everyone at all times. It has visited other worlds from other timelines and universes and met countless versions of the same being.

So there's a chance it may have seen different versions of you. Perhaps one where you are friends with Zuko, another where you're not born in the Fire Nation or even one where you're a boy. It has the ability to make fiction a reality. So in some universe, you might be a fictional character played by a movie actor. And everything that is not real is real to the Entity's eyes.

You think you understand pain? To the Entity, your ambition is but child's play and your power and your world are just another snack. It cares nothing for noble titles or race or nation as it seeks to suck all the life force of a world.

You know, you could prove useful to it. As the Entity feeds from all Emotions of the spectrum. Although it mostly prefers negative ones. All the anger, hate and spite you have in your heart might keep the Entity entertained. Although, be warned for the it will take full advantage of your suffering and will make you hallucinate to the point that meds will not stop them from happening.

You'd wish you die but to the Entity

Death is not death

Death is not reality

And Death is not an Escape

I just want to use some forbidden relics to summon someone like a ghastly undead knight temporarily to wreak havoc and burn the rebels with me. Having a cult has its benefits in being able to find and use thingies like that, to traverse the spirit realm or cast smites on the world to cause that pretty little crisis I've been talking about. You know... I want it all or not at all. I would rather burn than fade out, which will be truly fitting me, the one and only rightful Fire Lord! As for that... Entity... I'd agree to feed it with my hate... if only it allowed me to borrow its souls to play in my world. I wouldn't actually mind if it devoured all the souls of those who will meet their judgment for betraying Fire Nation... I would feed anyone to the shadows to reclaim what is mine and open Zuzu's eyes... trust me.

[hello-nichya-here]

Do you think Zuko actually wanted to kill Azula during the last agni kai? By trying to redirect her lightning back at her? Because when he saw her crying in defeat, I don't think he ever pitied her before. Well maybe except when she said "my own mother thought I was a monster". So even before that, despite genuinely loving her, he was always jealous of her and thought that she always gained everything so easily, effortlessly, that she had no issues whatsoever

Did Zuko want to kill his sister? No. Was he willing to kill her if he thought it was necessary? Absolutely. The same goes for Azula "wanting" to kill him. Just take a look at how they both act when they're not under direct orders from someone else or on opposing sides of the war.

As a child, Azula had THE perfect chance to get rid of Zuko, and all she'd have to do was literally sit around and wait. Sure, the way she let Zuko know about Azulon's/Ozai's plan was disturbing, but she did let him know about it and saved his life. Years later, she essentially handed him the crown twice (on Crossroads Of Destiny and on The Headband)

Speaking of Crossroads, let's not forget at what point Zuko threw away everything he had (been forced to) build for himself in Ba Sing Se: he saw Azula being cornered by enemies, and jumped in to help her out. And said enemies were Aang and Katara. Don't get me wrong, they're powerful as hell and Zuko knows that, but he also knows that Aang is a pacifist, that they've both saved his life, and that they never killed anyone. Sure, it's a dangerous situation - but it's far less dangerous than if she were facing the Dai Li or even Iroh.

They genuinely bonded on The Beach (in unhealthy ways that involved arson, but hey, that's progress for them). Hell, they had a meal together that episode - does Zuko, the boy who called Ozai a fool in episode three despite having been disfigured and banished him, sound like the type that would swallow his pride, ignore his anger and be all polite to someone he genuinely couldn't stand just so things wouldn't be awkward for Mai and Ty Lee or because it could backfire on him? No! He would have flipped the goddamn table and stormed off! And in The Avatar And The Fire Lord he actually asked her a question when he was trying to figure something out - which is surprising considering he quite clearly feels insecure due to Azula being better than him in pretty much everything, including on their studies - and she answered him, no lies or "What do I get in return?" (she kinda ruined the moment in the end with the comment about his scar, but let's not focus on that)

And then The Southern Raiders episode comes up, Azula attacks Zuko and his friends, and explicitly says she's going to kill him... yet the second he thinks she's about to die, he instantly looks conflicted instead of relieved or even indifferent. I remind you that Zuko was willing to kill a former enemy of the watertribe that very episode, and that if he didn't believe that killing Ozai was Aang's fate he would have turned his own dad into a kebab... yet he didn't want to lose his sister.

Finally, we get the last Agni Kai, with a sond that makes it sound like a tragedy instead of an epic battle between a hero and a villain. After Azula tried to kill and Katara, he literally needs emotional support when he sees her cry. His "evil" sister is defeated, he is Fire Lord... yet he isn't happy. Because Azula was in pain. That battle truly humanized her in his eyes, and the war ending freed them from their rivalry.

These two supposedly hate each other, but whenever Azula has a chance to help Zuko out she does it, and his hatred/indifference towards her crumbles the second she's in danger or shows any vulnerability.

[renegadewangs]

Van Zieks - the Examination, Part 1

Warnings: SPOILERS for The Great Ace Attorney: Chronicles. Additional warning for racist sentiments uttered by fictional characters (and screencaps to show these sentiments).

Disclaimer: These posts are not meant to be taken as fact. Everything I'm outlining stems from my own views and experiences. I am a 30-something European woman, and therefore may not view the matter from certain angles. That said, I'm always open to more input from others. If you believe that I've missed or misinterpreted something, please let me know so I can edit the post accordingly. If we can make this a team effort, I would love that.

The purpose of these posts is an analysis, nothing more. Please do not come into these posts expecting me to either defend Barok van Zieks from haters, nor expecting me to encourage the hatred. I am of the firm belief that characters are no more than a tool created to serve a narrative purpose, therefore the question I'm posing is whether or not Barok van Zieks serves this purpose. That's all I'm doing here.

I'm using the Western release of The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles for these posts, but may refer to the original Japanese dialogue of Dai Gyakuten Saiban if needed to compare what's said. This also means I’m using the localized names and localized romanization of the names to stay consistent.

It doesn't matter one bit to me whether you like Barok van Zieks or dislike him. He's not real anyway, so he can't suffer from it. However, I will ask that everyone who comments refrains from attacking real, actual people. If you know you're morally in the right, there should be no need for insults to begin with. Let's keep this conversation civil and constructive! As the first post in a series, let’s first start by examining the expectations we would have for a character like this. The purpose he was meant to serve.

1: Expectations

As I said in a different Barok-related essay, the main prosecutor of any Ace Attorney game has been, and always will be, an antagonistic force. Not a villain, not even necessarily someone who exhibits immoral traits. (Hi Klavier!) Just someone who impedes the protag’s goal of getting a not-guilty verdict. In order to have an effective antagonist, they need to mirror the protag's weaknesses back at them. Ace Attorney does this quite well, as the prosecutors represent the obstacle/turmoil that the defense needs to overcome. Often times, the prosecutor is also tied to a pivotal moment in the attorney's past, making sure the strife is quite personal.

Considering the game's plot and settings, it would've been difficult for Barok to be tied to Ryunosuke's past. (He is tied to Asogi's past, funnily enough, but that's a matter I also addressed in that other Barok essay.) So instead, Barok represents Ryunosuke's struggle in more of a figurehead capacity. I've seen people dub him the 'CEO of Racism', and I'm not gonna lie, in a way that's correct. Barok was designed to be the mouthpiece of the harmful sentiments Japanese exchange students would have encountered in the 1900s. By extension, since Ryunosuke is an exchange student unfamiliar with the British courts (or even courts in general), the prosecutor would target the fact that Ryunosuke 'does not understand how things are done here'. Which he does- a lot. This makes it all the more satisfying when Ryunosuke proves him wrong by outsmarting him and using Britain's own laws (such as the closing argument) against him. So yes, you may hate Barok for uttering racist sentiments and dismissing Ryunosuke's abilities, but the ultimate goal here is that Barok's defeat is made sweeter as a result. The narrative end-game is Ryunosuke's triumph and validation in the courtroom.

Was there a different personal struggle Barok could have represented? Yes, but also no. Sure, his vendetta could have been strictly with the Asogi family and Ryunosuke could have admitted to carrying Asogi's resolve, not knowing what it meant. Though that would’ve implied very early that Asogi had a history of sorts in Britain and would’ve destroyed some of the surprise we experience in game 2. Alternatively, there was also the 'parallel' antagonist angle. The sort of villain who says the line “we're not so different, you and I.” The antagonist who shows what happens when someone with the same skills or motivations follows the wrong path, which emphasizes the right path for the protagonist. However, I can't see that working in the plot of this game.

A purposeful decision was made by the writers to have prejudice be a central theme of the plot. This is the matter that hits the hardest in an emotional sense. Therefore, having Barok be the centerpiece of this prejudice ensures he leaves the biggest narrative impact.

---

However, another long-running aspect of the AA prosecutor is the redemption arc, so let's turn our attention to that!

I'm not going to put too much effort into explaining this, I just want to talk about the requirements of a redemption arc. We all know these types of arcs, a lot of Ace Attorney prosecutors have them. We see them in fiction all over. Noteworthy examples of redemption arcs done well include Zuko from The Last Airbender, Michael from The Good Place... For argument's sake, let's toss Edgeworth in there too. I'm not saying Edgeworth's arc is done well, but at the very least it is accepted by most as something that served its intended purpose. I've never seen anyone question Edgeworth's transformation.

See, what we have here is a bit of a misnomer when it comes to what people expect to get out of these types of arcs. Redemption in itself is only 'deliverance from sin' or 'being saved from evil'. It's the thought that a horrible person can still see the error of their ways before it's 'too late'. However, when it comes to absorbing media, often a character gaining knowledge that they were in the wrong isn't enough to satisfy the audience. Would Edgeworth have had a satisfying redemption arc if he'd acknowledged his arrogance and dirty tactics, only to retire as a prosecutor? No way. We needed him to return in the following games to give us an update on his status. Standing in court as a defense attorney, at the risk of damaging his reputation, was the moment we knew he'd grown for the better.

What we require for the arc to come to a good conclusion is atonement. The character in question must not only apologize for their actions, but repent in a more active manner to show that they've changed their ways. Following that, the atonement must be acknowledged by others. So for example, Zuko joins the ATLA gang to help them in any way that he can until even the most skeptical of the group, Katara, acknowledges his transformation into a better person. Now add to this the notion that the character's atonement must be virtuous and sincere. The Good Place is a fascinating look into the debate of 'is it ever too late for a person to change?' and the moral complications of changing in the first place. If you're only doing good things because you want to be saved from damnation, are you being a good person or are you being selfish? There's such a thing as corrupt motivation; only doing good because it is expected. For example, does sponsoring a library make Magnus McGilded a good person? It does not, since he's only doing it to boost his own reputation and have people believe he's selfless.

As a final note, I want to ask: Does a redemption arc require a backstory to justify the character's immoral ways? Personally, I don't think that it does. It's good to have, since it allows an audience to empathize with the character and give them more of a reason to root for them. It turns the redemption arc into a tale about overcoming past trauma. However, it can backfire when done badly and lead to frustration. (I'm looking at you, live action Disney movies!) Some characters are evil just for the sake of being evil and even then, they can turn over a new leaf because they realize it is just so much more rewarding to be good. Just look at Michael from The Good Place.

