#zuko learns a lesson a bit too late

[the-badger-mole]

The Other Woman: Part 4

Ursa had set out a plate of Zuko's favorite cookies. He'd always known it was juvenile, but he'd always appreciated the thought. Today was different. Now the gesture just seemed infantilizing.

"I'm so happy to see you!" Ursa was saying. "The house feels so empty during the day without Ikem and Kiyi here." She paused and sighed sadly. "Did your sister tell you that all the universities she's considering are hours away from here?"

Zuko winced. He had been present the day that Katara encouraged his youngest sister to take going to college as an opportunity to expand her horizons, both academically and physically. He hadn't added much to the conversation, feeling a bit disloyal to his mother, but he also didn't have the heart to push her to stay closer to home, as he knew Ursa would've wanted. He couldn't after seeing how Kiyi's eyes lit up at the thought of spending time in Ba Sing Se or the Southern Water Tribe. In hindsight, he was glad he hadn't tried to reign in his sister's dreams.

"Mom," Zuko said taking a deep breath. "We need to talk." Ursa froze halfway through filling Zuko's coffee cup. She found a smile a moment later, the consummate hostess, even after all these years since her divorce from his father had taken her far away from the social elite.

"That sounds serious," she said lightly. "I hope it's nothing bad?" Zuko took a breath and silently went over the speech he'd been practicing for the last three days.

"It's about Katara," he said. Ursa's eyes widened, and two splotchy patches of red appeared on her cheeks.

"She's not pregnant, is she?" Ursa tried to keep her tone light, but there was something cold in her tone. Zuko realized with stunning certainty that she would not be happy to hear that Katara was pregnant.

"Mom-" Zuko sighed.

"You should insist on a paternity test," Ursa huffed, setting down the coffee pot and sweeping crumbs from the table, agitatedly. "Before you sign anything, you make sure you get a paternity test. Agni knows how many prominent young men have found themselves bound to supporting uppity little harlots for decades because they signed birth certificates before making sure the child was theirs." Zuko listened to his mother's rant in mounting horror. How had he not seen this hostility towards Katara for what it was? How had Katara taken so long to reach her breaking point?

"Mom, she's not pregnant," Zuko cut in before Ursa could get any further into her insinuations. Ursa visibly relaxed, which made Zuko dread saying what he had to say next. "She broke up with me."

"Oh!" Ursa, to her credit did try not to look too excited. "Well, I never thought she was the right fit for you, anyway. You'll move on in time, you'll see."

"That's just it, Mom," Zuko said as calmly as he could with his insides tumbling wildly inside of him. "Katara is the perfect woman for me. She's smart; she's kind; she's the most patient person I've ever met besides Uncle. She's so far out of my league, I was afraid to talk to her at first. Did you know that it took me almost a year to get the courage to ask her out?"

"Zuko-" Ursa blinked in surprise. She scrambled to find something to say. "I don't know why you would feel that way. You-you're a remarkable young man-"

"And she made sure to tell me that- to make me feel that every opportunity she got!" Zuko exclaimed. "She loved me! If I'm lucky, she still loves me! But I sat by and let her sit through levels of disrespect I wouldn't allow my coworkers to sit through! I ruined the best relationship I ever had because I was afraid of upsetting you!"

"Me!" Ursa gasped. "All I want- all I've ever wanted for you was the best!"

"Then why did you treat Katara so horribly?" Zuko demanded. "She was never anything but respectful to you! And she made me happy. What more could you possibly want from the woman I marry?"

"She isn't good enough for you!" Ursa insisted.

"Why?" Zuko slammed his hands on the table and stood, knocking his chair over "Why don't you think Katara is good enough for me, Mother?" His voice rang through the room. Ursa paled and sank into her chair.

"I feel dizzy," she gasped. Zuko rolled his eyes and got her a bottle of water from the refrigerator.

"All I want is a reason for why you don't like Katara," Zuko groaned.

"I don't like it when you yell," Ursa's voice quaked with unshed tears, and her hands shook as she opened the bottle. "It reminds me so much of your father." Zuko's jaw dropped at that.

"Are you seriously comparing me to him?"

"It's not that, my love," Ursa said hurriedly. "Not at all. It's just that when you were yelling, you reminded me of him. It-it took me back to..." She drew a shallow, shuddering breath.

"Fine, Mom," Zuko growled in frustration. "I won't yell. I just need to know what your problem is with Katara."

"She isn't good-"

"-good enough for me," Zuko interrupted. "So you've said. I want to know why, you think that. What specifically made you think that Katara isn't good enough for me? She's been kind and respectful to you, right?"

"She walked right out of here without saying anything to anyone the other night," Ursa reminded Zuko, defensively. "That's respectful?"

"She heard what you said about her," Zuko told her. "She heard what you said, and she heard me not say anything to you about it. That's why she left. She's always been respectful towards you, and Ikem. And Kiyi loves her. Uncle is furious at me for losing her! Even Azula thinks she's too good for me! Why are you the only one with a problem with her?"

"I'm-I'm sure she's a lovely girl," Ursa forced out. "But you, my son! You are going so many places. You have such a bright future ahead of you. Can you see her being the one to get you there? She is going to want her own career. She won't be there to support your ambitions. She'll put her own ahead of yours. Your children will end up being raised by strangers. Is that what you want?"

"I want her!" Zuko snapped. "I love Katara. And I-I know that I haven't done a good job of letting her know that- of letting you know that. I've wrecked everything with her for your feelings, Mom!"

"Are you blaming me for your break up?" Ursa sputtered indignantly.

"No!" Zuko paced the floor a few times, raking his hand through his hair. "I messed things up with her. I prioritized you over her."

"I'm your mother-"

"Yeah, and you abandoned me !" Zuko rounded on her hotly. "You abandoned me and Azula, and then you showed up ten years later with a new husband and child and wanted us to just play happy family. And, you know what? I was fine with that! I get why you left. I'm not blaming you for that. But Mom, I was an adult when you came back. I'm a grown man, and you still want me to be your little boy. I can't do that anymore. I'm ready for my own family! I want a family with Katara, but I made her take second place to you. I won't do that again. I don't know if she'll ever forgive me, but even if she doesn't, I'm not losing her for nothing.

"What are you talking about?" Ursa asked. Tears were streaming down her face and she had a napkin pressed to her mouth. Guilt lanced Zuko, but he shut his eyes and took a breath.

"I love you, Mom," he said. "But I can't make you the center of my world. I'll still come by to see you, but you can't claim my time for three nights a week anymore. No more last minute favors. No more begging me to come over to check for prowlers when you have a fully functional security system. No more speaking down about people I care about. I want you in my life, Mom. But not at the expense of everyone else."

"Zuko-" Ursa sobbed.

"This has to be the line." Zuko turned his eyes down to the table, with his fists clenched at his sides. "Katara was never a threat to you. I love you because you're my mom. I was hoping you two would get along. Did you know that she lost her mother as a child? I guess, I was hoping..." Zuko pinched his nose and let out a huff. "It doesn't matter what I was hoping. You have two choices now, Mom. Either you respect the fact that I'm a grown man with my own life- respect my time and space and my choice in who I want to spend my life with- or we can't be in each other's lives anymore."

"Zuko!" Usra looked as if she had been slapped in the face. She gaped up at her son in horror. Part of Zuko wanted to cave and apologize for hurting her feelings, but the larger part of him- the part that was still raw and hurting from losing the woman of his dreams- knew that this was for the best. He sighed and turned to leave.

"Good-bye, Mom."

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5

[peanutbutterwrites]

My Good Looking Boy - Part Two

warnings for series: angst, struggles with self worth and self esteem, issues with appearance, childhood trauma, and mentions of death and murder.

summary: taking place after the southern raiders, zuko and katara finally learn to understand each other a bit more and long held on to feelings come to the surface. the gaang go and watch the ember island play and chaos ensues with katara's feelings.

part one - part two - part three

authors note: in part two here we're gonna start to explore katara's insecurities and how they have an effect on her. i tried to bring some uncle iroh wisdom because i believe there are a lot of lessons that iroh taught zuko that he maybe just didn't recognize later and this chapter has one of them. as always, let me know what you think and if there are any errors feel free to bring them up. enjoy!

word count: 1.9k

Not too much later, Katara and Zuko brought the now clean clothing and blankets back to camp with limited finds for meals today. The group was finally all awake with Toph and Aang working on earthbending exercises and Suki and Sokka chatting as Sokka sharpened his boomerang. 

“You’re back! I missed you this morning.” Suki said fondly, wrapping Katara in a warm embrace. 

“Yeah, you have housework to do?” Sokka joked making Toph snort as she gave a brief wave and good morning to Katara and Zuko. With a roll of her eyes Katara snapped,

“You think that’s all I’m good for? Don’t take me for granted or precious prince Zuko is gonna have to start doing everything, and trust me, you don't want that.” Zuko frowned, slightly embarrassed, but said nothing as he passed out the clothing to their rightful owners. 

“Hey, maybe I didn’t know how to do laundry this morning, but I do now.” he mumbled, retreating into himself, but he didn’t snap back at her. Placing the basket down, Katara felt guilt pool in her gut and it made her feel sickly.

“I’m sorry, yes, thank you for your help Zuko.” He perked up, and a small smile made its way onto his face. Katara felt herself easing up and had a smile to match. 

“So, I wanted to bring up that there’s a play in town nearby!” Sokka announced, getting everyone’s attention. “Maybe we could take a break from saving the world one of these days and watch it. It's about us you know.” He announced, wiggling his eyebrows. The group looked mostly enthused at the idea, but Toph took her turn to speak.

“That's all fine and dandy snoozles, but those plays tend to be way too long and I don’t feel like trekking all the way back here at midnight or having to find a new campsite.” The group seemed to actually agree with Toph on this one, especially the early risers not wanting to be out late and sacrifice precious hours of sleep. 

“Oh come on guys, one night won’t kill ya.” 

“Actually,” Zuko interjected quietly, “I might have a solution”. 

His brilliant idea is how the group decided to pack everything they had on Appa and make their way to the royal family’s vacation home with Zuko’s guidance. Apparently, Zuko was aware of the small town they were near and it just so happened to be extra close to the abandoned royal family’s vacation home. It has been unused for quite some time now, so he was sure they wouldn’t be found or bothered. The breeze on Appa helped alleviate the summer heat and Katara actually found herself closing her eyes and relaxing again. That is, until a flying pair of pants found their way to her torso.

“What the-” “I need you to sew them.” Sokka said, point blank rubbing his boomerang between his fingers. Katara felt herself grind her teeth in frustration, but quickly reeled herself back in and breathed deep while she reached for her sewing kit. 

“Sure, Sokka. No worries.” Speaking the latter under her breath with a roll of her eyes. Shifting the fabric around in her hand, she found the guilty hole and got to work. And while the breeze was still refreshing and the thought of an actual bed enticed her, the frustration never completely left. From across the bison, Zuko eyed her with concern. He knew she was frustrated, it was simply palpable when she was. Fighting an internal war with himself to offer his help again, he found himself shutting his mouth seeing her furrowed brow and focused expression. He would only frustrate her more, he decided. The saddle was quiet until Toph began with her questioning. She had practically interrogated him before asking about the home itself. 

“So sparky, how come you didn’t tell us about this beautiful abandoned home earlier? You tryin to make us sleep on rocks for forever?” 

“Uh no,” he stuttered, “I just honestly didn’t think about it until Sokka mentioned that town. I watched many plays at the theater growing up. With my mom I mean.” At the mention of his mother, the saddle fell quiet again. “But you guys will love it I’m sure. There’s enough space for us all to have our own rooms and a courtyard for bending practice. I’m sure the kitchen still works great too.” Everyone lightened up a bit after that and the group fell into friendly chatter. 

“Hey Zuko!” Aang's voice rang from the front of Appa. “Is that it?” And everyone peeked over the saddle to make out a large, traditional fire national style home at the very top of a mountain on the island. 

“Yeah, it is.” A nostalgic smile found its way to his face, and Katara paused her sewing long enough to admire it. Landing was calm enough, and Katara threw Sokka’s finished pants right back at him causing him to sputter and fumble for the fabric. Working together, Appa was unloaded and the group rushed inside to pick rooms. The first thing Katara noticed was how big the home was, and then how red. The walls, ceilings and floors were all red with ornate gold accents, though she knew the palace must be ten times what this was. Rooms were plentiful and so were their size, so she was in no rush seizing one like the others. Venturing upstairs, she walked to the end of the hallway until a room caught her eye. Strolling in, it was nothing special. Like all the other rooms it was red and very large, but a balcony at the opposite end of the room stole her attention. Walking out, she gripped the railing as a breeze ran through her. From this balcony, almost the entirety of the island and most of the sea could be seen. The water stretched on and on until the horizon kissed its now calm edge and the island was lush and green. Turning her head to the right, she was surprised to see Zuko hanging out of the only other balcony. He looked peaceful, far more serene than his normal awkward, brooding self. And she found herself staring at him more than the scenery, that unfamiliar fluttering feeling returning to her gut. Then his head turned, and she found the fluttering doubling in intensity and the heat of the sun growing uncomfortably hot. But he simply smiled back at her and she got to see a hint of the golden twinkle in his eyes once again before he retreated back into his chosen room. 

The group watched in legitimate horror. This play was horrible. Filled with fallacies at best and harmful lies at worst, their story couldn’t have been depicted in a more inaccurate way. Everyone was either arguing in outrage or grumbling in a mopey silence the entire way back to the vacation house, with Toph’s boisterous laughter the only exception; and Katara couldn’t even blame them. Angered at the way she was portrayed was on the forefront of her mind for the past couple of hours. Is that really how people see me? Some hope obsessed fangirl?! She stomped her feet even harder, pushing herself to get to the vacation home quicker. Her thoughts and doubts were slowly getting to her, was she really that useless? All the housekeeping and motivational speeches, did that make her weak? She was spiraling and tears were forcing their way out of her eyes despite her desperation to hold them back. No, she would not be seen crying. 

“Good night!” She called out as soon as she reached the house, most of the others too busy still arguing to notice. She couldn’t hold the tears back as she raced up the stairs and slammed the door to her chosen bedroom, allowing herself to collapse onto the floor in a heap. Folding her legs under she ripped off the golden bangles and rings, a foolish attempt to at least look somewhat presentable, and ripped the half top knot from her head. Tears were pouring down her face and sobs and hiccups made her break down quite loud, once again she was grateful for the privacy this room offered her knowing a campsite would be far less forgiving. She was so busy breaking down that the creak of the old wooden door was the only thing alarming her to another's presence. “Just go away, I’m fine!” she roared. The intruder paused, hesitant, but after a beat the door simply shut quietly and soft footsteps made their way to her before strong arms wrapped themselves around her. She assumed Aang would be the one to follow her, but this person was larger and the hug warmer. She tensed up at the initial contact, but quickly melted into the embrace as the smell of cumin, sandalwood, and smoke engulfed her senses. 

“Shh, it's okay.” came Zuko’s raspy voice as he gently rocked her in his arms and she sobbed into his robes. The back and forth rocking calmed her, and the warmth finally made her feel at home, safe. When was the last time in all of this that she actually felt safe? She couldn’t remember. This went on until no tears came out and the hiccuping had come to a minimum. Resting his chin on her head, he spoke again very softly, “Do you want to talk about it?”. He felt the rustle of her shaking her head into his chest and he sighed. “You know, I always felt like I was kind of useless.” He began, and Katara stilled. She let out a forced sort of chuckle and croaked out, 

“You’re a prince, how could you feel useless?” 

