#also i like the idea of zuko being the one to approach sokka and be the host cause i see too much awkward softboi zuko and im sick of it

[loopy777]

Is Zuko a Gary Stu? A lot more people are becoming anti-Zuko especially after the comics. Thoughts?

Well, it depends how we're defining "Gary Stu." I tend to prefer a strict definition for it and "Mary Sue," that of a self-insert wish-fulfillment character. I also don't personally consider it to necessarily be a negative; one of my favorite fictional characters is George Lucas' Flash Gordon Gary Stu, Luke Skywalker.

But the common internet usages for the term typically translates to "character favored by the narrative and/or storyteller(s) to a degree that harms the story." So I'll address both definitions.

I don't think Zuko is any kind of wish-fulfillment character in the AtLA cartoon, nor do I think the narrative shows him any favoritism. In fact, I'd say the story goes out of its way to make things harder for Zuko than the basic character arc demands. It could've had him switch sides at the end of Book Earth, and I don't think there would have been much complaining. Likewise, the story could have had gAang come around to him a lot sooner in Book Fire, rather than spending entire episodes (and in Sokka's case a two-parter) reconciling him with the gAang one-by-one. I think his character arc is improved and given more impact by the desire to cover this extra rocky ground, although I also think 'The Boiling Rock' didn't need to be a two-parter and all of early Book Fire's filler episodes with the gAang should have been relocated to after Zuko's defection so that they'd have the added interest of showcasing the expanded gAang's new dynamic.

Ah, but then we get to the comics. I'm going to assume we're talking about Gene Yang's comics specifically, since Zuko has not appeared substantially in anything written by anyone else. It's easy to harp on these comics' use and treatment of Zuko, but I want to be clear that they're poorly written on pretty much every level. The dialogue is bad. Major plot threads are abandoned without comment. Everyone is mischaracterized. The humor is more juvenile than anything in the cartoon. What stories are told spin their wheels until they get wrapped up in a rush. There's bad, racist, pro-colonialism messages baked into them all. Etc and so on.

And yes, I do think these comics favor Zuko to their detriment and his. Gene Yang has admitted that Zuko is his favorite character in the cast. But even if he hadn't, we can see in 'The Promise' that the presentation has a lopsided preference for Zuko over Aang, the other main character of the story. Zuko is not portrayed as wrong for pressuring Aang to promise to kill him, despite Aang being uncomfortable with it and the whole idea being against Aang's major beliefs; compare that to the cartoon, where Zuko was portrayed as wrong and bullying in his attitude to try to get Aang to kill Ozai. In the matter of the former Fire Nation colonies, Aang and Zuko have opposing approaches, but rather than the story taking the stance that they need to compromise and mix'n'match their ideas, Zuko gets to utter the line, "I was right all along," while Aang has to be lectured by Katara, admit to being wrong, compromise with the Air Acolytes, and break off his relationship with his ghost mentor.

In 'The Search,' Zuko goes on to find his mother and learn her backstory, something that ends up not troubling or challenging him at all. She gives up her new identity to become his doting mother again and Zuko doesn't have a single doubt about it. He gets an adoring little sister in the form of Kiyi, despite her having a real problem with her mother choosing to become Ursa instead of keeping her familiar form. And his questionable treatment of Azula is not addressed; like Aang in 'The Promise,' she's the one who has to compromise (or in this case refuses to compromise).

You can see the pattern here of Zuko's presentation. This is where we can start to question if Zuko is Gene Yang's self-insert, but to do so, we would have to assume a lot of stuff about Gene Yang. For example, he breaks up Zuko's romance with Mai and then starts hinting at something with him and Suki; does that mean Gene Yang wants to date Suki? Then why bring Mai back so prominently in 'Smoke & Shadow' and then both go easy on her mistakes and break her up from Kei Lo at the end? Maybe Gene Yang wants a harem with both Suki and Mai, but if that's the case, then it's pretty odd that he ends his run on the comics with Zuko dating neither.

We could do the same for other aspects of Zuko's presentation (Does Yang want a tiny powerful Firebender as a little sister? Does he think all colonizers are awesome? Does he advocate denying first-amendment rights in times of danger? Is his favorite food to eat at winter time extra-spicy fire noodles?) But we'd probably run into similar questions we can't answer, leaving us to either assume way too much that would likely be wrong or admit that it doesn't matter.

Which brings us back to the much simpler idea of the character being favored beyond what is warranted. That helps with examining 'Smoke & Shadow,' where Zuko is actually portrayed as making some wrong choices for once in all of Yang's run of comics, like ordering his people's homes invaded and trashed on a vague hope that he'll find some information about Azula- but before that, he's somehow enlightened enough to make rainbow fire, and afterward, he solves everything with a quick apology to his people.

Usually, the narratives ignore Zuko's flaws and twist themselves into weird shapes to justify things. It's like Gene Yang started with the intentions of having Zuko make mistakes and grow over the course of the various stories, but then chickens out, so we're left with themes that feel incomplete or outright harmful. Zuko doesn't need to grow beyond his desire to have a Fire Nation elite (and their pet Earth Kingdom spouses and servants) rule over the former colonies forever, he gets to say, "I was right all along." He starts by locking Azula away in a straight-jacket, but then doesn't find a way to reconcile with her and treat her more humanely, because she goes fully homicidal and then runs away so he doesn't need to deal with her. But in 'Smoke & Shadow,' we get one example where, probably because Yang doesn't see it as that bad in the first, Zuko is allowed to temporarily be wrong before returning to a state of grace.

I think Gene Yang is trying to tell good Avatar stories. But, among his (many, many, many) mistakes, I think he's letting his favor for Zuko influence the stories he's trying to tell. He's trying to give his favorite character juicy dramatic material that lets him grow into an even more awesome character- but then he shies away from depicting his favorite in too harsh a light, ruining the whole thing.

The stories don't feel like they're going anywhere with him, despite him being a main character.

So if that fits with your definition of "Gary Stu," then yes, Zuko has become one in the comics. But he didn't start as one in the cartoon, and I don't think Gene Yang writes stories out of a desire for his favorite to marry Suki because Sword Girlfriend > Knife Wife.

Perhaps that's he never got Maiko back together; he likes Mai too much to make her the one in the wrong, but then that would mean Zuko needs to learn and grow, and that can't be right. ;)

#anonymous #avatar comics critical #atla comics critical #comics critical

[anti-spop]

i feel like at this point, catra stans are deliberately misunderstanding our point. they keep saying that we just hate seeing abuse victims getting a happy ending and that we can't fathom the idea of a bad person changing for the better, when most antis i've seen has said multiple times that they just wanted a better redemption arc for catra.

liking or sympathizing with someone doesn't mean that you have to excuse all of their actions and let them get away with anything. you can like catra and still hold her accountable for her actions but it seems like catra simps refuse to understand this, and instead act like we're villains who just want catra to suffer and die.

Yeah, I for one relate to Catra and I was very disappointed with her redemption. It was cheap and was resumed to "forgiveness". First, no one should be forced to forgive someone that hurt them; it's their choice alone. Second, if they choose to forgive, they don't have to be in that person's life. It's a lot more complex than just saying "I'm sowwy :(" "I forgive you :) now we're buddies!". Forgiveness can be really hard.

Catra's apologies are INCREDIBLY vague, like, come on. She only says "I'm sorry for everything" to Adora - and Catra still treats Adora like shit. I don't remember exactly her apology to Entrapta but I know it was brief and didn't detail anything (Entrapta mentioned the events of s3 but she didn't seem hurt about being sent to Beast Island or like. Catra manipulating Entrapta into believing she was abandoned). Scorpia, then? Catra didn't even say the word "sorry". Scorpia just instantly forgave her despite the fact she wasn't even there for Catra's "progress". She was chipped the whole time. Same for Micah and Mermista.

The show refused any accountability, which should be essential to a redemption arc. Not to beat a dead horse, but there's a reason why Zuko's arc is so remarkable. We joke about the "fieldtrips", but Zuko helps each person individually, first Aang, then Sokka, and finally Katara, the person he most personally betrayed. When Zuko first tries to join the Gaang, they reject him. They don't trust him. And they're right for it! So Zuko proves that he's better over and over again, until he gains their trust in a natural way. While Iroh isn't there to see all of it, he can tell by Zuko's mere return to his uncle and his remorse alone that his nephew found his path again. Also note that Zuko doesn't make excuses, he just straight up says, "I'm so sorry and ashamed for what I did", and implies he would do anything to gain Iroh's trust again. Similarly to how he approached Katara in The Southern Raiders.

SPOP, however, only tells us Catra is "working" to be better. When she really doesn't. Too bad most of the fandom eats all that up without giving a second thought. Then they accuse us of hating abuse victims or mentally ill people, when I'm pretty sure a lot of us are both of those things.

#asks #spop critical #anti stans #sorry this got a little longer than i thought #i know we always talk about atla but considering a lot of stans compare catra to zuko #then it feels appropriate to say they're not the same #and that zuko's arc worked bc it was actually written well #there was thought put into it #spop just wanted to make a shitty pairing canon no matter the cost

[goldrushzukka]

10, 17, 21, 29 🤔

hi my love

10. Is there a fic that got a different response than you were expecting?

i never ever ever thought aidays would get the attention it did. granted it was originally supposed to be 3 chapters of angst-less romcom hijinks, so of course i didn't expect it to blow up as much as it has bc it also blew up in my own mind to become this huge story. the encouragement when i decided to expand it a bit was amazing, and even better was the theorising and close reading that came when i decided to expand it a Lot. (and this is so cheesy but thank you so much to you specifically michelle for loving aidays enough that i noticed and befriended you bc i would not have finished it without you ily)

17. What’s something you’ve learned about while doing research for a fic?

none of my writing has ever gone into much detail on anything technical so i dont really have a good answer for this except for all the times i learned americans have so many different words for things that really do not need a different word. also some irish-isms are so deeply ingrained in me that it takes saying them out loud in an american accent to hear how wrong it sounds for my narration.

21. Have you ever deleted an entire scene after spending hours laboring over it? If so, why?

29. Share a bit from a fic you’ll never post OR from a scene that was cut from an already posted fic. (If you don’t have either, just share a random fic idea you have that you don’t plan on getting to.)

these two have the same answer so I'll just do them together. in my original draft of aidays11, the scene where sokka goes to get groceries actually had a zukka interaction. i wrote about 1.5k words and then realised i hated all of them and scrapped the scene entirely, and then that supermarket trip became just an excuse to get sokka outside into the rain for the sparks fly/how you get the girl climax moment. i won't post the full scene here bc i truly do actually hate most of it but here's some of it

His shoe squeaks on the linoleum when he stops dead in his tracks.  Zuko, examining the skin of a peach three feet away, looks up at the sound. “Oh,” he says, setting the peach down. Several expressions flash across his face, and Sokka can’t get a read on any of them. “Hey.” The first thing out of Sokka’s mouth, before he can stop it, before he can even think, is, “What are you doing here?” Zuko blinks at him. “Sorry, that was – sorry,” Sokka says. He shouldn’t get any closer, but he does, approaching the fruit stand and cutting the distance between them in half. Like that’ll help him think straight. “This is just – I mean, isn’t there a supermarket closer to your place? This is a little out of your way, isn’t it?” Okay, so there are less rude ways to ask that. Ways that don’t make it sound like Sokka’s being territorial about the fucking produce section. But Sokka doesn’t know how to talk about anything normal right now, especially not with Zuko, because all he can think about is last chances and leaps of faith and his own terrible, terrible wanting.  Is this what it’s going to be like forever? Unable to have a normal interaction without almost spilling every secret he’s ever had, every desire that holds his heart for ransom? Forever crushed under the foot of the elephant in the room? “Azula needs something specific for a recipe she’s working on,” Zuko says. He holds his hands by his sides in a way that Sokka thinks is very intentional. “Our place doesn’t have it. Well, no, it does, but I brought it home and she threatened me with a knife, so I guess our place doesn’t have the right one.” He smiles a little as he says it, and for a second, Sokka forgets about the last chances and the leaps of faith and the terribleness of his wanting. He forgets about Katara and Jet and Suki and the what-does-it-all-mean headache he’s had since waking.  For a second, Sokka is standing in the produce section and the man he loves is smiling at him. Zuko asks, “Do you know where the basil is?”

And Sokka says, “Yeah. Do you need it dried or fresh?” “Fresh, I think.” “Okay. This way.” Sokka leads him to the tiny garden section, right by a big window at the end of the frozen food section. It’s mostly flower bouquets and succulents, but there’s a handful of potted plants under a cheerful sign encouraging customers to start their own herb gardens.  Sokka hands a potted basil plant to Zuko. “There’s a little card in there that tells you how to take care of it.” “Oh, cool,” Zuko says. “Thank you.” “We had one for a little while,” Sokka says, astonished at himself for being able to carry this conversation as far as he has. “We kept it in Suki’s room.” “Your room gets better light, though.” Something awful and bright as a star twists inside Sokka’s chest. “Yeah, but Suki was the one who remembered to water it. And then Momo got at it, and we had to throw away two sets of sheets.” Zuko throws his head back laughing, the same way he did last night and a hundred times before then, and that awful star inside him expands, exploding as he thinks, maybe this is it.  But Zuko says, “Thanks. I’ll see you.” And it isn’t. Sokka lets him go, because what else is there to do? If Zuko wanted to stay, he would. If Zuko wanted to talk about last night, he would. If Zuko wanted to choose him, he would.

#also the scene in aidays11 with suki was supposed to be with aang #it was sokka & aang walking appa in the park and talking through everything that happened the nihht before #& they were going to bump into zuko out for a woman-in-a-movie-facing-a-dilemma run #except first they see him from behind & sokka is like. god. that guys hot. whats wrong w me how can i think abt hot guys at a time like thi #it was supposed to be a silly little comoc relief moment but it felt wrong to do a gag in the middle of all that #so i gave the scene to suki who is naturally mood-lightening #i have some of it written but i never got very far into it bc i decided p quickly to scrap it #haroldtea #asks #my writing

[catie-does-things]

So like, ignoring Korra and the comics ofc, cos they're bad, lol, I've been thinking. Sokka, being the Chieftain's son and eldest child of the Southern Water Tribe, sets to inherit that role and position. In general, I personally can't see Sokka abandoning this duty when he gets older either; he would be an integral part of rebuilding his tribe, and I believe that would be for life and in marriage too. But I can't see any of his potential romantic pairings in the show really fitting this future. What do you think? Do you think Suki would be likely to leave the Kyoshi warriors for the South Pole? I feel like she's the most obvious contender but also somehow I'm not sure, if her duties lie to Kyoshi, how would that story go down if she chooses Sokka? Or to indulge in other popular Sokka ships lol- Toph and her bare feet ≠ not a good combination with perpetual ice. Azula would ironically work and also be hilarious, but still, it's Azula, so not necc best for her even if I do have a peculiar taste for that crackship. What do you think? In like, ideal canon, how would you write both the long term future of the Southern Water Tribe and their Leadership, and also Sokka's direction with relation to this, and his er, romantic future? (Ofc we all know that Katara marries Zuko and becomes Fire Lady in any timeline ;)) I've read all your ATLA fics, they're some of my favourites, but a lot of them are AUs that focus on more pressing issues ofc than the rebuilding of the Water Tribe in a time of peace, and after the War. Although I do like your alternative approach in Fate Deferred, for example, and Sokka X Spirituality, what are your thoughts on this in a more... idk... normal setting or situation?