What's more effective than a backstory, in my opinion, is smaller details to humanize a character. Humanization can also lead to empathy, perhaps even relatability, and helps us believe that they're capable of change. We need to be told that a character has their own fears, their own flaws, their own odd little habits which deviate from the norm... Again, I'll point to Michael from The Good Place for this. Another humanization tactic, which we see employed often in Ace Attorney, is to display a prosecutor's likes and hobbies outside the courtroom. Edgeworth's fanboying over the Steel Samurai, Blackquill's love for birds, Nahyuta's willingness to stand in line for hours to get his hands on a delicious burger... I've feel ya, Nahyuta. This tactic is more readily employed in Ace Attorney because it's difficult to place a prosecutor in a position of weakness before the final showdown. You can show them tending to hobbies during Investigation segments, but you can't show them waking up from a nightmare or wondering whether their father loves them. Well, not until case 5 of that game, anyway. By then, it's too late to serve as the sole humanization factor. Did Van Zieks need to be redeemed at all? The way I see it, the only correct answer is yes. What do we want to see in our world? Do we want people who hold racist prejudice to acknowledge their faults and become better, or do we want them to die clinging to their shitty moral compass? Do we want a world where everyone learns to get along, or do we want a world where people continue to be in the wrong and act like assholes until they inevitably get punished by law for something or another? Van Zieks needed to be redeemed in order to teach that valuable lesson that it’s never too late to be a good person and that it pays to be a good person.

So to summarize, what we needed from Barok van Zieks was the following:

1) Present an antagonistic (possibly immoral) force who personifies Ryunosuke's biggest personal obstacle/weakness, in this case racial prejudice. 2) Humanizing traits begin to show. OPTIONAL: A backstory to justify any immorality he has. 3) Over time, Barok has his realization and sees the error of his ways. 4) Barok atones for his immorality, not simply through apology but by taking decisive steps. 5) The cast around him acknowledges his efforts and forgives him.

This leaves us with the question: Does the game deliver on these points? Well, let's boot it up and find out! Stay tuned for The Adventure of the Runaway Room! (as a warning, it’s gonna be LONG)

[just-jordie-things]

65. For the kiss prompt for a zuko x reader

prompt 65: one small kiss, pulling away for an instant, and then devouring each other ___

“You’re really stupid sometimes, you know that?” You murmur, even though you want to scream in his face.

It’s not like you to lose your temper, especially on Zuko- although he truly did deserve it sometimes- but you were blinded by your own fears as you scurried about the apartment.

He’d come home very late, only to find you waiting up for him, your arms crossed and your gaze piercing as he crept in through the door.  He’d been caught red handed, the mask still on his head, but he had instantly thought that running away would be his only option.

Of course, as soon as he’d stepped into the light and you’d seen how bloodied and bruised he was, your anger dissipated and your anxiety took over.

Now he was sat on the couch, watching you rush on the tips of your toes as not to wake his resting Uncle, and gathering the supplies you’d need to bandage him up.

“I mean, how foolish must you be?” You asked him in passing.

You’d been pacing for some time now, muttering to him every time you walked by.

“What would you have done, spirits forbid, if someone had recognized you? Hm?”

Finally you sat down, forcefully, and although he was staring at you intently, you couldn’t meet his eyes.

You used a dropper to apply a little bit of rubbing alcohol onto a cotton cloth, and shook your head.

“What was I supposed to have done then?” You grumbled.  “If someone recognized you, then you would have been captured.  Yo would have been taken away from me- and then- and then...” 

You trailed off, your brows furrowed and your eyes focused solely on the cloth in your hands, before you reached up to his face and gently began to wipe away the blood.  

“This may sting” You whisper, your voice softer than it had been moments ago, and when he winced at the small sting of the alcohol against an open wound, you winced too.  He noticed.

“I’m sorry,” He mumbles, and for a brief moment, your eyes meet, but you just as quickly go back to tending to his cuts.  “But I didn’t get caught, just roughed up a little, it was a pretty even fight” 

Your hand dropped from his face, and your brows furrowed again as you finally looked him in the eyes.

“Is that supposed to make me feel better?” You hiss, and smack his arm with the cloth before dropping it back into your little medical kit.

“Um, yeah?”

“Zuko, you idiot,” You seethe.  “You came home hurt, very hurt-”

“It’s fine, it’s just some blood and bruises, it’s really nothing to get worked up about” 

You gape at him for a moment, and he’s confused as to why you were so upset with him.

But your eyes are glossy and he knows he’s hurt you, he just doesn’t know how, or how to make it better.

“You don’t get it, at all,” You whisper, your voice cracking from the tears that you were trying to hold back.

You get a fresh cloth so that you can wipe the blood off his face, your fingers nothing but gentle as you maneuver around the sensitive skin.

“You never have” You murmur, more to yourself than him, and his heart sinks.

“(y/n),” Zuko says, and reaches to take your hand away from his face, and bringing your attention back to him.  “I really am sorry, I should have told you that I-”

“That’s you're the Blue Spirit? Or that you’re an idiot?”

He makes a face at her sarcasm, one that normally would have made her laugh, but she doesn’t.

“I’ve known you a long time, Zuko,” You sigh.  “I think I’ve even known you longer than anyone else, I’ve definitely been with you longer than anyone.  But I’ve known you for long enough to know that I- I can’t bear to see you hurt, I- I physically can not take it” 

Now it’s Zuko’s turn to cinch his brows as he regards you with concern, he’s still a little confused, but he’s starting to understand.

You care about him, a lot, it seems.  Maybe even as more than a friend.

“I’m sorry,” He says again, clearly this time.  “I should have told you” 

“No, what you should have done is nothing,” You whimper, your tears starting to fall and you turn your head so you can wipe them away with some of your dignity left intact.  “You should have just stayed home, where you were safe, and not be so- so stupid!” 

He shushes you as you raise your voice, hands reaching out for yours, and turning you back towards him.

“I know, I know,” He murmurs, grasping your hands tightly.  “You’re right, you’re always right” 

This earns him a small scoff from you, but it’s accompanied by a faint smile, and it lifts his heart a little.

Tentatively, he reaches one hand up to your face, smoothing over your neck, his thumb resting against your jaw as he gazes fondly at you.

The tears on your cheeks kept falling, although he made an effort to wipe them away, even if he had to do it one at a time.

“We’ve come a long way,” You tell him, your voice shaky, and your eyes falling shut, both to stop your crying and so you didn’t have to look at him.  “And I don’t want that to be for nothing,” 

A little smile tugs at the corners of his lips, it’s a smile that’s reserved only for you, because you’re the only one who can make his heart leap and express himself before he can stop himself like that.

“And if you die doing something stupid-”

“You’re overthinking, I was never going to die,” Zuko chuckled, cupping her face in both of his hands.  “And you’ve done stupid stuff too, you know” 

“Well that’s different-”

“How?”

“Because I care about you, Prince Zuko,” You huff, your eyes opening to meet his.

The moment is charged, and suddenly, you’re all too aware of how close you are, and how warm his hands feel against your skin.  You start to feel yourself pressing your face further into the palm of his hand.

“Unfortunately” You finish in a murmur, and his small smile grows a little wider.

“How very unfortunate, Lady (y/n)” He replies.

You let out a short, breathless laugh, your cheeks turning pink from the title you so hated to be called by anyone but him.

But oh, how lovely it sounded coming from him.

As your eyes flicker over his features, Zuko comes to the realization that he can’t think of anything except kissing you right now, and how inviting and perfectly kissable your lips look right now.

And so in a moment of weakness- or strength?- he leaned in and kissed you. It was nothing more than a peck, over so fast that when he pulled away, you almost didn’t believe that he’d done it.

You blinked, your eyes wide as saucers as you stared at him disbelief.

For a brief moment, he thought he’d just made a huge mistake, but then you broke into a grin and you leaned right back in.

He met you halfway, his hands secure around your jaw as he guided your lips right back into his, your own hands landing on his chest haphazardly as you kissed him fervently.

His lip was split, but you paid it no mind, and apparently neither did he as he kissed you even harder, like he was trying desperately to convey every last emotion he felt for you right now.

Your hands reached out for his shoulders, steadying yourself, before deciding to shove them into his hair, your own movements desperate as well as you grounded yourself to him.

His tongue was swiping over your lips as soon as they parted, and you all but threw yourself into his lap, intoxicated too much from the electrical charge between you to care about anything but the boy before you.

“Don’t ever do something that reckless again,” You panted as his lips left yours to trail along your jaw, down your neck, and onto your shoulder.  “I’ll kill you myself if you do” You finished, still trying to catch your breath, but it was virtually impossible with the warm feeling of his mouth on your skin.

He pushed the sleeve of your shirt down to expose more skin and give your shoulder more attention.

“I believe you” He chuckled, and left one last lingering kiss to your skin before tilting his head back to look up at you.

Your hands slid around his neck, resting gently there, before you leaned in and captured his lips in a significantly softer but long kiss.  You held it until you couldn’t possibly hold your breath any longer, and you didn’t dare pull away further than necessary to speak.

“You’re so stupid, my prince” You murmur affectionately, every word dripping with love and adoration, and he knew it.

His hands grip at your waist, pulling your hips against his and all but slamming your chest against his.  A soft gasp escapes you from the sudden action, but he can feel your smile ghosting over his lips, and your own hands tighten in the slightest around his neck, getting a proper hold of him.

He has a dopey sort of smile on his face, in fact, he looks drunk as he gazes at you, but you drink it up, and feel warm under his stare.

You can’t help but lean in and kiss him passionately, and suddenly you’re both all hands and tongues again as you collapse against the sofa, trying hopelessly to get enough of each other. ___

reblog if you want to choke (and/or be choked by) zuko :) xoxo ~ jordie

[the-realharleyquin]

ATLA characters but my roomie (@tale-for-a-penny​) who has never seen it describes who they are.

A transcript of everything in the photos is written is under the keep reading 

Title: Avatar the Last Airbender characters described by my roomie who has never seen the show

Me: I will be in Orange They will be Purple (in the transcript i will be called Me and my roomie will be Ro)

[Slide 2: A photo of Toph in an earth bending stance]

Ro: IT TOPH SHE CAN MURDER BC SHE’S AN AWESOME EARTH BENDER AND SHE HATES SAND why did you start with her i love her

Me: Thought i would start easy and yes she is the best the world’s strongest earth bender

Ro: FUCK YEAH AND SHES BLIND ID DIE FOR HER BUT SHES GOT IT

Me: Fuck Yeah

[Slide 3: a photo of Suki in her warrior outfit]

Ro: I feel like she’s evil cause what good person would ever have that intense of a brow. Her name is ‘knock off jareth’

Me: This is Suki. She is one of the good guys she is the leader o this all woman/girl fighting team

Ro: Breaking stereotypes solid

Me: Yeah when The Aang Gang meet her for the first time she ends up kicking Sokka’s butt

[Slide 4: a picture of Katara her eyebrow raised and looking ready to sass someone not pictured]

Ro: OH HEY IT’S HER. she’s a water bender She’s one of Aang’s teachers I think? Her name doesn’t start w an s idk why ik that

Me: This is Katara she is one of Aang’s teacher also his crush/future wife

Ro: Yeah i got it right! She looks like she’s planning on punching someone in the dick in this pic

Me: Yeah the entire Aang Gang is just full of sass and butt kicking

[Slide 5: a photo of Princess Yue looking towards the camera]

Ro: So know how you mad me watch some She-ra? Yeah this is the perfume princess’s cousin. Her name has smth to do with ice

Me: Lol, this is Princess Yue of the Northern water tribe, she was Sokka’s girlfriend before she turned into the moon.