“My life wasn’t always so royal Katara. I was the oldest, it was my responsibility to learn how to lead, to rule. But I was always left behind. I couldn’t firebend as well as my little sister, I could never make my own father happy, spirits, I couldn’t even make friends. I have felt like a total failure my whole life. And yet, when I took time to think about things, about what my purpose actually is and where I belong, I find that I succeed a lot more now. Maybe sometimes, we feel like we’re failing simply because we’re in the wrong place. Maybe, if we look at things from a different perspective and reconsider where we stand, we can find the spirits are letting us fail to learn. To learn where we truly belong and are needed.” The crying had stopped, only leaving the occasional sniffle. “I am not needed in the fire nation, not now. That’s why I always find disappointment and failure there. But here, here Aang needs me. It's my purpose to teach him firebending and now, maybe you need me so I can teach you. Just like my uncle taught me, that really, no one is useless, they’re just in the wrong place.” Zuko finally looked down and found himself staring into two round, gemlike eyes. 

“How did you know?” she mumbled, barely a whisper. 

“When we see others going through feelings we’ve already experienced, it’s very easy to spot.” She leaned into his arms a little more, and he tilted his head to rest his unscared cheek softly on her head. 

“Thank you.”

“Of course, Katara. You can always talk to me.”

[oneatlatime]

Bato of the Water Tribe

Bilingual bonus in the title. Also, completely not kidding, I tried to type Bato and my fingers automatically filled out Baton Rouge.

Sokka's battle reconstruction abilities reminding me of Count Ruegen's from the Princess Bride.

I'm not seeing any flags or other identification on that ship, so I guess Sokka knows it's from his dad's fleet because he memorised what all the ships in his dad's fleet looked like? That's both sweet and heartbreaking.

That giant mole dog thing just bit through metal. I'm guessing this thing has no pain receptors in its face.

I'm with Zuko on this one. That lady is too young for Iroh.

Be still my heart!!! Is this going to be a Sokka episode?

Pretty.

BABY SOKKA!!!!!! Also his dad has either a very poofy coat or a tiny head.

Right out the gate, in a scene that can't last more than 30 seconds, we see that the Water Tribe has infinitely superior parenting skills to the Fire Nation. Mr. Firelord could take a couple of lessons from this guy.

Whoever is voicing Bato (thank you avatar writers for putting his name in the title so I can spell it) is doing it absolutely perfectly. Beautiful buttery voice with just a little roughness around the upper and lower edges, and - I won't describe this right - but there's the sound of experience and familiarity in the voice. This is a guy who has lived lots of life, but also lived lots of life with Sokka and Katara. He's really selling their connection and their relationship (which I presume is like those parents' random friends you call uncle and aunt who aren't biologically related - fictive kin).

Either water tribe growth spurts come late or Bato is stupidly tall. Also loving the toga look. Don't quite know how it's staying up, but it does look comfy.

"After I was wounded, your father carried me to this abbey." HOLD UP WHERE'S THE FANFIC 50K SLOW BURN HURT/COMFORT FRIENDS TO LOVERS GIMMEEEEEE

Sorry Bato, but your boat is a ship. Not a boat. It's ship-sized.

Katara's like 'Sokka no that's mean!' Bato's like 'oh god there's two of them.' Lovely stealthy worldbuilding here. We've only seen Sokka and Katara's dad in that 30 second flashback, which told us he was loving. Now we know he's also funny. One line, and the writers double the depth.

Aang get off your high horse. We know you're a vegetarian, but Sokka and Katara left home for the first time only a few weeks ago and are probably getting homesick by now so stuff it! Tangent time: can you imagine how happy Sokka and Katara must be at having a familiar face in a place made familiar, who probably has news of their dad? There's no indication that any of the water tribe men have been home on leave since they all (apparently literally ALL) left home years ago. This is like Christmas for them.

Quick lesson to all you youngins out there: one day you may have children. And if you do, unless your children have the upmost loving respect for you, you will lose all ability to make them follow the rules as soon as they learn about the kind of stuff you got up to when you were their age. So don't post it online. Don't brag about it. Don't document it. They will find out. Children have noses like a bloodhound's for yesteryear's parental shenanigans. Also don't stick an octopus on your head under any circumstances.

Seriously though, I'm loving the insight into normal (ie not avatar or war related) water tribe life. Adds depth to the characters and the culture.

At the end of the episode with the Blue spirit, Aang talked about how he had friends all over the world before the war. During all this global visiting, was he never taught the laws of hospitality? Or basic politeness? Don't touch people's stuff. Learn to sit still for five minutes. It's not always about you.

I had completely forgotten about Katara's necklace. I didn't enjoy Imrpisoned much, so I guess I blanked that plot point.

"You can come with me, and see your father again" once again Bato's voice actor hitting it out of the park. I felt for a moment like it was two years since I'd seen my father and I was so excited for the chance to see him again.

A surprisingly mature stance from both Sokka and Katara here. Actually, despite Sokka's hinted-at father worship I'm not surprised that he made the mature choice. He's the one who's been keeping them on track the whole time. But I am a bit surprised that Katara was ok with missing out on a chance to see her father. She's been the one chasing after butterflies and that's one heck of a butterfly.

Aang DONT

Goddamn he did. Aang has no manners and no brain this episode. Come on.

Zuko and company taking us on a world tour. Popping into previous episodes is a cool idea.

Haybending. Another entry on the list of vaguely defined avatar powers.

Is this ice dodging thing going where I think it's going? Because if so, I am completely on board.

I finished the fortuneteller episode pretty peeved at the plot in general, but I gotta say I admire the balls on this lady. Only person in the village with a spine (and a brain). Followed up with a pretty banger line from Iroh. If Iroh is looking for some action he should check out this lady rather than the bounty hunter. They could make increasingly cryptic comments over a shared pot of tea and annoy Zuko so much he turns colours.

The most intense Bar Mitzvah I've ever seen. As a general rule, Bar Mitzvahs don't (usually) involve the possibility of a body count.

What's on Sokka's face?

Just going to slip in some sneaky meditation. Seems like a quiet enough spot.

You know, I think Katara's actually in the correct pose for holding the mainsail. Obviously Sokka has nautical knowledge, but I guess Katara sails too.

Can we talk for a moment about how sweet it is that Sokka finds a way to turn his test of manhood into a group project? To be clear, I think his greater motivation was the glory of greater achievement, but it's so very Sokka to find a way to include his sister.

That's pretty funny.

Wisdom is appropriate for Sokka. Bravery is appropriate for Katara, mostly because wisdom certainly isn't (*cough* Jet *cough*).

Interesting that it's Sokka who has a Katara-style blow up over the missing map. I definitely buy this. So soon after a very personal and important ritual that both connects them to their people and - by necessity - reminds them of who isn't there at the moment (dad), Sokka and Katara would both be sensitive to anything dad-related. Normally Katara is 100% ride or die for Aang, but pre-existing family is about the only exception I can think of that she would make for that policy.

"I'm an idiot Momo." YEP.

So the mole dog thing bashed the gate in, to turn in a circle and leave after ten seconds? Was that worth the headache caused by using your head as a battering ram? Especially when the very leapable wall was right there?

Side note, I would pay good money to be able to keep my hair as perfect and my makeup as unsmudged as this bounty hunter lady can, especially while doing extreme sports.

Lo and behold, he gets it. His dad told him he would get it someday. Kudos to Bato for the stealth teenage wrangling that prompted Sokka's epiphany. Bato didn't have to phrase his explanation of the wolf in a way that so paralleled the situation with Aang, but he chose to for a reason. I think Bato and Iroh should sit down for a drink and exchange stealth teenager wrangling tactics.

This is so perfect. Bato's not even their dad but he's Dadding so well! Letting them come to their own conclusions (with only a gentle nudge), respecting that decision and affirming that it's the right one by stating that their dad is 100% for sure super proud of what they're doing, then - the cherry on top - giving them a way to BOTH go with Aang AND see their dad if the opportunity presents. And then leaving a message at the rendezvous point as a last bit of long distance dadding.

Side note: I'm hoping Bato's bandages are cosmetic only, otherwise that backpack strap is going to be murder after half an hour.

Side side note: if Bato is walking to the rendezvous point, what happened to his ship?

How does the nun know about the necklace?

That poor gate gets no respect.

This mole dog thing sure is getting whipped a lot. I don't like that.

Pro tip: if your opponent has horns the size of a grown man and is looking for a headbutting contest, just walk away. Poor mole dog thing has no eyes, so he tragically can't see the horns and gets thoroughly curb stomped.

Would Aang really look this worried about fighting Zuko? He's come out on top one way or another in every fight they've had so far.

Some elements don't mix. Good to know.

Iroh. Forget about it. Bounty Hunter lady has extreme non-straight energy. Go for the fortuneteller instead.

Appa showing that he does not subscribe to Aang's pacifist philosophy. If the bounty hunter hadn't dodged she would have been a thin paste on Appa's paw.

I'm seeing lots of parallels in this fight. At one point Aang recycles Zuko's move, after they've switched so that Zuko is in Aang's original place. Neat.

I really know nothing about fight choreography, but this action is followable and entertaining, so I'm calling these fights good.

This episode's Beat Up Sokka quota is now fulfilled.

This well set piece is making me giggle.

You tell him Appa!

I get that they're the bad guys, but that poor mole dog thing can't catch a break. The trick with the perfume must have been distressing, if not also painful.

Skeezy. Knock it off.

I hope Zuko got a new clasp for that necklace while he had it.

Final Thoughts

Well, I finally got my long-desired Sokka episode. It contained less Sokka than I thought a Sokka episode would have. But I do feel like I have better insight into his character. The somewhat exaggerated attempts at manliness (followed up by a genuinely terrifying need to be the man of the tribe) of the first two episodes now have context. (I could include the Kyoshi Warriors episode in that statement too, but I felt Sokka wasn't in character that episode so I won't)

Sokka was told that he was too young (true) to join the men at war. Sokka being Sokka, what he heard was that he wasn't manly enough rather than wasn't old enough, hence the compensatory manliness at the start of the show. But, and this bit is probably more important now that Sokka is a certified man, Sokka also seems to define himself through serving others, particularly his sister. His dad tells him to protect his sister in the flashback; I think his grandmother said something similar to him when they left the south pole. Having your life's purpose 100% rooted outside of yourself is generally not a great idea. I pointed out a few episodes ago that Sokka has that classic teenage boy combination of soaring ego/crashing self-esteem; I now see why. Whatever his dad's and grandma's intentions in telling Sokka to look after his sister, Sokka has interpreted that request as becoming his sister's human shield, provider, brain/planner, and - if needed - sacrifice. Pretty hard to think too much of yourself when your life's work is to serve and die for another. This also explains why I keep seeing Katara outsourcing her thinking - she's basically been told to, and Sokka believes it's his duty.

I love Bato. I love his design, his voice, his purpose in the narrative. Excellent combination of worldbuilding, character work, and a light-hearted reminder that fun can still be had, even by grown ups who are actively fighting a war. My heart did a funny flip when I realised that I was being introduced to a responsible adult. That's how I know that I'm a proper grown-up: swooning at the notion of our main characters finally getting some caring adult supervision.

I love the family tidbits that Bato gives us. One throwaway line and we know that Sokka and his dad have the same sense of humour. Another half-referenced anecdote and we learn that Sokka's so-genius-it's-stupid manic tendencies, which are excellent at getting them all out of tight spots, are inherited or learned from a father who has similarly outlandish adventures pretty regularly. And it's such an effective story hook! Dangling small tidbits and noodle incidents leaves me wanting more.

Aang. Oh Aang. His problems this episode were self-inflicted, my least favourite type of narrative. I've gone hard in the past on Katara for her self-inflicted problems, so it's only fair I go hard on Aang too. If he had just behaved properly and not gone off in a sulk over being less than the centre of all attention for five whole minutes, he would have heard Sokka and Katara turn down the offer to see their father. But he just had to be an asshole for the first few minutes of the episode, and things snowballed from there.

That being said, all his actions from that point on do make perfect sense. 12 year old whose entire civilisation has been wiped out and who actually discovered his father figure's remains is NOT going to be ok with the idea of his remaining support system deserting him. Especially since the actions he took the last time his support system was threatened (running away) kind of inadvertently caused his support's system's extermination. Of course he's going to be irrational, to cling twice as hard to what he has left, by fair means or foul.

One thing I do like about Aang's otherwise dumbass behaviour is that he knows 100% that's it wrong to hide the map from the moment he does it. No initial self-justifications and gradual creeping doubts. He's doing wrong and he knows it. Shows he has a moral compass.

Zuko's plan of tracking the Avatar by Katara's necklace was solid, and he only lost because he's the villain in a kid's cartoon and is thus contractually obligated to lose. Iroh was not so great this episode.

I adored the Water tribe stuff. The intersecting fights at the end were very good. The Aang stuff was annoying, if understandable. And we'd already learned in previous episodes that Sokka and Katara were ride or die for Aang, which is the ultimate lesson here. It was interesting to learn that the breaking point for that statement is family, but other than that, no new info. I love this episode, but I would have loved it even more if it had more Sokka and Bato and less Aang.

I hope they went back and collected the map.

[awanderingmuse-ficrec]

The Other Woman

Fandom: Avatar The Last Airbender

Author: @thebadgermole

Rating: Not Rated

Word Count:  6,972

Pairings: Zutara

Characters: Katara, Zuko, Iroh, Ursa

Tags: angst, i love a mama's boy, poor katara is unlucky in love, zuko has some decisions to make, fanfic, THE YEAR OF CONTENT!!!!, iroh to the rescue, zuko learns a lesson a bit too late, but at least he learned it, finale!

Summary:

Part 1 Katara sometimes thought that her love life was cursed. First there was Jet, whose radical politics clashed with her own compassionate views of the world. They'd broken up after a year and a half when Katara refused to support the extremist candidate he'd begun volunteering for. Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5

[agentoffangirling]

Full breakdown of SDCC 2024

Thursday:

I got into the con around 45 minutes after I got there, 10:15 or so

Headed into my first panel, "Avatar: Braving the Elements"

Saw Janet Varney (Korra), Dante Basco (Zuko), Michaela Jill Murphy (Toph), and Greg Baldwin (2nd voice of Iroh)

They reenacted a few scenes from the show, did a short trivia game, all around good time

Later on I decided to explore the con a bit more and got myself some dice, a Doctor Who poster, and had some fun with the booth they set up

Around 1:15 I headed to the pier to get in line for the Percy Jackson panel in Hall H (since it's such high demand, what Hall H does is give out wristbands for the next day; Wednesday bands for Thursday panels, so on and on. Wristbands give you guaranteed access into any panel. I didn't have one, so I got in the line very early so I could still see the panel)

Even so, I still ended up being 20 minutes late, but I was able to see the majority of it and what I saw was quite fun, so yay

I immediately headed off to get autographs but you needed wristbands for that, too, so no luck

Was starving at this point, so I caved in and bought some food

Got picked up by my cousin (and then we later got stuck on the water for three hours, but that's not SDCC related)

Friday:

Learned my lesson from the PJO panel and opted to head in line for the Doctor Who panel at 12:30 two hours early instead

I got in, but I accidentally overshot by a whole 45 minutes as I sat through the earlier Lord of the Rings panel

But I like LOTR, so it was completely fine

Saw RTD, Ncuti Gatwa, and Millie Gibson, they showed some clips of the upcoming Christmas special and some new shows on the way

Got gifts for my friends, a Doctor Who print, D&D dice, and the Book of Bill

Had some ramen (water wasn't hot enough but it's fine, I ate it anyways), did more exploring

At 3 pm I left the con to pick up my stuff and headed to Amtrak to catch my train for home

All in all, I had a lot of fun, and I hope to go next year

[atlabeth]

everything happens for a reason part 3 - zuko x fem!reader

I feel so much, I get carried away

part 2 | masterlist | part 4

a/n: enjoy the fluff in this chapter bc its not gonna last

once again for reference - this chapter takes place 2 years after the last one so y/n is 11 and zuko is 12

warning(s): eating/food, but otherwise its pure fluff

wc: 3.3k

chapter title comes from carried away by madison beer!

i ran out of kid zuko gifs so i had to make my own smh if you want something done you gotta do it yourself

The young friendship only flourished after that fateful day. Zuko and Y/N began spending almost all of their freetime together between Y/N teaching him about her culture, their usual talking in the hallways, and finding ways to hang out together outside of her schedule. She was absolutely delighted to be teaching Zuko though, so she always made sure there was time for her self proclaimed academy.

