#every bit as much and every bit as painfully as Azula and Iroh do

[seyaryminamoto]

From what I remember in your story, even taking Iroh's initial biases into account I thought part of his intense hostility leading up to his report to Ozai was that he was truly convinced that Azula's true nature was either no better or even significantly worse than Ozai's due to the Iroh's suspicions arc. Azula herself told Sokka she was worried that by throwing him of the trail of their relationship that she may have brought the worst out of him. Honestly this was probably my favorite exploration of their conflict, because if they were truly able to trust each other and talk they could have avoided so much pain and trouble, but both of them over the course of the story had developed genuine and/or biased reasons not to trust one another and viewed themselves as doing the right thing despite their actions ultimately resulting in the worst outcome. Azula was trying to prevent a known adversary from having ammunition to ruin their lives and future plans, and Iroh believed that he was essentially hindering the fire nation by turning what he thought were essentially two Evil Ozais with a good relationship with one another into enemies. I can't lie that I'm not slightly disappointed that in the latest chapter that this aspect of their conflict wasn't brought up more explicitly in the conversation with Zuko when Iroh was talking about his biases. Was I personally thinking that the dynamic was more significant than it actually was or is that dynamic being saved for a future conversation Iroh may have with Sokka and Azula?

Uuuuuh, as for the last question... I don't really know if I'll bring it up some more since I do think I've had Iroh acknowledge why and how he fucked up in that respect in the past + exteriorized that if Azula had acted differently he might just have done it too? Am I crazy for thinking so? Did I write that or didn't I? That's a complicated game to play when you're almost at 5 million words of a story... 🤣

Azula and Iroh miiiight have one more conversation in the future and maybe this will come up there, but I haven't written it yet so I won't make any promises on that front. Admittedly, I don't expect their future encounter to be particularly fruitful. Iroh is 100% genuine in what he has understood and learned, though, that can't be denied and I always have hoped to portray him not as a super wicked villain but as a character who thinks he understands far more than he actually does, with motivations that push him into making mistakes he very much comes to regret.

This being said, the Azula-Iroh and Zuko-Ozai parallels in this story are and always have been 100% intentional. Those two tugs-of-war have been going on forever, and the crux of them was very much the fact that Azula and Iroh distrusted and second-guessed and suspected each other soooo much... because they have similar natures, similar thought processes, and they're both intellectual, suspicious, hiding what's REALLY going on underneath the surface, and immediately wary when they recognize all those traits in each other too. Likewise, Zuko and Ozai have some REALLY ugly parallels and one of those parallels, already given away by the chapter you sent this ask over, is going to be the driving force of the conflict between those two, much as a similar thing was the driving force between Iroh and Azula, in its own way: the more they fight to push the other away, the harder they reject the other, the more they end up embodying the flaws they see in that other person, to an extent where they could do absolutely TERRIBLE things just out of wanting to push the other one as far away as possible.

So yeah, the point was never for Iroh to feel like some sadistic mustache-twirling villain who wanted Azula to suffer just for shits and giggles. He had his reasons to do what he did. Doesn't mean he was right. Doesn't mean he should've done it. What it means is it made sense in his head due to his biases, the information he had at hand at the moment, and the particularly awful relationship he had with Azula. Likewise, Azula's rejection of Iroh back in "Iroh's suspicions" caused her uncertainty and anguish because she KNEW she had taken it too far. She was afraid of the consequences. A part of her KNEW that if she acted differently, there was a chance, however slim, that Iroh might not have made the choice he did. And that's why this is such a messed up situation! :')

Ultimately, I want my characters to have motivations that just... add up. That can be traced. That, upon looking at their actions and choices, anyone can go "oh yeah, this is why they did whatever they did". This is good when it comes to establishing ultimate goals, and it's also good when you want to put characters to the test: how far are they willing to go, what are they ready to do to achieve whatever they're trying to achieve? How much are they willing to sacrifice for it? And the answers to those questions can be VERY extreme and painful. Just so, we can find characters who decide to back down and simply surrender over their goals when they realize that there are other things that matter more. But it's a manner of game a writer plays when it comes to gauging and figuring out what a character wants vs. needs, what a character will fight for and what it will take for them to surrender, and so on. Fundamentally, that's how I built up Iroh and Azula's chaotic dynamic. Whatever comes from that in the future, ultimately, their biggest problem may just be that they were just too smart for their own good, tried to outsmart each other a little too much, and never allowed themselves to just... accept each other properly. They came close to it once, yes! But... they failed. And it's depressing as hell, but complicated characters will always be challenging this way...