Ro: THATS THE MOON?

Me: Yep this is the moon

Ro: NICE. also she looks like a bitch who would yeet and become the moon

[Slide 6: a picture of Prince Zuko looking directly at the camera]

Ro: If I had watched this show when I was 14, I would’ve had a crush on him. He’s a fire lord and fuck his dad but not in a fun way and also he needs a hug. Also he deserved his redemption and he’s an abuse survivor. I fuck w him. Zuko i think? OH ALSO ‘THAT’S ROUGH BUDDY’

Me: That is completely fair, this is Zuko and he is the Redemption ark king

Ro: I GOT ANOTHER ONE RIGHT

[Slide 7: a photo of Uncle Iroh looking off to the middle left with a smile]

Ro: UNCLE IHRO? Idk how to spell his name but i know tea. And i think he died the day after recording his last lines and RIP VA and I wanna hug him.

Me: This is Uncle Iroh and i trust him with my life; and yes His VA did die, his last ep recorded was “Stories from Ba Sing Se” an already emotional episode (especially iroh’s story).

Ro: I’D LIKE TO HAVE TEA WITH THIS MAN

Me: Can he be my uncle plz

[Slide 8: Aang looks at the camera eybrows raised and a crooked smile on his face]

Ro: The mf avatar he’s a dork??? I think he’s shipped someone not good but he takes shit and kicks names

Me: this is the Avatar Aang and yea he is shipped with Katara! He is a huge dork

Ro: I said someone NOT good

Me: I would not know who that someone is i just know that he is shipped with Katara.

[Slide 9: Sokka looks off to the middle left a smile on his face]

Ro: He cant bend but he can fight like every nation. Uh. Boomerang? So much food. Didn’t he date the moon?

Me: Yep this is Sokka, he is an amazing tactician, huge dork, katara’s brother, and will fight anyone with his trusty boomerang

Ro: DID YOU IGNORE THE MOON

Me: I did not. But yeah that’s tough buddy.

[Slide 10: a photo of Ty Lee looking off camera with a smile]

Ro: THERE IS NO WAR IN BA SA BING [an image of and emoji with bloodshot eyes holding a handgun]

Me: Your thinking of Joo Dee, this is Ty Lee. She is one of Azula’s Friends she can poke you and then your arms don’t work also she baby of Azula’s group

Ro: NO I’M NOT IT WAS THIS PICTURE I JUST SAW IT LIKE A WEEK AGO

[Slide 11: A photo of Princess Azula looking directly at the camera eyebrows furrowed and a smirk on her face]

Ro: Again, if i’d watch this when i was like 14, i’s have had another crush on her. I’m assuming fire nation.

Me: Again Valid This is Azula she is Zuko’s sister. her own mom was like “WTF is wrong with my kid” with her

Ro: Man fuck the fire nation

Me: Everything was different before the fire nation decided to be dicks

Ro: Petition for that to b the new intro

[Slide 12: Mai looks directly at the camera stone faced]

Ro: I think she’s evil. But you’s specifically trip me up. So I wanna say she’s super cool and she looks like a tribe traitor.

Me: This is Mai Zuko’s gf she is the other on in Azula’s group she ends up betraying Azula for Ty Lee her gf

Ro: Is that good or bad

Me: Good, she switched because she loves her gf and bf

Ro: POLY RIGHTS [the poly flag is shown]

[muertawrites]

Two Halves - Chapter Seventeen (Zuko x Reader)

Chapter 16 - Part 1 - Part 2

Word Count: 2,130

Author’s Note: All I’m gonna say is that I think my exposition sucks, but here it is, the plot has returned (Alexa play Edge of Seventeen)

News of your newfound comfort with your husband sweeps silently and swiftly throughout the palace following your return from Ember Island, the sideways glances you receive from diplomats and servants alike impossible to overlook. Those mulling about the corridors gawk as you leave your quarters beside Zuko each morning, whispers muttered over the scandal that you now sleep in the same bed; eyes widen when you brazenly peck his lips in the company of others, and cheeks redden when his hand is spied resting shamefully low on your waist. Neither of you mind the reproachful attention, however - you want your love to be seen. 

Of course, it’s a short matter time before the council gets involved in the affair, your advisors calling a meeting less than a week after your return to berate you about the newest stain on your public image. 

“It’s disgraceful!” rages one of Yong’s aides, tossing his arms about as he shoots himself out of his seat. “The Firelord and lady are figures of authority - not foolish teenage lovers! Do you have any idea how idiotic this makes you look to the nation? To the world??” 

“Hakoda loved his wife publicly,” you flatly answer, taking a tauntingly unbothered sip of the tea laid out before you. “He’s still a very respected leader, both in the Southern Water Tribe and in other parts of the world.” 

“Chief Hakoda’s wife held no power,” the aide spits. He leans menacingly over the table towards you, clenching his fists. “You are no longer a weak, sheltered Water Tribe woman. You’re queen of one of the strongest governments to ever exist - you need to damn well act like it.” 

You shift your gaze towards the man, fixing him with a subtle, cutting glare that makes him pale. You feel the weight of your betrothal necklace at your throat, the force pushing you upward to stand at eye level with him. 

“I was never weak,” you state. “I was never sheltered. I watched Fire Nation soldiers murder my parents when I was six years old, and supported an entire village in my siblings’ absence when they left to fight with the Avatar. I willingly left my home to marry a stranger for the betterment of my people; do not call me weak for learning to love him.” 

A heavy silence falls over the room, a dozen sets of eyes trained on you. You stand, unwavering, unblinking, staring at the aide who challenged you; he sets his jaw, refusing to lower himself. Yong comes up beside him, laying a gentle hand on his shoulder. 

“What Jenshi means,” she sternly justifies, “is that there are still many people in the Fire Nation who are loyal to Ozai, who are used to a Firelord and lady that operate as a political alliance rather than a traditional marriage; those people may view your affections as a sign of weakness and attempt to take advantage of it.” 

“Yes,” Jenshi mutters, lowering his shoulders as he calms himself. “And with all due respect, my lady, we still don’t know who we can trust. The threat may still very well be within the palace walls.” 

You and Zuko turn to each other, sharing a noiseless, worried look; he takes your hand, squeezing it tightly as he addresses the entire room, lowering you back to his side. 

“What do the other sectors have to say?” he questions. “Military?” 

“The general consensus so far is that the military doesn’t care,” answers Counselor Chin. “Your superior skill as a warrior is revered, and the Firelady has proven a great leader in regards to our decolonization efforts. Your personal lives are of no concern to us, and we are primed to defend you against all existing dangers.” 

“Ethically there are a few problems,” chimes Advisor Shi, head of the Integrity Committee. “Your actions go against what has been culturally accepted since before Sozin’s reign; a Firelord and lady aren’t meant to be publicly affectionate with one another, no matter how they may feel for each other beyond the nation’s eye.” 

Zuko hums, nodding. 

“I understand,” he responds. “But we are trying to move away from the traditional monarchy. We’ve already established that we don’t want any children we have to be forced into their roles, and public reception was relatively accepting. What could it hurt for us to be honest about our feelings for each other?”

“It brings us back to concerns over dissent,” Yong interjects. “As Jinshi said, we’re no closer to understanding who was behind Counselor Fen’s murder or what their intentions are; we can’t let them use your emotions as leverage.” 

“Has word really spread that quickly?” you ask her, fear beginning to quake in the center of your chest. “They’re talking about it outside the palace?” 

“No,” Jinshi replies, “but it will soon. If there are actors within the palace, we assume they already know and will attempt to play your intimacy with each other to their advantage.” 

Zuko’s body stiffens, the corners of his lips turning downward into a grave, shadowed grimace. He nods in concession, but doesn’t let go of your hand. 

“We’ll watch ourselves,” he affirms, clutching your palm tighter within his. “In the meantime, I want everyone within the palace’s actions to be heavily monitored. No one is safe if we’re not.” 

After the meeting, you and Zuko take lunch together, choosing the unromantic and relatively public setting of a stateroom outside your private wing of the palace. Anxiety causes your stomach to churn like the ocean in a storm, hindering your appetite so that you only pick at your food - you notice that Zuko does the same. 

“... I visited the physician this morning,” you tell him, breaking the uneasy stagnance. “She said the medicine worked - I’m not pregnant.” 

“Good,” Zuko murmurs. His hand is raised to his chin, his voice distant as he keeps his pensive gaze aimed at an empty space on the table before you. “One less thing we have to worry about.” 

“What’s on your mind?” you ask.

“The attacks,” Zuko relays. “They’re not… normal.” 

“Normal how?” 

Zuko sighs, folding his arms in front of him as he continues to ponder, his brow furrowing in search of the correct words. 

“... They’re not what my father would do,” he says after a pause. “He wouldn’t utilize outsiders like the Dai Li, or kill an indirect target just to make a statement. That’s what Azula would do.” 

“... So you think she was behind it?” you guess. “They could have been her ideas, but the fact that she took herself out means that there had to have been someone else.” 

“Exactly,” Zuko agrees. “And that’s what’s confusing. The only person she ever feared was our father, but after he abandoned her during the comet, she hated him. Everything we have from her investigation supports that. She’d never be allegiant to him.” 

“But who else could have convinced her?” you wonder. “What else? Threatening her life clearly didn’t mean anything, and she renounced her loyalty to the Fire Nation when she was arrested. Do you think that… that maybe someone told her they were trying to overthrow you? That they offered to let her take your place?” 

“Azula was like our father. If she wanted to take over, she would’ve just taken over. She never would have taken the throne if it were offered.” 

“So… she wasn’t the one leading the attacks… but her pride kept her from bending to anyone’s will but her own. What was her place, then?” 

“I think she just wanted me dead,” Zuko admits. “Whoever approached her, they asked for her help in killing me. They gave her the opportunity to exact her revenge in a way that destroyed me little by little, the way she wanted to see it happen.” 

“... But Ozai and his supporters don’t operate that way,” you recall. 

“ They don’t,” Zuko echos. “They take by force.” 

You meet his eyes, a deep, tumbling chasm bottoming out in your stomach, the shockwave reverberating through your body. Your limbs feel limp, your head dizzy. 

“It’s not the Fire Nation,” you realize.