Y/N was constantly busy around the castle, so in order to hang out they had started waking up extra early — the pair had become experts at sneaking around the castle with the first rays of the sun. The gardens were a favourite because of its availability, and of course, the turtleducks. It also gave Y/N a chance to bend outside of healing, something that they began to take advantage of as they got older.

Sparring sessions became a regular between them as a way for Y/N to get some practice with martial bending, Zuko to experience fighting against a waterbender, and just another way for them to spend time together. Of course, they had to keep it as quiet as possible to avoid alerting anyone of their presence, but that became the least of their worries over time.

They each pushed each other to be better, and with Y/N’s healing skills, they were able to walk away every morning without any injuries. But after discovering a very unfair advantage that the prince held, she decided that morning sparring just wasn’t enough.

(“Firebending gets stronger in the morning,” he had told her after a particularly brutal blast resulting in some emergency bending on Y/N’s part to extinguish a tree. “My teachers always say that we rise with the sun.”

“Well,” she had said with a smile. “We rise with the moon. You just signed yourself up for some late night sparring sessions.”)

Y/N had truly started to come into her own. It had been two years since her capture, and though she had in no way made peace with her life in the Fire Nation, she was trying to take advantage of it as much as she could. Even though she despised being at the beck and call of nobles and guards, she couldn’t deny the opportunities it gave her to hone her abilities. Her healing had improved tenfold and her martial bending wasn’t too shabby either. Between all of the time spent with Zuko and practicing her bending, she was able to distract herself from her dim reality.

But the world was a cruel, cruel place, no matter how much she tried to ignore it. It didn’t treat souls like Zuko and Y/N kindly, a fact that they would soon become aware of.

In the moment though, Y/N was more focused on not getting burnt.

She twirled to the side as a small flame shot past her, just barely managing to dodge it as she bent a stream of water out from the pond and sent it at Zuko. He turned it to steam as he blocked it with his own fire, which he then sent back at her with a combination of a punch and a kick. Y/N raised her hands and bent up a large wall of water from the pond, and with a small grunt on her part, sent it flying towards Zuko. He tried to conjure up his own fire shield in an effort to extinguish the water once more, but it was too little too late and he ended up getting knocked to the ground and completely drenched.

Y/N couldn’t stop the giggle that fell from her lips as Zuko wiped water off of his face, sputtering incoherently while he pushed himself up. “Did you really have to do that?” he complained.

“You know I do.” She grinned as she walked around the pond to his side, cracking her knuckles before she began to bend the water out of his clothes. “This was in the morning, too. Admit it, I’m getting better!”

He cracked a smile of his own. “You really are. I just wish that you getting better didn’t end up in me getting soaked every time.”

She bent the water she had extracted from his clothes back into the pond and held out her hand to help him up from the ground, which he took gratefully. “That just makes it more fun.”

As she helped pull him up, Y/N found herself more than a little transfixed. The rays of the rising sun shone down on him perfectly, and the smile still on his lips made her feel flutter bats in her stomach.

Y/N didn’t know when she had started seeing Zuko in a different light than usual. When his laughs became melodious, his smile like a ray of sunshine on its own, his company coveted. While she was usually able to trade verbal jabs with him without a second thought, doing her self-assigned job of keeping him humble, something had changed in the past year.

They grew steadily closer over the years after they had met, but one event in particular all but pushed Zuko into her arms.

Ursa’s banishment.

Of course, they didn’t know that she had been banished. No one aside from Ozai knew the true nature of her disappearance — to her children and the other inhabitants of the palace, it was just that. A disappearance.

It was suspicious, yes. All in the span of a day, Princess Ursa vanished, Fire Lord Azulon mysteriously perished, and Ozai took his place, but nothing could be done. It was a somber day for every servant — Ursa showed them a kindness that couldn’t be found anywhere else in the palace, and to rub salt in the wound, a man just as cruel as Azulon had risen to the throne.

Zuko was devastated. He had always been close with his mother, and the only thing she had given him before leaving was a short goodbye and a kiss. He was angry beyond belief at the abandonment, and that anger overshadowed his grief.

Y/N tried to help him, but he lashed out at her.

“Your mother is still here and she loves you! Mine left me like I was nothing. Don’t try and say you know how I feel.”

“But my father is gone. I do know how you feel Zuko, and I want to help you, but I can’t help you if you keep pushing me away.”

“…you don’t know anything.”

It hurt, but she knew he needed space. She gave it to him, letting him brew alone and take out his anger however necessary, but let him know that the door was open when he was ready to talk.

He did — he had apologized for what he said and she accepted, and Zuko ended up spilling every emotion he had to her over the next few weeks. She listened, offered advice when she could, and made Zuko feel a little bit less alone in the scheme of it all. It was a horrible experience, but it brought them closer together, and the prince was eternally thankful that he had a friend to help him through the ordeal.

The night that he came to her room, admitting that he was hurting and asking for her help — Y/N thinks that was the moment she fell for him. She cursed herself at the time for developing feelings for her only friend in the palace, but over time she learned to cover them up. She had to remember her place.

She understood her role, but it got harder and harder to keep up with it the more time she spent with Zuko — this moment was no exception.

“Yeah, yeah. I just hold back because I don’t want to burn you.”

“Liar!” she exclaimed, hitting him playfully on the shoulder. “You forget that I can heal myself if anything goes wrong. Besides, I know you’d never burn me. I trust you.”

Zuko smiled and smoothed his clothes back down, the only sign of their sparring session now gone. “Good, because I trust you too. No matter how many times you totally drench me.”

She snorted as she started to walk back to the palace. “Like I said, that just makes it more fun. And as fun as it has been completely crushing you in combat, duty calls.”

He sighed, giving a reluctant nod as he started to follow her — then his eyes lit up, and he grabbed her arm to stop them. “Wait, how much work do you have today?”

Y/N thought for a few seconds then shrugged. “Dunno, it varies. I got stuck working with Jaysa all this morning, so that’s going to take forever, I have my usual healing lessons with Master Rika after, and then I usually just end up going around with whatever else comes my way for the rest of the day.” She grinned and lowered her voice as if the subject of the matter could somehow hear her. “I’ve been working on a dress for my mother in secret because her birthday is coming up soon, so the free time I get between my shifts that isn’t spent with you has been going towards that.”

Zuko gaped. “You’re making her a dress all on your own, with no help? How?”

She held up her hands with a proud smile. “These things are good for waterbending, sewing, and hitting best friends.”

He gave her a sideways grin at that. “I’m your best friend?”

Y/N snickered and rolled her eyes. “Yeah, dummy. You’re like, the only person that likes me in this whole nation. Of course you’re my best friend.”

“Well…” he started. “Would a best friend like to break the rules even more tonight?”

Her eyes lit up in turn, completely betraying her excitement despite her attempt to look nonchalant about it. “That depends — what d’you have in mind?”

He grinned and leaned forward, dropping his voice to a whisper as he spoke in her ear. “So, after you finish work for the night, we…”

-

It was a struggle to get through all of her work after the plan that she and Zuko had formulated — sure, they broke the rules all the time. The basis of their entire friendship was breaking the rules, but this was going farther than they ever had before. Y/N wasn’t thinking about the consequences though, she was thinking about the journey — that was her first mistake.

She had rushed through all of her chores with Jaysa, hardly paid attention in her healing lessons, and made quick work of the rest of her day until she was finally able to meet up with Zuko at one of the various servant entrances that she had shown him.

“You’re finally here!” he exclaimed, his body buzzing with nervous energy. “I thought you were never gonna come.”

“Some of us actually have work to get done, mister crown prince,” she joked as she bumped his shoulder with hers. “But that doesn’t matter — let’s get going before someone catches us! I don’t want it to get too dark either.”

“It’s gonna be fine,” Zuko reassured. “My dad is in war meetings all day, no one is going to catch us. Now come on!”

Zuko pushed open the door, grabbed her hand, and began to pull her along. A laugh fell from her lips as they ran, unable to stop herself from casting a cautionary glance behind them as they got farther from the palace. Y/N tried to push her worries out of her mind — like she had told Zuko earlier, she trusted him.

That was her second mistake.

It was surprisingly easy to sneak past the guards around the wall and just as quick to get through Royal Caldera, and before Y/N knew it, they had arrived in the city.

It was nothing like she had ever seen before.

The village she had grown up in was miniscule compared to anything in the Fire Nation, and she was especially awestruck upon entering the city. As home to more middle class citizens than anything, it was a bustling marketplace filled with workers and nobles alike — if she hadn’t been preoccupied with the stars in her eyes, she would’ve been able to see the way Zuko was absolutely beaming at her.

“Come on!” he exclaimed, grabbing her hand once again as he began to walk — at a much more moderate pace than their run here — down the streets. “There’s so much here that I wanna show you. Have you ever been out here?”

She shook her head, allowing herself to gawk at her surroundings while they went down the street. “We aren’t really allowed to leave the palace since we’re technically still prisoners, just… ones that work. My mother always had to give her money to one of the other servants so that when they went out to buy their things, they could pick some stuff up for us as well. This is all totally new.”

Once again, a frown found its way onto Zuko’s face, but only for a split second before he pointed at a stall opposite to them. “Oh— there’s a fruit stand! Come on, you have to try this.”

Y/N let Zuko pull her over to the stand, looking at the array of fruits on display while Zuko conversed with the merchant. A few silver pieces later and they were walking away with a basket of produce — miraculously, the prince hadn’t been recognized, so she figured he wouldn’t need a disguise. Third mistake.

“Here,” he said, offering her a mango from the basket. “You haven’t lived until you’ve tried Fire Nation mango.”

She took the fruit from him and bit into it, her eyes immediately widening as she turned on Zuko. “Tui’s gills, this is delicious! You’re telling me that you people just have this on hand but we don’t get any of it?”

He shrugged and took a fig from the basket as Y/N wiped some juice off of her chin. “There’s a reason I’ve helped you break into the kitchens so many times. Now, where do you wanna go next?”

-

The pair spent the next couple of hours browsing the marketplace, enjoying their day on the Fire Lord’s coin. Zuko was more than happy to show Y/N parts of his culture after all she had taught him, and she was more than happy to experience it. They had been able to buy lanterns for the upcoming Festival of Szeto, purchase their own blends of tea leaves, and of course Zuko insisted on getting fire flakes and gummies.

(Y/N thought he was insane. Why in the world would the Fire Nation want to make food that hurt them on purpose? She was going to stick with her newfound love for mangoes.)

But Zuko hadn’t even brought her to the best part yet.

“Can I open my eyes now?” She asked, her anxious tone betraying her curiosity.

“Now you can.” Y/N was met with Zuko’s grin and as she focused on the stand in front of them, she had to make a conscious effort to not gape.

Zuko had brought her to a sewing stand with all the threads, fabrics, and silks that she could dream of in all kinds of colors. She immediately rushed forward, unable to stop herself from running her hands over and through each and every piece of material — she was in a seamstress’s heaven.

“I take that as a sign you like it?” Zuko asked happily.

“Oh, definitely,” she confirmed, still completely caught up in all the choices. “This is so much better than all the material we’re given to work with!”

“That’s why I brought you here. I thought you could get some stuff for yourself, and some stuff to help with the dress you’re making for your mom. I don’t really know how sewing works, but I thought that this was one way I could help.”

“That is so sweet of you!” she gushed. “Thank you so much — you should probably get around to some of the other stalls because I… I think I’m gonna be here for a while.”

Zuko laughed and fished out of a couple of golden pieces then set them in her hand. “That’s okay. I’ll meet you over by the steps; we can watch the sunset together.”

They nodded as parting gifts and each was enveloped in their tasks; Y/N beginning to ask the merchant questions about everything at their stand and Zuko off to entertain himself for a few more minutes.

Soon enough, Y/N had her own small bundle of silks and fabrics, her mind already going off in a million different ways of how she could incorporate it into the design. She found Zuko sitting on the steps and as she took her own seat next to him, he handed her another mango.

“Did you find everything you wanted?” She nodded and hummed gratefully as she accepted the fruit, taking a bite as her eyes fell on the skyline in front of them.

“I had a really great time today, Zuko. I really can’t thank you enough for taking me out here. I… I think I forgot what it was like to feel like this.”

“Like what?”

“...happy.” She paused for a second before allowing herself to meet his eyes. “All the time I spend with you in the palace… It’s one of the only times that I really do feel happy. And being out here today, getting to walk around where I wanted and buy things and just— I feel free, Zuko. And that means everything to me.”

She felt the heat rush to her cheeks and she turned away. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to go on like that—“

Zuko gently reached out for her hand, drawing her attention back to him and the soft smile on his face.

“Well… I care about you. You’re nice to me, and you take time out of your day to help me which you don’t have to do. This is just me trying to pay you back for all you’ve done to help me. We can do this more often — whenever my dad’s busy.”

Her own smile grew on her lips and she nodded as she laced her fingers with his. “I care about you too. And.. I’d like that.”

Y/N leaned her head on his shoulder and together, they watched the sunset over the city.

There was no place either of them would rather be.

-

Y/N and Zuko made their way back to the palace as quickly as they could after realizing how late it had gotten. Y/N was sure that she was going to get the talking-to of her life after what she had done, but she was almost giddy after what had just happened. She could deal with any of Kura’s consequences later — right now the only thought in her mind was the feeling of Zuko’s hand in hers.

The night had been nothing short of perfect. She had felt freer than ever before out there in the city with Zuko, and knowing that he reciprocated the feelings she had for him was enough to make her heart burst. She cared for him, and he cared for her.

Of course, there was that nagging question of how they would continue now that their friendship had morphed into something more, but once again — it was something she would deal with later. Her fourth and final mistake.

But as a guard turned the corner, Y/N realized she might not get the chance. She quickly let go of Zuko’s hand and tucked it under the bundle of fabric, hoping that the gesture of affection had been missed by the man.

If he had noticed, he showed no sign of it. He stopped in front of them, a gruff voice speaking from behind the mask with words that made her heart stop.

“Prince Zuko, the Fire Lord has requested an audience with you.”

-

haha OOPS

perm tag list: @dv0412 @siriuslyslyslytherin @maruchan77

ehfar: @chandies-sideblog @persica27

atla: @marianne1806

[acephysicskarkat]

The key lesson I’ve learned from SP0P is an old piece of writing advice, and it’s ironic because the phrasing is something C*tra tried to do like five times:

Murder your darlings.