#anon #gladiator #those two parallels will never stop making my brain go brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr #the Zuko-Ozai one though #is just so damn good #I can't wait to get there #because my god you guys #the KEY to breaking the FN royal family cycle of toxicity #is actually in that specific parallel and how I'll deal with it #I never thought it would be until I realized that's where it was #one thing #just the one thing #is going to be a key to giving Zuko a chance to break free from the exact spiral he's falling into #and of course Zuko is a better person than Ozai and of course he hasn't been anywhere near as powerhungry as his father #... but that doesn't change the very dark truths that Ozai and Zuko very much mirror each other #every bit as much and every bit as painfully as Azula and Iroh do #there's not as much of a salvation aspect for those two unfortunately #at least I haven't unraveled it yet #there may be one regard in which they could maybe grow some mutual respect but #I can't see that going too far #so unfortunately zero promises of reconciliations here #Ursa is one thing Iroh is a whole other rodeo #even though Ursa has also done some very fucked up things but... #... fucked up things Azula actually can accept a lot more than the fucked up ones Iroh did so... #it is what it is

[fictionissocialinquiry]

FISI’s Favourite Zutara Fics

A lil late for ZFAW’s Saturday prompt, sorry about that! Haven’t had any internet over the weekend. But better late than never!

I’m not gonna lie… a lot of these are angsty af. But I promise you they’re not gratuitous angst! They’re well written, beautiful stories that will make you feel like a better person for having read them. These are my favourite all time fics, ones I’ve read more than once and will continue to read (even though I’m taking a week break from fandom and fic).

 Multi-Chaptered Fics

The Sparrowkeet Series by audreyii_fic

To be honest, this story’s summary doesn’t do it justice so I ain’t including it. Originally a one shot, Sparrowkeet is headcanon for me now. Move over canon, this is where it’s at. Audreyii_fic’s characterisation, world building, and writing is exquisite. It’s incredible. She manages to channel the same fun and whimsical energy from the show while allowing the characters to grow and develop to places I wish they had actually been taken.

This one is a fandom Must Read and one I return to regularly.

 Clothe Me in Seasons, Dress Me in Snow by sadladybug

It is not the memorial she deserves, nor the one she would want. But it can't be helped. He owns no property in the other nations, and he needed to keep her close. Closer than she was in life, anyway.

Zuko's reflections on a life lived and a life that could have been.

This is one of the best written fics I’ve ever read. It’s tragic and deep and will hurt you in all the tender places but you would be doing yourself a favour if you read this. There’s a real bittersweet feeling to it and the love between them is just… urg, visceral.

 Lovable by LadyCharity

Zuko knew that he could not save Azula. He could only try to forgive her. Fittingly enough, those two were one in the same.

I love stories that make Zutara their centerpiece but every now but then a story like this comes along. A story where their relationship builds almost incidentally because the plot and character development straight up hijack your emotions. I got so invested in this story. Zuko is amazingly well characterised and his complicated thoughts and feelings around his father and Azula are incredibly well written!

 One Shots

Lunar Ephemerality by @formerlygoldilocks (goldilocks23)

After multiple failed attempts on his life and years of self-set expectations, Fire Lord Zuko is a shell of the man he used to be. But Katara won't turn her back on those who need her.

I really didn’t expect this to hit as hard as it did. This straight up snuck up on me, fly-kicked my feelings, and by the end I had written an 800 word comment that was too big for AO3 and I had to contact the author directly to send it to her. Awkward. I couldn’t help myself. The side to Katara we see here is so good, her empathy and love for her friends are one of the things I love seeing most in AtLA fanfic. I’m a sucker for Zuko having complete breakdowns and having to piece himself back together too. So sue me. I like it when they suffer a lil bit. The writing is absurdly good and I will be keeping an eye out for any new stories by goldilocks23!

 31 Minutes by @ifyouwereamelodymeg

It's quite astounding, really, how quickly she's learned to translate him. They've spent a grand total of zero time together outside of training, and he's hardly big on chat so she knows next to nothing about his life.

But she knows him, probably better than she knows anyone at the moment – with every tap of his fingers, every crook of his lips, every turn in his voice, he just...

He makes sense to her. It's weird.