The words come out in a quiet gasp, carried by what little breath you can manage to force from your lungs. Zuko’s expression falls gravely blank; he reaches for your hand, bringing your knuckles to his lips without thought or care to who could see. 

“It’s not the Fire Nation,” he repeats. “Which means… there might be no one we can trust.”

The door to your bedroom slides open and sputters shut behind you, indicating Zuko’s entrance; bent over, fumbling with the ties on your robes, you don't turn to greet him, but instead share the message you got that afternoon. 

“Toph is coming,” you announce. “She heard about Azula and is worried about our safety, so she's bringing a group of-” 

You cease completely as you face the man standing in front of the doorway, horrified to find that he isn't your husband. 

“I must say, you really know how to upset things,” Advisor Xiang sneers, pacing slowly towards you. 

You take a few steps back, cornering yourself back against the nearest wall; in the waist of your robes, Suki’s fan presses harshly to your side, too hidden for you to reach without alerting your intruder.

“Get out,” you quip. “Get out before I call the guards.” 

“Make one sound and this knife will end up in your neck,” Xiang threatens. He raises a blade from his hip, holding it menacingly level with your throat; as he closes in on you, he lets it graze your skin, his gaunt, sunken face glaring down at you like a demon summoned from the darkest corner of hell. 

“You were supposed to run, little girl,” he drawls on. “You were supposed to die in Ba Sing Se. None of this - this love you have for the Firelord, your flirting with the possibility of continuing his bloodline - was ever supposed to happen. And we can't let it happen.” 

“Who is ‘we’?” you demand. You try to make your voice firm, unshaken, but it quivers in your mouth, causing Xiang to release a belittling chuckle. 

“You won't find that out,” he taunts. “I've come to discuss the terms of your punishment. You see, since you defied everything we expected of you, we’re going to make you do what we planned to do months ago - you're going to kill Zuko.” 

Bile rises to the back of your throat, your gut seizing in a panicked, terrified hitch. You shake your head, quickly and minutely, tears starting to sear the corners of your eyes. 

“No,” you detest. “I won't do it. We’ll stop you.” 

“You will do it,” Xiang hisses, “because if he isn't dead within the next seven days, your entire family - that bumbling brother, his wife, your sister and her precious little family, even your father - will die instead.” 

He removes the dagger from your neck, grinning tauntingly, maliciously, as he slips it into the loose breast of your robes. His touch sickens you, but you're too petrified to force him back. 

“And don't you dare try reaching out for help,” he snarls. “We have informants throughout the palace - we’ll know every move you make, and if anyone gets word of this, your loved ones will all perish, and this time you’ll have no one to take you in.” 

It's only when Xiang releases you do you realize he had a hold on your wrist, gripping you so tightly that he leaves flaming red marks on your skin. Tears bubble down your cheeks, a sob lodged in your throat that you refuse to let go. 

“Why are you doing this?” you plead. 

You don't know why you expect him to answer honestly - you don't know why you expect him to answer at all. He smirks, showing the ugly, yellowed points of his irregularly sharp canines. 

“Because Zuko would have been better off dead when Ozai gave him that scar,” he replies. “His is a family of sociopaths and murders, my dear - we must end the cycle before it repeats itself.” 

Xiang slips through the door he ambushed you from, and you're left alone in your terror. Fingers shaking, you take the knife from your robes and hide it under the mattress, your mind racing as you try to figure out what you can possibly do to save the people you love. 

You're in bed by the time Zuko returns, the lights turned out and your body hidden beneath the blankets, too shaken to face him. As he lays down beside you, wrapping his arms around your waist and nestling into the comfort of your body, all you can feel is the blade beneath you, slicing your side as ruthlessly as if you were the one sentenced to death.

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[lucy-dont-give-a-fuck]

Jet in the Fire Nation

While I was thinking on the Princess Usha AU (Fem!Zuko) I thought of Jet accompanying the gaang on their travels through the fire nation.

Yes, this will contain jetko, thankyou very much

In my particular version (only what I think, please check the tag and other users fics, THEY ARE AWESOME!) Jet doesn’t die and has a kind of relationship with Usha. When they fight Azula in the crystal catacombs she doesn’t go with her or the gaang, being separated as she tries to save aang and help all of them to escape. Jet and the freedom fighters escape with the gaang wich would mean he gets on the stolen fire nation ship and later goes to the fire nation.

I think this could be a great situation to explore his character, to develop him even more.

1) his relationships with Sokka and Katara:

This teens are now stucked together on a ship, what could go wrong? Tensions would be on an all high road, that plus the fact no one knows if aang is gonna survive and the sudden knowledge that Jet’s girlfriend was the firelord daughter and that she betray her whole ass nation.

Jet, who probably slowly had come to terms that not all firebenders are monsters (maybe Usha talked with him and made him realize that), would be so conflicted, maybe regressing into anger. This would be a great moment for him and Sokka to bond over beating the other. A good heart to heart fist fight. Maybe he ends up braking down and we get to see things from his perspective, the boy who’s family was murdered in fromt of his eyes and was fuled by hate, the boy that lost everything he had twice and when he makes a genuin conection, when he starts to see things over the haze of revenge and hate, she ends up being the daughter of the monster under the bed, the one who ordered her village to be destroyed. Sokka hates this guy, he is an asshole who broke his sister’s heart, who wanted to destroy a village, who was totally daranged, but now he sees him, broke down, weak, compleatly defeated. This makes him reconsider, to see things differently, after all, they are all in the same boat right? Now they can’t fight eachother, they need whoever can fight against the firelord on their side. With that in mind they start to bond, to comprehend eachother, they are not friends by any means but they have eachothers backs. Maybe he helps him to work through his PTSD? Being him to help him stay calm when they travel through the fire nation? making him remember this are civilians, not the enemy? Maybe becoming friends at the end of the journery????

On other hand we have Katara who HATES THIS DUDE GUTS and is on edge, like she never was. So at first she is openly hostile towards him, being coldly civil when needed and compleatly detesting how “friendly” his brother is towards Jet. Maybe it comes to a point that even Toph calls her out, she loves chaos but this is too much. It gets worse when Jet becomes actually helpful, wooing people to get out of problems, get information and cheper things/free things, when he starts befriending aang who gave him a second chance, when he and Sokka understand eachother. It all could explode with Hama, here is when shit hits the fan for both her and Jet.  For Jet, he realize he would have ended like Hama, they have more or less the same core story. Is this what he will become? This monster? Maybe he breaks down again having a fight with Katara has to confront the fact that Jet isn’t this two dimensional jerk that broke her heart and tried to flood a village, that he is a victim just like her and that if she continues her path she could end like him and Hama.  From here we could have them both start working things, both helping the other to heal while still being snarky and a bit hostile.

2) The fire nation

This guy, who’s village was wipe out, who saw his parents being murdered by fire benders, who spend big part of his life fighting against anyone of the fire nation, is now on enemy territory. Can you imagine how nerve wracking that must be? He would be on edge 24/7, waiting for the other shoe to drop, jumping everytime someone firebends. Now he has to confronts that these are real people, with emotions and lives, that they are not the enemy, maybe even getting angry and cofused with himself after some time not thinking about it, just interacting and living.  And then he starts to hear the stories about Usha. Here she isn’t the exiled princess who disrespected her father. Yes, she was exiled but no one knows why, her scarring is probably an open secret, everyone coming up with their own story. She is a hero, she stopped the slaughter of the 41st Division, she visited injured soldier, she was KIND.  He hears them and the pain of feeling betray, of knowing that she is the daughter of a monster, lessens, she is her own persona, she is different, she isn’t a monster. And later let’s add all the rumors about the princess returns, about the  sightings and the call to join the avatar and stop the fire lord. He sure is gonna kiss this woman when they meet again.

I just think this would be an excelent way to devolp him even more and make an interesting story.

[jaceyneedsabetterusername]

Insecurities

Pairing: Sokka x Gender Neutral! Reader 

Warnings: None

Summary: Being a non-bender in the gaang isn’t always easy but your best friend Sokka always has ways of cheering you up. 

Word Count: 2017

A/N: This is my first A:TLA fic! I hope Sokka isn’t OOC but please let me know if he is so I can write him better in the future! 

__________________________________

No matter much you insisted to yourself and everyone around you that being a non-bender didn't bother you, it was a bold faced lie. You hated it. 

Back home, it hadn't been an issue. In the little earth kingdom village you hailed from, bending was forbidden because the fire nation had soldiers there that would imprison any earth benders. Even those who had the gift didn't tell anyone so you never felt different or less than. 

But now that you were with Team Avatar, as Sokka liked to call it, there were constant reminders about your lack of powers.

You sat on a rock on the bank of the river you'd all camped next to, staring at the point where the string of your fishing pole entered the water. It was your job to provide food tonight and after much begging from Sokka for “real food”, as he called it, you found yourself trying to fish instead of forage. The sun was beginning to set, still in the pale blue stage of descent. In a little creek that split off, Katara moved smoothly, guiding water into the air with ease as she practiced a new move she'd been working on. 

Toph was just lying against a rock pillow that she'd willed up into just the right, perfectly comfortable (for a rock) form, shade being cast down on her from another sheet of rock she'd bent into a half tent form. Having secretly been a standing champion in an earth bending fighting ring, beating full grown men five times her size at the age of twelve, she seldom felt the need to practice. 

Zuko was being Zuko. He stood off away from everyone in a clearing of dirt at the edge of the woods, practicing perfectly posed movements as he tried to force more and more power into the fire leaving his palms. 

It wasn't until Aang swooshed past you on a ball of air, sending your hair and the fabric of your clothing blowing in the wake of his pure youthful laughter, that the weight of your insecurities really hit you. 

You sighed, setting your makeshift fishing rod down and wedging it between two rocks. You scrunched your knees up and rested your chin on them, imagining what your life would be like if you had been born with such power. "Hey, you okay?" Sokka appeared from seemingly nowhere, coming up from behind to sit beside you. 

You perked up and tried to shake off the painful thoughts and shrugged, "Yeah, I'm good." You lied with a smile. 

"Please tell me you caught something. I am dying for some meat. We've been eating nothing but berries for days and I think I might die." Sokka begged, plucking at the string coming from the rod. 

You smacked his hand away and reprimanded him, "You're gonna scare the fish, idiot!" 

Yours and Sokka's relationship had always been full of sarcasm and insults but always from a place of love.  As the only non-benders, you often found yourselves paired up for everything which gave you a lot of time to develop a pretty solid friendship. But your idiot, meat obsessed best friend should have known better than to disrupt your fishing. 

Sokka put his hands up in defense, "I'm sorry! I'm just hungry, okay?!" He whined, plopping his face into his hands in 

As he sulked about the hunger you all shared, you looked over, your attention drawn by Zuko's groan of frustration. A tree he was facing was slightly charred but it was clear that he had intended to cause much more damage. He was distracted and frustrated but those seemed to be fairly frequent emotions for him.