It's an interesting question. In Fate Deferred, Sokka actually mentions in Chapter 20 that Hakoda objected to the idea of him marrying Suki precisely because he believes Sokka, as the future chief, needs a Water Tribe wife. In Sin and Duty, I deliberately avoided any reference to Suki or whether Sokka is married or not for the same reason I avoided naming Zuko's wife, namely that answering those questions was beyond the scope of the story and I preferred to leave it open to interpretation in that case. Finally, in Peace & Love, which is probably the most canon compliant of my AUs, there are a few references to Sokka and Suki's relationship being a source of contention because Suki doesn't want to live at the south pole.

So yeah realistically I do think this would be an issue for Sokka and Suki, though not one they couldn't overcome. Other pairings for Sokka, while they might be fun to explore in an AU, seem a lot less likely. If Sokka ended up with someone other than Suki in canon, it would probably be a woman from the Southern Water Tribe we otherwise haven't heard of.

#catie answers things #avatar the last airbender #sokka #thelayofsolmonath

[jaredstrout]

I remember how Suki shooting something that looks a lot like fire was seen as a hint, that Sokka secretly has a thing for Azula.

While I like the idea, what if Sokka did let something slip, but not about Azula? The Kyoshi Warriors in their first appearance ambush the Gaang, quickly subdue them all and get them into their village, not question who they are, no demand to follow them or surrender.

The warriors have been compared to Samurai, but their approach to combat, at least the begin of it, is more like I´d expect from Ninjas, surprise attack the enemy and have them out of the fight before it even begins.

They were also quite nervous about Fire Nation spies, despite them claiming the island kept out of the war.

What if that was a lie?

Now when it comes to the Southern Watertribe I think the village is a bit small, too small to survive, but Ithink maybe there are more spread out in the hostile cold, so the food soruces are not exhausted.

For Kyoshi Island on the other hand the only way to avoid the unpleasant problem of people being a bit too closely related to everyone on the island would be fresh blood from else where.

Now take the warrior´s stealth attacks and their fear of spies...what if the Kyoshi Warriors did attack Fire Nation outposts, ships or supply convois? And then imagine some of the men being captured by them, but the Fire Nation wondered why even high ranking officers were freed after the attack, while young recruits were missing.

Now the idea is, that Suki´s father was captured among other young men and became an inhabitant of the island and Suki is either a firebender without training, or at least connected to one like her father and Suki told Sokka about that, but also to keep quiet about it.

After all imagine a bunch of hardcore Fire Nation supremacists finding one of their family is not only still alive years after he disappeared, but married a damn Earth Kingdom warrior woman...and their daughter Suki was an important figure in the final battle at the day of the comet...lots of fainted people to deal with ;)

It might also play into the whole thing about hiring the warriors to guard Zuko...they have a connection and quietly check their father´s homeland.

#avatar last airbender #sokka #suki #prisoners of war #a little viking like?

[lovelyelbowleech]

Hello! I'm a major War Crimes/Games fan, and a you fan in general. I am currently working on a fic and have run into a couple problems and I wondered if it would be alright if I asked you some questions? I just really love your writing—I think your pacing and handling of heavy/big topics is done soooo well and I would love any tips you've got to share.

How do you approach/handle pacing and timelines in a story? I always struggle with the balance of taking my time and not rushing to the point but also not taking too long and becoming boring or redundant. In War Crimes, especially while they're on the boat, I love the pacing of everything and would appreciate any tips you have.

I am also writing about a story that deals with a lot of further trauma for the Gaang and healing. I'm just wondering how you kind of decided on the events that were going to happen? I have multiple paths that tempt me but can't decide because I'm too scared of minimising trauma by zooming through it, while also being too scared of delving too deeply and having it turn into "trauma porn" or something like that.

So sorry for this crazy long question/ramble piece of shit, but I've been stuck on these problems for a while and thought I'd ask you since I admire your writing so much. Also apologies for any errors I am shit at proofreading (aka. I don't). Also no pressure if you don't answer these lol.

ANYWHO, thank you and love your stories!

Questions are always welcome! (although it might take me a while to answer while I think my way through 😂) Sorry for the delay, been a busy few days.

I am glad you are enjoying my fic! I am not a trained writer or anything, so I’m not sure how good my advice would be, but I can tell you about how I worked on those points in my own stuff.

1. Timelines and pacing

Because my fic is kind of running parallel to canon, and some things that happen in the show, still happen in the fic, I use that as a base for my timeline. Then I work everything out on a week to week basis, so I know where everyone needs to be (geographically as well as plot wise) at the end of each week.

I knew that War Crimes was going to take place over one aprox month, so I divided it into four weeks, and made sure all the major 'events' I needed to happen fit into those chunks - or that the passage of time was mentioned so it didn't seem like it was happening over too short a period.

War Games is far bigger and more complicated as there are so many people, but I still mark out each week, so at least I know what's happening in that chunk of time. There are still some canon events that need to match up (Day of Black Sun for example) so I have a rough idea of how long I have to make things happen before we get to that point.

The pacing (both good and bad) just comes from that and the occasional cliffhanger.😅

2. Trauma

When I started plotting War Crimes, I knew what I wanted the impact for the characters to be by the end of the fic. I knew what was going to happen to Zuko, and that what happens to Sokka was going to be very bad, but I had not really decided what those things were. I did a fair bit of research to make sure everything was actually survivable given their circumstances (although I will also use poetic licence where necessary) then I went with what I needed for plot and for the impact on Sokka's character I needed for it.

I had some stuff 'on screen' but deliberately chose to have the more detailed parts from the POV of a person not actually experiencing them (Taiji POV when Sokka is caned, for example.) Those parts that were from the POV of the person being hurt were more brief.

I guess my overall advice for writing trauma would be to consider how you think this character would react to the traumatic event, both generally and given the situation they are in and what you need from them to further your plot.

There is no right or wrong answer, everyone responds differently to trauma and grief (although some research helps give some scope). But you would need to consider the situation they are in and what you want to show of it. For example, in War Crimes, Zuko suffers a massive trauma that could be debilitating. It's the sort of thing that could cause a person to become overwhelmed and not be able to function, but if he did that in this instance, he would end up being killed there. The way I chose to write it was that the need to survive supersedes anything else for him and he represses and moves forward. They are constantly in dangerous situations, which means he doesn't really get a chance to just fall apart. (although this would also be a reasonable reaction to write, if that is what you want to show.)

Then you need to write the person dealing with what has happened, or begining the road to healing (or not, as you please) The way I chose to write this is to not make the trauma the sole characteristic for the person. It has an impact, and influences a person's behaviour and even outward personality (Like Zuko pre and post scar) but it doesn't have to be the only thing that they think/talk about.

The other thing I try to do when I write, is include some lighter moments and humour along with the dark. It's what I like reading, so made sense to write the same way 😂

Not sure if that actually answered your questions or not, I think I went off on a bit of a tangent, sorry for the waffling!

Overall I would say just write it and see what happens!

Thank you for the ask!

#warcrimes #wargames #allsfair #ficasks #myvainsaints

[theowritesfiction]

‘The Boiling Rock, Part 1’

I love how the start of the episode shows that Zuko is still getting teased by the rest of the Gaang, but it's kind of becoming less vicious, even from Katara.

I understand that Sokka feels terrible about the invasion plan failing and his father and many others all ended up captured. That's a lot of guilt to carry around. So, it's time to reverse the consequences of one bad plan by trying to execute an even worse plan!

So where do I even start with this before I take away Sokka's master strategist badge? Let's start from the top. Going to the Boiling Rock alone and taking Appa. That's just reckless and irresponsible. Also, the going alone because 'I must reclaim my honor'? Ugh, this masculine obsession with honor that makes one suspend nearly all functions of the brain... Sokka, weren't you the smart one? Katara isn't missing her father? How does she not deserve to be involved? You don't want to endanger anyone else? Fine, but... don't you realize that the group can't afford to lose you or Appa?

Okay, while I don't approve of them taking Appa, Zuko's reasoning not to do so is bizarre. Prisons don't have bison daycare centers? Umm, none of the places the Gaang go have those. Also, arriving in a hot air balloon is... not exactly inconspicuous? Do you think there's a landing pad for visitors, and nobody's going to ask any questions when they clearly spot your approach? Yeah, I don't see the air balloon being a better choice here.

This episode does give us some epic Zuko quotes, though. 'I'm never happy' and 'That's rough buddy' are classics for a reason. But for saying that the only one he misses in the Fire Nation is Mai, Zuko gets 20 Bad Brother Points, I mean Jerk Points.

Of course, the balloon crashes and robs them of means of escape. Appa wouldn't have had this problem getting in and out through those steam clouds. Also, Sokka saying that he expected this to be a one way trip... what the hell? Did you also think that when you were about to take Appa? Okay, Sokka is not allowed to ever contribute to the group's plans again, this is... awful.

Okay, I understand the reputation of the Boiling Rock, and sure the coolers seem super unpleasant for the firebenders, but... it doesn't really look any better or worse than any other prison. Sorry, but the 'everyone on Boiling Rock is tortured, ergo Azula tortured Suki' "logic" is simply ridiculous.

It's nice to see Suki again, but I'm still salty that a main character's romantic interest makes only her third appearance in 54 episodes. Like come the fuck on.

I'm actually going to give Sokka 30 Jerk Points for trying to kiss Suki while in the guard uniform. Like dude, don't you realize how that might be terrifying for a female prisoner? Maybe it's something Suki has already had to deal with. I know it was meant to be funny, but to me it was just thoughtless.

Zuko asking the Warden 'how did you know who I am?' I'm dying. Also, Zuko with the most half-assed apology in the world to Suki. Sorry for your island, I guess. ;)

Okay, again... I love Sokka's idea of using the cooler to get across the lake of steam. Buuut... what are you going to do once you're across? Row the cooler all the way back to the Air Temple? Also, the lake is in the caldera of a volcano and those walls look impossible to climb, so... again, Sokka has the engineering part solved. Everything else, not so much.

That's it for now, I'll see you soon in Part 2, hopefully with a better escape plan.

Jerk Points for Book 3:

Zuko - 660 Aang – 280  Ozai - 250 Sokka - 110 Roku - 100 Hide - 80 King Kuei - 60 Toph - 50 Haru - 30 

#my atla rewatch #atla book 3 #the boiling rock

[goldenavenger02]

from sprinkler splashes to fireplace ashes

"so you should go get some rest because you look exhausted."

"I'm fine, Suki," Zuko shrugged her off, which she had expected from the stubborn fire bender, "but I need to finish my work for the day before I rest."

"Whatever you say, boss,". Takes place a month after the finale.

'Political affairs are no place for a child.'

Those words his uncle had spoken while struck deeply with grief rang throughout Zuko's mind as he found himself at the head of the table in a far too big robe that hadn't been tailored to his size and a small crown that held a heavy weight attached nestled in his hair tie.

He had never been the obvious leader despite the name of the Firelord being his birthright; that had always been Azula with her ability to act just as she was supposed to in any situation where she was being looked upon in any sort of regard. She had always been ready and prepared to handle being on the throne.

Even though he was older than her, he didn't feel wiser or stronger than his sister. Instead, he felt like a small child rummaging through their parent's closet and trying on their clothes. He felt like a mockery, a fake ruler like this was not his place.

His little sister, despite everything that had been planted in her mind by his father, deserved to win the Agni Kai title.

But by the look that King Kuei and Chief Arnook were giving him now, waiting for him to speak, he knew that they regarded him as the Firelord, even if he didn't feel that way himself.

So he swallowed down his nerves, forced his hands into the pockets of the robe to hide their shaking, and managed to force his voice to leave his lips.

"Thank you both for meeting me here so quickly. I know that the two of you are busy with the rebuilding efforts in both the Earth Kingdom and the North Pole, as am I with the Fire Nation, so your presence and urgency are both greatly appreciated."

"Of course, Fire Lord," Zuko swallowed down the weight that the title held over his head as King Kuei spoke, "I'm sure that we are discussing the issue of bringing all of these countries together. However, I hope your plan includes removing the fire nation from our land."

Zuko agreed, "I've been in contact with the Avatar despite his infrequency in the Fire Nation, and we're working on putting together a plan on how to do it. The other regions are welcome and encouraged to participate as well, which is why I have called you both here."

"Well, why don't we get started then?" Chief Arnook's suggestion had been one that Zuko was grateful for as he got up to lay out the map of what he and Aang had in mind for the regions across the table.

…

Suki couldn't stop herself from slouching against the wall as the meeting behind the doors continued quietly. If it had gotten heated, then she would at least be allowed to enter to ensure Zuko's safety, but instead, she was stuck with waiting outside until it concluded.

When Sokka had pitched the idea to her of being the head of security for the fire lord during the transitional period, she would be lying if she said that she hadn't jumped at the chance. Zuko's coronation had been met with all different types of controversies from loyalists to his father as well as citizens who were concerned about letting a newly sixteen-year-old run a nation, which led to her desire of being on the frontlines to make sure that the power shift went smoothly.

But she would also be lying if she said that the private meetings that she was forced to stand outside of weren't extremely boring.

When she heard footsteps approach, however, she did stand up straight just in time for both King Kuei and Chief Arnook to exit and had no idea she hadn't been at attention for the entire four-hour-long meeting.

"The Earth Kingdom will be in touch." King Kuei confirmed with a nod toward the open door that Suki assumed was in Zuko's direction before the two men walked off down the exit.

That gave her the chance to take two steps from her post to face the fire lord, who at best was clearly overwhelmed and exhausted and at worst, still had residual pain radiating through his body as a result of the Agni Kai he had been in just a few weeks earlier.

"Okay," Suki sighed as she stepped forward so she could shut the doors behind her, waiting until Zuko looked into her eyes, "What else do you have to do today?"

"I still have to meet with Chief Hakoda-"

"Who is Sokka and Katara's father and will understand the rescheduling." Suki cut him off, watching as his face turned up in annoyance despite continuing.

"And I have to relay the information from Chief Arnook and King Kuei to Aang when he gets here."

"Which could be in twenty minutes or two days because he's in and out of every nation right now," Suki supplied with crossed arms, waiting until she received a nod from Zuko before continuing, "so you should go get some rest because you look exhausted."

"I'm fine, Suki," Zuko shrugged her off, which she had expected from the stubborn fire bender, "but I need to finish my work for the day before I rest."

"Whatever you say, boss," she stood up straighter so she could escort him to where they would be meeting up with Hakoda at the entrance, "but I will be telling Katara about the residual pain you're experiencing when she returns from the South Pole."

She could hear his scowl behind her as they walked, but given that it didn't have the same bite that she had grown used to, she knew that she was in the right about his current deteriorating condition.

Suki just wished that she could have been wrong about it.