I’m a sucker for fic writers playing with style to make the story pop and boyo does this fic deliver. This is one of the rare times that I’ve been dumbstruck at the end of a story— I just couldn’t accept the ending. Because I’m a sucker for pain, (and this story will bring The Pain) I loved it. The ease of Zuko and Katara’s growing relationship in this bowls you over, it’s absolutely beautiful and you find yourself nodding along emphatically when Zuko calls himself an idiot for waiting… “Life’s short, kids, live each moment as though it could be your last,” says this fic as it pulls my heart out and dropkicks it off a cliff.

 i count to five (and life passes by) by @markedmage

Five heartbeats.

I still haven’t forgiven Mage for this one. I think it’s the best thing she’s written to date! I mean, tragic and painful and heart-rending but holy shit is it powerful <3

 The Lake of the Dismal Swamp by @thewhiitelotus

Spook af. Spook (horror) is real hard to do well but thewhiitelotus is coming for your goosebumps and those shivers down your spine. She has a way of balancing beautiful, evocative imagery with action (in this and other stories of her) that just keeps you reading!

 Calloused by @rideboldlyride

Iroh hadn’t been able to watch. The pure horror of a man - a father- burning their child for a slight infraction... He couldn’t do anything to stop it, but he will stop his brother from destroying entirely the kind boy he knew Zuko could be.

This is a painfully underappreciated fic for how great the characterisation is. I know we in the zutara fandom tend to not read stories that aren’t Zuko/Katara centric as often but do yourself the favour of reading this (or listening to it: RideBoldlyRide has done us the gift of recording a podfic for this and it’s stupidly *good*). This story is Iroh confronting Ozai just after he burns Zuko’s face and it kicks.

 four days and three nights by @hinaoyamas (lettersfromnowhere)

Zuko discovers firsthand that nothing is more fleeting than happiness, or more enduring than memory.

Do you like reading stories with a distant, omniscient narrator? The kind that read like a myth from the ancient world? Welp, hit the hyperlink, friend, cause this one’s for you. Not only is the writing exquisite but the characterisation and painful inevitability of the plot is grade A.

 For the Fire Nation by tullyblue12

He falls in love with her for his country before he falls in love with her for himself. A Zuko/Katara AU that explores how love and duty aren’t always mutually exclusive.

There are about 40,000 exquisite lines in this story but here is just one of my favourites: “He falls in love with her for his country first. That’s what his people never understand.” This fic says a lot with so few words, which is something I really look up to! In 2,800 words, tullyblue12 does what some 100,000k fics cant: They make you feel.

 Guide Me Home by Rashaka

To sleep, perchance to dream. Katara and Zuko find a friendship they never expected in a place that seemed impossible.

This is a one shot I will forever wish for a continuation of. The setup is just… so juicy. There’s a real sorrowful innocence to this story that the unique short, dialogue only scenes really punch home. I know some people don’t like dialogue only fics but when done well like in this one, it leaves you with the impression of something deeper than a 1,185 word fic has any right to! 

 Other Favourites!

Hopeless by tullyblue12 — Kids grow up fast when a cruel world awaits them. In times of hopelessness, Katara and Zuko grow together. In times of separation, they hope to see each other again.

Speechless by goldilocks23 — Zuko has a medical condition. Or: Zuko speaks in haiku at inappropriate times.

Don’t Follow Me Down by eleventy7 — Katara is the dread queen of the underworld, ruler of the dead, destined to reign her cold kingdom alone. Until a sun god catches her eye. A Hades/Persephone retelling with incredible writing.

I Don't Speak Meow Language by @botherkupo (Boogum) — In which Zuko adopts a cat and Katara just wonders what spirits she pissed off to deserve this fate.

I have the privilege of being friends with some of these authors (they know who they are) and am in near daily awe and gratitude for the works of free fiction they provide us, the fandom. And not just any old stories: Guys... Really good ones!! Can I ask that if you go check out these fics, can you just drop a kudos or a comment their way? If you’re feeling shy just copy and paste this into the comments box anonymously: “WOW! Loved this! Thank you so much for writing it!”