Sokka noticed the unusual silence between the two of you and glanced over, chin still on his palm, and noticed you looking sadly at Zuko. He knew very well though that the look wasn't longing for Zuko himself but rather his powers. It was a feeling Sokka was well familiar with himself, "I know how you feel." He began simply, knowing you were reading each other's minds. 

You knew exactly what he meant. It was an unspoken bond of frustration that was only ever brought up verbally when someone underestimated your competence as fighters but it was there. "Do you ever wish you could bend?" You asked, looking over at him.

Sokka leaned back, his usual air of casual cockiness fading into a more sincere version of himself that didn’t shine through as often, "Not so much anymore. I mean, when we were younger, Katara was the only bender in our village so I guess I was jealous that she had this amazing power and I didn't. But I think now I've come to accept my place in the group. Katara and you are the brains. Zuko, Toph, and Aang are the brawn. And I'm the beauty." He put his hand under his chin like a child trying to pose cutely and he pulled his "cutest" face (although you weren't sure if that's what you'd call it - more like cheesy).

You chuckled a little bit, your tone becoming a slightly lighter, "Well, if you could bend, what kind of bender would want to be?" 

Sokka chewed his lip and thought for a moment, "I think I'd stick with my roots and be a water bender. What about you?" 

Your brows furrowed, "I don't know… I mean I know I'm from the earth kingdom so I should say earth bender but I just… I don't know! My whole life would just be rocks. I mean, don't get me wrong, the powers are amazing and definitely one of the most powerful as far as I'm concerned but it's just rocks. Everything is rock." 

"I know exactly how that feels! My whole life has been ice! Everything is freaking ice! I lived in an igloo made of ice!" Sokka spoke animatedly, flailing his arms around to further his point. 

Normally, you might have giggled or rolled your eyes at his dramaticness but instead you became more enthusiastic about your words as well. "Exactly! I mean I lived in a wooden hut but we used to take trips to Omashu and everything is just rock! At least the air kingdom and fire kingdom don't just have air and fire for everything." 

"You know what?" Sokka asked, putting his hand on your shoulder, "They may have superpowers but you know what they don't have?" 

You raised your eyebrows, waiting for him to continue his sentiment. "A kick ass boomerang or a freaking awesome bow staff!" He finished, whipping out his boomerang and using it to point to your bow staff that was leaned against the rocks beside you, your main weapon of choice. 

"Aang kind of has a staff." You interjected, rolling your eyes to look over at your friend. 

"No, Aang has a magical flying stick." Sokka was clearly unamused by your attempt to fault his logic, “Just accept the fact that you’re cool too!” 

His compliments made your cheeks turn red and you laughed, “Yeah, I s’pose you’re right. I am pretty awesome.” 

Sokka’s arms went out in triumph when you finally admitted your true value, “Exactly! Besides, we’re better at hand to hand combat than them too.” 

Your head wavered side to side as an expression of unsureness swept over your face, “Eh, I don’t know about that. Have you seen Zuko with his swords?” 

“Shut up!” He whined, exasperated, “If you’re going to keep being like this, I’m going to stop trying to make you feel important.”

Your mouth fell open a little bit at his last comment, “Are you saying I’m not important?!” Obviously, you knew that wasn’t what he meant. He’d been your best friend since you joined the group so you knew that Sokka valued you just as much as you did him. But still, as such an easy target, he was so much fun to pick on sometimes. 

Your best friend quickly backtracked, “Not that you’re not important! Just- agh! You know what I mean!” His face fell dramatically and his arms dropped to his side, finally stilling from their usual expressive flailing. 

You reached over and grabbed his arm in reassurance, laughing at his flusteredness, “I know what you mean, Sokka! I’m just kidding Gosh, you’re so easy to pick on.” Sokka groaned as you pulled him in close, giving him a side hug. “Thank you for trying to help me feel better. I know that we’re a vital part of the team and that we have specialties that others don’t. I just can’t help but feel insecure sometimes when everyone else can bend the elements to their will and we can’t.” 

Sokka leaned into your touch, awkwardly side hugging you back while you held onto his arm, “Yeah, I know. Me too sometimes. But then I just remember how awesome I am and then I feel better. You should try it sometime” He let you go and pulled his boomerang out from behind him, inspecting the sharp blade with a cocky smirk you knew was just there to mask his insecurities. 

“Maybe I should.” You pondered his words as you leaned back against the rock you’d used as a back rest while you fished and looked out at the setting sun’s reflection on the water. Mentally, you took notes of all the things you were good at. Sure, Katara could move water, Toph could fling rocks, Zuko could conjure fire, and Aang… well Aang was the avatar. But you were a master fighter, capable of taking down ten men with your bowstaff alone. Not only that but you were highly skilled in hand to hand combat. Since your father had been a high commanding officer in the vigilante brigade in your village against the fire nation before he was arrested, he’d instilled a lot of knowledge crucial to survival, on and off the battlefield. Things like scavenging and foraging, making shelter and weapons from next to nothing, battle strategy, natural healing remedies, and keeping a good head in combat were all things that came naturally to you. The bender’s didn’t have that. 

Yes, they were amazingly gifted and talented people but they relied on their abilities for all things. You were able to do almost just as much, if not more, without the powers. Sokka was right: you two were total badasses. 

When you looked back at him, he was sharpening his blade on the rocks and then held it up to the light to inspect it, repeating the process a few times. An idea popped into your head and you looked over at him coyly, “Y’know, Sokka, we are total non-bending badasses. But we don’t know who’s the best non-bending badass.” 

Sokka side eyed you suspiciously, “Is that a challenge?” 

You sighed and leaned back, stretching your body out to show how little you were afraid of him, “Yeah, I think it is. Unless, you’re scared you’ll lose.” You taunted, knowing the rise you were getting out of your best friend. 

Sokka was well aware of what you were doing but he couldn’t resist the temptation of a little friendly battle. “I’m not scared!” His voice cracked, making his comment harder to take seriously, “Just be warned. There’s only gonna be two hits. Me hitting you and you hitting the ground.” He stood up, cracking his knuckles and back as he spoke. 

“Oh, is that so? Why don’t you put your money where your mouth is Water Boy?” You stood up too, grabbing your bowstaff and stamping it firmly onto the earth beside you. 

He grabbed his boomerang and gripped it tightly. He stepped closer, his nose almost touching yours as he locked you into a glare-off, a twinkle of friendly competition in his vibrant blue eyes. You knew that friendly competition was sure to come with a “friendly” amount of scuffs and bruises to both the loser and the victor, though you were positive you’d be the latter of those two. 

Sokka nearly growled as he spoke, raising his eyebrow in challenge, “It’s on.” 

[hotpinkrathian]

Scars

(Kyalin) i know I never write anything else even tho my header is catradora it’s an addiction okay

Trigger warning: sexual abuse

Katara remembered the day her daughter came home from her journey across the world. Despite the fact that her father had passed Kya smiled, like she always did. There was a lot of Aang in her. But Katara remembered seeing something, behind her smiles and words of kind ness. There was hurt there, there was something beyond her bubbly personality and obnoxious grins. There was pain. Katara never asked, and Kya never told. Truthfully Katara didn’t know how to handle something like this, and she wished that she wouldn’t have to. She never confessed her concern to Aang, which she regretted, but she had a feeling that he knew as well. Aang was good at that. When Kya left to Republic city to see her brother she remembered very vividly what her daughter had said to her.

“I’ll be careful mom, I’m okay.” And Katara was happy with that. It was enough, Kya was okay. Or at least she thought, or wanted to think.

———————————————————————

“Back in Republic city so soon?” Lin smirked as Kya departed off the boat.

“Lin it’s been three months.”

“Which is three years shorter than last time.” Kya stuck out her tongue and Lin took the bag out of her hand, swinging it over her shoulder.

“My dear brother couldn’t make it to see me arrive?”

“You know how he is. His new passion project has him occupied.”

“Well hopefully this means the next week will be somewhat relaxing.”

“I wouldn’t count on it, Rohan’s been crawling.” Kya stopped and turned to face Lin, shock and dissapoimtment on her face.

“Crawling?! I write to Tenzin all the time he always says the same thing: things are good, normal. When his youngest is crawling?! I missed it?”

“You saw the other three,” Lin attempted a smile. Kya frowned, crossing her arms and facing away.

“Still...” Lin subconsciously put her hand on Kya’s back. Rubbing it to comfort her.

“Come on,” Lin said, “let’s get you settled before Tenzin becomes unoccupied. Kya smiled and followed Lin up the steps to the air temple.

———————————————————————

Lin opened the door for Kya and let her in, allowing the white haired girl to lead the way. Lin knew the temple well enough, and certainly the path to Kya’s room, but she allowed the water bender to lead the way. Kya pushed open the door to the bare room, sighing when she stepped in and Lin set the bag on the ground.

“Same as always,” Kya whispered, walking over to stroke the tightly made bed. Lin watched as Kya traces the room, running her hand or a single finger over the furniture, and looking at it absently. Lin wondered what was going on in her head. Lin mustered the courage to go over to her as she faces the window, the sun had just began to set and the orange light lit up the room brilliantly. Not to mention how it illuminated Kya who was already so beautiful. Lin put an arm around Kya’s waist, and to her surprise Kya flinched.

“What’s wrong?” Lin asked. She knew Kya had a sensitive spot there, and few scars, but she had never told Lin how she got them.

“Nothing, just a sensitive spot.” Kya replied, taking both of Lin’s hands and looking into her eyes. Lin smiled as Kya pulled away from a kiss, dropping on of Lin’s hands and pulling her to the bed. They both laid down on their sides, facing each other. Kya ran a hand over Lin’s scars, brushing a piece of hair aside.

“You never told me how you got yours,” Lin whispered. She could feel a change in Kya when she asked, the older girl stiffened and sat up, her left hand gripping her opposing wrist. Lin proved herself up with one arm, her gaze landing on Kya’s eyes that held an emotion Lin was too familiar with.

“It’s not exactly something I’m proud of. Or even something I want to remember.” Lin stayed silent, wondering if she should push further. Kya rolled down her skirt a bit, revealing the three crosssd scars, similar to Lin’s in texture, but they were larger and not as pink. “When I left, to explore the world, I meant all types of people. Most of them were amazing, kind. Powerful. But there were some not so good ones.” Lin remained in her silence, listening to Kya’s words. She reached out and touched the healed gashes on Kya’s side, taking notice of the water benders resistance. “This one night, I was in the fire nation in a pub, my friends had left I was cleaning up, finishing my drink, paying the bill, you know how it is.” Lin nodded. “And one of the not good ones, who was absolutely trashed on drinks came up to me. He pulled me in close, and whispered into my ear. Told me to go with him.”

“Did you say no?”

“I wanted to, but there was a knife to my side. When I hesitated, he made the first one.” Lin waited as Kya took Lin’s hand and ran it across the horizontal mark, closing her eyes as she did so. And Lin tried her hardest to hold back her tears as Kya let go some of her own. “He took me to, god knows where. Some shit house two blocks from the pub, pushed me to the ground and the next thing I knew he was on top of me.” Lin bit her lip, feeling fists form at her side. “I tried to fight him off with the water from a rain pale nearby, but it wasn’t enough. He slashed me again, deeper this time and I stopped fighting. I wasn’t ready to die, Lin.” Lin felt her chest tighten as she watched Kya’s pained expression. Her heart snapped at Kya’s next words.