…

The first of many bombs went off in the dead of night.

Zuko knew fully well that it had to be from his people who were angry about his ascension to the throne and who were shocked that someone who had been exiled from his kingdom just three years earlier was now in charge of all of them.

He couldn't blame them for their feelings either, especially when he couldn't even take his title seriously and knew that he may very well be unworthy of the throne.

Despite his internal feelings, however, he knew that when Suki woke him from his slumber that night that he still had to follow the procedure for the emergency that had been drilled into him as a small child of getting into the deepest level of the palace and waiting for instructions from the head of security.

"Stay here," Suki insisted as she passed the ring of keys to Zuko, pressing them tightly into his palm, "I'll give you a signal when this passes. Three knocks."

And with a nod of Zuko's head, she was going back up the stairs and locked the door behind her, leaving him in the dimly lit room with his uncle and the steadily pulsing pain in his abdomen that radiated throughout him.

"You're worried." Iroh finally spoke after a few minutes and it clicked that the entire time they had been in silence, Zuko had been aimlessly pacing.

"About the innocent civilians. The ones who aren't loyal to my father who just wanted to get some rest for the night." Zuko insisted while still refusing to sit down as his lightning scar continued to pulsate shocks of pain throughout his body.

'Azula wouldn't sit quietly. She would be out there, fighting against the opposing side.'

Zuko knew that his sister was extremely misguided, a pawn in Ozai's game since she had been a toddler and even though she mainly used intimidation and fear to her advantage, she did have good leadership skills in a crisis and was able to think clearly despite the chaos.

Even if many would call her evil, he knew that she wasn't entirely gone and that she genuinely wanted good for the fire nation.

"But I will say," Zuko added after a few moments, finally making eye contact with his uncle again, "I wish I was allowed to help ward off these extremists."

Iroh nodded as he rested his head against the wall before responding, "But you know why you can't."

"Because I'd be proving their point by being on the frontlines attacking them. It also makes me a much easier target despite having the Kyoshi warriors on all sides."

But to Zuko's shock, Iroh shook his head in response before giving him the answer.

"Most nations agree that their leader joining the fight is a good thing, it means they care about their people. But you, my nephew, are still injured from the Agni Kai. Going out there injured would guarantee your defeat and maybe even your demise."

Zuko nodded and finally took that as a cue to sit down to try and dissipate the pain that had been radiating through him all day, resting the back of his head against the cold stone wall and letting it sink into his body.

"Is it getting worse?" His uncle wasn't able to mask the concern in his voice, but Zuko knew that he wouldn't hide it either regardless of the circumstances.

"No, I don't think so," Zuko responded, watching Iroh's shoulders loosen with the lack of tension that had only been brought on by his worry, "the problem is that it's not getting better either. But Suki is already planning on speaking to Katara when she returns, so there's no need to worry about me."

Iroh nodded as he stood up to walk over and sit next to his nephew, putting his hand on his shoulder before speaking, "You finally found people to call your family."

Zuko knew he should have been comforted by that statement, that Iroh could see that he was finally freeing himself from the chains that constrained him to Ozai's grip and authority, but he wasn't for one sole reason.

'He feels like Azula is just as awful as my father.'

However, he was unable to ask his uncle about his sister because his exhaustion and pain made his strength from the adrenaline start to dissipate, resulting in being unable to keep his eyes open long enough to see the end of the attack on his people.

…

Zuko didn't know how much time had passed when he awoke again; all he knew was that he was in his bed now and no longer hiding underground which only meant one thing.

'The attack is over and we won.'

Despite the victory that he had drawn his conclusion for, however, he couldn't stop the pit in his stomach from growing due to the anguish that came from not knowing who had emerged without any major injuries and who hadn't.

'Was the prison breached allowing for my father's escape? Was the mental hospital breached? Is Azula injured, or worse?'

But before he could ponder on his worries much longer, his thoughts were interrupted by the head of the Kyoshi Warriors making her way into the room; despite the scratches that marked his face, the victory in her eyes shone brightly even though her face was otherwise emotionless as she approached.

"How are you feeling?" She questioned while gently pressing her still armored hand to his face, "You started running a fever in the bunker last night."

"Wait, what?"

"Yeah. But Iroh explained that you can tend to make yourself sick with stress and there aren't any other signs of infection, so there isn't much reason to be worried," Zuko let out a sigh of relief at that statement, "but, he said he'll handle any immediate aftermath of the bombing until Katara gets here in a few hours and can give us the okay for you to resume your royal activities."

"But-"

"Fire Sage order," Suki cut him off which immediately shut him up because he had fought with them many times before, he refused to fight against their judgment now, "I'm not gonna fight with them."

"Can you just answer one question for me?" Zuko pleaded, waiting until she nodded before he asked, "Did the bombs breach the prison or the mental hospital?"

He watched as Suki stiffened, and he braced himself for the news he didn't want to hear but what she said was both comforting and worrying for him only based on the way that she reacted.

"Azula and Ozai are both alive and uninjured," and with that, she started to leave, only to turn back to him with what felt like a fake tender smile, "I'll be watching for Katara if you need me."

And with that, he was left alone in his empty room yet again, watching as the light breeze from the cracked windows brushed past his curtains and against his warm skin; under any other circumstance, this would be soothing to his mind but in this particular moment, all he could feel was dread and confusion.

'After everything, I know that I shouldn't be concerned with Azula's safety…but why is Suki angry that I am?'

…

Suki knew that biting her fingernails out of worry was not only a bad habit but also unprofessional. She was currently representing the injured fire lord, after all. She knew that she could stand at attention until Katara arrived.

But, she hadn't slept since the night before and still was unable to appoint another member of either the royal guard or the Kyoshi warriors due to them either aiding in the clean-up or protecting Iroh as he tried to get to the bottom of who had hidden the bombs.

Which meant that she was alone in the massive palace with Zuko, her swirling thoughts and a desperate hope that Katara would arrive soon.

And if she hoped that Sokka was with his sister so she could demand to know why he had thought she was equipped to handle the stubborn, newly crowned Firelord, that'd be nice as well.

It wasn't like she didn't want to help Zuko with the transition into power when he had been considered more useless than dirt by the entire world less than two years ago. She would be lying if she said she wasn't looking forward to the challenge.

However, she couldn't understand his thought process; his city had been attacked by people who would relish seeing him dead for his father to be reinstated, nearly killing so many innocent citizens and his royal guard.

But his first question was if his father and sister, who had been the main cause of torment and abuse throughout his entire life, were not only alive but uninjured. Suki didn't know why the question had made her so snappy and standoffish toward him, but it did.

Before she could continue to let her thoughts be so angry that she chewed off all of her fingernails, however, she heard the door open which forced her to stand at attention for the incoming force heading toward her and more importantly, the one she swore to protect.

Her stiff stance only relaxed when the person came into view and she could see that it was Katara, whose face was drawn up in concern and seriousness. Suki would have been shocked if her face wasn't carrying the same expression but she still accepted the warm hug that came from her friend's embrace.

"Oh, your face," Katara's voice was soft as her thumb gently traced over one of the still sore gashes that covered her face from the night before, "did anyone else get hurt in the attacks?"

"Not that I'm aware of," Suki expressed, giving the water bender a chance to remove her hand from her injured cheek, "I've got it the worst as far as I know. But I can handle it."

"You're almost as bad as Zuko," Katara clicked her tongue while bringing her hand back to her side, but the comment made her remember what she was going to discuss with her boyfriend if he had been at his little sister's side.

But he was nowhere to be seen, most likely helping Toph in the Earth Kingdom with some idea she had rambled about involving a metal bending academy.

"Are you sure you're okay, Suki?"

And it was the genuine concern in Katara's voice that finally brought her internal struggle to the surface along with a steady stream of tears that broke free from her gray eyes onto the red rug that sat beneath their shoes.

The hug that she was given was less of a greeting and much more of a desperate attempt to comfort based on how tight she was being held onto, but all she could focus on at the moment was her concern spilling out of her mouth as fast as the tears fell from her eyes.

"I want to help Zuko and the fire nation, that's the whole reason I let Sokka talk me into this in the first place, but I just can't understand how after everything that happened, the first thing he asked me this morning was if the prison or the hospital had been breached. If his father and sister were uninjured, I don't know why he continues to let himself get hurt by them. How they still control his life behind bars."

It took Katara a few minutes to respond to Suki's cries; in fact, the entire hall was dead silent except for the sound of Suki's sobs.

When her anger, concern, and sadness finally started to move away from her soul, however, that was when the water bender who was wise beyond her years, finally spoke up.

"Because no matter how we accept him as one of our own, they are still his family by blood. Given the positive relationship he has with his uncle, I think that he is desperately hoping that Ozai and Azula, especially Azula, may still have some good in them behind the layers of evil."

"But he doesn't need his father who physically scarred him," Suki protested, still fighting her tears, "and he doesn't need his evil pawn of a sister either."

"You're right, he doesn't need them," Katara agreed with her statement, "however, that doesn't mean he can just leave them behind, no matter how much they hate each other. It's going to take him a long time to accept that even if he wants them in his life, they don't want him. That's where we'll come in."

"So, do we just let him be delusional about Azula switching sides then?" Suki was aware of how bitter her voice was, but after her first-hand experience with the fire princess in the Boiling Rock, she couldn't care less.

"We don't have a choice with how stubborn he is. I was shocked that he joined our side in the first place."

And with that, Suki finally accepted defeat; even if half of what Katara was saying was true, and she believed every word that she said, then there would be no changing Zuko's mind.

'He'll just have to learn the hard truth himself.'

Suki didn't realize that her gaze had fallen onto the red rug that covered gold tile as her tears finally slowed to a stop until she felt a soft hand graze her shoulder, which forced her to look back up at Katara's face, feeling her fingers gently push back her hair to make sure she looked presentable before she gestured to the door with a tilt of her head.

"Let's go see what trouble Zuko has landed himself in this time."

She wasn't sure if she could hold back her feelings unless she stayed perfectly still and quiet, but it was her duty to ensure his safety and even though it was just Katara, she had made a promise to Sokka, to Zuko and most importantly, to herself.

'And I will not break that promise, especially not out of frustration.'

So with the poise and grace of a true Kyoshi warrior that she always tried her hardest to exhibit, Suki followed Katara inside Zuko's quarters and straight to the fire lord himself, who was slightly dozing off when they approached.

"Zuko," Katara's voice was just barely above a whisper as she gently touched his left shoulder, effectively getting him to open his eyes and turn to look at her which allowed her to raise her voice to its normal volume, "how much trouble are you causing already?"

"Depends on who's asking," Zuko's tired and pained face was turned up in a small smirk which elicited a small laugh from Katara, but just as quick as the smile appeared, it faded back into his forever cold face, "it's just a stress fever. This time last year, I was considered a traitor, so I'm not exactly used to this level of power."

"Yeah, I remember," Katara affirmed while slowly pushing back the red and gold comforter that adorned the bed of the fire lord, "that doesn't mean we shouldn't be sure."

Suki watched as Zuko resigned any efforts to conceal the pain and let his hands fall to his tunic, undoing the loose tie around his lower waist with a grimace before letting it fall off his shoulders and laying back down onto the pillows.

The sight of the small but centered star-shaped mark in the middle of his abdomen that made streaks up to his right shoulder and knowing that the sister he so badly wanted to be on his side had caused it nearly made Suki speak her mind right then and there.

'Azula has hurt him in the same way Ozai has. Treated him like dirt on the bottom of her shoe and then physically scarred him with her bending.'

The only glimpse of a silver lining was that Aang had taken Ozai's bending from him, making it impossible for him to hurt anyone, including Zuko, ever again.

'But if Azula manipulates Zuko into believing she's changed…'

She was brought out of both her thoughts and stoic stature by the sound of a soft grunt of pain and looked to see Katara deep in focus as she bent water over and around the large wound. If she had been as close to Zuko as the others, she may have offered her hand to hold as a source to take the pain out.

But she was his security guard first, and he was being taken care of and even healed, so she stayed at the end of his bedside and forced herself to look away from both the lightning wound and the scar that covered most of the left side of his face, choosing the intricately carved bed frame to focus on.

"It's not getting infected, thankfully," Katara finally spoke, which was met by a sigh of relief from Zuko, "but the inflammation is high and you could use a few more healing sessions. Between that and the stress fever, I think you know what my recommendation is going to be for the next few days."

"Let my uncle act as fire lord and try to rest?"

"Get some rest, but yes," Katara nodded as she bent the water back into the small bowl at his bedside, allowing him to retie the sash that kept his tunic secure to his body, but Suki focused on the fact that Katara's blue eyes were now looking into her's, "I'll be here until Aang arrives, but you're in charge of making sure he follows my directions."

"I don't need to be babysat, Katara." Zuko protested as he sat up with a wince, leading Katara to roll her eyes at him before looking back at Suki.

"You can see that he proved my point," she huffed before turning back to the fire lord, "lay back down and think of it as her protecting the best interest of the fire nation or whatever will get you to sleep that isn't your body giving up from pure exhaustion."

Suki could have sworn that she watched the fire lord himself stick his tongue out at his healer before laying back down, but it was one of those "blink and you'll miss it" moments and frankly, she had bigger things to worry about.

"I'm going to find someone who can get some food for him, but I'll be back," Katara explained before walking out of the two large doors, leaving her alone with her thoughts and the injured fire bender.

"What?" Zuko asked as soon as the doors fully shut, forcing Suki to whip her head toward him and question him right back.

"What are you talking about?"

"What is going on with you? Yesterday morning, you were your usual self and now you won't even speak to me," He explained which made her curse her readability internally, "did I do something wrong? Is it something I can fix?"

"You can't fix everything, Zuko." Suki couldn't keep her angered but teary breath to herself, "And it's not your fault either."

"What are you talking about, Suki?"

And with that genuine question with zero signs of anything but earnest concern in it, she finally cracked and told him exactly what had been bothering her all day, "I'm talking about Azula."

"What does Azula have to do with any of this?" Zuko's voice remained steady as he spoke, but instead of concern for her well-being, he now sounded defensive about the enemy.

"Your city, your people were attacked. Thousands of people could have been killed last night and the first thing that comes out of your mouth is about the prison and the hospital."

"Do you know how detrimental it would be to the throne and the world if my sister or even my father escaped? You and I, along with Katara, Sokka, and Toph would be on a hit list with Aang at the very top," Zuko's anger with her was obvious now and the way he spoke made it sound like she had overreacted with her assumption about his sister, "I was making sure that those extremists hadn't succeeded with their plan to free my family."

"But that's the problem, Zuko!" Suki snapped, sending the fire lord into a stunned silence at her tone, "You're still calling them your family! You don't owe them anything, not after what they've done to you! Not after you were banished, scarred, and nearly killed by both of them!"

Suki finally took a breath to try and get herself to calm down, and when she looked back up at Zuko, who was tracing two fingers over the scar that adorned the left side of his face before letting his hand drop, she nearly let the dam blocking the tears in her eyes burst.