I know it would mean the world to this talented bunch <3

#ZFAW #Fic Rec #favourite zutara fanfics of all time #zutara #atla

[softluci]

atla hcs

i’ve been thinking about this for a minute, and i wanna do a set of headcanons for how i think the brothers (and eventually the undateables) would feel about certain avatar: the last airbender characters, or something along those lines. i actually just wanted to talk about lucifer and azula, so everything else here is a bonus. this doesn’t matter, but for what it’s worth: wherever the mc pops up, they will be gn, enjoy!

also: this kinda goes without saying, but there are most definitely spoilers in here. for which seasons? i don’t remember, i watched this show when i was nine, but proceed with caution if you have yet to watch it.

lucifer

if it’s one thing you are not gonna play with him about, it is princess azula. this man is an azula supremacist, and while he might not say those words exactly, anyone would be able to tell that’s the case if they talked to him about the show for longer than two minutes. he actually wasn’t even interested in the show until azula showed up, and he will readily admit this to anyone who inquires about it. what makes it funny is the fact that her first appearance is literally, like, ten seconds, so that means he saw her and immediately knew she was the best, which, like—real recognize real. is he projecting? am i projecting? yes, no. in that order. shut up.

he actually almost couldn’t hide how proud he was when azula almost killed aang, this man is deranged. the same way he takes her wins personally, he takes every loss of hers personally as well, so when she lost that agni kai? 🚶‍♂️ 

the average azula enjoyer believes azula should get a redemption arc, lucifer believes azula should simply get whatever she wants, and the difference between those two things is striking.

average azula enjoyer: i believe azula deserves to heal and redeem herself. it isn’t fair that she was left with her tyrannical, abusive father during formative years of her childhood, with no one to help her or show her what it means to be good. she cannot be blamed for the way she turned out. it especially isn’t fair that she gets no redemption for evil things she did at age fourteen, for a year, while the entire show is iroh’s redemption arc, and he was doing evil for decades—he is literally called “the dragon of the west” because of it. additionally—

lucifer morningstar, resident azula supremacist: everything azula did, she was right to do, because i would’ve done the same. there was never a point at which she was wrong, it’s just unfortunate that nobody could keep up with her, her father included. the only reason why she ended up losing, ultimately, is because this is a children’s show, and good is supposed to win out. it was plot armor. if this were realistic, she would’ve beaten everyone—at the very least, she would’ve beaten zuko in the final agni kai, it’s just that he broke the rules and brought backup. at the time of the agni kai, she was literally the strongest firebender in the show. that’s actually the only part of this lucifer is right about, but you can’t tell him that.

if you ask him what his favorite quote in the show is, he’ll immediately say, “i can see your whole history in your eyes. you were born with nothing, so you’ve had to struggle, and connive, and claw your way to power. but true power? the divine right to rule? is something you’re born with.” and he will do it so well that it’ll give you the chills. 

in actuality, his favorite quote is, “i’d really rather our family physician look after little zuzu, if you don’t mind.” it’s just that it doesn’t have the same chilling effect as the first one. 

does he like any other characters? does he even care about any other characters? he has a deep fondness for sokka because he reminds him of mammon.  yes, and they are katara and suki, with honorable mention to avatar kyoshi. 

does he hate any characters? no, but if you mention avatar kuruk or uncle iroh to him, he might get annoyed. is mildly frustrated by aang, but has the sense to cut him some slack for being twelve and the last of his kind. never speak of ozai.

mammon 

toph supremacist. frequent user of the phrase, “toph is just fucking class.” knows for a fact that toph is the best and strongest bender in the entire show, and no one has ever managed to convince him otherwise. mainly because nobody really disagrees. like, have you ever even seen toph slander?

just like lucifer with azula, he wasn’t invested in the show until toph showed up, which, once again, is funny, because technically her very first appearance is only a few seconds long, so that means he saw her for a literal second and just knew. you can’t even be mad at that, real recognize real. 

no one will ever see him more proud than when he’s talking about one toph beifong. he can’t get over her raw, unbridled talent, and he really never should. if you let him (so, if you’re levi), he will spend so much time analyzing her character and every single one of her strengths, from the fact that she’s the only one who knows when azula is lying, all the way down to the fact that even though she projects a tough persona, she can still be vulnerable, AND—

not only is she strong, but her personality is simply untouchable. this girl grows on literally everyone; like, even lucifer likes her, even though he’ll die before saying it out loud. 

he gets so smug whenever someone asks him who his favorite is and it’s because he knows his taste is top tier, and what makes it worse is that no one can even disagree because toph is just that good. 

will never admit it, but he was shaking and crying during the scene where it looked like toph and sokka were literally gonna die. was also gonna cry when toph almost drowned. basically: he is eternally grateful to suki. 

his favorite line in the entire show is, “i am the greatest earthbender in the world! don’t you two dunderheads ever forget it.” it’s just fucking class.