“Murder your darlings” is an old piece of writing advice that boils down to “just because you like something you’ve created doesn’t mean it’s good for the narrative”. Your priority as a writer is telling the story well. You may be very proud of the thing you did, but if it doesn’t serve that purpose, save it for another day or rewrite it until it fits cohesively.

Let’s look at C*tra’s redemption as a case study.

It’s obvious that Stevenson was super invested in it being a love-redeems moment, hence the reason that it had to be saved until permission for that was given while S5 was being written (my guess would be about halfway through given how many of S5′s scripts could have used another couple of writing passes). And look, I’m not opposed to the concept of love redeeming, that’s a perfectly workable trope.

But.

A quarter of the way into S5 is too fucking late for C*tra’s redemption arc to work narratively, especially with at least two episodes where she barely appears. It would be pushing it even if being redeemed was the only thing C*tra was doing in that season, which it’s not.

(The overall half-assed and inept way they used what time they did have is a separate problem, which I think I’ve discussed to death by now.)

The murder your darlings part is when you look at this and go: y’know, does it have to be love-redeems? Couldn’t we make it something else in order to let C*tra’s redemption arc kick off in time to make it actually work? Maybe if her realisation that it’s lonely at the top after the sack of Salineas led to character development in late S4, instead of having her undergo another personal breakdown that eats up a lot of screentime without actually giving engaging development?

And if the show had done that, it could have fixed so much.

The rushed and unfinished character development is easy to fix because now you have like three times longer to actually show her undergoing character growth. You don’t have to just say she’s undergone character growth and have her act like the same asshole she’s always been, now you have time to have her confront the consequences of those actions and learn from them.

C*tra’s redemption is also more narratively cohesive. Now she’s actively making decisions about what she values and which ambitions she is willing to give up - similar to Zuko rejecting his old life and seeking out Aang because his sense of honour demands it. Having her basically switch sides as a last-ditch effort to salvage something, a la S5, is kind of wonky and ends up feeling a bit cheap. It’s not the worst part but it definitely needed another couple of draft passes.

(”Antagonist reluctantly joins protagonists because they’re out of rope” can work as a starting point for a redemption, see also Peridot, but then you need to show them reluctantly getting used to their new teammates and undergoing gradual character growth and S5 kind of had all that happen offscreen, while we were all distracted by Double Trouble.)

It would even improve the romance. It wouldn’t fix it - that would require substantive structural alterations to the show in its entirety, starting with rewriting the third season from the ground up - but having C*tra making a decision not to get a specific Adora-related end goal but because it’s the decision she knows she should make reduces the pervasive toxicity, because now it’s not yet another display of her obsession, but a meaningful statement about who she is and is not going to be. It would give her some much-needed depth.

And all it would take would be giving up a plot point that didn’t actually make sense in context because so much of the show consists of C*tra using her connection with Adora as motivation to make Adora miserable.

Murder your darlings. It doesn’t matter how good an idea is in isolation; if making it work requires fucking up your narrative, save it for another project. If it’s really that good, you’ll find somewhere for it eventually.

[ordinaryschmuck]

What I Thought About "Hunting Palismans" From The Owl House

Salutations, random people on the internet who certainly won’t read this! I am an Ordinary Schmuck. I write stories and reviews and draw comics and cartoons.

Today, I present to you reason #4,693 for why The Owl House is the best thing at the moment: It's the perfect balance of serialized storytelling with an episodic format. The story always moves forward with an exact order for how episodes should be watched, but each episode still functions as its own standalone tale. Having prior knowledge of what happened before adds more to the experience, but you can still watch whatever you want and still have an enjoyable time. Take "Hunting Palismans," for example. It adds so much more to the overarching narrative while slightly continuing other threads. But it's still something you can watch as is without remembering the past or wondering about the future.

However, to properly explain how requires spoilers. I wasn't kidding when I say that this episode adds so much, so you're going to want to be wary of that when you continue reading.

With that said, let's review, shall we?

WHAT I LIKED

Coven Heads Meeting: We already saw these fellow schmucks in the trailer, but that doesn't take away how cool they are! It's not explicitly stated which head belongs to which coven, but you can already tell who goes where just from their designs alone. And I love that. I love that just by showing us some excellent character designs, anybody with half a brain can already figure out the particular type of magic each Coven Head specializes in. It's a perfect example of the show-don't-tell level of storytelling that is always at its best through animation, and I'm all for it because of it.

What the Day of Unity is: Several fans, myself included, have already speculated that the Day of Unity was that Emperor Belos planned to combine the human world with the Boiling Isles and rule it all with an iron fist. That being said, figuring it out is one thing, but being told that it's true is a whole different level pants-s**ting horror that I AM NOT READY FOR! Even when it's going to happen, I can assure you that I will not be prepared to witness it ...and I am scared of when it does.

Belos Body Horror: ...Disney, I was already scared s**tless of this guy. I DO NOT NEED THIS!

That being said, seeing Belos do...whatever the f**k that was, helps explain further why he needs the magic in palismans. I always assumed because it's like fuel for a car, giving him the power he needs. Now, even though the answer is more apparent, there are still some questions to be had. Is he cursed, and the magic keeps it at bay like Eda's potions? Or did he experiment with the wrong type of magic, and the palismans keep him stable? Only the future can say for sure...and I'm also not prepared for the answers from that either.

Golden Guard is Belos’ Nephew: Gosh dangit, THE INTRO HASN'T EVEN STARTED YET, AND THIS EPISODE IS ALREADY GIVING SO MUCH!

But, yeah, the most powerful witch on the Isles is apparently Golden Boy's Grunkle Belos. That very knowledge is incredibly interesting to discuss while presenting possibilities for future narratives. I don't know about you, but I see the Golden Guard going down the path of Zuko, learning that the magic of friendship is worth much more than whatever power he gains from being Belos' nephew. And possibly earning his uncle's love seeing how he's the only family he has. It's a situation that's vastly different from Amity's because even when she defies her parents, she'll still have Edric and Emira at the end of the day. For Golden Guard, knowing that he lost a great family to wild magic, the inclination to go against Belos is a lot weaker due to him being all he has left.

Oh, and also, Belos' family getting wiped out because of wild magic. Yeah, not only does that give the best type of motivation for Belos' distaste for it, but it also explains the Golden Guard's hesitance to use it. He's inclined to so he can save his uncle, sure. It's only the fact that he knows what happens with wild magic that causes some resistance...Also, we're less than a minute in, and I'm already getting all of this from one discussion between two characters.

HOW IS THIS SHOW SO GOOD?!

Intro Changes: It's about time too. It seems weird that the crew waited to change Eda and King's designs in the intro this late in the game, but it also tells me that Amity dying her hair lavender is the last huge change this season will present. Otherwise, why change the intro at all if you were going to alter Luz, Willow, and Gus' designs anyway? It just doesn't make sense to me.

Luz Keeping the Echo Mouse as a Pet: The fact that she keeps the most important creature in the world to her as a pet...it's...it's adorable, alright? And as we established several times, I cannot hate adorable things.

Don't judge me!

Amity Staying Home: There are two plausible ways why Amity didn't go to school that day. Either she's getting punished for dying her hair or because she's trying to avoid Luz so they won't talk about the you-know-what. Either could work and seem understandable to Luz, thus explaining why she admits how "that makes sense." Although, there is something to discuss in how Luz is curious as to where Amity is. Judging from the tone of her voice, it's pretty clear that she wants to talk about the little peck on the cheek and maybe get some confirmation as to what it means. Because there is no going back from that. You can explain away saying or doing something stupid, but you cannot un-kiss a cheek. That is a point of no return, and if Amity really is avoiding Luz because of it, that means it's up to our favorite weirdo to make the first move. As for what that may entail...we'll just have to wait and see.

Frewin: We get two bits of information here for the price of one reveal here. Knowing that Frewin is a palisman is shocking enough, but the knowledge that Bump is partially blind and needs Frewin to see? That is an intriguing piece of intel that I would have never expected to get revealed. This is reason #5,279 for what makes The Owl House so good. Even when the show presents information you wouldn't guess, it's all so interesting anyways that you can't help but go along with it.

Adopting Palismans: First of all, love the fact that the Bat Queen makes a return to provide a solution to the palisman trees being rare and solving her own problem regarding the discarded palismans. It's a situation where everyone wins in a way that is so clever that I can't help but admire it.

Second, the idea of students choosing to adopt palismans instead is cute. I'd say it gives further insight into who these characters are in how they say what they want to be, but there's nothing really new added that fans couldn't figure out from the get go. But I will say that it's pretty cool to know that these characters have official staffs now. Speaking of which, if you're upset that their palismans don't match up with your headcanons...grow up.

This was a cute and smartly written scene that should not be bogged down by whiney fans who can't accept a series doing something different from what they expect.

Little Rascal: I’d take a bullet for this bird. That is all.

Luz Being Uncertain of her Future: A lot of fans offer several ideas of what the future could look like for Luz. Will she stay in the Boiling Isles? In Connecticut? Or will she go back and forth? We don't know, but one question we rarely brought up is what does Luz want? More specifically, what does she want to do? After everything Luz went through, the adventures she's gone on, and the lessons learned, what is something that Luz wants her future to be? That's an answer she doesn't really figure out, and I'm genuinely ok with that being a question that's tabled for another day. Most kids who ask that question themselves aren't always going to find an answer after a short amount of time and sometimes even need to spend their lives trying to figure it out. So having it be something Luz has to consider and probably find out in a future episode is the smarter option, as it allows time for it to simmer in her own mind and provides more insight into her character. As stated several times in this episode, she doesn't think things through, so it's nice that the writers finally allowed her some time to wonder what's next when the adventure is over.

Luz Having to Improvise Without Paper Glyphs: You want to know what my favorite Spider-Man moments are (this is relevant. Trust me). My favorite moments are when Spidey's web-shooters run out of fluid, and he's forced to improvise with that big brain of his to find a solution. That's sort of what happens with Luz in "Hunting Palismans." She didn't bring her glyphs with her (why would she), so she's forced to use the environment around her to make new ones. Plus, Luz also flexes her knowledge of the Boiling Isles by mixing her glyphs with a magical plant (which Willow certainly told her about) so that she and the Golden Guard could knock out Kikimora's dragon. It's yet another showcase of her intelligence that a lot of fans are too keen to overlook. Unfortunate to see, too, because looking at how well Luz can craft the perfect solutions by fighting smarter, not harder, is a fantastic add-on to her personality. I love characters who win through their wits rather than their raw powers, and I once again hope more people will catch onto that aspect of her too.

Golden Guard Whistling the Theme: Look, I love it when a show acknowledges its own theme song, ok? Leave me alone.

Luz and the Golden Guard: This is one of those dynamics you didn't know you wanted until you have it. And now that I have it, I DEMAND MORE!

Seriously, seeing these two interact off of each other was a ton of fun to watch. When Luz and GG are initially at each other's throats, their threats and mockery towards one another aren't out of spiteful anger between two mortal enemies. It's more like...two siblings who get on each other's nerves yet are supposed to deal with one another. It's equally adorable and hilarious, and yes, I absolutely loved that they're forced to work together in this episode because of it.

Although, while the entertainment value is fantastic, it also adds more proof of why Luz is the best character in the series. She spends one night with this guy, and that's more than what she needed to make a difference with him. I wouldn't go so far as to say that they're buddies now, but Luz definitely sowed the seeds into his redemption. He's far from willing to join her side, but he still does something he rarely does with anyone else: He told her that his name is Hunter. And this is what Luz does. Through nearly every person she meets on the Boiling Isles, she always manages to change them for the better. It'll be a while before Hunter deflects from Belos, but if Amity proves anything, Luz has a way of sneaking into people's hearts. They just need to spend more time with one another, and I can't wait to see what happens next because of it.

Kikimora Wanting to Kill Hunter: This shows a lot about who Kikimora is, but it potentially proves just how dysfunctional the Emperor's Coven can be. If Kiki proves anything, the coven must be filled with people willing to backstab and cheat their way to get on Emperor Belos' good side. Just look at Lilith. She literally cursed her own sister just to get in and received all the rewards because of it. The Emperor's Coven may be the best choice for witches to do magic, but if you're surrounded by people you can't trust, then is it really worth it?

The Guards Not Knowing Who Hunter is: This helps add to how much of a big deal it is for Hunter to reveal his name to Luz. If people can't even recognize his face, there's a chance it means that he keeps his true identity a secret except for those in his inner circle.

And the coven guards brushing off his brand is more than believable to me. They may be aware that Belos' right hand is young, but teens will be teens. Anybody with enough artistic talent can fake a brand. So it isn't too far off for those two to think Hunter was just a kid pulling a prank.

Hunter is Powerless Without his Staff: Not much to say here. It's just some more neat insight into Hunter's character that makes me wonder if even Belos' magic is real magic.

But I will say this: The fact that Hunter comes from a lineage of powerless witches, well, who's to say that isn't because of a...certain ancestor?

(*Cough* Hunter is related to Philip *Cough*)

Hunter vs Kiki: A pretty well-animated fight scene that adds potential drama to the story for the future. Now that Kikimora knows that Hunter helped Luz escape with the palismans (albeit unwillingly), she may or may not hold that over his head when the time comes. Or, at the very least, decides to keep a closer eye on him whenever he makes a slip-up.

Eda and King Getting Luz her own Palisman Wood: These last two weeks have been severely lacking in the Eda and King department, but scenes like this more than make up for it. Those two have formed such a bond with Luz to the point where they would do the impossible if it meant she would feel better. It proves just how much of a family they all are and the lengths they would go for each other. After all, weirdos have to stick together.

Little Rascal going to Hunter: Hunter is right. That was surprising.

Given how much Little Rascal stuck by Luz, I was more than positive that she would be the one he chose. So seeing Little Rascal pick Hunter instead is a much nicer twist. There could be multiple reasons why, and I'm just going to leave that to the analyzers in this fandom to decide. Especially since the answer isn't really all that important.

So, instead, I'm going to go ahead and sit in the corner as I wOrRy AbOuT tHe DaY tHaT bElOs FiNdS lItTlE rAsCal!

IT'S GONNA HAPPEN! AND I SWEAR TO ALL THAT IS HOLY, IF THE WRITERS KILL HIM, I WILL NOT BE HAPPY!

WHAT I DISLIKED

First, there's...um...

Well, there was this...

Ok, as much as I liked--No, that turned out well anyways...

…

...

...I've got nothing.

I, honest to goodness, have no complaints about "Hunting Palismans" Not even the tiniest of nitpicks I would usually ignore due to how well-executed everything else was.

It's all written fantastically to the point where it's...perfect.

IN CONCLUSION

"Hunting Palismans" is an easy A+. It introduces even more plot threads, gives insight into characters, and despite being essential to the story, it still manages to be a fun episode all on its own. And, I'd go so far as to say that it's one of the best, if not the best, episodes in the series. There's nothing bad about it, and that surprises me. I rarely find nothing bad to say about any story, even the ones I enjoy greatly. I'm sure there are some flaws that others would be more than happy to point out, but why bother hunting for the imperfections when I could accept that, for once, an episode is simply perfect.

(And that’s six hits in a row...THAT STINKER IS GOING TO HAPPEN! It hasn’t happened yet, BUT IT’S GOING TO HAPPEN! I CAN FEEL IT!)

[melzula]

The Reunion

*part of the Fire Lilies series

request: Could you write a Fire Lilies blurb about Zuko's and Princess! Reader's reunion when he joins Team Avatar?