"There is still part of me that hopes Azula will see the light and the errors of her ways, but she's my little sister. Letting go of what my father did to me is going to come easier for me because he hasn't loved me in a very long time, but Azula…she was cruel, yes, but until the Agni Kai," he stopped to let his hand touch the lightning wound, wincing as soon as contact was made, "I never guessed that she would act in the same way our father did towards me."

"I..," Suki trailed off, forcing a deep breath into her lungs before starting again, "I wasn't trying to hurt you more, I just wanted to make sure-"

"That I wouldn't fall for any of her manipulations?" Zuko filled in the blank, which she could only nod in response to, "That's understandable, I would do the same," he agreed before taking a deep breath with a wince, "is there a reason though?"

"What do you mean?" Suki questioned, using her armored sleeve to wipe her tears away.

"That you're so worried about how I think of my sister?"

"Because you have been through so much at both of their hands. You never deserved to be treated like that and now that you have a chance to be free from it, it feels like you aren't taking it," Suki explained quietly, fiddling with her armor as she spoke, "and even though we haven't known each other for very long, it's hard for me not to care about you."

Zuko nodded before moving slightly so that his head was on the pillow rather than his upper back, obviously growing tired; Suki knew that was her cue to go stand outside, but she couldn't stop herself from approaching him and gently squeezing his left shoulder.

"I'm gonna go keep watch, okay?" She asked, expecting just a tired nod from him as he started to let his eyes flutter shut, but she had not been prepared for what he told her in response.

"Thank you for agreeing to look out for me. I greatly appreciate it."

She couldn't stop herself from smiling, knowing that he wasn't harboring any of his anger toward her, and responded with a wink as she spoke.

"Whatever you say, boss."

#Avatar The Last Airbender #atla #Zuko #suki #katara #iroh #other characters mentioned #post sozin's comet #hurt/comfort #angst #friendship #found family #past child abuse

[number1villainstan]

AtLA Analysis Rewatch: S1E7: Winter Solstice Part 1, The Spirit World

Intro: Man, it's been a while since my last one! I have no idea whether I'll be able to do it all in one day, or start the day I'm starting this draft, but I think I should start anyways, just to make some progress. If I'm not mistaken, this is the episode with Hei Bei and the burnt forest around the village. But: let's get into it!

Let's skip the intro for now, because I procrastinated and don't think I have time. (This is two days after I wrote the intro, rip me.)

The Previously section: two focuses, on Aang being the Avatar and on Katara's necklace being lost. I don't think it's a coincidence that a lot of scenes used for the Avatar emphasis have a spiritual connotation; the statues in the Air Temple, the Fire Sages in their temple, Bumi talking about the duty of the Avatar.

It's interesting how "The Avatar must restore balance by defeating Fire Lord Ozai" is really blatantly stated. It makes sense--the series needs a direction to go, an overarching goal/plotline--but the directness of it, compared to the subtlety with which a lot of other aspects of being the Avatar and the setting and characters in general is approached, is a little odd. Or maybe that's just me having spend so long vibing with my fellow Ozai/villain fans and not watching the show in way too long.

What trees are those shown in the beginning of the episode? Obviously deciduous, with round and very thick canopies. Also, the hawks is bright red; is it the same species as the Fire Nation messenger hawks? It's almost certainly male, though.

Aang just jumps straight into the clouds--impulsiveness--but brings his staff--enough wisdom/foresight to not die. Thank god. Also, the 'turns out clouds are made of water' line--am I wrong? Is this the fortune-teller village episode? (Also, would you really get that soaked from jumping into a cloud? It's basically just fog but higher up, right?)

Okay, so it is the burned-forest episode, as I thought. Also, the forests themselves look very thick (and very green), which makes me surprised that the forest fire didn't reach a lot farther; thick forests like that are generally conducive to really strong wildfires, along with a high percentage of young trees that haven't built up bark to survive and--guess what?--suppression of smaller natural fires, which makes easily-burnable debris build up. I'm not going to go into a lot of detail here but forest fires are an important part of a forest's life cycle, and it looks like the forest here has seen a lot of fire suppression. Which is probably why the 'scarred' part of the forest looks so bad, with no trees that survived or anything. Although ash is full of nutrients, generally, so why haven't faster-growing smaller plants moved in yet?

But enough about the forest fire, I guess. Even if it's not accurately portrayed at all.

There is an interesting character/philosophical moment that goes on here. Aang feels responsible for this forest burning down ("how could I let this happen?") and while Katara feels otherwise ("You didn't let this happen") Aang doesn't listen to her, saying that it's his job as the Avatar and that he doesn't know how to do his job. Which is odd, because he's 12, he shouldn't have this responsibility--it's canon that the Avatar should only know they're the Avatar at 16--and because the burnt area is a tiny, tiny fraction of the world. It's a symptom, not the systems the Avatar is supposed to work on the level of.

When Sokka asks about how Aang is supposed to talk to Roku, you can hear the compassion in his voice--he's trying to be sensitive, obviously, but it's also in his nature to be practical and well-grounded.

We see Iroh again, but his antics in the hot springs make it clear that his character hasn't yet switched from the comic relief old man of the early episodes to the wise mentor figure he is in later seasons. Also, Zuko's insistence that his troubles "cannot be soaked away"-- is he refusing to rest or relax, no matter how tired or burnt out he gets? That sort of tunnel vision is not going to help him. At all.

Iroh also calls himself Zuko's 'teacher,' rather than Uncle. Not sure what that's supposed to say.

"Are you ready to be cheered up?" Katara doesn't jump straight into trying to make Aang happy; she knows the importance of grieving and letting yourself feel sad.

What was the old man doing wandering out there? What's his job? Why was he alone? He was probably looking for the flying bison, but again, why is he alone? Are there others searching for it? (Also, why aren't his clothes all ashy?)

The destruction Hei Bei caused, shown in the village--what stage of rebuilding are they in? Most of the buildings are fine, but one part of one of them is just a frame that's all broken--how the hell did it get like that??? Also, are those roof tiles the only thing the roof is made of? That doesn't seem like wise building sense, unless it's a cultural thing that I'm missing.

"It is the greatest honor to be in your presence!" Aang didn't even bat an eye at that. Maybe he's getting used to being the Avatar, or grateful that he has something he can do as the Avatar after running into the burnt forest and blaming himself.

How many people are in the hall? It doesn't look like a whole lot. I'm not going to do the counting like I did with the SWT. Are there any other families or people in other buildings? What are the people doing there in the hall? Is this an agricultural town? What is its source of income? Does it trade? How did they build those buildings and what are they for? I know I'm not gonna get answers but STILL

Oooh, Hei Bai, not Hei Bei. My bad.

Why doesn't Katara know about the Winter Solstice bringing the Spirit World closer? Does it not interact with the human world unless there are enough humans gathered? Perhaps it's a symptom of the cultural destruction of the SWT. (Or perhaps it's prompting exposition for the audience, which, fair.)

Katara again displays an ability to pick up on other's emotions, and Aang brings up his inexperience ("I don't know anything") at being the Avatar. But Aang tries anyways, because someone is in need and he is in a position to help even if he doesn't have the expertise.

Iroh doesn't seem all too concerned about missing Zuko's deadline, probably familiar with a teenager's empty threats. His interactions with the meadow mole give us the first (I think) glimpse into his later characterizations of 'wise mentor.' In fact, with the EK soldiers trying to take him prisoner (and calling him the once-great General Iroh) this episode also is the first time in which the series starts to take him seriously.

Should have written this earlier, but why is Hei Bai choosing to abduct villagers? And why only one at a time? (The probably explanation is to keep it kid-friendly, but what about in-universe?)

I find it funny how much grandstanding Aang did right before Hei Bai showed up, and also how oblivious he was to the massive spirit walking right behind him. Did the spirit's footsteps make sound? Did Aang just not hear him? (Also, why wasn't he more afraid?)

Aang trying to reason with something that is clearly acting like a wild animal (and therefore probably can't be reasoned with)--what is Aang's experience with spirits? Has he had any direct experience? What were the stories and lore surrounding spirits in the Air Temples?

Sokka holds back on going out to help until Aang gets hurt, and then he immediately runs out to try and fight Hei Bai. Loyalty and practicality.

Of course, Zuko's threat to leave without his uncle was empty, and Zuko went looking for him. I wonder how long it took for Zuko to suspect something was up. Not to mention that Zuko knew by looking at the rock formations that it was earthbending, even though his soldiers thought it was a landslide. (Unlikely, methinks.) Perhaps the person who brought up the idea of Zuko's crew being much newer than 3 years, and them being traded out as punishment/disgrace on the regular, was right. If so, that soldier would be a lot less experienced with earthbending than Zuko.

The EK soldiers use ostrich-horses while the FN soldiers use komodo-rhinos. Cultural differences in values (speed vs intimidation/fight capability) or differences in resources (which species is native to where)? Also, what is the armor they're using for their ostrich horses? How do they get the metal? (god i have so many worldbuilding questions--)

This is the first time that someone's mentioned what Iroh has done as a FN General: the Siege of Ba Sing Se. 600 days is a long time, almost 2 years, and it likely would have wreaked havoc on their food/water supply, especially if Iroh was smart and cut off outside sources. And Ba Sing Se is a big city, which means that hundreds, probably thousands, of people died during that siege, from hunger, thirst, or unrest. Unfortunately, while the Siege of BSS is a Thing Iroh Did, it's never really properly in the series; as much as I love the Dai Li as antagonists ("There is no war in Ba Sing Se" and "The Earth King has invited you to Lake Laogai" will absolutely give you chills if you know the context) that suppression of knowledge and talk of the war prevents the show from grappling with the long-lasting effects of that siege. Of course, most of the death toll was likely in the lower ring, among the lower classes, and we all know the lower classes don't matter! And if the lower ring's population depletes then BSS can just take in a bunch of refugees to replenish it and keep up a big workforce, right? God, the entire situation is fucked.

But. Back to the actual episode.

Iroh doesn't even mention Lu Ten dying. Smart, who knows what these EK soldiers know? Leaving the shoe on the ground after falling off the ostrich-horse, also smart.

So we have confirmation that spirits (or at least, spirit-touched humans) can walk in the human world undetected. (I doubt that Aang's statement of "I'm in the spirit world!" is fully accurate.)

Iroh canonically has stinky feet. June will show up later in the series, but I still find that funny. (Also, what if it's genetic?)

So, Roku's dragon appears, but without Roku. You might argue that it's because Roku is inside Aang, as his past life, but later Roku shows up outside Aang to talk to him in the Spirit World proper, so that theory, while still possible, doesn't have a lot of evidence for it.

Those spines on the dragon's back don't look so comfy to sit on. Do they stop near the neck?

So, Iroh can see spirits that other humans can't. This episode references/teases his past a lot, apparently, even if first-time viewers don't know his past.

Okay, why can the dragon and Aang go through walls/ceilings when it's convenient and then walk around like normal?

Given the significance of dates such as the winter solstice, the solar eclipse, it's no wonder that astronomy is so important in the worldbuilding of the spiritual side of AtLA. What I want to know is, what are the least spiritual days of the year? The solstices are both very spiritual, but what about the equinoxes? Eclipses clearly block spiritual power here (at least in the minds of the benders) but what about other celestial phenomena?

I also want to know how shrines and statues like the one in the forest interact with the spirits they're supposed to represent. Are they shows of respect from humans to spirits? Do they increase spirits' power? Do they 'anchor' a spirit to a particular place? What spirits like them? What about the shrines do they like?

That's some serious physical strength from Zuko, pushing aside a massive rock (that's being earthbent) and shattering a chain with his heel. What else can he do? In addition, where and when did Iroh learn to fight like that with chains?

Sokka's practicality again: "I need to use the bathroom," "You could give us supplies/money." Utterly shameless, too.

Where is Crescent Island on the map? Where is Hei Bai's village on the map? What's the distance between them? How far are they making Appa fly?

And that's the final credits! I ended up having to space this out over two days, so perhaps I wasn't as 'in the groove' as I hoped, but hey. Another episode that I managed to get out.

#atla #atla analysis #atla meta #atla aang #aang #atla sokka #iroh #atla iroh #zuko #atla zuko #katara #atla katara #hei bai #s1e7 winter solstice part 1 the spirit world #iroh critical #cw swearing #swearing #sokka

[ekwolfwriter-blog]

 Nothing special but I have been thinking about a scene that has been playing in my head after watching/ reading a review about Aang’s way of how he approached Katara’s grief and hot take: I really think someone should have talked to Aang about his views not always being the correct one.

And I know it was a time constraint, but I have been wondering about how this could have been interesting to see Aang being challenged and I think I have a scene that I think would have really helped him grow. Let me know what you think:

(Also, keep in mind, I am adding a character who is morally grey character, but understands Katara’s pain about growing up about having to be an early mother. So there will be some words. She is also a scout with a passion for learning history (back story can be provided if needed) and likes to use history to teach other generations and avoid their mistakes. Also, I am adding the scene I wrote with Sokka and Katara as well for more flare.)

“What is taking them so long?” Aang is pacing around the fire as the group is settling for the night. Katara and Zuko have been gone for about a day now since they talked and Aang cannot help but feel anxious about when they would be back. He had hoped that maybe she would have time to cool down and then turn around without finding him. But he realized with every second they were gone, he grew more anxious.

“Aang will you relax?” Toph called to him as they were sitting by the fire and eating. She sat next to Amaya, a traveling water bender, previous assassin turned scout for the team, that they had met before, who had caught up with the team to report what she was able to find the day before. She watched the Avatar pacing frantically while she tried to enjoy her first meal in a while.

“How can I relax? They have not been back yet. And I can’t help but worry she will go through with it.” He paced more that the ground was becoming indented.

“Is this still about Katara going with Zuko to find her mother’s killer?” Amaya asked as she grabs a bowl of soup that was cooking thanks to the shared effort of Sokka and Suki working on it.

“Yes! How are you all so calm about this? Sokka, why did you not say anything to her about it or try to tell her that it was not a good idea?”

“Well, I can’t say that I am not worried, but I know that this is something she has to do, Aang.”

“Why would getting revenge on something she needs? Katara just needs to forgive the man and -”

Amaya was halfway from taking a sip of her soup before spraying out and coughing. The group looked over to her as she was banging her chest to breath a little. Then gasped a little as Toph slapped her back hard enough for any remaining soup still stuck in her lungs were out. She sighed and nodded. “Thanks Toph,” she gasped.

“No sweat, Sneaking queen,” she teased.

“Now, explain to me what the fuck you just said to about Katara needed to forgive her mother’s killer? Are you fucking serious that you said that to her?” Amaya’s grateful tone turned sour as she turned to Aang with confusion and a bit of disappointment.

“Amaya! Language!” Sokka tried to diffuse as they all gasped at her used of swearing.

“Oh no, not this time Sokka! This is a grown up topic and I will swear as I please because I did not just hear that he said Katara should forgive the man that killed someone dear to her.” She continued.

Aang was stunned by her sudden outburst and tried to explain himself. “Well, revenge is bad. And it should not be used to hurt people.”

Amaya cocked her eyebrow up a little as she was still staring. “Says who?”

“Well, the monks.”