“I let him do it. I didn’t know what else to do I was so scared. He laughed about it Lin! I still remember him leaning into my ear, telling me... cutting the final one. I wanted to scream, but there was a knife and I wasn’t working properly and I-“ Lin cupped Kya’s head in her hands and Kya broke into a steady sob.

“Hey it’s okay, Kya it’s okay. You’re safe now.”

“Lin you don’t get it,” she sobbed, “I went back.” Lin paused, and Kya’s sobbing decreased for a moment.

“What?”

“I went back, two years ago, and I- I did something.”

“Kya what happened? You can tell me.”

“I didn’t mean too. I wanted him to feel my pain. Their pain. I had never bloodbended before and I...” Kya trailed off, breaking into the sobs again. Lin pulled her head to her chest and let the water bender cry on her. Lin’s heart was racing and a mix of emotions went through her head, anger, definitely, sorrow. Confusion.

“Kya did you... the man?”

“I killed him Lin. And I walked into the department I told them what I had done. Izumi, and Zuko, they came two days later and got me. I went home after that.” Kya wiped her cheek with her hand.

“Does Katara know?”

“No- yes? I don’t know. I never told her but you know how she is. I never told anyone the whole story, I think Izumi and Zuko figured something had happened but that’s it.” Lin pulled Kya close to her again and kissed her on the top of her head, and rubbed her back.

“I love you Kya. Nothing will change that. He hurt you okay?” Kya didn’t reply, she just let herself be held by Lin. Her hand still rubbed against her scars, not a day went by were she wished they were gone. She hated them, and she guessed Lin could somewhat understand what that felt like. At some point Kya fell asleep and Lin laid her down on the bed, throwing a blanket over her. Before Lin could leave she heard the faint voice from behind her call her in a near inaudible whisper.

“Can you stay?” Lin nodded and went back to the bed and crawled next to Kya, who settled her head on Lin’s chest. Lin stroked her hair and stared at the ceiling, processing what Kya had just told her. She took a deep breath, and soon she too was asleep, nestled into her girlfriend.

[chatonyant]

im just so sad about this funky crow ninja

Listen

Listen

Itachi is just

Such a tragic character and it makes me so sad

Like he's a pacifist at heart but he was forced to be the literal opposite at such a young age and I'm just so sAD ABOUT IT

(Under cut cause it’s long and it’s about the uchiha massacre if yall would rather not read bout that But it also has some soft ideas down at the way bottom if yall wanna just speed scroll to the bottom)

How he came to the choice he made regarding the Uchiha massacre totally makes sense to me. It wasn't a good decision, it wasn't a decision best suited for the situation, but it made sense. And it gets worse once you realize that he was 13. Thirteen. No wonder he couldn't find/use a third option. He's still a child, even in this world of child soldiers. He bloodied his hands and wore a mask so that the home he loved and the brother he adored could be safe.

I wish his story could've been written... better, for a lack of proper words. Maybe that is the right word. But I want to see him do more for Konoha. He became a missing nin for Konoha to spy on Akatsuki/Madara but we don't see the results of that. What information does Konoha get from him? Because we know that he's still loyal to Konoha after all this time. Did he do anything to slow Akatsuki down? Did he do things to benefit Konoha or stop something from badly impacting it? What did he do?

And then he dIES AND HE JUST DOESNT GET A BREAK AND IM HHHHH :((((((

And he was sick and going blind too!!!! I swear he was the universe's punching bag (though one of many cause the naruto universe just Be Like That)

Fuck ok I came on here to ramble about Itachi in my au but then got sad sO AU TIME NOW

For one I want to make him.... more sympathetic? A redemption works best when its shown from the start that there is more than meets the eye. Like Zuko, for example. He was a jerk, but there are moments where it's clear that he's not as much of a jerk as he could have been. And I wanted to do something similar with Itachi (and a couple other villains tbh but it's also a matter of "Should you survive" coughObitocough I love you but idk if you survive in this au or not but I have ideas nonetheless but that is for a later time)

Anyways, morally grey but more clearly Itachi

Honestly I've got more ideas for his ending than the beginning. Which is... very annoying. This is unfortunately the case for many... many of my ideas....

An idea I've been juggling with is Itachi not killing everyone. He definitely kills everyone who's activated their sharingan and anyone who is/was a shinobi. So everyone who's not a civilian. So,,, the survivors are very very little and are civilian mothers and civilian children too young to even attend the academy and like the occasional shop owners. The massacre was to stop the coup and prevent it from ever happening, so those who have the power to set forward this coup are any shinobi. And unfortunately, the Uchiha clan is an old shinobi clan.

Itachi is not a blank mask and does cry when he kills his parents and they leave their parting words. He's 13, forced to commit a crime that goes against his every wish, moral, and beliefs. Plus I believe the Uchiha are naturally every emotional- or at least feels it more intensely than others. Their whole defining ability has to do with emotions. They feel Very Strongly.

And thus by "cry" I mean he cries a lot. He almost has a breakdown right then and there when little baby Sasuke crashes in and see his crying older brother holding a bloody blade over his two very dead parents. 

For someone willing(ish) to murder a(lmost) a whole clan for the sake of his little brother, Itachi sure does directly hurt Sasuke a lot. Like genjutsu torture? Placing responsibility of avenging a whole clan on his tiny, angry shoulders? Oof, Itachi, bad ideas. 

So Itachi wants Sasuke to be safe. To be happy to the best of his ability. So instead, he uses a milder form of Tsukuyomi to place a suggestion in his baby mind that Itachi was in fact a cold hearted murderer. But the human mind is a strange thing that is difficult to understand, so for years Sasuke has nightmares of that night with his perception of Itachi varying wildly between a stone cold face and a tear-stained one. 

Itachi doesn’t do the whole “hate me and kill me for vengeance” because, again, he wants Sasuke to be safe and happy. Considering that he lives in a shinobi village and just had a highly traumatic experience, both are hard to come by, but the least Itachi can do is not have Sasuke’s whole life be overcome by hatred. Curse of Hatred is a very real thing, Itachi. I know you want Sasuke to have a goal to drive him forward and not waste away but bad idea Itachi. Maybe he says something else. Maybe he tells Sasuke to get stronger (but not in a “so you can get revenge” kind of way). I don’t know. But he doesn’t quite plant the idea of vengeance in his mind, so Sasuke’s motivation and drive ends up differently. Butterfly effects oho Also since Sasuke unlocked his sharingan during the massacre... is it possible to activate mangekyo as well? Cause he loves Itachi most, yes, but he also loved his parents, his mom especially. Would that be enough? Wiki says “death of someone close to the user”, so it’s possible, I think.

So many ideas about the massacre holy shit

Like Shisui. I’d totally love to make him live but frankly, I’ve got no idea how. :”D sorry Shisui, you’ll have to stay dead until I can find a solid reasoning as to how you survived and why

As for Madara/Tobi, well in anime he went after the Police headquarters while Itachi went after everyone else so there’s that, not much to change there

Then there’s a whole bunch of aftermath hijinks

Itachi is said to have aided Konoha within Akatsuki, but it’s not very clearly shown. Considering how we aren’t shown what exactly he passed on, that will be uh.... perhaps expanded on later. 

Sasuke and Itachi interactions before Shippuden would be different due to Sasuke’s own differences, but those differences haven’t be set yet so that will be explained later.

Ok, now the whole Itachi dying and being reincarnated shebang. Fourth War sure is wild as fuck. “Let’s mass reincarnate people!” what.

I don’t want Itachi to die. I want to let him rest. But not in death. 

So the general idea I have for the “end” of the story is:

He becomes legally blind. Not completely blind, but very close. His chakra coils are fucked and his sharingan are stuck in a way that he can kinda see chakra but very vaguely. 

His illness isn’t completely healed, but it’s much better than before; Sakura and Tsunade are legendary at what they do

He returns home to Konoha. Not sure how he will be accepted into the village but I was thinking the village makes a half-lie half-truth story pinning the blame on Danzo (Cause when in doubt, blame Danzo. Or Zetsu. But Zetsu isn’t blamable here)

He may not be imprisoned, but he isn’t free to roam. He’s monitored and has a (temporary?) seal placed on him limiting his use of chakra.

Itachi is surprisingly ok with all of this. He gets to retire from a shinobi life and he’s unraveled the story to Sasuke and was gifted a form of forgiveness. Life’s chill.

He works at the Yamanaka flower shop. It’s calming, peaceful, and it’s run by Yamanaka, powerful shinobi and also knowledgeable on psychology.

His crows are now seeing eye crows. They sit on either his shoulders or head and squawk whenever Itachi is too close to bumping into something. Sasuke very much enjoys when the crows are on Itachi’s head because when he tosses little treats at the birds, sometimes they land in Itachi’s hair.

It’s very hard for the shinobi to fear this honestly tiny man (because Itachi is small, fight me) who’s humming while watering plants with a bird on top of his head while the various heroes of Konoha take turns tossing treats at the bird like it’s a dog. 

“Nii-san. Nii-san stop squishing my cheeks.” “But Sasuke I want to see your face.” “Nii-san-”

oh my god so much brain power used on the massacre just so i could make itachi have a very domestic ending

[enchantedisabella]

headcanons about atla that should’ve been canon

azula is not straight

like if you tell me she is straight i will proceed to laugh in your face for ten minutes straight

and never take you seriously again

like, ever

okay moving on

ty lee is bisexual

tyzula was a thing

zuko has major daddy issues but azula has both mommy and daddy issues and she is by far one of the most fucked up characters in the series, and did not deserve her fate, and the series instead showed her ‘getting what she deserved’ when in reality she was a teenager following orders from her father who was supposed to guide, protect and love her

but instead of doing any of those things he manipulated her and twisted her into becoming his lackey and his killing machine and that was wrong and she deserved so much more than being thrown in a mental institution and being forgotten about

actually a lot of these are about azula idk why

wait no ik why it’s because i love her with all my heart but anyway

toph and sokka had the strongest bromance to ever exist in the whole avatar universe and for the directors to portray bamf toph as having a crush on sokka was such a cold take and so,,, not it

like isn’t there like a six year age difference for them? or maybe four? but I’m pretty sure it’s six because toph is ten but sokka is sixteen but correct me if I’m wrong whatever

like,,, just let them live you know??? toph and sokka are the two sassiest most sarcastic characters in the entire series and you cannot tell me that their bromance would not rival,,, literally everyone else’s

katara once put makeup on toph. needless to say she absolutely hated it but katara was in a sucky mood so toph wanted to cheer her up. she stepped out for one (1) second, intending to watch her face, and sokka wouldn’t stop laughing for twenty (20) minutes. he still brings it up at campfires now

zuko sometimes tries to incorporate katara’s waterbending moves into his firebending after uncle iroh showed him the lightningbending move. he tried to teach azula how to do it once too but it took three days before she would deign to try and learn a ‘filthy water peasant move’

azula secretly loves how she can exercise her power in completely different moves though and she works in secret on new bending moves, taking inspiration from the other cultures, but she’d rather die than admit zuko helped her

azula, mai and ty lee absolutely called themselves the terrible trio. it started after mai coined it sarcastically after they suffered a bitter defeat at some battle and after that it just stuck. azula hates it, ty lee loves it

ty lee calls mai and azula ‘her girls’. they hated it at first and azula stuck her chin up saying she was not anyone’s girl, but ty lee was unshakeable about the matter. mai almost threw up after azula responded immediately to it after a few weeks despite her protests. then mai responded to it accidentally and spent the rest of the week contemplating suicide attempts

tyzula shared their first kiss after azula brought down ba sing se’s walls. ‘i’m so happy i could kiss you’ were the exact words azula said, and ty lee responded ‘then do it.’ it was the first time azula had ever admitted she was happy. ty lee smiles every time she remembers it

suki doesn’t like azula, but after the war she has a kind of grudging respect for her. i mean this girl conquered a city at fourteen??? and became fire lord, if only briefly??? like??? what a badass bitch? warrior to warrior, suki respects azula. person to person though is a different story.