The atmosphere is oddly tense when you wake up that morning and head out for breakfast. Aang and Sokka refuse to meet your gaze and Katara keeps her eyes set on the pot of rice before her. Unlike her brother and the Avatar, her eyes are more firm and hard set.

“Did I miss something?” You muse inquisitively. Sokka begins to sweat nervously, and you take that as an opportunity to narrow your gaze at the boy- if anyone’s going to break first it’s going to be him. “Sokka?”

“Zuko was here!” He finally blurts, earning a fiery gaze from his sister.

“Sokka!”

“I’m sorry! I couldn’t hold it in anymore, it was killing me!”

“What?” You gasp softly. Your bowl of rice begins to tremble in your pottery crushing grasp, and you feel absolutely sick to your stomach.

“He came yesterday while you were exploring with Haru,” Aang explains gently while trying his best not to upset you. “He wanted to join our team and teach me fire bending. He said he’s changed.”

“He was obviously just trying to trick us so he could turn us over to his crazy sister,” Sokka adds indifferently. “And he admitted to sending Combustion Man after us!”

“I wouldn’t put it past him,” you grumble whilst angrily stabbing at your rice with your chopsticks.

“He... also asked for you,” Aang says, causing you to go wide eyed. “He wants you to know how sorry he is for everything he’s done to you.”

“We didn’t tell you because we didn’t want to upset you,” Katara consoles in response to your uneasy silence. “You’ve been so much better off without him, you don’t need him trying to uproot your life again.”

“I appreciate the sentiment but you don’t have to keep secrets from me,” you argue. “I’m glad I didn’t see him, but I have the right to know about him.”

Katara isn’t able to say anything more as Toph tumbles through the rocks with a groan.

“Toph!” You exclaim, rushing to her side and gasping at the sight of her feet. You’re quick to coat her burned skin in a pool of water, making sure to lower the temperature so that it’s nice and cool against her wounds.

“My feet got burned,” she frowns. “I went to see Zuko last night-“

“Zuko did this?!” You seethe. Anger and fury flow through your veins at the thought of him hurting the girl who’s basically become like a little sister to you.

“Hey, easy with the water there your highness,” Toph complains, and you barely notice that your anger has caused the water’s temperature to rise.

“Sorry,” you murmur apologetically as Sokka and Aang lift Toph from the ground and set her feet into the fountain.

“That’s the stuff,” she sighs contently. “Now I know how you guys feel. It stinks not being able to see with your feet.”

“How did this happen?” Katara asks.

“I kind of startled him, it was an accident.”

“Accident or no accident, Zuko is obviously too dangerous to be left alone. We have to go after him.”

“Go after him?” You repeat uneasily, despising the worry that begins to wrap around your heart at the thought of them going after Zuko. Why do you still care?

“I have to agree with Sokka,” Aang sighs. “I hate looking for fights but we have to do this.”

“Toph said it was an accident, can’t we just let him go?”

“Why are you defending him? He burned her feet! He’s obviously still evil,” Katara criticizes.

“I’m not defending him! I’m just saying maybe it’s better if we just avoid him. Seeking Zuko out will only lead to more trouble,” you try to rationalize, but your fellow water bender isn’t having it.

“Leaving him alone means there’s a chance he can hurt someone else. Wouldn’t you have wanted someone to stop Zuko from hurting you before it was too late?!” The question leaves you misty eyed and hurt, but you don’t have time to argue when a harsh blast shakes the earth underneath you. You’re quick to scoop Toph up into your arms before being guided to safety by Sokka.

You focus your attention on tending to Toph while the others fight off Combustion Man, keeping her safe since she can’t use her bending to protect herself. The battle doesn’t last very long thankfully, but now you find yourself facing a new obstacle.

“I can’t believe I’m saying this but, thanks Zuko.”

“Hey, and what about me? I did the boomerang thing,” Sokka points out, and you’d laugh if you weren’t so conflicted at the sight of your ex boyfriend before you. He looks so different from the last time you were together; his hair is shaggier and he looks a bit leaner, his eyes are tired and full of remorse. You do your best to conceal yourself behind Sokka, holding onto his arm for comfort and refusing to meet the Prince’s gaze.

“I know I didn’t explain myself very well yesterday. I’ve been through a lot in the past few years, and it’s been hard. But I’m realizing that I had to go through all those things to learn the truth. I thought I had lost my honor, and that somehow my father could return it to me. But I know now that no one can give you your honor. It’s something you earn for yourself by choosing to do what’s right.”

His eyes meet your own then, apologetic and full of longing for your forgiveness. You had tried to explain that same truth to him countless times before during your time abroad together, and each time it only seemed to go in one ear and out through the other. He had to learn the lesson on his own, and now that he finally had he was ready to follow your advice. He just hopes that you’ll let him. You look away and give Sokka’s arm a squeeze to which the boy responds by taking your hand in his own, and Zuko deflates slightly at the action.

“All I want to do is play my part to help you end the war and restore balance to the world. I know it’s my destiny, and I hope you’ll allow me the opportunity to see it through,” Zuko admits humbly. He turns to Toph. “I’m sorry for what I did to you. It was an accident, and I need to learn to be more in control of my fire bending so that I don’t hurt people unintentionally.”

A single tear slides down your cheek at his admission and you’re quick to brush it away. Don’t hurt people unintentionally. It was a little too late for that, wasn’t it?

“I think you are supposed to be my fire bending teacher, and I’d like you to teach me,” Aang says. “But I can’t let you join our team without asking my friends first.”

With each member of the group giving their acceptance, some more reluctant than others, of Zuko becoming Aang’s fire bending instructor, all eyes land upon you as the deciding vote.

“Y/n?” Aang calls gently, forcing you to meet your friend’s caring gaze. “I know how much pain you’ve been through and how long it’s taken you to overcome your heartbreak. Are you going to be comfortable with Zuko joining our group?”

Sokka’s arm comes to wrap around your shoulders comfortingly as you shrink under everyone’s gaze. At least a full minute passes before you finally will yourself to meet Zuko’s hopeful gaze. His eyes are different than the one’s you last saw in the cave, softer and lacking the malice they had once held, but you still can’t look at him without seeing the same boy who had intended to burn you in order to appease his sister. You swallow harshly and will the tears away from your eyes.

“I’m willing to put my feelings aside for your sake, Aang,” you finally answer. “Defeating the Fire Lord is more important than anything else.”

“I won’t let you down! I promise!” Zuko beams, and the group begins to disperse until it’s only you and him standing face to face. His features soften, remorse immediately washing over him as he takes a step forward. “Y/n, I-”

Zuko stumbles forward, struggling to regain his balance as he finds he cannot move; you’ve frozen his feet to the floor. He looks at you wide eyed and astonished, a hint of amazement at just how much you’ve improved since the last time he saw you.

You’ve spent countless sleepless nights figuring out what you’d say to Zuko if you ever saw him again- if you’d yell and curse his name to every spirit within ear shot, if you’d cry and scream with anguish, if you’d tell him off or welcome him with open arms. But now, with Zuko standing frozen before you, you find that you have nothing to say to him.

You leave Zuko behind to unfreeze his own feet, silently following Toph and Sokka back into the temple.

| tags: @titaniafire @dekahg @emberislandplayers @kikaninchen-2 @multi-fandomstan @eridanuswave @royahllty @lozzybowe @izzieserra @melacholy @music-geek19 @thia-aep @thyunnamed @kittenthekat1234567890 @haylaansmi @nataliahaslosthershit @coldlilheart @idkdude776 @aangsupremacy @thirstyforsometea |

[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)

[the-badger-mole]

So there's definitely the traits about Aang you don't like. If you had the chance, how would you have gone about making sure Aang got called out??

Any other changes about other aspects of the show that you would have done??

OOHHH!!!! There is SO much I would have changed.

Starting with Aang:

Aang should have been called out about not helping Katara with the chores. One of the lessons he should have learned on Kyoshi should have been importance of not leaving one team member to do all of the work (Sokka should have been taught this lesson, too, of course, but at least he was learning other lessons about respect for women in particular). I'm not asking for Aang to face consequences for the sake of making him miserable (although...). What I really want is for him to consider people other than himself in a way that actually leaves a mark on his character and doesn't just make his superficial reputation better.

In Bato of the Water Tribe, he should have been taken more to task over his selfishness in hiding Hakoda's letter. I feel like the danger he put Hakoda's mission in with that bone-headed move gets overlooked in favor of his sadness about the possibility of his friends wanting to take a detour to see their father. Aang gets half an apology for that, but only half an apology, and not to Katara- the one he's supposed to have a romance (???) with.

He should have been called out for lying his way out of actually solving the problem in "The Great Divide". Yes, it was a tough problem, but he's going to have to solve even harder ones as the Avatar. Not even lightly chiding him for taking the easy way out doesn't bode well for how well he's going to do at his job in the future.

The fact that he was instrumental in the deaths of several Fire Nation soldiers in the Siege of the North should have been the beginning of his understanding of what he's expected to do to end this war that's been going on for a hundred years. He should feel some guilt over the war that's been going on for a hundred years. Even if ultimately he's not centrally to blame for either, neither could have happened without him making the decisions he made. I can understand it not occurring to Aang on his own that he played a part in (lets be honest) millions of deaths, but it should have dawned on him through context clues what the world- what his friends!- expected of him. He should have been looking for a non-lethal solution to the Ozai problem from the beginning of Book 2 at the latest! The way his reluctance to kill Ozai plays out in the show makes Aang look inexcusably stupid, unbelievably short-sighted, and dangerously selfish.

He should have been brought to task for how he treated his friends- especially Toph- in the desert. Yes, it's understandable that he was upset about losing Appa, but he took his anger out on his friends. That's not ok. He should have apologized. We should have seen him apologize. It wasn't Toph's fault Appa was taken. She didn't deserve that.

Katara should have had more of a voice in her relationship with Aang. He forced kisses on her twice, and aside from avoiding talking to him about feelings, Katara doesn't get to tell him how she actually feels about him, about them, about the fact that he doesn't respect her enough to talk to her about how he felt before he even thought about trying to kiss her. I hate Kataang, and there is no version of that ship that I would actually like (at it's best it's boring), HOWEVER, there is a version of Kataang that could have been less infuriating, and it's the version where Aang realizes how selfish he's been with Katara and apologizes, and then actually puts in the work to be more respectful of her. Not to get the reward of her affection for doing something he should have been doing in the first place (*ahembrykeahem*), but because he actually sees the error of his ways and his need to change for himself. Then maybe, after Aang had put in actual work on himself, maybe his "romance" with Katara could have worked, and Katara would have actually had a chance to thrive after getting with him.

The war should have had more of an impact on Aang. As the Avatar, he should have seen more people suffering under the Fire Nation's campaign of imperialism. Sure he sees refugees and even spends a couple of days getting to know a pregnant lady, but it never seems like he makes the connection between the abstract evil of the war and the real world suffering it caused. It never seems to sink in for him how bad things are. Like not even for his friends. Not even for Katara specifically, the girl he allegedly loves.

There are more things I would have changed about Aang, but this is already long, so moving on!

As for the rest of the show:

I would have spent less time on Aang and his feelings and done more with the world building. There is a ridiculously small amount of time dedicated to the Water Tribe cultures. Most of Book 1: Water is spent in the Earth kingdom! Why??? Most of the main cast is from the Southern Water Tribe! Then there's the question of the Air Nomads. A total annihilation of a people group is incredibly unlikely. Closer to impossible. It hasn't even happened in our world, and the European colonist had raised murder and genocide to an art form. You mean to tell me that not only did the Fire Nation manage to murder millions of people to complete extinction, they did it in a day? Seriously??? I'm not buying it.

Speaking of the Air Nomads, even if they decided not have any other air benders in the show (but seriously, why not?), there was no reason not to explore their culture a little more. There could have been history texts in those temples they visited. Aang could have discovered some scrolls on defensive air bending forms. Guru Pathik could have been less racist given more time to explain at least a bit of the nuance of Air Nomad culture and philosophy. Aang has a 12 year old's understanding of Air Nomad culture and philosophy. What could you tell anyone about your culture or your religious beliefs at 12? Maybe you'd absorbed a lot by then, but to be able to accurately explain either to someone who didn't already know? Well, we get the bulk of Air Nomad philosophy from Aang- the kid who couldn't even acknowledge that his own people had killed in self-defense.

Toph, Sokka, Suki, and, yes Katara should have been given more development and had more care shown to their inner workings. Aang and Zuko have way more time devoted to them (though the time spent on Zuko had more plot impact than Aang's). The other members of the Gaang deserved more shine, too. Especially Toph.

Obviously, I think Katara and Zuko should have ended up together, but I've written so much about that, so I'm going to end this here, because it's late and I still need to get ready for bed.

[peanutbutterwrites]

My Good Looking Boy - Part One

warnings for series: angst, struggles with self worth and self esteem, issues with appearance, childhood trauma, and mentions of death and murder.

summary: taking place after the southern raiders, zuko and katara finally learn to understand each other a bit more and long held on to feelings come to the surface. the gaang go and watch the ember island play and chaos ensues with katara's feelings.

part one - part two

authors note: here is the awaited first part! nothing crazy will happen in this part just because i'm trying to build a foundation on the slight heistance of acceptance between zuko and katara and expose the flaws in katara and aang going further into a relationship. i hope there's no major errors as i've read it a million times myself, but it is not beta read. please, let me know what you think and send me your thoughts and requests! i am open to criticism but please be kind to me lol. also let me know if you wanna be on a taglist for this series. thank you guys ~

word count: 1.8 k

Summertime in the fire nation was beautiful to see, the exotic flowers were in bloom and there was plenty to gather and hunt in the forest near camp. But one thing that summer did mean, was heat. Rays from the sun began beating down as early as six and were relentless until seven in the evening. Being a night owl meant Katara could spend a lot of her time in the cool light of the moon, late into the hours of the night. But it also meant a rude awakening when she rose at ten and it was already blisteringly hot. Groaning awake, she threw an arm to cover her eyes and felt the crease of her elbow sticky with sweat already.

“Ew, come on really?” she mumbled sleepily as she peeled the patchwork blanket from her balmy skin. Unsticking some of her hair from the nape of her neck, she rose from the tent to begin a long, hot day. Opening the curtains with a loud flap, the sun blinded her briefly before resting her eyes on the makeshift camp that the group had formed. Luckily, Sokka, Toph and Suki were all still sleeping so Katara didn’t feel too guilty about her habit of sleeping in. Yawning and making sure her wraps were tight, Katara stretched and began the laundry that she would have to do. “I need to gather food for dinner tonight, fix Suki’s blanket, teach Aang his lesson…” she mumbled, thinking out loud while she worked. As soon as she had all the blankets and clothes that needed washing, laundry was a daily occurrence thanks to the heat and dirt, she made her way down to the lake nearby camp. 

The journey there was beautiful and pleasantly uneventful, but the need for cool water spurred her on and hindered her ability to appreciate the scenery. Once she finally arrived at the beautiful lake, she waded knee deep into the water and allowed the full, woven basket to float towards her. The lake lay under the cool shade of a carved out mountain with lush greenery growing all throughout it. It was beautiful to see such life within the fire nation, Katara had always thought it would be barren and depressing. Using a long, flat rock as support for the clean clothes,  she breathed in and out as the gentle glide of her hands wove the water in and out of the fabric. The push and pull of the arm motion became therapeutic, and not too long after she began she was lost in her own thoughts. So lost in fact, she missed the rustling of the nearby leaves and the airy laughter floating its way into the clearing. 