Amaya watched then sighed as she shook her head and looked down. “Figures that you would think like those old monks. And like a kid as well no doubt.”

“What is wrong with their teachings? The monks were good people and they always tried to bring peace rather than cause trouble.”

Amaya scoffed a little. “Sure, when they were not being fucking hypocrites and acting like they had the moral high ground when they would run away from their problems instead of fighting.”

“But is it true. They were able to be peaceful and be above all the earthly thoughts and feelings.”

“Oh really? So tell me then, if the men that attacked the temples were alive, would have forgiven them for hurting and killing other nomads?”

“What?” Aang was stunned by the questions.

“Would you kill those Fire nation soldiers if you could?” She pressed him on it.

Aang took a moment as Amaya noticed that it was taking a bit of time for him to answer. “I - no! No, I would not kill them.”

“Even if it mean avenging them? And even knowing that any other monk is capably of wanting to cause harm to others with their abilities?”

“How can you say that about the monks?! You don’t know what they were like. I lived with them. I studied under them and learned everything that they knew.”

“Then you knew then of the Killing Breath pact then?” she retorted back.

The whole group was silent. The cracking of the fire was the only thing as the fire illuminated Amaya’s face in the dark with a haunting glow. She locked eyes with Aang with a serious look, unwavering while Aang could not find the words for the longest time.

“What do you mean? The monks would never teach something like that. That is a lie!” Aang’s temper was flaring a little.

Amaya stared more before she sighed and pulled her bag out. She pulled a water proof booklet as she thumbed for something. The group watched in wonder and fear of what she was going to say. Then she stopped and took a breath. “Log 45 of Air Nomads life. Shocking discover found in hidden chamber of one the head monks rooms. It was a scroll, barely legible and preserved so opted to record it for safety reasons. I drew the image of the scroll in the dead monks’ hand as i read the scroll. ‘If every a need, either because you are trapped or cannot flee or fight, use this technique and enact the Killing Breath with everyone around. Use this with caution as it can only be used once. As you take a deep breath, you must exhale all air from your lungs. But not only that, exhale all of the air in the room. Creating a vacuum of air that can be used for breathing. Once it is it at it’s peak, hold it and do not breath...’ the rest is hard to read from the snow around it.”

Aang watched in horror as she recounted the log of hers and recalled the image of his former teacher in such a position. He was horrified as he realized that there were no cut marks or disoriented skeletons. The rest of the group was listening in disbelief. Amaya sighed as she realized she made her point and closed the book. “So, thought you knew everything then?”

Aang snapped out of it as he tried to stand strong with his conviction. “Okay, so they might have had a means to... pass on if they could not fight. They were still right though that revenge is not right. And Katara should not be tainted with that kind of thinking.”

“And who is to say that revenge could not be justified?” Amaya asked as she looked annoyed. “I mean, out of all of us, I have a higher body count then you all. So I do have some understanding that revenge is not as black or white as you are trying to make it, Aang.”

“Not so black and white? How can you say that? Of course it is,” he snapped at her, but it only made her smirk a little and make him feel small again.

“Suki,” Amaya turned to Suki, who had been quite up until now, “If you got to take down Azula and her friends that imprisoned you and the other Kyoshi warriors, would you consider it revenge?”

“Oh,” she squeaked out a little. “Well, yeah. I would. I would totally get revenge on them. They made me and my girls look like idiots.”

She nodded and turned to Sokka. “Sokka, would you consider it revenge when you got to sneak up on Zuko and throw a mud ball at him when he ate the last of your dumplings?”

“HECK YES! That was the most satisfying moment ever! Sweet Revenge!” He hollered a little too loud but Amaya smirked as she turned to Toph.

“Toph, if you could get revenge on anyone that slighted you, would you do it?”

“Well, I guess it depends. Did they try to write on my face sleeping or hurt my family? since you gave me a vague question.”

“Yup, and nice catch,” Amaya said as she returned her attention to Aang, who was confused and feeling small again. “Don’t confuse revenge with ideas of murder and getting closure, Aang. Because much like Katara, there is more to one side of the story and conversation that you have to consider then just throwing your words around without thought.” She turned back to her bowl and then relaxed.

Aang thought about her words then tried to see what she would say. “Then what about you? You didn’t enact your revenge. How are you any better to judge me when you could not follow your own words.”

The group got quiet but Amaya was still taking a big sip of soup. She slurped a little loud on purpose to annoy Aang then sighed. “Who said I didn’t? And even if I didn’t, who is to say that I did it without my initial goal of killing?” She glanced him nonchalantly.

Aang’s eyes grew wide. “But you said to us then that you forgave him?”

There was still silence, before a log cracked from the fire and there was a low haunting laughter coming from Amaya’s lips. Then it turned into a full blown cackle as she gripped her side and leaned back, mindful of her soup bowl. The group has heard her laugh before, but this was something dangerous. Like a beast that was never meant to see the light of day.

Amaya looked up at him with manic eyes. “I might have let that bastard live. But never in my life will I ever forgive him of the life he put me through. The suffering, the lonely nights of being the adult when I was a child, crying at night and the day I lost my brother. My last support to give me hope before I had to find it in my siblings. That bastard should rot in the flames of the underworld for all eternity and I, I would have gladly put him there.” She realized she was spiraling as she thought about the man that took her innocents away.

The gang looked on her worried as she took another breath and grabbed her wrist to look at the tattoo mark of the water tribe. She smiled. “But it was Katara that told me that I could not forgive him, but I had the choice to be better and not the monster people thought I was. To be better for my little brother and sister. And be better. Because she knew my pain. Better than anyone. Because in a way, I am just a warped version of her. ”

She looked at Sokka with a small smile and he somehow understood what she meant. He nodded back to her with sigh and looked to Suki as well as Toph. They all had this knowing look that completely went over Aang’s head as he looked to her.

“What do you mean warped? You and Katara are nothing alike.”

Suki cringed and so did Sokka as they realized that it was about to get even more personal. And Amaya had a bit of a temper about how she gets ragged on for not being nice like Katara before. But Amaya was surprisingly calm, a small knowing smirk on her face.

She looked at him. “Alright then. Guess by my words who I am referring to. And they will judge.” She pointed to the group. “And Toph, you confirm my heart rate?”

“You got it,” She said bluntly.

Aang sighed then nodded. “Okay, go then.”

Amaya nods. “Alright, this person can have a huge temper when people piss her off. Especially people that think they are better than her.”

“Easy, you.”

“Nope, Katara.”

“What?! No way.”

“She’s telling the truth,” Toph added.

Amaya kept going. “Okay, she takes care of everyone, provides support when she can by giving her life on the line.”

“Okay, this is Katara then,” he said with confidence.

“Can apply to me and her, so half right.”

“What?! How do you support others? You are never here.”

“Aang, she scouts for us all the time,” Sokka added. “Going into Fire nation territory. Heck she just got back to inform us of what is going on with our armies.”

“And giving us some details about the Firelord,” Suki added.

Amaya nodded as she smiled and then looked back to Aang. “Next, she is stubborn to the point that it could cause a determent to those around her because she needs to be in the right.”

“Is it you?” Aang was wavering in his answers as he was not sure.

“Katara again,” Amaya said and Sokka and Toph’s affirmative scoff in affirmation. “Alright, last one. She is sweetest to those that she cares for and will protect them with a passion fiercer than then the sun.”

Aang realized the pattern in her words. He took a while to say anything as he then reluctantly asked: “It’s not just solely Katara, isn’t it?”

Amaya nodded. “You saw how I am with my siblings. And for you all, too. So, keep that in mind that human nature is always black and white. There is a balance in every human being. Some have more caring features in others and some more dark. But just because we have these sides means we use it as a means to judge them on their needs and wants. Like Yin and Yang. All about balance.”

Aang sat down as he thought about her words and the Gaang was quiet for a bit before Amaya spoke again. “I know you are a kid Aang, I know you will have a hard time facing certain realities. And that is okay, you are only human after all. I am not one to talk either, but I am learning and changing and growing. And sometimes the best thing we need to be is either the pillar of support, either in silence or solidarity, or the tough wake up call. And how you choose to use that knowledge will help define you better as a person. Not just for yourself, but those around you and care for you.”

“As for the final say about this issue with Katara, this is her journey. Her test of character. And all you can do now is support her whatever her choice is. Either she goes for it or not will be her choice.”

“But what if she chooses to take this guys life?”

“Then that is her choice,” she said. “But I don’t think she will do it.”

Everyone looked to her with confusion. “How can you be certain?” Toph asked as she was feeling Amaya’s heart beat and it was steady. Not wavering and confident.

Amaya smiled. She thought about Katara’s words to her. “She knows it might be easier to be consumed by the anger and turn on better judgement. But I don’t think she will let it turn her into a monster. If anything, it will give her closure that she deserves.”

“Well, I am going to get my tent ready and turn in. Good night everyone.” The Gaang said their goodnights in a somber way, but there was this glow of hope from most of the group in Amaya’s words. She was satisfied to feel it but glanced over at Aang. She could tell that this shook him to his core. And while she was all for keeping innocents, this was something she was not going to stay quiet about. And she knew Aang was going to be okay. Or at least consider her words.

#critical thinking #critical view on aang #Not a anti aang #Just giving his character a critical thought #orginal character #atla #avatar toph #katara #aang #writing #au #rewrite #avatar suki #atla sokka #sokka being a good big brother #Zuko

[canyourscienceexplainthis]

Has standup comedian Sokka been done already? Cause I’m just imagining him having an invasion plan style nervous bomb on his first night and he’s absolutely mortified stepping off the stage thinking that this is the first and last time he tries doing comedy. UNTIL! the very hot and mysterious host of Tuesday comedy night comes up to him at the bar afterwards and offers to buy him a drink and reassures him that he did surprisingly well for his first show (“trust me I’ve seen so much worse. We had this one guy Hahn come up and make the most blatantly insulting jokes about his girlfriend for 10 minutes. They may have landed in the 80’s but that night they only got him booed off the stage and soaking wet after an audience member threw a drink in his face. You actually have good material, you just have to work on the delivery”). Cue Zuko offering to give Sokka some tips before his next show (gayness ensues)

#oh yeah sokka disnt invite the gaang cause he was too nervous (and maybe internalized the idea that he was gonna fuck up before he went on) #zuko is the host cause hes an asshole with no filter that can handle hecklers #he can and will drag them to hell and back #it was also really hard for him to get over his nerves at first too #so he sees part of himself in sokka and wants to help #also sokka seems like he has interesting stories and he genuinely does have good ideas for jokes (and hes reallg pretty) #also yes sokka knows all about that shithead hahn cause he was in the audience during the show #and the girlfriend he was bashing was obviously yue #he convinced her to breakup with him that night #suki was the one that threw the drink in his face #theyre dating now and all is right with the world #also i like the idea of zuko being the one to approach sokka and be the host cause i see too much awkward softboi zuko and im sick of it #let him be the agressive/passionate asshole with a little bit of a soft spot that he was always meant to be! #ps piandao and jeong jeong own the club and you know youre good if you can make them laugh #also mai is a bouncer #ty lee is a bartender #and azula is a manager #lmao im sorry that half my thoughts are buried in the tags #atla #sokka #zuko #zukka #suki #yue

[absolutelyfizzing]

Sifu Hotman

zuko x water tribe sibling!reader

request - I want to request a Zuko x fem reader being Sokka and Katara's sister. She can be the older sister or sokka's twin sister. Also when they start dating Sokka and Katara can like threaten him by saying don't hurt my sister or else.

A/N - This is taking place after the war, I'm vaguely uncomfy writing for underage people (or like younger than 17) so I just went ahead and aged them up. I'm sorry if that's not what you were wanting! I'm also sort of ignoring the plot of the comics and stuff and we are ignoring Mai's existence. I don't feel like this was my best writing by any means but i tried and i thought it was a cute idea. There will probably be more zuko x reader coming soon

word count - 2000

MASTERLIST

You took a deep breath in, the warm air refreshing after having just spent the last month in the southern water tribe with your family besides Katara who was off saving lives with Aang. Your twin brother stood beside you, his hair grown out and tied into a ponytail. Your sister would be here in the fire nation in a week with Aang. It had been three years since the war, you had just been kids at the time. You and Sokka were 15 during the last battle and you had felt so old then. Now, looking back, you had been immature and childish but you had grown up. After the war ended you remained in the fire nation for a few months. You had wanted to get a little bit of quiet before you started going on more adventures with your brother.

You had been very close with Zuko while he was traveling with you and the gang. You didn't know why but you trusted him, maybe it was because you trusted Toph's judgement but either way you had accepted him quicker than the others. You remembered how cold the rest of the group had been to him and it almost was funny to you now considering that Katara had just told you a story in a recent letter about Toph, Aang, and Zuko getting into a bickering match about fire flakes that ended in Toph trapping both of the boys into a earth tent. It was also hard to comprehend that Zuko was the new Firelord and he ruled over a whole nation.

It had been 2 years since you saw Zuko in person. It wasn't on purpose but you kept getting pulled in different directions, none of them leading you into the fire nation. You were excited but also scared to see him, butterflies filling your stomach at the thought of seeing him. You'd had a bit of a crush on the new Firelord when you last saw him but you refused to tell either of your siblings, knowing that they would threaten him to high heaven before he even knew about it.

Your brother walking beside you calmed you a bit, his presence being comforting to you. He was much taller than you now and he was more confident than the kid he had been during the war. You knew that the same was true for Aang, though he never grew up in personality. As you approached the gates of the palace you wondered if Zuko had changed.

You realized that he had as the gates opened and he was stood on the steps up to the palace waiting for both of you. His hair was long and it was pulled into a messy bun. His scar was no longer shrouded in his bangs and he seemed more confident in his stance. His robes were long and elegant and you wondered if he wore them by choice of if they were required because of his position. Your brother jogged slightly to get to Zuko faster, having grown to hold a strong bond with the man. You walked calmly but there was a smile on your face as your brother and Zuko embraced. Once the released each other Zuko turned to you. You noticed him gulp a bit and a blush threatened to cover your cheeks. Your grin became wider the closer you got to him and soon you were wrapped in his embrace.

You noticed that his frame was larger. You leaned your head back from the hug to look at his face and he looked well. Like he was happy and maybe even getting enough sleep.

"Hey there, Sifu Hotman." You smiled and Zuko rolled his eyes as he released you from the hug.

"I see we haven't matured in 2 years?" He grunts but you can see the smile trying to creep onto his face. "Toph still calls me that too." He grumbled lowly and you started laughing.

"Where is the little demon?"

"She's away dealing with some prisoners for me. She should be back in a week or so." Zuko smiled. "She's taken up a pretty important role here. She's like my personal lie detector. She likes to sit in on council meetings and scare everyone."

"I think that's actually her dream job." You smiled and Zuko hummed in agreement. There was a bit of a silence as you and Zuko just gazed at each other. He seemed so sure now. You had missed him dearly.