after people fall in love, their auras have a little of the colour of their s/os. that was how ty lee could tell zuko and mai were really in love, after zuko’s scarlet red developed kind of a grey tinge and mai’s sludge grey had a kind of reddish air to it. she couldn’t believe it at first when azula’s electric blue had a steady pink hue around the borders. she jumped into azula’s arms and kissed her the moment she saw. it was the most emotional azula had gotten after ty lee explained why, with one (1) tear rolling out of her eyes. she evaporated it on her skin but ty lee still remembers

katara and aang are that kind of couple who are close in a way that people always assume they’re best friends instead of, you know, dating. but katara doesn’t care because she’s never given much thought to everyone else’s opinions and she’s more in love with aang every passing day, so. aang takes it as a compliment that people assume they know each other inside out.

sokka and suki, however, are That Couple. kissing everywhere and anywhere. and surprisingly so are zuko and mai. when katara compared them, mai reached for the nearest bucket and wouldn’t let it go for three hours.

ty lee and mai trained alongside azula just so they could hang out with her after ozai announced he thought azula was too old for playdates. they all got special treatment at the fire nation royal academy for girls and that was where ty lee learnt to do acrobatics and chi block, and where mai learnt to throw her knives. it’s also why they work so well as a team together

katara found a way to use her bloodbending to heal people- to clot blood as it’s bleeding out or to stop internal bleeding, for example. it’s lifted a lot of the guilt of bloodbending off of her shoulders, knowing that she’s helping people while she’s doing it. a form of it was even incorporated into the northern water tribe’s healing lessons. katara tries, everyday, to come up with more ways to use her water to heal and help people. she still prefers fighting over healing, but after the war, she knows the power of healing can work wonders now.

azula only underwent a year in the mental institution before being released. it was the one thing she couldn’t handle- not being able to use her bending in such a controlled, sterile environment. zuko quickly realised that the only thing keeping her sane was her bending, and immediately made arrangements for her to go back to the palace. she wouldn’t talk to him for weeks, so he invited ty lee back from the kyoshi warriors to try and get her to open up.

azula had planned to ignore ty lee too, but ty lee straight-up slapped the princess the moment she saw her (‘that was for putting me in prison!’) and then collapsed, sobbing, in azula’s arms, and wouldn’t let go of her for ten whole minutes (‘and this is because I miss you so much, azula!’) and after that things kind of got better, but slowly.

zuko hates sitting in the fire lord’s throne. like, he hates it. it reminds him too much of his father, and so he tries to be out of the throne room as much as possible. this works in his favour- there are always councils and meetings that he needs to oversee.

zuko is so bad at politics. like, he’s so bad that it’s not even funny. it kind of was in the beginning, but then he made a spectacular mess of things and aang was zero help. in fact, despite being the avatar, zuko thinks he might have actually made it worse. and then aang got caught up in the mess too, thanks to his disastrous involvement, and azula and mai wouldn’t stop laughing at their predicament for a week before they deigned to help them.

so now despite zuko being the actual fire lord, azula and mai, being trained for politics their entire lives, are usually the ones to step in when things get a little too much for him to handle. azula is still not satisfied with her role, of course. but then, azula’s never satisfied.

azula and ty lee are the epitome of disaster gays. one time ty lee tried to hold azula’s hand, and azula shook it. ty lee wouldn’t stop laughing, but azula was so embarrassed she accidentally set her clothes on fire. that just made ty lee laugh even more, but azula’s pride was mortally wounded. the first time ty lee told azula she loved her, azula formally thanked her. as if they were at a business meeting. and then asked ty lee what positive assets or advantages their new relationship would bring azula. it’s rumoured that to this day ty lee is still very confused about what went down.

with the intention of teaching azula a humbling lesson and to find ‘peace within herself’, zuko sent her to work at uncle iroh’s tea shop in ba sing se for a month shortly after she came back to the palace. after azula nearly setting fire to the shop, throwing a teapot of scalding hot tea into a customer’s face after they demanded to ‘speak to the manager’, destroying general property and terrifying the other employees to the point where one regularly wet himself every time she walked in, iroh was begging zuko to take azula back before the end of the first week. when she came back, the only thing azula said she’d found was solid proof of why ozai had good reason to burn down the earth kingdom while he was at it. and a new idea of how short her patience was.

you guys are welcome to add more if you think of them

[bellatrixobsessed1]

Kissing Dead Pearls (Part 20)

It was over something so stupid, she could have probably forgotten about it entirely if it weren’t such a milestone.

Sokka was absolutely convinced that angelfish and angler fish were the same thing. For some reason, it drove her mad and she just couldn’t let it slide. After a certain point, she was almost certain that he was basking in his wrongness, flaunting it pridefully and adamantly rejecting facts just to spite and bother her.

She searched up images and presented them to him. She edited side by side pictures of angelfish verses anglers.  He would declare that anyone could edit text to make it look like a real search and that all of her images were fakes. And louder than ever he would declare that the fish were exactly the same. And when those antics became tired, he began stating that that ‘angle’ was a mispronunciation of ‘angle’ and therefore that angelfish do not exist.

Azula’s face had grown beet with aggravation that day, her patience worn thin. She began bickering with him about other things; about how he was growing his facial hair out because he knows that she hated the scratchy feeling of it while kissing him, that she was blowing him off for surfing and Chan, that he needed to clean his damn room if he wanted her to come over…

It was endless. She was certain that Toph was watching with a bowl of popcorn. And then he told her that she was too fussy and uptight and that he wanted to find himself a girlfriend that wasn’t so high strung and argumentative.

She was thankful for her own stubbornness, lest she’d have tried to make herself more sheepish and timid to appease him. But she would have been fooling herself if she said that she, even if unconsciously, toned it down several notches. It might have been the product of a low mood. She didn’t really speak with many people that week, no matter how many times Mai and TyLee tried to coax it out of her.

The following week she’d finally vented to TyLee who had nodded along and got teary eyed on her behalf. Azula sighed, the girl seemed almost more distressed about the breakup than she had been.

Evidently that was how things got resolved. Sokka had been passing by when TyLee’s lip began to quiver. He turned around ready to scold her for making TyLee cry and then TyLee had burst out that she was weeping because the two of them had made such a cute couple and she was sad to see it end over angelfish.

How absurd it had sounded when phrased like that.

“Oh man, that is…” his face had gone so very red. “Wow.” And he started chuckling.

For some reason Azula had felt compelled to point out, “you shaved?”

Sokka stroked his chin. “Turns out that facial hair nurtured and grown using spite is very patchy and makes you look like a backwoods serial killer.”

“At least they’ll see it coming this time.”

That was their first fight. That was their first break up and make up.

It wasn’t their only fight but it was their only break up.

.oOo.

The storm raging outside leaves Azula with too much time to think. For awhile she and Jet wander the hotel hallways, stealing kisses when Ozai isn’t there to groan or roll his eyes. But they feel somehow empty and she thinks that he is aware. Evidently she just isn’t in the mood for passion and romance.

She can’t quite place its origins but a feeling of sorrow is choking her, muting many of her other emotions. Jet, Zuko, and Katara have all gone to the cafeteria for snacks. She lies on her bed and stares at the ceiling, tuning in and out of Ozai’s video call. She knows that the storm has broken the connection when she hears a muttered curse, “dammit.” The only other explanation is that Nobu has made another off color remark. Her father has only complained about the squeaky voiced man at every chance he got. “Nobu should be banned from our meetings, he is enough to have a person drinking again.” Is among his most common declaration. It faintly humors she and Zuko both.

He closes his laptop and peers over at her. “Why aren’t you with the others?”

She shrugs. “Maybe I think that your AA meetings are more entertaining.”

“You can lie to everyone else, but not me.” He says flatly. “Are you still thinking about the last storm?”

Azula swallows, it comes to her that, that is a decent chunk of her distress. But it is more than that. Much more. She finds herself staring at the floor with an uncomfortable fluttering in her tummy.

“If you want to talk, I’ll be here…”

“I was going to let Katara die.” She pauses. “Just like I let mother die.”

Ozai inhales sharply. “Zuko is your brother.”

“And Katara is my friend. Her family let me stay at their house…”

“I think that it would have been much harder to have lost your brother, yes. But you don’t have to worry about that because both of them are alive. Even if Katara had fallen, it might have been for the best. She would have been with her brother.”

She knows that he is trying to help, that he is doing his best. “That’s awful, father.” She says flatly.

He sighs. “You know that I am not a very comforting person.”

She nods. “Yes. But I still want to talk to you.”

“Well continue then.” He prompts.

“I think that she is angry with me, she knows that I picked Zuzu.”

“I’m not angry.” Katara replies as she closes the door. “I care about you and Zuko more than you guys know. But I would have chosen Sokka if I had to make that choice. He’s your brother, Azula and losing a brother…” She falters. “I can’t even explain how it feels.”

“Probably a lot like losing your mother…”

“Yeah.” She trails off. “Can I sit?”

Azula makes room on the bed.

“Is that what has been bothering you?”

“One of the things.”

“What are the others?”

Azula stares, with tired eyes, at her palms. She hasn’t checked the mirror, but she is fairly certain that she has rather prevalent bags under her eyes. Decidedly, she is glad that she isn’t on the ship right now. That in itself is exhausting enough. She lays down upon the mattress and clutches a pillow.

“You aren’t sleeping well?” Katara guesses.

“Correct.”

“Do you miss home?” Ozai asks.

She shakes her head. “I’ve been having dreams.”

“Dreams?” Ozai inquires.

“About mother.” Her grip tightens.

“Let me guess, she asks you why you couldn’t save her?” Katara asks.