does he like any other characters? he sees himself in sokka, he’ll tell you that much. he also knows that satan and lucifer like sokka because of him, and he found out because he heard them talking about it. to their joint dismay, they turned to see him standing behind them, grinning like an idiot, and they couldn’t even scare him into leaving them alone when he hugged both of them at the same time because, one, they didn’t really want to, and two, they couldn’t turn off their fondness for him fast enough ^_^. did they reciprocate his hug? did they stay like that for a little bit? did lucifer kiss the tops of their heads? maybe so🤨

does he hate any characters? not really, but he doesn’t particularly like azula because she scares him and makes him sad, like lucifer and doesn’t see her appeal. once tried to make a case for why she shouldn’t have a redemption arc and felt painfully human from the way he almost died. do not mention toph’s parents to him. the name ozai should also never be on your tongue.

levi 

resident sokka enjoyer and suki appreciator. do not ever call sokka dumb in front of this man unless you want a proper lecture. unlike a few of his brothers, he doesn’t like sokka just because of his similarities to mammon. he also likes sokka because he relates to him on a personal level. 

levi absolutely knows what it’s like to feel inadequate and outshined by people younger than you. he absolutely knows what it’s like to feel like your competence is overlooked. while he might be unfamiliar with how it feels to strategize for a war and lose a battle, but it is one of his biggest fears and it absolutely crushed him to see sokka go through that. 

on a lighter note, levi has a deep appreciation for sokka’s comedic value, despite the fact that it can overshadow his intelligence. levi would actually venture to say that he likes sokka’s funnier side because it overshadows his intelligence to the point that it throws the opposition for a loop. this is the aspect of sokka that reminds him of mammon. 

it also seriously warmed his heart to see how everyone missed sokka while he was away for sword training; he especially liked that episode because it was just an affirmation of the fact that sokka is an integral part of team avatar, which he really needed to see. 

you know who else is an integral part of team avatar who needs to be recognized as such more often? suki. do you know how much pain levi is in every time he thinks about the lack of suki screentime . it’s a lot . suki is just too good for the amount of screentime she has, he’s sorry, but it’s true. this is evidenced by the scene of her literally running across prisoners’ heads to apprehend the warden of boiling rock. that scene speaks for itself—she and the other kyoshi warriors end up as zuko’s body guards for a reason. 

he will never let anyone forget that if it weren’t for suki, sokka would still be a misogynist. she was an essential element to sokka’s growth as a character and everyone had better remember it or so help him. also , he is a firm believer in the fact that suki was the best love interest for sokka, with zuko as a close second. don’t ask questions. rip yue but argue with the wall.

his favorite line in the series? 

“zuko’s gone crazy! i made a sand sculpture of suki, and he destroyed it! oh, and he’s attacking aang.” 

it’s not profound or cool or anything like that, but it makes him smile and giggle every time he thinks of it ^_^. 

does he like any other characters? he has a lot of love for toph and azula for the sole fact that the series improved exponentially after both of their introductions; he thinks both of them are in leagues of their own and seeing them in action just puts a smile on his face. he’s also inexplicably fond of king bumi. 

does he hate any characters? not particularly, actually! he pretty much respects and appreciates everyone, except the guy who mutilated his thirteen year old son for speaking out of turn.

satan 

just pick a girl. any girl. and from the way he talks about them, you’ll think they’re his favorite. he can and will go on about the girls of atla for the rest of eternity.

but since we’re being specific:

katara appreciator. azula enjoyer. basically, between him and lucifer, no tongue raised against azula shall prosper. he has a deep respect for each of their wraths. he also really must have a thing for angst because both of these characters just break his heart. 

if you let him (in other words, if you’re levi), he will go on about how it’s not fair that people call katara annoying when, in reality, she just hasn’t healed from the trauma of seeing her mother’s corpse at age eight, followed by having to take care of her village, meaning she got literally no time to grieve properly, and—

call katara annoying in front of him and you might actually have to meet god for your shallow views of such a deep, complex character. 

he will also go on and on about how katara would be the best bender in the show, if it weren’t for toph, who is untouchable. instead, he’ll talk about how katara almost killed pakku for being misogynistic and how she single handedly beat azula during sozin’s comet. you will frequently hear this man say, “katara aang’s master for a reason,” and he’s right. 

similar to if you call katara annoying, if you call azula scary in front of satan, he’s bullying you. he’s sorry, but it has to happen. no way you’re scared of a traumatized fourteen year old, what are you, eight? or do you have no understanding of azula’s depth? both are unacceptable. 