“Yeah! It was incredible right? Oh good morning Katar-” but her attention snapped just in time for a needle-thin icicle to hover right in front of the intruder's nose. “Whoa! It's just us.” Aang said as he brushed a large plant out of his way and walked with a bounce in his step toward her. 

“Oh! I'm sorry, I was in my own world.” Katara dropped the icicle immediately in favor of returning to her former activity. “What are you doing out here? Didn’t you have practice this morning?” 

“Yes, he did.” A rich, gravely voice rang out. It was quieter than Aangs and still held some apprehension. Katara raised her head to meet golden eyes.

“Oh, hello Zuko.” she said in a quiet greeting. Relations with Zuko had been strained to say the least. Katara spent the better half of the summer hating his guts and only recently had the formed common ground with the firebender. And by recently, she meant a little over a week at most. Finally accepting that his kindness and sincerity were, well, sincere; Katara was still finding it difficult to adjust to being comfortable around Zuko. 

“Yeah! I did so great today, it was actually Zuko’s suggestion to come down here!” Aang bounded towards the water, taking off his robes in a fluid movement as he did so. Katara’s eyes flickered from Aang’s juvenile behavior with a fond smile on her face, back to Zuko. Noticing a light flush across his cheeks, 

“Zuko? Are you okay? It’s quite hot today, why don’t you get in the water?” But the color only intensified. 

“Uh yes, it is rather hot isn't it? I should get in.” Katara nodded while lightly giggling at him as he stood stiff as a board. Snorting at his behavior, she went back to focusing on the back and forth of the water she used to wash their laundry. Listening to Aang's babbling she hmm’d and oh’d in all the right spots about his stories of today’s lesson, about how wonderful he was getting at firebending. In her defense, she was fully involved in her work, focussing heavily on her job. That was, until a certain jerkbender decided to join them. Zuko derobed without any flourish, but Katara had a hard time focussing after the fact. Her breath fumbled and her heartbeat worked in a stuttering pattern. Her stomach felt awkward and didn’t it suddenly feel hotter out?  Sinking slowly into the water, Zuko waded his way over to where Katara was working, forcing her to end her gawking. What the hell were you thinking about, Katara? Get a grip! Aang’s laughter could be heard reverberating off the walls of the carved out side of the cliff where the lake formed at the bottom, and Zuko finally settled on a ledge of rock, not too far from Katara. “So,” he began, “what have you been up to?” Katara fought the urge to roll her eyes.

“Well, you know me I’m a late riser but somebody needed to get this laundry done.”

“You don’t have to do everything by yourself, I could help you know.” he said sheepishly. “I feel bad with you doing all the work around here.”

“Well at least someone acknowledges it. You know, the occasional “wow thanks Katara!” would suffice.” She ranted, clasping her hands in a prayer position while exaggeratingly batting her eyes in mock praise.

“I’m serious though, I want to help.” 

“Please, you and all your princely training isn’t going to help here.” he blushed a bright red and hung his head at the obvious statement. He had neglected to remember that to help with laundry he needed to know how to do laundry. 

“W-well, teach me Sifu Katara.” she snorted at that, but hesitantly agreed. He had stood up from his seat on the rock ledge and had a hopeful look in his eyes. As soon as her eyes deviated from his, she regretted it. One would think all the traveling and limit to food would make one malnourished, but apparently Zuko was healthy as a horse as the water dropping down his toned stomach would beg to differ. Snapping her head down to hide the fierce blush that had bloomed across her face, she slapped a wet blanket into Zuko’s chest while he waded closer. Showing the motion of pressing the fabric into a rock for non-waterbenders, Zuko began learning how to actually help. He never once complained, even when Katara snapped at him for doing it incorrectly. They stood there in comfortable silence, only the sounds of water, rubbing of fabric, and occasional bird calls with Aang’s distant laughter never ceasing. It was one of the few times Katara has actually felt peace in a while. Even alone she often found her mind wandering into undesirable thoughts. Thoughts about her mother, the war, and even the man she killed. She knew he deserved it for all the waterbenders and innocent people of her tribe he must have wounded besides her mother. But for some reason, that didn’t make killing feel any better to her. “You thinking about something?” His hoarse voice suddenly spoke. 

“Um yeah, I guess I am.” 

“You can always talk to me. I mean, if you want that is.” Katara paused, debating on if they were comfortable enough yet with each other. “Actually, you never have to talk to me about anything really. You know I don't want to push your boundaries and-”

“It's okay, Zuko. Thank you.” She gave him a small smile and the tension of his previous rambling physically exited his body as his shoulders relaxed down. 

“Well, good. Because honestly, you’re a really good friend Katara, and I don’t want to mess this up.” She offered him a soft grip on top of his hand and that slightly uncomfortable fluttering returned to her stomach. 

“You haven’t messed it up.” He smiled softly back at her, his eyes twinkling and Katara swore she could see golden light dancing in them. But suddenly, his face fell and his hand slipped out from under hers. He went back to washing the fabric and a frown found its way to Katara’s face. 

“Zuko? What’s-”

“Hey, you guys are washing out our clothes! Cool!” Aaang waded out of the water and the moment was lost. Maybe she was imagining it, but she swore she heard Zuko let out a sigh of relief.

“Well yeah, you guys have been complaining about the sweat and dirt so, here we are.” 

“Wow, really cool of you to help Zuko. You didn’t have to.” Aang said cheerfully, grabbing the finished clothes and hitting them with some gusts of wind to help dry them quickly. Katara’s frown only deepened,

“You know Aang, he didn’t have to but it would be nice if you guys helped me out a little more.” “Why? It's like your job, you know? I have to train, Zuko and Toph have to teach me, Suki has stuff to do for her people and helps you out sometimes, and Sokka is, well, Sokka. That stuff’s your thing.”

“But Aang, I teach you too.” Katara grumbled. 

“I barely need help waterbending anymore, I think it’s fine.” He shrugged while he pulled on a robe. Katara ground her teeth and had to contain herself from snapping. 

“I think she has a point, there’s nothing wrong with us all helping each other out a little more.” Zuko came to the rescue. But Aang simply shrugged, as if this conversation was no big deal at all.

“Sure, I’m heading back to camp. You guys coming?” Katara sighed and tried to keep her tone even. 

“No Aang, I’m not finished with my job.” Aang looked pointedly at Zuko.

“I'll stay with her.” 

[imnotusedtobeingloved]

KISS HIM OR KILL HIM

(PLEASE DON’T REPOST/REBLOG)

Warnings: heartbreak, betrayal.

Pairing: Zuko x f!Reader

Characters: Zuko, Katara, Aang, Toph, Sokka.

Requested: I guess?

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, nor the gif. Credit to the owners.

Summary: Part five of “destiny is a funny thing”.

previous part

A/N: Welcome to the next part!

Have fun reading!

The sound of the waves rang in your ears as you sat in Appa’s saddle, resting quietly. You’d guided him through the night so the boys could rest, until Aang took the reigns this morning. Since your departure you’d done nothing but fly and a glimpse to your left told you that Zuko was getting incredibly bored. “We’ve been riding for hours. I don’t know why, but I thought this thing would be a lot faster,” Appa growled from below, sending vibrations through your body. “Appa’s right, Zuko,” Aang said, turning his head towards him. “In our group, typically we start our missions with a more up-beat attitude,”

“I can’t believe this,” The prince whispered beside you, lying down shortly after. “Don’t worry, you’ll get the hang of it,” you heard the Avatar say, before you closed your eyes, trying to get a little bit of sleep before you’d arrive.

You woke up, just as the island came into view. You’d barely noticed Zuko snuggling his head against your tigh while you slept. Careful you pulled away, before he opened his eyes. You didn't feel anger anymore, every time you looked at him. But you also weren't ready for this type of closure yet. “Wake up!” You said, when you’d made it to the other side of the saddle, watching him blink sleepily. “We’re here!” You got down from the saddle, landing directly between the broken pieces of the old temples.

When everyone finally dismounted, you turned towards the buildings. “Whoa!” The three of you stood next to each other, staring in awe, before you slowly started walking. “Even though these buildings are ancient, there’s something eerily familiar about them,” You nodded. “I can tell the Fire Sages’ temples are somehow descended from these,” The air was warm. It was a serene and calm atmosphere. Almost too calm for your liking.

“Okay. We’ve learned something about architecture,” Aang said looking around curiously. “Hopefully, we’ll learn something about firebending too. The past can be a great teacher,”

snap!

Suddenly Aang triped, yelping, as the path in front of him went down, leaving spikes in it’s wake. You gasped and reached a hand out, trying to catch him, but your fingertips barely grazed his clothes. Your heart stopped for a second when he nearly fell onto the sharp edges, but he managed to blow a blast of air from his mouth, somersaulting to the other side. “Guys, I think the past is trying to kill me,” Zuko knelt down, taking a look at the trap. “I can’t believe it,” He muttered, picking up the tripwire to inspect it. “This booby trap must be centuries old and it still works,”

“There’s probably a lot more. Maybe this means we shouldn’t be here,” The Avatar mulled, gripping his glider tightly. Next to you Zuko took two steps back, running along the wall adjoining the path, before jumping down on the other side. You raise a brow, running straight for the other side. With a gust of wind from Aang, you managed to jump right to them, without getting hurt. “Where’s that up-beat attitude you were talkin’ about?” Zuko said, dusting off his shirt. He smiles as Aang turns back. “Besides, people don’t make traps unless they’ve got something worth protecting,” You huffed, walking along as you could feel his gaze on your back. “Sounds like you’ve got experience with that,”

As you walked on, the buildings around you started to look less and less like ruins. The father in, the more intact they were. Cravings decorated the wall and scluptures framed the doors. One caught your eye in particular. It was a carving of a person surrounded by two dragon, breathing fire. “Look, this seems promising,” Aang said, pointing towards their rigid bodies. “Though I’m not sure what this tells us about the original source of firebending,”

“They look pretty angry to me,” Zuko threw in. “I thought the dragons were friends with the Sun Warriors,” He turned towards the Avatar, before answering. “Well, they had a funny way of showing it,” The prince lowered his gaze for a moment, before he turned around and went.

“Zuko,” You said, making him stop in his tracks. “Something happened to the dragons in the last hundred years. Something you’re not telling us,” The fire bender closed his eyes for a moment, hesitating to answer, before opening them again. “My great-grandfather Sozin happened,” He started to explain how the dragon hunting started, as you crossed a bridge. How they became nothing but trophies. And how they became extinct. “The last great dragon was conquered long before I was born,” He said, palm touching one of the dragon statues. “By my uncle,” Aang tilted his head. “But I thought your uncle was ... I don’t know, good? “

“He had a complicated past,” Zuko spoke. “Family tradition, I guess. Let’s just move on,” He quickly marched on, which left you and Aang to catch up to him. Soon you arrived at a vertical column, a sunstone burried in it’s center, above a wall with two gates. The prince stopped in his tracks, as the Avatar rushed forward, pushing and pulling at the doors. “It’s locked up!” Zuko rubbed his head, looking around. “Wait,” He took a step backward, looking at the place he stood in a second before, where the light from the sunstone beamed on a circular craving.

”It’s a celestial calendar. Just like the Fire Sages have in their temples,” He looked back up at the gates. “I bet that sunstone opens the door, but only when sunlight hits at just the right angle,”

You confirmed it with a nod and agreed. “Yeah, On the solstice,” An experated sigh passed Aang’s lips. “Monkeyfeathers! The solstice again? We can’t wait here that long,” Zuko unsheathed one of his swords. “No, we can’t,” You raised a brow, crossing your arms. “What do you have in mind?”

“We might be able to speed time up,” He placed his sword on the ground in a particular angle, causing it to reflect the light. “Let’s see if we can outsmart the sunstone,” The reflection, being guided by Zuko, moved over the other sunstone on top of the gates.

“Nothing’s happening,” Aang said, watching quietly. “Come on ..,” The prince muttered, not giving up. Out of nowhere the ground started shaking, as the gates opened, only stopping when the inside was fully revealed.

The Avatar picked up his staff, walking up to the gates along with you. “You know, Zuko, I don’t care what everyone else says about you,” Aang nudged him with his elbow. “You’re pretty smart,” Zuko smiled at his compliment, until you snorted, and it fell realizing what he’d actually said.

Meanwhile the boy had already walked inside, looking around the dark room. He gasped at the big, angry looking statues. “Relax. They’re just statues,” Zuko said.

They were lined up in a circle, displaying different postures. ”It says this is something called the Dancing Dragon,” You read, and saw Aang imitate one of the poses out of the corner of your eye. A subtile ‘click’ sounded upon the corrent positioning of his foot, pressing a buttom. “Zuko, (Y/N), get over here! I want you to dance with me” The former pulled his hand back. “What?”

“Just do it,” The Avatar pulled the both of you with him, getting you into the right positions. Zuko groaned unwillingly. ”Let’s follow the steps of the statues,” You took the stance of the statue before you, moving along with the boys and similarily pushing the buttons on the ground. “Don’t you see? These aren’t dance moves. These statues are giving us a lesson,” You could hear Aang say from behind you, to which Zuko answered less enthousiastically. ”This better teach us some really good firebending,”

Upon performing the last move, something changed about the atmosphere. A part of the ground detracted, making a vertical column emerge, holding a yellow, egg-shaped sunstone. The air bender raised his hands in triumph. “Hurray!”

”Wait,” You interrupted his outburst. “What exactly is that?”

Zuko ran up to it, before you’d finished your scentense. “It’s some kind of mystical gemstone,” Aang raised his arms, as if reaching out to him. “Well, don’t touch it!” The prince, stopped to let the boy catch up with him. “Why not?”

“Did you already forget what happened out there with those spikes?” You reminded, as Aang turned to look around, warily, and added: “I’m just very suspicious of giant glowing gems sitting on pedestals,”

The fire bender ignored him, picking up the egg as Aang’s eyes twitched. “It feels almost alive,” He described, before attempting to put it back, but it was to late. The three of you screamed out in horror, as a geyser of viscous slime erupted from the pedestal and pushed Zuko toward the grates in the ceiling, sticking him there. “Zuko!” You screamed, looking up to him.

“Oh no, it’s another trap!” Aang shot a worried glance at the struggling prince, as more slime shot from the column, forcing you both to retreat.

“Ugh, I can’t pull free. It’s like some kind of glue,” Zuko’s voice sounded from above, unable to break free. “Ugh! You’re unbelievable!” You yelled as more substance burst out. Spirits... sometimes you really didn’t know wheter you wanted to kiss him or kill him. “(Y/N), watch out!” Aang grabbed you around the waist, jumped across the slime and took his staff on the other side of the room. You clung to his robe, gasping, as he climbed on a statues head, sending a gust of wind towards Zuko, trying to get him free. But it only managed to push him from his back to his front. “Aang!” His ears perk up at the panic in your voice, upon seeing the slime still rising drastically. Soon enough his staff got caught in the substance,with all attempts to pull it out failing. “Hold on to me!” He says, jumping up to the grates, as slime engulfs the room. You landed next to each other, both groaning as you struggled to get your hands free. “I can’t move! Zuko, do something” Aang grunts, squishing you between him and the prince. “Me? I can’t move either!” You hiss at his words. “You’re the one who got us into this mess in the first place!”