"Okay! Let's get this show on the road, people!" Sokka yelled and you internally groaned that he had to ruin the moment. Before you all turned toward the palace, Zuko sent you a wink and you felt a blush cover your face. As you headed up the steps of the palace you felt a comforting hand on your lower back as the Fire Lord gently followed behind you, Sokka running ahead of you, likely to find the food in the kitchens that he was accostomed to spending all of his time in.

"Can I speak to you in private when we get a moment?" Zuko asks and again your heart rate picks up. You turn your head to look at him.

"Of course" You smiled and he smiles back at you, making your head spin a bit. You spent the next few hours meeting new advisors, getting a tour through new parts of the palace, and catching up with Zuko who seemed to be acting more clingy than you had ever remembered him to be.

"Y/N, would you mind coming with me?" Zuko asked and you turned to face him with a smile.

"Of course!" You chirped as he led you to a secluded hallway away from your brother who was discussing war strategy with an advisor of Zuko's.

When you reached a place where you were out of earshot of others Zuko gently took your hands.

"I have something to confess." He stated and you felt fire on your cheeks, you nodded for him to continue, "I'm in love with you. I have been for years and I've never acted on it because there was always something going on and I was so unsure but now-" he gazed into your eyes with sincerity, "I couldn't be more sure. I want to be with you. If you'd have me, that is." Instead of answering you jumped forward, pressing your lips onto Zuko's in a searing kiss. He groaned and pushed back, trapping you against a wall. He pulled away to press his forehead into yours and you closed your eyes for a moment before opening them again and gazing at the man in front of you.

"Katara is gonna kill you." You mumbled and Zuko smiled.

"You aren't worried about Sokka?"

"I just know that Sokka can't win in a fight against you. Katara on the other hand..." you trailed off and Zuko looked offended.

"That's pretty rude to say to the man who just confessed his love for you."

"I'm just being honest. Toph might have some words too."

Zuko shuddered at the thought of what they could do to him. Sokka would be upset but he could probably handle it. Aang would be happy for both of them he was sure, always the peacemaker and moderator. Aang would probably be the only reason that Katara wouldn't attack Zuko immediately.

Over the next week you snuck around with Zuko, taking alone time any chance that you got. Sokka rarely let you get any peace as he stayed with you nearly constantly. He was always a little on the defence with you and he would likely settle in and ease up over the coming weeks as he got used to the new environment. You were never a huge fighter, though you could hold your own. You also couldn't bend. You were the one of the group who took care of everyone, you were the smartest in strategy by far, and you were the only one who could reason with Toph. Because of this, Sokka had gotten used to just being near you in case anything happened, though it was rare that anything did. You appreciated it normally but now you wanted time alone so that you could spend it with Zuko as you got used to being in a relationship that was more than platonic. But today was the day that the rest of the gang was arriving, even Suki would be joining you so you hoped that would take some of the clingy-ness of Sokka away. You all stood at the front of the palace, much like Zuko had stood for you a week earlier, and watched as Appa approached in the distance. He flew gently in front of you and as soon as he landed in front of you he licked you with his giant tongue and you were covered in slobber. Despite this you couldn't be happier to see the giant animal and you embraced him. You were suddenly pulled away and brought into the arms of your little sister.

"I missed you, Y/N." She mumbled into your neck and you smiled into hers, it had been so long since you had seen her and you felt tears come to your eyes at the relief of having her near.

You spent the next hours catching up with Katara and Aang, who had grown to be taller than you since you last saw him. Toph and Suki arrived that night and you were all glad to be together again at last, old memories coming back and filling you all with joy. You and Zuko looked at each other and you took a deep breath. You had discussed that you would be revealing your relationship to the rest of the group when you were all together but you were nervous for their reactions.

"So... I have something I would like to tell you guys." You stated and all of the conversation died down, all eyes suddenly on you. "Me and Zuko are together." You rushed out and you only got blank stares for a moment before there was groaning from Toph and Sokka.

"You couldn't have waited another year? I didn't think you would have figured it out by now." Toph grumbled and pulled some coins out of her pocket, Sokka doing the same. Suki and Katara held out their hands and money got dropped into them, both with smug looks on their faces. Zuko looked over at you and had the same look of shock that you likely did.

"What?" You mumbled.

"We all knew you were going to get together of course, you've been pining after each other for years, but me and Suki said you would be getting together this month and Toph said in a year. Sokka actually said in 3 months so he was closer than Toph was." Katara stated simply and you still just stared at her, mouth agape. "We also talked about the fact that if he hurts you," Her gaze shifted to a nervous looking Zuko, "we would all be committing some crimes."

"I feel like I should clarify that those crimes include maiming and murder." Sokka glared at Zuko and he gulped.

"But I'm so happy for you two!" Katara exclaimed, her attitude shifting completely. You and Zuko stared at each other in shock and then you smiled at him. You were so happy to finally be together and to have your friends around you.

#zuko imagine #zuko #zuko x reader #zuko x reader imagine #x reader #imagine #fluff #fluffy #zuko fluff #katara #sokka #aang #avatar the last airbender #atla #atla x reader #atla imagine #avatar tlok #toph #sukki #zuko x Y/N

[gladerwolfstarkimagines]

Imagine being Azula’s friend but secretly dating Zuko behind her back

One of the first things you and Azula bonded over was your annoying brothers. Azula told you how her brother had stolen one of her best friends away from her and you related to that. Your twin brother was none other than Sokka of the water tribe, who was also very popular with women. Most of the women you knew liked him, from Yue to Toph to Suki to Ty lee! It sometimes felt like you were the second attraction in a friendship and so you and Azula quickly became close over your shared frustrations.

Then....you betrayed her.

Well, betrayal is a bit dramatic but maybe not given how upset she'd been when Mai and Zuko started dating. You knew that had been hard for Azula to process.  How difficult it had been wondering if her friends really liked her or just wanted access to her brother. So when you started liking Zuko you didn’t plan on acting on it at all. Then Mai broke up with him. 

Zuko was around at yours quite often, whenever he visited the water tribe he stayed in your home and when you visited the fire nation he extended the same hospitality. So throughout the years, you just naturally got closer and closer until....it happened. You started hanging out just the two of you and these occasions felt very date-like until Zuko just outright asked you out. You liked him and told yourself one date was fine, what harm could a single date do? But then as you kept seeing each other and one date soon progressed into many many more you knew your time to do the right thing and tell Azula you were dating her brother was approaching. 

However the idea of doing that idea terrified you. You guessed Azula wouldn’t take it well and didn’t want to lose your friendship with her because of your relationship with Zuko. You wouldn’t break up with Zuko just to make her happy but you also didn’t want to lose Azula’s friendship, so when Katara’s birthday arose you were fairly nervous. There was going to be a large party and all of Katara’s friends were coming...which included Zuko and Azula. You hadn’t been together with everyone since you and Zuko started dating so you had no idea how it would feel. The whole time you and Zuko would have to convincingly act like you weren’t a couple and not make anyone at the party suspicious of the two of you. So when Zuko’s ship got in you fixed your eyes on Azula and tried not to stare at him any more than usual. You greeted him formally and didn’t admire him as you usually would. You fell in step with Azula and decided just to focus on her. It wasn’t hard, you were best friends and very close...however fate was not on your side. You got seated across from him at dinner which felt like some sick punishment and struggled not to get lulled into conversation with him. It didn’t help that Zuko was in a playful mood. He kept making comments about the things you’d done on your date and then sending you sly looks across the table. When you met his eye he smirked blatantly and you lightly kicked him under the table. That only made Zuko chuckled and look adorable so you sighed and decided to just keep your eyes down the whole time to survive dinner. 

However, Zuko had no intention of stopping his teasing. After dinner you set about preparing the party for Katara tomorrow and having sent Sokka, Aang, Suki, Azula and Toph on their assigned jobs turned to your job of decorating. You were hanging streamers in the living room when you felt a hand curl around your waist. “Need some help there?” Zuko asked moving closer and he leaned up over you to hang it. “I could have done that myself” you smiled turning to face him and Zuko shrugged “I know you could’ve, but then I wouldn’t have been able to do this”. Zuko gently kissed your neck trailing down to your collar bone making you sigh. “Zuko...stop” you said faint heartedly and Zuko sensed that smirking��"I don’t want to and you don’t want me to either, I can tell by how softly you said my name" he smiled "it’s been so long since we’ve had any time together". Your skin erupted in goosebumps and a shiver went down your spine as Zuko pressed closer against you. But you knew how badly this could end if literally anyone walked in. So swiftly you grabbed Zuko’s hands and twisted your way out of them. You held them tightly in one hand so he couldn’t try and slink around you again and used the other to make him look at you "Zuko we can’t okay, not on this trip. God knows i want to, i’ve missed you too but there’s too much that could go wrong i’m sorry". Zuko sighed but nodded his head "don’t worry i understand". Zuko’s shoulders sagged and you knew your insistance on keeping this quiet was difficult for him. "Thank you for understanding" you said hugging him quickly "i know it can’t be easy for you and I appreciate the effort you're going to for me". Zuko smiled resting his head on top of yours "it’s fine, i’d do a lot more for you if you asked but promise me it won’t always be like this....we will tell everyone soon?". You gulped but nodded pulling away "i promise, i will tell Azula...soon!". Zuko nodded “I believe you” and let his hands drop away from you. Not a moment later Sokka and Aang appeared in the room making the two of you jump. “Zuko just the man we need! We were thinking of making an ice sculpture, fancy some fire bending?”. Zuko nodded “sure” and with a last glance to you left the room. 

Hours later the party preparations finished you returned to your room which you were sharing with Azula for her visit. “Sokka made me blow up balloons” she said angrily “something about fire benders being full of hot air”. You smirked at your brother’s nerve when Azula’s next sentence wiped it off your face.  "Also I think Zuko’s dating someone again" Azula said softly and you paused. "Ow really?" you asked and she nodded "he’s been spending a suspicious amount of time in the southern water tribe lately. Lots of visits which he claims are diplomatic but I can’t work out what he actually does here! He doesn’t know that many people and so it got me thinking, y/n do you think your brother and mine....". "No Sokka's still with Suki" you said shaking your head. Azula sighed “and it’s obviously not Katara, she and Aang are basically married, have you seen him hanging around anyone else? He doesn’t know many people so it should be easy to spot". You paused pretending to think but were really just trying to buy yourself time. "Honestly i don’t pay much attention to him when he visits" you said cleverly covering your back "but i will from now on and let you know". "Thank you y/n" Azula smiled. You smiled back relieved Azula didn’t suspect anything and let out a large breath you’d been holding for this entire conversation. You were now more than ready for sleep and got into bed hurriedly. You laid your head on your pillow and closed your eyes utterly exhausted. 

"Goodnight y/n" Azula called and you nodded. You were very sleepy and after a long yawn smiled "good night Zuko".

You realised the name you’d said seconds after it came out of your mouth. 

You froze

As did azula.

"Did you just call me Zuko...". You blinked "did i? I’m sure i said Azula". Azula was quiet for 2 seconds before she shot up "it’s you!" she cried "you're the one my brother’s dating!". "No Azula that’s crazy!!! We'd just been discussing Zuko, that’s why he was on my mind!". Azula shook her head "you're lying! I can tell by the tone of your voice! You’re the new girlfriend aren’t you?". You sighed "Azula i’m sorry i was going to tell you...". "I can’t believe you" Azula yelled and suddenly the door opened. "What’s wrong?" Sokka and Zuko asked bursting in “we heard yelling” and Azula glared. "You! Couldn't just have Mai huh? Had to take another one of my friends? How about when you’re done with y/n you try things with Ty lee?". "Ow she told you...." Zuko frowned awkwardly. "No i worked it out!” Azula spat “Y/n accidentally uttered your name because she’s so lovesick" Azula cried "you both make me sick" and she strode away slamming the front door hard as she exited the house.

After Azula left you all looked at one another unsure what to do or say next. "So...you two are a thing?" Sokka asked and Zuko paused "yes...is your reaction going to be as bad as Azula’s or can i go deal with her?". Sokka shook his head "go deal with her before she burns the village down”. Zuko went to move past Sokka when your brother put a hand to his chest "but come back and see me after, me and Katara will want to talk to you about dating our sister". Zuko surprisingly looked intimidated and nodded "I'll be right back". "Zuko wait i should come too" you called "this is as much my fault as yours". Zuko nodded "let’s go" and led you outside into the cold night after Azula.

You found Azula trekking in the snow and as she wasn’t in proper shoes you gained on her quickly. “Azula!” you called and she jumped. She looked around and glared “ow look the happy couple, how nice of you to grace me with your presence”. Zuko rolled his eyes “only you’d be so attention-seeking to make this about you”. “Attention seeking? Who’s the person who can’t form his own friendships or respect boundaries? No always have to date my friends, is it some weird way for you to gain power over me? A sad way to boost your ego?”. As Zuko and Azula went to square up to each other you stepped between them. “Alright enough the both of you! Zuko please go back to the house, i’ll handle this”. “But she...”. “Zuko please” you said sharply and he nodded “fine” and with a glare left. You watched him go before turning back to Azula. You’d been about to suggest you go home given that Azula was surely freezing out here in the middle of the night but Azula broke into a rant. "Everyone leaves me for him" she cried "Mai! My uncle! Mother! Even my father...after i was smarter, a better fire bender, more loyal and younger he still gave Zuko every little chance and only crowned me after Zuko literally ran away! When will i be good enough people don’t just choose him without a second thought for me?". "Azula i didn’t choose Zuko over you! Just because i like Zuko doesn’t mean i don’t like you still". "That may be true but this changes our friendship completely, it did with Mai! People always prioritise their partners over their friends so i’ll be second best once again". "Are you kidding?" you asked "Azula now i need you more than ever! Relationships aren’t when you ditch your friends, they’re when you need them the most! Who else are you going to go to for a break or a nice getaway? Who else is going to support and love you in only the platonic way a friend can? Who else can i complain about Zuko to when he annoys me or we fight?" you asked "they’re all things you need your friends for! Desperately and that’s going to be the same for me". "But when Mai dated him...". "But i’m not Mai" you smiled softly "Azula we are good friends, i won’t sideline you because of this. You mean just as much to me now as before i started dating Zuko". Azula huffed but you could see her melting. "So...how about we go inside, get some warm milk and talk a bit more about this huh?". You offered Azula your hand and she took it but she didn’t stop there. Azula threw her arms around you and hugged you tightly. "I’m partly doing this for the cold but thank you" she said softly "nobodies ever tried to make me feel supported when they've chosen Zuko, they just tell me to deal with it but you’re the first to try and reassure me and so i know you mean it, to still be my friend". "Of course" you smiled "you're my best friend!". Azula smiled and linked her arm through yours "i like that!”. 