“No.” She is quiet for a very long time, the knots in her stomach build and tighten. She bites the inside of her cheek. “She doesn’t say anything at all. She just goes under and I don’t see her again.” She is surprised that she can keep her tone so level with such an intense wave of sadness is building up in her brain. “And then I see the bloody foam and the sand.”

Katara swallows.

“I haven’t had that dream in a while.” She adds quietly. “I thought that I was done having them.”

“Well, you were just put in the exact same situation as before.” Katara points out.

“I know.”

“And this time it worked in your favor.” Ozai comments. “You saved your brother and Katara.” He clamps a hand on her shoulder. “That is power, dear. That is something to be proud of. Carry it into your dream.”

“I’ll try.” But, for as much as she fancies control, she isn’t a lucid dreamer.

“I dream about your mother too.” Ozai admits upon growing tired of hearing only the hum of the air conditioner. “She asks me why I didn’t tell her to stay home.” He pauses. “I should have. I had a feeling about that day and I ignored it.”  

There comes a flash of lightning so bright and then the room goes dark. The air conditioner’s incessant whir is cut short, leaving them with only the sound of rain falling as heavy as the death they speak of.

“Why is it always like that? Why do we always feel so guilty?” Katara asks.

“Because, when there’s nothing that you can do, the mind fills itself with fantasies of what you could have done if you had only been stronger.” Ozai answers.

Azula isn’t sure if this is true for her, but it is the only answer that anyone has ever given her. She grips the pillow tighter, if only she had seen it coming. And she thinks that, that is a better answer “We feel guilty because we keep reminding ourselves of what we could have done if we would have just seen it coming.”

Her father suddenly looks so very far away.

Her head pounds and aches as it tries to work through guilt and grief so freshly resurfaced. Doubly so when Sokka’s face slips into the mix.

The door crashes open.

“They found someone in the storm!” Jet declares.

“They’re trying to get them out of the water.” Zuko adds.

Azula nearly covers her ears. The last thing that she needs right now. She isn’t sure why, but she gets to her feet and heads for the door.

“Azula where are you going?” Her father asks.

“To the beach.”

“For what?!”

To be stronger, she notes to herself. For who, she isn’t sure. Perhaps only herself, to prove that she can beat the storm and the ocean more than it has beaten her. She had lost her mother and Sokka to it but she has kept if from stealing Zuko twice and Katara once. She will fight the ocean until the score is so tipped in her favor that the nightmares will cease.

“You are not going out there!” His voice is raised but she keeps walking.

She feels his hand clamp around her wrist, bruisingly hard. This time she doesn’t flinch. “Let go, father.” He is already dragging her back into the room. “Would it matter if I said that you’re hurting me?”

“I’m hurting you?” He asks. “That storm will hurt you more than I ever can.”

“I’m going to help them rescue the sailor, father. I am going to do it so that the nightmares will stop. I am strong, I know what is coming. This time I am going to stop it.”

Ozai rubs his hands over his face. “You enjoy raising my blood pressure, don’t you?” He asks. “We’ll go out there together.”

“I’ll go too.” Zuko replies.

“So, you wanna watch TV or something?” Jet asks Katara.

“First of all, the power is out. Second of all, if they’re going into the storm, so am I.”

Jet groans. “And I thought that my reckless hero syndrome was bad.”

Azula narrows her eyes as she makes her way down the hall. She has already decided the outcome of this fight. The storm won’t fracture another family. The dreams will leave her mind.

[zuzuslastbraincell]

Katara!

KATARA KATARA KATARA

why I like them

oh god where do i even start. katara just contains so many multitudes - she's sweet and feminine and caring and attentive but she's never reduced to just that, she's never just 'the girl', she's also allowed to get mad, to be petty, to laugh at her brother, to be headstrong and stubborn, to express vulnerability, to cry and to laugh, to make ridiculous facial expressions and *be* very expressive. she's dealing with a lot of trauma not simply from the loss of her mother but that loss represents also how her tribe have been decimated by the fire nation, how she's the last waterbender, how all this pressure exists on her shoulders (but also pride, but also determination, to bring it back) and that is expressed subtly throughout the series with the same depth and love that male characters are afforded with regard to their respective traumatic experiences. and despite all this she never tries to stop making the world good? She's always pushing for change, she's always wanting to make things better, she's relentless and doesn't give up when it comes to her vision for a better world... she has such a big heart. and that coexists with a deep anger in her, and deep hurt. Not to make an ocean metaphor so early on but she's as deadly and deep as the ocean but she chooses to be kind and warm and that's so powerful.

why i don't

honnestly while katara's instincts to mother people are a sad symptom of how she was forced to grow up to soon and automaically asigns herself a role of emotional responsibility she has mixed feelings about, i know that if katara tried to mother me, i would be annoyed. but that sounds more like a me problem.

favourite episode

oh it's either the episode where she beats the fucking shit out of pakku or it's the southern raiders. the first one because it's so gratifying to see how she's grown and developed as a bender and really come into her own. the second because... god i love how *messy* the southern raiders is, and it really taps into what i love about katara - she's flawed, she runs off on an ill-thought out revenge mission with zuko, she's got a great capability for darkness as she quite seriously considers murdering a man she has every right to loathe and to kill - but she chooses against it, in the end. it would not be right for her, if not him. she chooses what's right for her in the end.

favourite season

I'm gonna be a wee bit controversial and say book 1 had the best conception of katara's arc from student to master and really saw her grow and flourish, from someone yelling at her brother' oafish prejudice to a real master, that really solidified her as an idealist and presented that as the strength that is, that showed her struggling with petty jealousy of aang's progress and had her stumble in ways that made her character comeplling and interesting - like what an introduction to her character! book 2 had some fantastic moments but i can't think of anything particularly remarkable about hee character arc - largely because it tied into aang's romantic arc i think at this point. book 3 had some absolutely fantastic moments (scam queens katara and toph!! painted lady!! southern raiders!! the final agni kai) that really shone but also book 3 lays a lot of groundwork for fanon i hate (e.g. katara as the mom friend - wish that headcanon would die tbh)

favourite line

fuck there's a lot of good ones but my underrated fave is when sokka says he's kissed a girl before but she's never met her and katara says 'Who? Gran-gran? I've met gran-gran' and it's bruuutaaall

but my favourite serious line is 'I will never ever give up on people who need me'. powerful.

favourite outfit

water tribe anything!! and i actually think her book one/book two braids are her best hair. underrated katara hair. personally she looks just adorable in her parka in the flashback to when she was like. eight.

OTP

katara/personal fulfilment

katara/happiness

katara/fulfilling her goals and dreams

katara/loving minor background character who is never named

there's some ships i like in AU situations - yuetara is actually one i lov, especially with waterbender yue, i just love the whole sea/moon thing as well as katara and yue rebelling in loud/quiet ways, being girlfriends who refuse to have their lives defined by the expectations of older men, who have a great sense of duty towards their nations and won’t let gendered expectations stop them.

and most of you know i like the messy drama of katara/azula in a lighter AU situation where they're like, school or academic rivals, and the legacy of imperialism isn’t quite so personal (and azula makes better choices, obviously), but it’s not as much as i “ship” them as i just find the potential dynamic interesting, they’re both driven by a sense of duty for their home, it’s just that means *very* different things depending if you’re SWT or FN.

none of them are OTPs though - they’re more just fun thought experiments

brotp

katara & sokka - absolutely love their sibling dynamic its amazing. both have been impacted negatively by the shit in their lives and are not always dealing with it in functional ways but theyre there for each other, through thick and thin, always have each other's backs, they roast each other and bicker and sometimes make stupid decisions and sometimes lash out but at the end of the day their love pulls through, they’re able to work past those conflicts.

katara & aang - honestly while i feel kataang was just so poorly executed in the show (listen guys I just can’t after ember island players, i know that was a bad episode, but i can’t) & i cant imagine katara wanting to leave the south pole after the war for long spells (it would have to be long distance love, lots of profound and heartfelt letters and occasional visits, if anything, but i dont know if that’s what katara wants or needs? so maybe it wouldn’t pan out?), but regardless, i really do think these two had a life-changing friendship where each really represented hope for each other, that's at the core of it, they both truly believe in each other, and inspired each other. katara & aang good.

a headcanon

chief katara anyone?? chief katara?!?! 

oh oh OH i also think that katara, while primarily a combat bender during the war, actually takes to healing a lot more after the show and gets proper healing training at some point with the help of a trained medical expert and maybe yugoda. tbh i feel like the show was a bit dismissive of healing as an ability - i feel like having that is *extremely* useful in any combat situation, you always have a medic on hand - but i understand why katara, who wanted to be recognised as powerful regardless of her gender, and wanted to hold herself in a fight alongside sokka & aang, pushed for combat waterbending training because that is what 'powerful' looks like to her in the moment. obviously katara is capable of incredible healing feats (see: saving aang) but i think given we see her as a healer in lok (not a decision i necessarily disagree with) would mean a shift in focus. i think katara actually comes to realise she likes healing a great deal, but really she excels in all aspects of waterbending and is the south’s most respected master who helped rejuvenate southern style waterbending  

unpopular opinion

the main reason people think katara is straight is because we see her have very few meaningful interactions with other girls outside of toph. ATLA as a show is a bit romance obsessed, and very heteronormative in that regard, and so interactions with minor characters almost always line up with a potential crush for sokka or katara, and later, zuko (suki, haru, jet, yue, song, jin....). we rarely see katara build friendships with other girls and it’s such a damn shame.

(anyway bi katara for life)

a wish

the version of the puppetmaster we saw was actually fire nation propaganda, i feel like katara would have felt deep compassion for a prisoner of war and after maybe some clashes, would have agreed to help smuggle her out of the fire nation and secure passage home for hama, and tried to assure her that she still has a place there. the treatment of hama in that episode was awful (but also hama was written to be almost cartoonishly evil, very much an evil witch in her cottage in the spooky woods? like the whole horror movie / spooky story opening was such a big tell) and tbh i reject the thesis that we saw ‘katara’s dark potential’ in that episode completely, or that bloodbending as a power is inherently dark, or katara’s use of it to stop hama ‘corrupted’ her. I feel like katara might feel this way as a teenager perhaps but with time (she can be a little black and white at times), and especially with more training as a healer, i think she might realise that’s not the case, she’ll realise that she was right to try and oppose hama, her elder (she was lashing out rather than really trying to oppose the fire nation), and it wasn’t a betrayal of her or her beliefs, but also her use of bloodbending wasn’t wrong or evil inherently at all? and maybe she’d find ways to use it for healing purposes? anyway my wish is that, i like the idea that they meet again, speak about their differences, reconcile a little / come to an understanding, and katara learns more from hama again

an oh-god-please-don't-ever-happen

anything where katara’s character is reduced to a comforter or a healing device for a man and his trauma. particularly zuko. (they don’t have that dynamic in canon thankfully, zuko would never, zuko respects her too much)

5 words to describe them:

idealistic, hard-working, powerful, headstrong, kind

my nickname for them:

chief. or comrade. :^)