A groan left your mouth, as the slime presses the air out of your lung and then... ceased. “It stopped,” You tried to turn your head to look at him, but the slime wouldn’t let you, clinging to every part of your body. “Great observation, Aang,”

“At least we have air. Maybe if we stay calm, we can figure a way out of this,” The fire bender said, staring up into the sky.

But you didn’t. The three of you stayed glued to the grates, until the sun sunk and the darkness came. You closed your eyes and sighed. “You just had to pick up the glowing egg, didn’t you?”

”At least I made something happen, (Y/N)! If it were up to you, we’d never have made it past the courtyard,” You growled, opening your mouth to reprimand him, but Aang interrupted the air first. “Heeeelp” He yelled, mouth wide open.

“Who are you yelling to?” Zuko and you both screamed back at the same time, growing more agitated by the second. “Nobody’s lived here for centuries,” The prince added. “Well, what do you think we should do?”

Anything to get us out of here, you thought. You’d spend hours staring at the sky, and despite it’s beauty, it was getting dull.

“Think about our place in the universe‌?” You heard a sigh on your left at Zuko’s answer, just as a foot, slipped into a bound sandal stepped into view.

“

Who is down there?

”

tags: @zvkonation​ @viva-la-millennia​ @randomness501​ @drheinzd​ @kaylove12​ @duh-dobrik​ @yeetscreetiwannaeat​ @ ashnkamfeun    @hailkyoshi​ @shortmexicangirl​ @animexholic​ @sorrythatspussynal​

[nadisabug]

Zuko’s Story

Summary: Y/n is a fan of tea, but she's an even bigger fan of the cute boy who sells it at the Jasmine Dragon. Prompts: 1. “I think I’m falling in love with you, and it scares me.” 4. “I’ve always been in love with you, since the beginning.” 11. “You look beautiful.” 23. "I really like having you around." Fandom: ATLA Pairing: Zuko x reader Warnings: none A/N: This is for @fromthewatertribe‘s 1k event! This was an idea I had before but saw your prompts and knew it would fit perfectly!

I slowly sipped on my tea, eyeing the cute server. I had been gawking at him for who knows how long, but I knew he wouldn't notice. He never noticed.

I knew his name was Lee by hearing it around the shop. I had been coming every single day for the past three weeks during my little brother Cam's bending lessons. I wasn't a bender, but he was, and I was determined for him to learn. Ever since our father had been taken away for bending when the fire nation raided our village, I knew he had to learn. I ran away with him the day I learned he could bend, refusing to let them take him too. As a result, we ended up as refugees in the last safe place there was, Ba Sing Se. And, even though money was so unbearably tight, I insisted that he go to regular lessons to learn how to bend. I was not going to let his talent be wasted.

"Would you like more tea?" I was startled out of my thoughts my a low voice beside me. I looked up quickly and had to fight back a blush. Of course it was Lee.

"No thanks, handsome," I blatantly flirted with him like usual and pressed a coin into his palm. He blinked a couple times before closing his hand around the coin. I got up and left him at the table, exiting the shop. It was about time I picked up Cam anyways.

I began to walk in the general direction of Cam's lessons. I didn't make it far, though. After a few minutes of walking, I was roughly pulled into an alley. I tried to scream, but a hand muffled my attempts. I twisted and thrashed, but my assailant had caught me well off guard so there was not much I could do to free myself. So, I stopped trying to free myself. I decided to wait until I saw an opening and take it. I had a whole plan in motion but it was shattered when I saw who had grabbed me.

"Lee?" I mumbled through his hand. I scrunched my eyebrows together and relaxed in his hold. It was only then that I processed how close we were. He had my wrists clasped behind my back, the rest of his arm pressing his body to mine. He was half a head taller then me, so he was looming over me.

"How to you know my name?" He rasped angrily. He lowered his hand from my mouth, which I appreciated, but when he brought it back he was holding a knife. I guess I preferred being muffled. He held the blade to my throat as a threat.

Well, I guess he finally noticed my staring.

"I heard it around the shop," I answered truthfully. To be honest, I was scared out of my mind. But, I was also a little bit turned on. This guy was really hot and the tough guy act sure wasn't helping my heartbeat. He was a lot cuter up close, I thought, then cursed at myself. That's what I was thinking about when I had a knife to my throat? However, for some reason, I didn't feel like he would hurt me. Be it the result of my crush or intuition, I just couldn't bring myself to be scared.

"Why do you stare at me all the time? What do you know? Do you know who I am?" He paused for a millisecond. "Answer me!" He shouted.

I opened and closed my mouth, I was sure I looked like a koi. "I, uh, don't know how to answer that," I replied carefully. "But I have no idea who you are or anything else pertaining to you for that matter."

"Then why are you always in the shop? And why do you always stare at me?" He asked the same question again and I knew I would have to give him a response. He wasn't going to let this one go.

"I like tea?" I said meekly. He gave me a hard stare in response. I sighed in defeat and slumped a little bit. I broke eye contact and looked off to the side to make sure no one was coming. It would be hard for Lee to explain his way out of that one. "Can you let me go at least?" I finally sighed. "I am not going to hurt you, you are the one with the knife."

Lee frowned but nodded and let me go. I shook out my arms, slightly numb from the awkward angle, and sighed in relief.

"Now tell me," Lee began, raising his knife to my throat again. "What business do you have with me?"

I rolled my eyes and pushed the knife away, no longer really scared. If Lee was a bad guy, he never would have let me go. "None? Listen if you want the truth, here it is. I think you're cute so I like going to the shop and watching you work. Nothing malicious."

"Oh," he said softly, lowering his knife.

"I am really sorry for staring at you all the time, I'll stop coming if that's what you want-well of course it's what you want of course you don't want some freak staring-"

"No." Thankfully, Lee cut off my rambling. "I, uh, well... I don't mind, well it's not that I don't mind but I really like having you around the shop."

"Oh," I breathed, a flush rising to my cheeks.

"Yeah," he muttered quietly and looked away. He reached up and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly and quickly added, "You bring the tea shop a lot of business!"

"Oh," I said again, this time less excited. "Yeah I guess so," I muttered dejectedly.

"Well that's not it," Lee quickly followed up. "I mean I like your presence in the tea shop, you're really nice and tip well and ugh that's not what I mean I am just going to stop talking."

"I think that would be for the best," I chuckled. Then I looked at him again. He was so unbearably cute and I was sure I would never get another opportunity like this again, so I decided to go for it. "Look, I think you're really cute. Want to go out sometime?"

"Uh, I just held a knife to your throat," he responded dumbly. I rolled my eyes.

"Yes, now. Date?"

"He would love to!" A voice shouted from the opening of the alley. The old man who ran the tea shop, Iroh, walked towards us.

"Uncle!" Lee called indignantly. "Why are you here?"

"I was worried when you left so abruptly and good thing I came because you almost would have messed up this date with this lovely girl," Iroh shot me a wink.

"How long were you there?" Lee asked, a flush of embarrassment rising to his cheeks.

"Long enough," he quickly responded. "How about tonight at sundown in front of the shop," Iroh asked me.

"Sure," I nodded. "He's gotta make up for this whole endeavor somehow," I smirked and shot Lee a look. With that, I waved goodbye to the two guys and headed off to pick up Cam. This wasn't such a bad day afterall. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Okay Cam, I want you right in bed at sundown, you hear me? No waiting up for me."

"Why, you planning to be out late with your boyfriend?" Cam shot back all too happily. 

"No, because you have your lesson at sunrise," I said quickly, making sure I had everything I needed. Would Lee pay? I wasn't sure but I brought my purse just in case. "I worked hard to get us to the middle ring so that you could have a proper teacher and I will not have you being late!"

I felt Cam roll his eyes and sigh at me. "Yes, mom," he groaned. "At least tell me his name."

I turned to Cam, pursing my lips. I had tried to keep this whole date a secret from him, but having a nosy 12 year old in the house wasn't conducive to secrets. He had found out shortly after I picked him up, asking why I was late and accusing me of being out with a boy. When I flushed and stammered in response, he jumped on the opportunity. That was his go to accusation, it just so happened that this time he was right. Not in the way he thought, of course, but partially I suppose. I mean I did ask Lee out on a date. 

I thought for a moment, then figured Cam would find out at some point who it was, especially if we went on more dates. I tried not to get my hopes up at the thought. 

"It's Lee."

Cam gasped dramatically. "From the tea shop?"

"Yes from the tea shop," I huffed and spun on my heel. I walked over to a mirror hanging on the wall and checked my makeup one more time. I needed to leave soon if I was going to make it on time. 

"To imagine, a love blooming from malicious stalkering-"

"I keep thinking you cannot get more stupid and then you prove me wrong every single time," I sighed. 

Cam gasped dramatically again. "Wounded, by my own sister!" He cried. "Besides, am I wrong that you stalk him? I bet what happened was he confronted you about your stalker-ering and you were all like 'I've always been in love with you, since the beginning of time-'"

"Oh hush." I turned towards the door so that he couldn't see my blush. I mean, he wasn't that wrong. Lee did confront me about the stalk- watching of him, and I did confess in a way. "I am leaving now. When will you be in bed?"

"By sundown," Cam responded in a high pitched voice, obviously mocking me. 

"Okay, bye. Be good," I said as a final goodbye and left. 

My walk to the Jasmine Dragon was uneventful at best. Once I got there, I saw Lee outside. He was wearing a nice suit, his hair parted in the middle and slicked to each side. I whistled as I approached. 

"Nice 'do, hot stuff," I grinned. He turned to face me, and unless I was mistaken, a blush rose to his cheeks. 

"You look beautiful," he blurted, then flushed a bright red that I knew I wasn't imagining. 

I was caught off guard by his blatant confession, and I felt a heat creep up my neck. "Uh, thank you. You don't look to bad yourself, though I do think I like your hair all messy better." 

"Oh." Zuko reached up and ruffled it, messing it all up. "Like that," he smiled. 

"Like that."

"It took my uncle ten minutes to do my hair," he commented. 

"Well it took you a few seconds to mess it up, now come on, let's go. I know a great restaurant that's super cheap but super good," I said and grabbed his hand, tugging him after me. 

Eating was awkward if anything. Lee wasn't the biggest conversationalist, not wanting to talk about anything about himself, and the food was mediocre at best. It was cheap, though.

"Let's split the bill," I said when we were done eating. Lee opened his mouth to argue, but I stopped him. "I picked the place so it is partially my fault the food was so bad."

"I didn't know you were in the kitchen," Lee smirked. 

"You don't know a lot of things about me," I grinned cheekily. At that, Lee's face darkened. He was hiding something big, I knew it. It was probably something about his past, seeing as he was so guarded about it. 

"Come on," I said, breaking the tense silence. "Let's get out of here." 

The waiter arrived and we paid our check. Luckily, they gave us two cups of tea to go. I took mine and Lee took his and we were on our way. 

"Ugh," I groaned, sipping my tea. "This is disgusting, its so cold."

"Here," Lee reached out and took it from me. He held onto it for a second then handed it back. Miraculously, it was hot when he handed it back. 

"What the..." Then it hit me. The only way he could have done that was if he was a firebender. I looked up at him in surprise, ready to make a run for it, but then I took another look at him. It wasn't like a Earth bender gave him that scar, and he was here for a reason, probably to start over. That's why he was so defensive about who he was when he questioned me earlier today. So I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt. He hadn't hurt me yet, and he didn't hurt me when we thought we were alone in that alley, so I doubted that he'd hurt me now. 

"Thanks," I finally decided on with a smile. I let him walk me back to my place, knowing Cam was probably still awake. When we reached my door, I turned to him. "Thank you for taking me out."

"Thank you for uh, not getting mad I held a knife to your throat," he replied, shyly rubbing the back of his neck. 

"Well, I don't know if I'm still over that," I said with a small smirk. "I might need another date to see if I forgive you."

Lee's eyes darkened. "I don't know if I can do this-"

"Oh come on," I sighed. "I liked spending time with you, I hope you liked spending time with me. It's not like we're going to get married, just hang out a bit more. Come on, one more date and that's it."

Lee sighed. "One more date. And that's it."

"And that's it." I agreed with finality.

After that, we started going out on dates every few days. We went to festivals together, tried out new restaurants, and even went out on picnics. It was on one of those picnics that I finally decided to confess to him. We were up on a hill under the shade of a great tree, looking out over the sprawling city. We had lapsed into silence. 

"I need to tell you something-" We both said at the same time. We both flushed and turned away. 

"You first," I said. 

"No you." I stayed silent, staring at Lee expectantly until he sighed and caved. "Fine. I think... Well look. There's still so much you don't know about me. I've done some pretty horrible things in my past."

"I think people can change," I asserted.

Lee shook his head. "Terrible, horrible things. Things no one should ever dream of doing. But I did them. I thought that I had lost my honor and that somehow my father could restore it to me... but now... now I am not so sure." He turned to me and grabbed my hands. "Ever since I met you I've felt like I was an impostor, a fake pretending to be someone I wasn't. Now I think this is me." He sighed and closed his eyes. "What I'm trying to say it that I think I'm falling in love with you and it scares me."

I leaned up and moved to kiss him, but he pulled away. "Why?" I said, hurt in my voice. 

Lee grasped both of my cheeks and pulled our foreheads together. "Listen, I have to do something before we can be together. I need to make up for my mistakes. I got a message last night inviting my uncle and I to serve tea to the King. I think it's a trap. The Avatar is in the city which means my sister is not far behind."

"Your sister... Who are you?" My voice was barely over a whisper, I was surprised it didn't get lost in the wind. 

"I am Zuko, Crown Prince of the Fire Nation."

I paused, my head reeling. I knew he was a firebender but the prince? The prince of the Fire Nation? It was a lot to take in. Luckily he gave me my time and waited patiently for my next question. "And you think its a trap but you're still going to go?" I asked in bewilderment. 

"Yes. I need to stop running away from my destiny. You helped me realize that I'm not bad, I can be good."

"What is your destiny?" I asked breathlessly. 

"To teach the Avatar firebending."

I pulled my head away from his so that I could get a good look at him. "Then go. And don't you dare not think about coming back for me."

"I will." Lee- no, Zuko looked like he was hesitating, then he pulled me into ferocious kiss, stealing my breath away from me. When we separated,  we placed our foreheads together, gasping for air, our breaths intermingling. 

"You have no idea how long I have been waiting to do that," I gasped, but smiled. 

"I feel the same," Zuko smiled too. "Now come on, let's go."

With that, he walked me home and then walked right out of my life, leaving me to wonder if I would ever see him again. 

[dancingkirby]

Azula Week Day 4: AU

@azulaweek

This could’ve worked for Day 3 too, but I’m glad I took the extra day to add final details.  It’s my first attempt at an ATLA AU!

WARNINGS: Multiple character deaths, and Azula struggling with grief, depression, and paranoia as a result.  Mentions of blood, and some brief gory imagery.  Vague references to sexual abuse.  Azula is possibly not the most reliable of narrators.  (There.  I think that’s everything!)

Everyone had blamed Father for Zuko’s untimely death, but Azula didn’t get it.  How was he supposed to have known that his oldest legitimate child had had an undiagnosed heart condition, and that the stress of the Agni Kai would cause it to give out on him when Father hadn’t even properly touched him with the flames yet?!  But he had, and it did, and that was that. He had given Zuzu all the proper funeral rites, and still the nobles were mad at him!

(Azula had only cried a very little bit at the funeral, when Father wasn’t looking.)