Zuko stared in awe as you and Azula returned grinning. "How did it go is everything okay?". You nodded "your extremely cool sister is fine with it". "Yes i thought this would be a great way to have an inside scoop on you zuzu". "She’s kidding i won’t talk to her about you...a lot". Zuko blinked "okay if everything's okay then i should go speak to Sokka and Katara, they’re waiting for me in the kitchen". Azula smiled "that’s a good idea, when you come back zuzu find me, i have some threats about what will happen if you hurt my best friend". You smiled at Azula and stepped to Zuko "good luck but don’t worry Sokka’s all bite, Katara’s the one to look out for but she has a big heart, just tell her how good a time we’ve had and you’ll be fine". "Good tips, any for my sister?". You smiled "Azula is one i have not worked out yet" you grinned "but i’m sure you’ll manage, you are the firelord after all". Zuko smirked and you patted his shoulder "after your appointment with my brother and sister and then your sister....you could always come find me in your room?". Zuko smiled "is that my motivation for surviving this?". You shrugged "you can think of it as that" and stepped away from him. Zuko watched you before sighing "alright let’s get this over with” he said loudly and strode towards the kitchen.

You turned back to Azula who raised an eyebrow at Zuko’s sudden confidence and she frowned. "Do i even want to know?" Azula asked and you shook your head "no". “Ow and don’t worry if I’m not in our room tonight”. “Euch Y/n!” Azula cried and you shrugged “what? I didn’t say why”. “I know why” she sighed before she smiled “at least I can have your bigger bed”. “Be my guest” you smiled, you had a firelord to get reacquainted with. 

#zuko #zuko imagine #zuko x reader #azula imagine #azula #azula x reader #avatar the last airbender #atla #avatar #avatar the last airbender imagine #atla zuko #avatar zuko #atla azula #avatar azula #fire nation #water tribe #firelord zuko #princess azula #fire nation royalty #azula and zuko #sokka #katara #aang #toph #suki #mai #ty lee #yue

[cynical-mystic]

ZKMonth22 Day 24: Arranged Marriage

In times of peace, alliances are formed by other means. Treaties and trade agreements perform most of the work, but sometimes a more delicate approach is needed. When a country wants more land under their control, they trade their daughter for it by marrying her to another country’s son. When a country wants better export taxes, they trade their son for it by marrying him to another country’s daughter.

In Katara’s case, her father wanted to maintain control of the waters they fished, as the Fire Nation was subtly trying to encroach on their territory. He wanted to avoid a war, he told her, and this was the best way to do it. She’d retaliated, pointing out that a Southern Water Tribe woman hadn’t been married off in over a century, since they’d gained independence from the North.

“I know,” Hakoda said sadly. “But times are changing. We have to be practical.”

As she packed her bags she seriously considered running away, but eventually had to concede that she would have no idea where to go. Everyone she knew in any other country had the power and ability to send for her father to retrieve her, and probably would. Every other country settled things by marriage.

“Lighten up,” her brother Sokka said, leaning against her doorway as she angrily threw things into her bag. “Maybe this Zuko guy isn’t that bad.”

She thought of the rumors they’d heard about his father and shook her head.

“If he’s anything like Ozai,” she said venomously, “you’ll never hear from me again.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Brides of the Fire Nation royal family are apparently expected to cut all ties with their own families and completely commit to being a princess or a lady or whatever they’re called,” she explained. “Didn’t you hear the whispers in Ba Sing Se at that dinner we attended with Dad? When Ozai and his wife entered?”

“Nah, I don’t listen to that stuff,” he replied, but his voice had lost all brevity.

“You should start,” she said as she wrapped one of her mother’s baubles in one of her shirts. “You won’t have me around anymore to look after you.”

This hadn’t seemed to occur to him yet, as he stared after as she left the room to try to come up with a betrothal gift for her soon-to-be husband.

Katara’s first impression of the Fire Nation royal family was that it was large. Fire Lord Iroh and his wife, Tasheng, who was a princess from the Earth Kingdom, were standing with their son, Prince Lu Ten, and his wife, Yue, who was the daughter of the chief of the Northern Water Tribe. She was subtly pregnant, as evidenced by how her hands laid against her torso as she stood. That and Katara’s extensive healing training.

Prince Ozai and his wife, Ursa, were standing with their two children, Zuko and Azula. Azula was her age and Zuko two years older. She’d seen them from afar at diplomatic events but had never spoken to either of them. She wondered if Azula was betrothed. She tried to study Zuko, but before she got a good look at him she was swept into introductions and pleasantries and the kinds of court interactions that made her toes curl, but she played along.

She’d seen enough during her time as her father’s daughter to know not only how not to make a fool of herself, but also how to make an impression.

At the end of the interaction, she could tell by the look on Iroh’s face that she’d made a good one.

She spent that night in Yue’s room, to her surprise. She’d expected to be given her own room, but Yue told her that wasn’t allowed on the eve of a woman’s wedding to deter the groom from trying to see his bride during the night.

“I’m getting married tomorrow?” she asked, throat tight. Katara found herself letting a bit of her guard down in the presence of someone who might know what she was going through.

“Yes,” Yue said, sitting down carefully in a chair. “Your father sent along your measurements so your outfit could be prepared while you traveled, and the seamstress will be here in the morning for the final fitting before the festivities.”

Katara’s brain filled with questions and for a moment she was speechless.

“They were going to put you with Azula,” Yue continued, “but I convinced them the transition would be easier for you if you were with someone from the Water Tribes.”

“Thank you,” Katara said.

Yue nodded.

“Now get some sleep. Tomorrow is your big day.”

It turned out that wedding days in the Fire Nation were less about the married couple themselves and more about the ceremony. As she was completely unfamiliar with it she struggled, but thankfully there was a servant specially placed to guide her through anything she’d forgotten after Yue’s coaching that morning. Katara had spent the ship ride to the Fire Nation studying its traditional language, so thankfully she came close to pronouncing things correctly, although there was once or twice where she fumbled over something and Zuko winced, whether in sympathy or embarrassment she couldn’t tell.

Finally it was over and they were seated at the head table, to eat and receive their guests. This was the first opportunity she had to speak to Zuko, and she found she had no idea what to say. Thankfully receiving their guests took up most of their attention, and even that didn’t require them to interact with each other.

After dinner, they retired to Zuko’s room. She expected someone to stay with them, or stand at the door or behind a screen, to make sure they consummated, but they were left alone. Katara looked at Zuko quizzically and he shrugged.

“I’m almost fourth in line for the throne,” he said. “They’re not terribly worried about trying to get heirs from me.”

“But I read that it was tradition–”

“Do you want someone in here with us right now?”

She swallowed audibly and shook her head.

“Do you need someone to help you take off your outfit?” To her surprise, his voice was kind and genuine, not trying to make fun of her or demean her in any way.

Despite this, a bit of her fire returned and she replied, “Someone meaning you?”

Zuko sighed and shook his head.

“No, I can call for a servant to help you,” he said, turning to go into the adjoining bathroom himself. “But if you think you can handle it–” “I can,” she said, holding her chin defiantly.

He nodded and retreated, closing the door behind him.

To Katara’s dismay, she found she couldn’t handle it by herself. She was in so many layers and some of them were tied in ways she couldn’t comprehend by touch, so when Zuko hesitantly emerged from the restroom she hadn’t made much progress. He stopped her before she could start tearing at the fabric.

“Let me help you,” he said quietly, putting his hand on hers where it sat trying to untie the outer layer. “I’ll be proper, honest.”

She shot him a glare, but his face was open and, again, undemeaning. A bit surprised by this prince of the Fire Nation, she nodded and let him help her.

With his expertise with wearing Fire Nation garb, he had her in her final layer, a simple shift over her sarashi wrappings, in no time. He didn’t ogle her or anything when he was done, he simply placed the clothes over one of the chairs in the room.

“If you don’t want to sleep with me,” he said, “there’s a passage between this room and the one next to it. It’s already been prepared for you, because after tonight it’s your room, so if you’d be more comfortable by yourself you can be.”

Katara thought about this, crossing her arms and studying the man before her. He’d been much kinder than she’d expected him to be, and was even less hotheaded, handling even obviously wheedling nobles with ease and social dexterity she didn’t possess. The only person he seemed to dislike was his sister, which wasn’t surprising as Katara’s own observations of Azula weren’t very favorable. There were also a couple of times during the ceremony and the dinner when she’d glanced at him to find him already looking at her.

All of her bravado left her at the thought of sleeping completely alone in this giant, unfamiliar palace, and she shook her head.

Zuko’s eyes widened in surprise, but he accepted her decision and climbed into bed, leaving her plenty of space.

She made her way to the bed as well, still a bit suspicious he might suddenly turn on her, but he didn’t move. He just watched her. She felt herself flush and climbed under the covers, laying facing away from him so he couldn’t see her face.

“Good night, Katara,” he said softly before firebending the lights away.

“Good night, Zuko,” she said.

A couple of hours later, Katara found herself still unable to sleep. She’d been listening to Zuko’s breathing but couldn’t quite tell if he’d fallen unconscious or was also still awake. When she rolled over to face him, her question was answered by finding him staring at the ceiling.

“Do you ever wonder what we might be doing if other people in our lives made different choices?” he asked.

“Sometimes,” she said. “I bet neither of us would be here.”

He turned to look at her and when gold eyes met blue something shuddered through Katara’s being.

“I don’t know about that,” he said softly.

#zutara #zutara month #zutara month 2022 #zutara month april 2022 #zkmonth #zkmonth22 #zutaramonth #zutaramonth2022 #fanfic #zutara fanfic

[chitsangenthusiast]

This is like, the third one I send you. Zukka + they're filming a movie about a marine biologist AU

anon pls know how much i cradled this ask to my heart this past week lol

This time, Zuko doesn't care about politeness or manners. He keeps his hands buried deep inside his warm coat pockets and firmly ignores the impish cheer in the man's wave as he approaches.

"Hello," he says, just short of a snarl. "Again."

"Howdy," he man responds lightly, eyes flicking down to Zuko's pockets before back up to take in the crew and film equipment also milling about. "Wow, I really didn't expect you to still be here. Don't you guys at least have a hotel or something downtown you could've killed time at?"

Irritation flares in Zuko's chest. "You were the one who said could bring him over. This is ridiculous, we're running out of daylight at this point—where is he?"

He gets a hearty chuckle in response, and Zuko briefly contemplates punching him.

"Bring who over?" the guy asks as he weaves his way through the now-grumbling crew, and Zuko decides the charges may actually be worth it.

"Bring—" At this point, he's just waiting for him to get within arm's length. But the man must read the idea on his face because he manages to easily circumvent Zuko to instead head up to the house behind them. "You—what the hell was the point of messing with us? Aang said you'd be helpful!"

The guy stops in getting his keys out. After a moment, he turns to look back over his shoulder. "You talked to Aang?"

Zuko's head hurts from how hard he rolls his eyes. "Yes, he was the one who sent us your way!"

"Huh," is all the guy says in response, before he turns back to the house, unlocks the front door, and walks inside. Right before shutting it, he pops his head back out and levels Zuko with a long, amused look. "Well, you could always try knocking."

Then, with a wide grin, he closes the door on them.

Zuko stills, mouth falls open. Because there's no way. It can't be. Nothing in the pictures suggest—

He barely wastes a second before stalking up to the door and knocks hard against the wood.

It opens again, and then—there's Sokka, the man who gave Zuko the run-around for the past three hours, the same man who is the sole reason why Zuko is even here, just casually leaning against the door frame.

"You were expecting the beard weren't you?" Sokka laughs, rubbing at his chin. "Yeah, being in the Arctic without a razor for a few months always leaves me pretty hairy. Wasn't expecting the photo op as soon as I got out of the water, so I didn't have the chance to shave beforehand."

That had admittedly been what Zuko was expecting—but he's just as equally blindsided by how...attractive Sokka is, in a sweater the color of the abyssal plain and crinkling eyes as blue as the bioluminescence on the newly-discovered giant octopus-whale from his expedition.

It's a far-cry from how he looked in the now-famous pictures, buried in sodden winter layers and on the brink of death.

"So are you here to ask about the 'amazing discovery of the biggest creature ever yet found' thing?" Sokka asks, smirking just for a second before his mouth tightens. "Or about what happened along the way?"

If Zuko was smart, he would've went with the arguably better answer; pick the thing that would guarantee him critical acclaim, rocket him from being some nobody producer to being one of the greats.

"Octopus-whale." he says instead, because his inexhaustible curiosity has never been good at following that kind of drama for his documentaries.

Sokka's brows shoot up in open approval, and the small smile he gives as he steps aside to let Zuko in is enough to let him know he unexpectedly made the right choice—as well as send his heart fluttering, just a little.

"You should probably congratulate yourself on being the only person who's going to get this story, you know," Sokka murmurs.

Zuko reels, then scoffs. "I'll wait to do that until I've finally learned how to pronounce that...imaginative scientific name you gave the creature."

And—oh, the pictures definitely did not prepare him for how nice Sokka's laugh sounds either.

#a formal rip to everyone who sent prompts hoping i'd actually follow the script and instead got me meandering off in some diff direction #lmfao my bad #i almost went w my rival marine biologists au for this one so at least i didn't go /completely/ off track here lmao #(also i hope you enjoy this enough! i'm not feeling well so i'm sorry if this reads awkward at all) #zukka #zuko #sokka #my writing #ask

[zuko-always-lies]

Unpopular Opinion: Zuko’s treatment of Mai is deeply toxic.

Mai is a character who is often maligned in the fandom, with it even occasionally being claimed that she was “abusive” toward Zuko. Any objective analysis of Mai’s behavior in her relationship with Zuko will instead find that she was, in fact, a shockingly good romantic partner, generally treating Zuko very well and being loyal to him far beyond reasonable expectation.  Claims that Mai behaved toxically toward Zuko seem to be instead founded in misogynistic expectations that women be perfect caretakers for the men in their lives.

That is not to say that the Zuko-Mai relationship isn’t still deeply toxic. However, its toxicity stems from the manner which Zuko badly mistreats Mai, often in ways which devalue her. Much more under the cut.

Our story begins in the first half of Book 3.  The vast majority of episodes there don’t show anything particularly toxic going on in the relationship. The most you can say is that they suggest that Zuko tends to dump his problems on others and doesn’t have best understanding of his girlfriend.

However, inevitably we must turn to “The Beach,” the episode which, by far, gets the most into the Zuko-Mai relationship. To say that Zuko doesn’t behave well toward Mai in this episode would be an understatement. I don’t speak here of Zuko’s unsuccessful attempts to please Mai early in the episode, but instead how badly he starts treating her beginning at the party:

Ruon Jian: Hey, first ones here, huh? Zuko: (cut to shot of Zuko and Mai walking side by side) Pft. He thinks he's so great. (to Mai) Well, what do you think of him? (they stop walking) Mai: I don't have any opinion about him. I hardly know him. Zuko: You like him, don't you? (Mai sighs and walks away, as Zuko looks angrily in the direction of Ruon Jian. The camera zooms in on Ruon Jian)

And

(Cut to shot of Ruon Jian leaning over Mai. Zuko rushes toward them angrily and pushes Ruon Jian away from her. Cut to shot of Ruon Jian straightening his hair.) Ruon Jian: Whoa. What are you doing? Zuko: (close-up shot of Zuko, angry) Stop talking to my girlfriend! Ruon Jian: (Ruon Jian approaches Zuko) Relax, it's just a party. (Zuko pushes Ruon Jian hard, sending him flying across the room, breaking a giant vase.) Mai: (Mai stands up and grabs Zuko's shoulder. He turns towards her.) Zuko, what is wrong with you?! Zuko: What's wrong with me?! Mai: (angrily) Your temper's out of control. You blow up over every little thing. You're so impatient and hot-headed and angry. Zuko: Well, at least I feel something...as opposed to you. You have no passion for anything. (raising his arms is the air) You're just a big "blah". Mai: (turning away from him) It's over, Zuko. We're done.

 And:

(Zuko follows her and the camera pans down to the handprint, left alone on the porch. Cut to wide view of the camera panning down Ember Island Beach. Zuko and Azula are walking side by side toward Mai and Ty Lee. Close shot of Zuko looking toward Mai and then looking away. Close shot of Mai looking angry and a bit sad.) Mai: Hey... (Interrupted) Zuko: (close shot of Zuko) Where's your new boyfriend? (Mai turns away angrily. Zuko comes and sits next to her) Are you cold? (he puts his arm around her, but she slaps it away)

Zuko is acting in a massively controlling fashion toward Mai, motivated by his violent and rage-filled jealously.  She literally can’t talk to a boy without Zuko flying into a jealous rage, trying to separate her from the person she’s talking to, and accusing her of emotional infidelity. In real life, this is considered a warning sign for an abusive relationship(although I don’t think Zuko has crossed the line into abusive yet).

“The Beach” also gives us this:

Mai: Oh, well, I'm sorry I can't be as high-strung and crazy as the rest of you. (Cut to over-head shot of the four teens. Zuko walks closer to the fire and Mai.) Zuko: I'm sorry, too. I wish you would be high-strung and crazy for once, (Close shot of Mai looking away and Zuko standing over her) instead of keeping all your feelings bottled up inside. She just called your aura dingy. Are you gonna take that?

Zuko tries to provoke Mai into having a fight with her best friend Ty Lee just so he can watch her express strong emotions.  Zuko very much wants to Mai to be and act like someone she’s not, which has its own issues.

Overall, Zuko treats Mai quite poorly in “The Beach.” The episode ends with this:

Mai: I know one thing I care about... (Cut to shot of Mai smiling at Zuko) I care about you. (Mai and Zuko kiss. Azula claps, causing them to separate and turn toward Azula. The camera pans left to include her.)

Mai forgives Zuko and accepts him back without him acknowledging his behavior was wrong, apologizing for it, or giving her any guarantee that he will treat her better in the future. That’s unfortunate, as Zuko soon ends up treating her far, far worse than he ever did in this episode.

Zuko’s disregard for Mai cumulates with the manner he commits treason on the Day of Black Sun. Let us start our understanding of what he did wrong from the beginning. Breaking up with Mai via a letter which didn’t give her a real explanation was a real asshole move, but it’s not at the core of what he did wrong.  For that, we need to turn to this conversation from “The Headband”:

Zuko: Can't you see we're busy? (He and Mai resume their "business".) Azula: (not to be put off) Oh, Mai... Ty Lee needs your help untangling her braid. Mai: (complaisantly) Sounds pretty serious. (She gets up and leaves. Walking past Azula, towards the camera, she shoots the princess a quick, poisonous glance behind her back.) Azula: So...I hear you've been to visit your Uncle Fatso in the prison tower. Zuko: (standing, incensed) That guard told you. Azula: (smugly) No, you did. Just now. Zuko: (sitting back down) Okay, you caught me. What is it that you want, Azula? Azula: (solicitiously) Actually, nothing. Believe it or not, I'm looking out for you. If people find out you've been to see Uncle, they'll think you're plotting with him. Just be careful, dum-dum.

Zuko has proven his loyalty to the Fire Nation beyond doubt, yet Azula is still very worried that him spending time with Iroh will get him accused of treason, because having a close association with traitors puts oneself under almost automatic suspicion of treason.

“Day of Black Sun, Part II”:

Zuko: First of all, in Ba Sing Se, it was Azula who took down the Avatar, not me. Fire Lord Ozai: Why would she lie to me about that? Zuko: Because the Avatar is not dead. He survived. Fire Lord Ozai: (alarmed) What?!

Zuko deliberately throws Azula under the bus, hurting her and reducing her status with Ozai as much possible while effectively accusing her of deliberately committing treason. He also deliberately pisses off Ozai as much as possible.

So where does this leave us? Mai is Zuko’s known girlfriend and extremely close associate. Automatically, the suspicion of knowing of Zuko’s treason ahead of time or being involved falls upon her. She’s in grave risk of being imprisoned, tortured, or executed, especially since Ozai seems not the type to be strictly concerned with ensuring those he punishes are guilty beyond reasonable doubt. The Fire Nation seems like a society which might have collective punishment(as historical East Asian societies, Nazi Germany, and the Stalinist Soviet Union did), and Mai might be under risk from that direction.  Finally, Ozai might hurt her simply as way of retaliating against Zuko.

Normally Azula would almost certainly be able to protect her friend, even under these trying circumstances, given Azula’s prestige and accomplishments.  However, Zuko has deliberately undermined Azula as much as possible and effectively accused her of committing treason herself, dramatically reducing the probability that she will be able to protect Mai.  In fact, Mai stands risk of being accused of being involved in Azula’s effort to “conceal the fact that the Avatar survived,” given Mai’s close association with Azula and her close involvement in the events where the Avatar “died.” She’s thus under danger from two different directions.

“But Zuko had to betray his father and become good through aiding Team Avatar.” Yes, it’s a good thing he did so. But Zuko had other options than the course he adopted. He could have avoided confronting Ozai at all and instead focused on rescuing Iroh(interesting AU idea right here).  He could have confronted Ozai but not thrown Azula under the bus, and that alone would have vastly reduced the risk to Mai(and also made Zuko out to be a better person, because deliberately throwing your younger sister under the bus and then abandoning her to the mercy of your abusive father is not a good look).  Zuko could have killed Ozai right then and there during the eclipse.  He even could have tried to lead Team Avatar to the bunker and tried to end the war right then and there.

“Zuko didn’t understand that he was placing Mai in danger.” Quite possible, but Zuko being so self-centered that he is unable of understanding that his actions can have negative effects on other people is a mark against him, not for him.

Now we turn to the Zuko’s behavior toward Mai in the rest of the third season.  Let us start with “The Boiling Rock, Part 1”:

Sokka: (emphatically) I think your Uncle would be proud of you. Leaving your home to come help us, that's hard. Zuko: It wasn't that hard. Sokka: (Cut to a side view of the basket) Really? You didn't leave behind anyone you cared about? Zuko: Well I did have a girlfriend. Mai. Sokka: (He goes closer to Zuko with a surprised look on his face) That gloomy girl who sighs a lot? Zuko: (Cut back to show Zuko grinning goofily) Yeah. (his face turns serious) Everyone in the Fire Nation thinks I'm a traitor. I couldn't drag her into it. Sokka: (Cut back to Sokka who leans back on the basket) My first girlfriend turned into the Moon. Zuko: (looks up) That's rough buddy

There are two things to unpack here. First, Zuko claims he “couldn’t drag her into it,” yet he already did, as I’ve illustrated above. Second, Zuko seems to expect that Mai would have followed him into treason if he asked her, that she would be willing to betray her nation, ideology, family, and friends just for the sake of her love for him. That’s an insane and pretty toxic expectation for Zuko to have for her relationship with him, especially since he wouldn’t do the same for her.

We also get more confirmation that Zuko doesn’t care at all about Ty Lee or Azula.

I don’t have a lot to say about the Zuko-Mai conversation during Boiling Rock, Part 2. The only things I would like to note are that Zuko is not very sorry for what he did, not very empathetic toward Mai’s pain, and doesn’t give Mai a real apology for his actions.

Of course, Mai proceeds to save Zuko’s life through committing treason in front of dozens of witnesses at Boiling Rock, something which places her own life in serous jeopardy. How does Zuko react to this?

Zuko: (Cut to a shocked Zuko) It's Mai. Azula: (Cut to a furious Azula) What is she doing?! (Cut to the backs of Azula and Ty Lee as Ty Lee shrugs and makes a "I don't know" noise. Cut to the gondola as it reaches the outer part of the crater. Cut to the inside of the entrance tower as the door opens and Suki rushes out followed by Sokka, Zuko, Hakoda and Chit Sang. Hakoda turns towards Chit Sang and points to the inside of the gondola. Chit Sang proceeds to throw the warden back in.) Hakoda: (Cut to the back of Hakoda's head looking at the warden lying on the floor) Sorry Warden, your record is officially broken. (Hakoda walks off screen while the warden continues to struggle on the floor. Cut to a front shot of the group as they run up a rocky incline.) Suki: Well, we made it out. Now what? Sokka: (Sokka stops and looks back at Zuko who pauses in his tracks, thinking) Zuko, what are you doing? Zuko: My sister was on that island. Sokka: Yeah and she's probably right behind us. So let's not stop. Zuko: What I mean is she must have come here somehow. (He runs to the edge of the rocks and looks down) There. (Cut to an area looking up at the edge of the cliff) That's our way out of here. (Camera pans down to reveal a Fire Nation zeppelin docked at the shore.

Zuko says Mai’s name once and then abandons her (to die?) with zero hesitation.  This is probably objectively the correct decision. It would probably be extremely difficult and dangerous if not outright impossible to save Mai.  The prison-break crew do have access to an airship, but it’s difficult to fly an airship over the lake’s thermals.

Yet that’s not my point. Zuko abandons Mai with zero hesitation, with zero anguish, with zero angst. He doesn’t even to seem consider the possibility that he should save her.  Something tells me if Iroh had just saved Zuko’s life under identical circumstances and then was in imminent risk of harm, Zuko would act very differently, that Sokka, Suki, and Hakoda would have to drag him off that island.

Zuko’s complete disregard for Mai continues for the rest the series. Remember this exchange from “The Cave of Two Lovers”?

Zuko: (losing his patience) We're not taking any more chances with these plants! We need to get help. Iroh: But where are we going to go? We're enemies of the Earth Kingdom, and fugitives from the Fire Nation. Zuko: (musingly) If the Earth Kingdom, discovers us, they'll have us killed. Iroh: But if the Fire Nation discovers us, we'll be turned over to Azula.

Zuko considers being captured by Azula a worse fate than death!

But do we see Zuko worry once about Mai’s fate? Do we see angst about what might have happened to her? Do we see him make any effort to even discover her fate, much less rescue her?

No. In fact, Zuko launches a sophisticated operation to infiltrate a Fire Nation information center so that he can gain intelligence in order to help Katara murder someone so that she’ll like him, but he doesn’t even consider doing the same to find out about Mai’s fate so that he could potentially rescue her. Zuko doesn’t even mention Mai once after Boiling Rock until the very end of the series finale, even though she sacrificed herself to save him. Remember this exchange(“Sozin’s Comet, Part 3”):

Zuko: Sorry, but you're not going to become Fire Lord today. (jumps off Appa) I am. Azula: (laughs) You're hilarious. Katara: (standing beside Zuko) And you're going down. (The fire sage motions to crown Azula, but she raises her hand, signalling him to stop.) Azula: Wait. You want to be Fire Lord Fine. Let's settle this. Just you and me, brother. The showdown that was always meant to be. Agni Kai! Zuko: You're on. (Katara turns to Zuko, surprised. Cut to a close up of Azula's lips as the curls into a smile. Cut back to Katara and Zuko.) Katara: What are you doing? She's playing you. She knows she can't take us both so she is trying to separate us. Zuko: I know. But I can take her this time. Katara: But even you admitted to your Uncle that you would need help facing Azula. Zuko: There's something off about her, I can't explain it but she's slipping. And this way, no one else has to get hurt. (Fade to a shot of the courtyard from the side. The camera pans from Zuko kneeling on the right end to Azula kneeling on the left end. Cut to a shot of Zuko rising and turning around, then cut to a shot of Azula rising. Each can be seen behind the other. Cut to a shot of Azula from the front turning and removing the Fire Lord robes.) Azula: I'm sorry it has to end this way, brother. Zuko: (in his stance) No, you're not.

Notice something? Zuko doesn’t demand to know what happened to Mai! It’s almost like he forgot she existed!

Now we turn to the final infamous exchange(“Sozin’s Comet, Part 4”):

Mai:(off screen) You need some help with that? (He looks up surprised and moves aside to reveal Mai leaning against the doorway. Cut to a close up of Mai as she walks towards Zuko.) Zuko: (Cut to a delighted Zuko) Mai! (Walks off screen) You're ok. (Cut to an area behind Mai's back as Zuko opens his arms out in a hug) They let you out of prison? (Mai walks behind Zuko and lifts up his empty robe sleeve.) Mai: My uncle (Zuko puts his arms through the sleeve) pulled some strings, (she proceeds to fasten his robe) and it doesn't hurt when the new Fire Lord is your boyfriend. (She walks in front of Zuko and places a hand on his chest) Zuko: So does this mean you don't hate me anymore? Mai: (she blushes) I think it means... (Cut to a close up of the couple) I actually (places a hand on Zuko's cheek) kind of like you. (They lean in for a kiss and part a fewseconds later, looking into each other's eyes happily) But don't ever (She jabs a finger into Zuko's shoulder and Zuko's eye traces the movement of her finger) break up (She lifts her finger into the air and Zuko's eyes still follows it) with me again. (She jabs her finger into Zuko's shoulder one last time and Zuko smiles goofily. They embrace and the camera zooms out slowly.

Zuko seems surprised to learn that Mai is OK, almost like he made no effort to find out her fate once he took charge of the Fire Nation. And indeed, his first acts as leader of the Fire Nation were not to find out what happened to her or, if he actually knew, to get her released from prison.  Mai only got released from prison when her uncle and his connections got sufficiently confident that Zuko had been completely accepted as the new leader to release a massive traitor completely on their own initiative.  This was quite possibly weeks after Azula-Zuko Agni Kai, yet he made no apparent effort to get her released. It’s almost like Zuko completely forgot about Mai, even though she sacrificed herself to save him.

And, of course, Zuko doesn’t accept responsibility for any of the awful ways he treated Mai, much less apologize to her or offer any guarantee he will behave better in the future. Mai still forgives him anyways, just like she did in “The Beach,” only for Zuko to continue to screw her over. There is something deeply depressing here, as there’s every reason to believe that Zuko will screw over Mai over, devalue her, and disregard her well-being, desires, and interests again the moment it’s convenient for him to do so. He certainly has not recognized that his toxic behavior here is something he needs to stop doing. Ironically, the comics get this right by having Zuko try to use his power as Firelord to order Mai to stay his girlfriend.

Ultimately, Zuko loves Mai and cares about her deeply, yet he still treats her as a tool and acts like she exists to serve him. It reminds me how show! canon Ozai genuinely loved show! canon Ursa, but still used her as a tool and threw her away.  Honestly, I doubt 16-year-old Zuko is really ready for any romantic relationship at all, given his often toxic behavior, his trauma, and the incredibly stressful position he’s placed in at the end of the series.

#Azula #Zuko #Mai #Ty Lee #Dangerous Ladies #Ozai #Zuko meta #ATLA meta #meta #Unpopular opinion