Now that Azula was the heir, Father said, she needed extra lessons with him.  These sessions were no longer simply practicing katas and memorizing military engagements: now she was to learn how to rule.  Father would talk to her every day, and sometimes long into the night as well.  There was something almost frantic about the vast amount of information he was pumping into her head, as if he sensed that he had much material to cover and a limited amount of time in which to cover it.

He’d been right.

The worst came to pass on a sunny yet not beastly hot summer day, almost five months after Zuko’s death.  Father had decided to reward Azula’s progress in her studies with a walk through the gardens together.  There had been more gardeners out working that day than usual, but Azula hadn’t paid it any mind.  (Stupid, stupid!) They’d stopped by a rosebush, Father bending over to smell an especially tantalizing bloom, when Azula felt the shadow upon them, saw a glint of metal out of the corner of her eye.  She’d barely had time to shout out a warning when one of the gardeners leapt onto Father.  Others soon followed.  There were so many of them attacking at the same time, dozens of them, with the element of surprise on their side, that he hadn’t been able to inflict more than minor injuries with his firebending before he was completely incapacitated by his wounds.  Nobody came to his rescue.

Azula had tried to fight them on her own, but several other men had immediately chi-blocked and grabbed her, working in perfect synchrony.  Even with her bending suppressed, she’d kicked and scratched and bit and screamed with all her might, but their hold was too strong for her to overcome.  They’d rushed her out of there, carrying her lengthwise and keeping a firm grip on her head, so she didn’t see much of what happened.  She only got a quick glimpse of blood and Father’s body slumped over the bush before there was a stinging pain in her neck and everything went blurry.  

They’d kept her heavily sedated for the next couple of days; she did attend the hasty funeral, but couldn’t recall any details of it later on.  Finally, she came to her senses, only to find herself in Father’s massive suite of rooms, lying in bed.  As soon as they realized she was awake, the two servants who had been watching her at the time fell into immediate kowtows at the foot of her bed, and addressed her as “Fire Lord.”  All Azula could do was blink at them.  Father, that constant towering presence throughout her entire life, was dead just like that.  And she, in the span of a few frenzied minutes, had been promoted from Crown Princess to Fire Lord.  She was still three months away from her twelfth birthday, yet she was the absolute ruler of fifty million people.  Unimaginable power was hers…if she could figure out how to keep it for herself.

Nothing seemed quite real at first.  Now that Father’s grueling early-morning firebending demonstrations and late-night quizzes–as well as her obligations to Daddy–had abruptly ceased, Azula had so much more free time that she wasn’t sure what to do with it all.  The first day that she was allowed out of bed, she went straight to the Fire Lord’s office.  Sitting at the enormous and beautiful mahogany desk that had been built during Fire Lord Zoren’s reign, she flipped through the pile of important papers awaiting her signature, inspected all of the little drawers and secret compartments, held her brand new seal.  Her head was muffled as if it was underwater, and she started feeling dizzy.  She couldn’t breathe…

(She was told later that she’d been found lying on the office floor, laughing hysterically.  Or possibly crying; the servants didn’t all agree on that point.)

As the details of just what had happened slowly leaked out, though, Azula knew she had to snap out of this state quickly.  It transpired that a group of assassins had dressed as servants and gotten admittance into the garden.  Most of the Royal Guard had either been bribed, or were in on the plan themselves; they’d made certain that the ones who were truly loyal were sent elsewhere at the time.  This had been no ragtag group of malcontents who had acted on impulse.  The number of people involved had been massive, and the assassination had been coordinated and carried out flawlessly.  Even so, to Azula’s fury, their death sentences had been commuted to banishment while she’d still been bedridden.    They had obviously had the backing of someone powerful in the palace to be able to carry out the plan like that and escape proper punishment.

Azula knew exactly who that person was…the same man who’d been declared regent before Father’s body was cold.  Uncle Iroh. He’d kept his own hands clean, but Azula was certain he’d had it all planned out months in advance; anything to avenge his beloved Zuzu.  She highly doubted that he’d have done the same had she been the one to die. Oh sure, he’d put up an act of being concerned about her initially.  He’d come to her room a couple times, tried to talk to her, asked if Father had hit her, or had mistreated her in “other ways”.  At this last, she had threatened to have him thrown in the palace dungeon, and he made no further attempts.

Obviously, he had expected Azula to continue to be in shock–a shell of herself–and easy to manipulate.  He’d let her sit on the throne to receive important visitors, to preside over official ceremonies…but he would hold the real power.  And then, as soon as she came of age to dissolve the regency, he’d likely marry her off to one of his supporters, the idea being that she’d be too busy with childbearing to oppose being turned into a figurehead.

Azula intended to prove him wrong.  Her first official act as Fire Lord had been to change the lock on the door of Father’s office, so that Iroh had had to go find another room from which to work.  Petty, maybe, but satisfying nonetheless.  Her second act had been to start forming her own spy network.  Ty Lee and Mai would prove invaluable for the latter; no one would suspect a couple of schoolgirls of plotting anything.  

(Ty Lee kept worrying about her and asking how she was doing.  Mai, as usual, kept any and all feelings to herself.  But, no matter how strong the temptation got, Azula could never confide in either of them.  That would make them her equals.)  

Within a week, Azula had solid evidence that Iroh was holding secret talks with the ultimate goal of ending the war.  And he thought everyone would just kiss and make up, and the world would be a perfect place where nothing bad ever happened and everyone would just sit around and drink tea all day?  Ha. Unfortunately, she couldn’t remove him from power…not yet, at least.  He had too much support for that.  What she could do was make his life utterly miserable.  Father’s advisors got quite the surprise when she walked into the war room that first time and took her rightful seat on the throne. Regent or not, Iroh still had to bow and otherwise show deference to her in public.  And Azula was determined to relentlessly argue every single policy change he proposed until he wished he were dead in Father’s place.  Someday, as soon as she was able to rally her own supporters, Uncle would get his wish as he was finally punished for his crimes.

New guards had been selected for her, but she refused to have anything to do with them.  There was the possibility that they might turn on her as well, and the certainty that they were reporting back to Uncle.  Even the few who had been proven innocent of any involvement in Father’s death had been too trusting of their colleagues. And what about the servants?  What if they were plotting things as well? Shiza had taken her children and fled at the first possible opportunity, the bitch.  No, this wouldn’t do.  Any palace staff that she’d allow anywhere near her would have to undergo a rigorous selection process, run by her and only her.  

With all of these pressing concerns, every day seemed like a lifetime to her.  Nevertheless, the weeks started passing.  Azula made sure that the palace was always ablaze with entertainment.  She poured money into the arts like no Fire Lord had done in generations.  Erhu and pipa players were stationed in her antechamber all day. She had sleepovers with Mai and Ty Lee and Ruanyu almost nightly, where they binged on sweets and bounced on the mattress of the Fire Lord’s bed until they almost puked.  There were lavish garden parties, huge banquets, plays and operas and ceremonial dances.  A few foolish people had hinted to her that this might not be the most appropriate course of action in a time of mourning, but she insisted that Father would have wanted it this way.  The rest of the court, Uncle included, indulged her.  Azula could tell what they were all thinking:  Look at our beloved child ruler, so brave after the trauma of witnessing her father’s assassination.  Let her have her fun.  However, this line of thought was inaccurate in two ways.  Firstly, she wasn’t a child, and hadn’t been for some time. Secondly, she didn’t actually enjoy any of it; she just wanted something to occupy her brain, to protect her from her own thoughts.  

(The humongous pillows on Father’s…no, her bed were excellent for muffling her sobs at night, once the festivities were over and everything was quiet.  She was good at putting up a front for now, but how much longer until that collapsed?  How was she supposed to continue like this, without him?  She was surrounded by people, yet all alone.  It was as if a huge bleeding hole had been ripped into her gut, tearing her internal organs asunder.  Would this ever heal?  Could it?)

Nearly a month into her reign, Azula was finally crowned.  Traditionally, the coronation of a new Fire Lord would occur on the same day as the old one’s funeral.  However, Iroh had kept finding reasons to postpone hers.  But now he’d run out of excuses, and the Fire Sages assembled at the Coronation Temple for the second time in less than three years.  As the surprisingly heavy hairpiece was set into Azula’s topknot, she knelt in the new mantle and robes that had had to be custom-made for her small frame.  

“Hail Fire Lord Azula!” the head Fire sage boomed.  Azula got to her feet, looking out at the Sages kneeling before her, and then to the crowds of cheering commoners watching from afar.

They all loved her. She felt nothing.

[bellatrixobsessed1]

Protea (Final Part)

I’m kind of sad to that this one is over. But I feel like it reached it’s natural conclusion. Maybe after I clear some of my other projects out I’ll go back and write some mini bonus stories about Snapdragon-Azula/Maizula shenanigans. So if there’s anything you’d like to see in a bonus story (should I get around to it) feel free to drop a comment. 

There are many things that Mai has to get used to seeing. Things like Azula, dainty and proper Azula, sitting cross legged on the floor surrounded by both useless junk and rare finds. Azula stringing together a new trash necklace. Azula fixing said necklace around her neck. Azula setting the remaining mangrove roots aside.

Her hoard is more organized now; bones are piled with bones, rocks are with rocks, and plant bits are with plant bits. There is also a stack of miscellaneous things, but even that pile has order; it is sorted by color.

“What does that one mean?” Mai points at the preserved fire lily stem. It is placed next to the mangrove roots on her necklace.

“I’ve always been fond of them, that is all.”

“And the scales?”

“They remind me of dragons. And dragons remind me of me.”

The charm next to that is a golden bead engraved with the insignia of firebending. That one is self explanatory. “The scrap metal.”

“It is a piece of the drill.”

“I think that we lost that fight.”

Azula rolls her eyes. “Thanks for all of the effort you put in that day.”

“Any time.” Mai shrugs. “What about those last two.”

Azula gestures to the scrap of cloth. “Part of a Fire Nation flag. And this cog is from one of the war balloons. I fight for my nation.”

Mai nods. There is something so strangely satisfying in seeing Azula so seamlessly adapt Snapdragon’s lifestyle with her own. Something so strangely reassuring; she hasn’t lost the woman she’d fallen in love with. And she has fallen back in love with an old friend. One that she was certain that she’d stay well away from.

Azula holds out her hand and Mai takes it.

.oOo.

Azula relaxes into the chair as Ami runs a comb through her locks while Yora holds up her recently manicured hand. She rubs lotion upon the top of it.

“Ami.” She says at last.

“Yes, princess?”

“Remember those empty perfume bottles that you were looking for?”

She inhales deeply. “I do, princess.”

“I took those. They are in my dirty peasant factory.”

Yora stifles a laugh and Ami gives another deep inhale. “I’m sure that they are. I hope you are enjoying them.”

“Yes, I am enjoying them very well.”

“You are really smug right now, aren’t you?” Yora asks.

“Absolutely.” Azula confirms. “Ami is used to it. Ami enjoys it.”

“I enjoy it significantly more than that squirmy Snapdragon.”

“We are the same person.”

“I am well aware.”

Azula cannot tell if her deadpan tone is of the humored variety or if she is genuinely irritated.

“And I am relieved that you have your table manners back.”

Azula is certain that she is just relieved to have her back in general. She should probably stop teasing but, especially after having been looked down upon for quite some time, she can’t resist at least one final jab, “give me a box of mochi and some roast duck and we’ll see about that.”

Her brushing comes to a halt and her face pales some. Yora gives a snorting laugh. Azula closes her eyes again and lets Ami finish grooming her in peace.

.oOo.

Mai isn’t sure if it would be more reassuring to reunite with TyLee with her hand in Azula’s or if it would be better to emerge alone and explain things first. Ultimately, she decides on the latter. Azula seems to be more comfortable with that too.

She is greeted with a tight hug. “Mai! It’s so good to see you again! I have so many stories.”

“Believe it or not, so do I.” Mai replies and pats the sofa cushion next to her.

“Oh! You first! Zuko told me that you opened a flower shop? And that you two aren’t fighting anymore. Are you two getting back together!?”

“Uh...no. I actually have someone else.”

“You’re going to introduce me to him right?”

“You’ve already met her.”

Azula takes this as her cue, albeit Mai had planned on leading into it more but Azula has always been rather bold and forthcoming. She makes herself comfortable and Mai drapes an arm over her shoulder. “You’ve missed quite a lot TyLee.”

“Clearly.” Her brows crinkle.

“Do you want to hear the story from her or me?” She feels Azula lean quite heavily against her. The metal charms on her necklace clank together, making a soft chinking noise.

“I’d like to hear it from you first, Mai. I thought that she terrified you.”

“She’s a lot less terrifying when she’s eating flowers and scrambling up buildings.”

.oOo.

Azula looks up, swinging her arms back and forth in anticipation. She gets several passing glances from guards and servants and the odd visiting nobel. But there is are only two souls that can stop her and by the time they notice her it will be too late.

She decides that her best chance would be to take the palace from one of the two sides rather than ascending straight up the middle. The base of the palace has several enormous engravings that offer her plenty of hand and foot holds. It becomes a bit harder when she makes it to the pillars. They are just small enough for her to be able to wrap her arms around and it becomes all about core strength. She slowly works her way up the pillar until she reaches the roof that it holds up. With the last of her strength she pulls herself, by one of the golden flame accents, onto the first tier of the roof.

She props herself up against the wall and dangles her feet over the edge as she catches her breath. She resumes her climb, ascending until she has reached the very top of the palace’s middle section. It takes a significantly powerful jet of fire to propel herself to the final tier. To that gleaming, glinting spoke of gold fire. She wraps one arm around it and peers down at Caldera City. It is bathed entirely in the orange-gold glow of the sunset. Rays of sunlight bounce of the golden accents of the capital’s more lavish buildings. She follows mongoose-lizard drawn carts out of the city and towards the outskirts. From here she can spy Mohi’s house and her factory. From here she feels accomplished, prideful, and free.

She sits herself down and dangles her feet off the edge of the roof, letting the sun warm her face. Her familiar and true face. She holds her hand to her cheek as a breeze whistles across it. She smiles to herself; it is nice up here. It feels safe. It feels right.

“Seriously!?” Zuko shouts from below. “You haven’t learned your lesson?”

“Relax, I’m not going to fall.” If she were to have fallen, it would have been when she’d blasted that fire--really it only would have taken a misplacement of her hand. “Come join me, Zuzu.”

“I’ll pass.” He grumbles.

She offers him only a shrug before laying down and closing her eyes. She is home. This is home. Her factory is home. Mohi’s house is home. She has a family now, not just one but two. Three homes, two families, and one girlfriend. It is much more than Azula thought that she would have when she’d run off into the Forgetful Valley. It is more than Azula has ever had.

She waits for the stars to come out before she makes her way back down. Down and into the palace. Down and to the dinner table where her families wait for her. Where she has everything she was certain that she’d lost for good. Where she has everything that she never anticipated having.

She arranges her pillows and blankets only to have TyLee dismantle them with a, “no, no! We used to put the big velvet one over here in the center, remember!” She doesn’t, that was so long ago when they were just kids. But for the sake of TyLee’s amusement she says that she does. TyLee grins and places it where she wants it. Mai tosses the final blanket over it and steps back to admire their work.

Azula sits down and clutches her necklace, the very first one that she had made. Mai still wears hers and really she ought to make one for TyLee and Zuko whether they want trash necklaces or not.

For a moment it is like nothing has changed. But then Mai leans in and kisses her cheek and she knows that everything has. She is still the same and yet she is different. She is Snapdragon. She is Azula.