satan is the average azula enjoyer, times about seven. you simply won’t get away with speaking poorly of azula in front of this man, so if you’re like mammon and don’t like her, you better tread very carefully. 

one time mammon tried to be like, “azula is too far gone to deserve redemption anyways,” and satan literally reverted to his demon form as he said: “if i were abandoned with my terrible father as a child, with literally no one to help me, and then my friends betrayed me, and then, as i was about to be crowned ruler of my country, my dumb fucking idiot brother showed up with his dumb peasant friend for backup, which isn’t even allowed, i might be mad forever too, actually—” and then he threw the nearest chair at mammon for his criminally bad take.

another reason why satan loves azula so much is because he’s convinced she’s a lesbian and satan is the most “let’s go lesbians!!!” person you will ever meet. you actually can’t convince him that she isn’t a lesbian. forget chan. nobody gives a fuck about chan.

what’s his favorite line in the entire series? 

“trust me, zuko—it’s not going to be much of a match.” 

like, come on. katara is just too good. 

does he like any other characters (other than the girls of atla)? he’ll never admit it, but he has a lot of respect for sokka and a soft spot for him because he reminds him of mammon. he also has a lot of respect for aang because he reminds him of beel of how well he handled literally everything despite being twelve. 

does he hate any—yes. never speak of avatar roku. or iroh. or ozai. for good measure, don’t mention general zhao either. 

asmo 

what lucifer is to azula, asmo is to ty lee. like do i even have to say anything else. but for what it’s worth, he also love, love, loves azula because she reminds him of lucifer, from her strength and class, all the way down to her descent into madness. and even though she breaks his heart just as much as she does satan’s. he may or may not have cried over azula in satan’s room while they were talking about her. unlike lucifer and satan, he can respect it if you don’t like her, but it’ll make him so sad. 

but enough about azula. ty lee is where it’s at for him. her subtle strength and unwavering love is something to die for, and he will defend it against anyone, up to and including lucifer, and he’ll win too. asmo is not to be trifled with and neither is ty lee; he can make a strong argument as to why ty lee is the strongest character in the show, and you will have a very hard time trying to refute his points. (the main point being: it’ll be really hard to win a fight against someone who can paralyze you in a few seconds, bender or not.)

the fact that ty lee ran away from home because she was tired of the fact that nobody ever saw her as her own person is just something that tugs at asmo’s heartstrings. he thinks ty lee’s bravery is just something that can be so personal. 

also—he has a massive appreciation for the fact that, even though there’s a war going on and ty lee is in near-constant danger, she still has the sense to maintain her appearance and worry about the skincare of not just herself, but also people she’s close to. that is a detail he will never let anyone forget. 

never mentions it in front of lucifer but one of his favorite scenes is when she paralyzes azula to save mai. once again: ty lee’s bravery is just something that can be so personal. 

he doesn’t have a favorite line in the series, but his favorite exchange of dialogue is between ty lee and azula, wherein ty lee is trying to teach azula how to flirt. he thinks it’s the cutest thing in the world.

does he like any other characters? of course! he likes everyone ^_^ . you’d actually be hard pressed to find someone he hates. ozai. it’s ozai. he has a real soft spot for mai because she reminds him of belphie. something about their shared aversion to affection is just so cute to him!

beel

aang supremacist, will hold steadfast to the fact that aang is the best character in the show and you will struggle to figure out how to convince him otherwise. 

if you ask him why aang is his favorite, the first thing he will do is gesture to a picture of him and say, “look at the material,” like it’s the most obvious thing in the world, before diving into a ten minute in depth character analysis for this boy. 

come on. he shouldn’t even have to explain himself. not only is aang one of the strongest, most competent avatars to exist, ever, he also mastered all four elements in a year, when he was twelve—he’s literally a different breed. and he managed to beat ozai in his own way, without killing him, as a means of staying true to a culture that could have literally died with him at any point in the show. aang is just fucking class.

he also admires aang for his near unwavering kindness and lighthearted nature. and for never going berserk and killing everyone he sees, especially after finding out his people were killed while he was in ice.

you have no idea how much pain beel was in when he found out that the air nomads were just gone. seeing a child find out that not only their family is gone, but also the entirety of their people and culture, just absolutely broke his heart. and that guilt aang was feeling? hit way too close to home for him. 

he also thinks it’s really nice that aang was so quick to forgive zuko after everything, and the two of them ended up being really good friends. it just puts a smile on his face. 

after some reflection with levi, he would’ve liked to see the full scope of an airbender’s power in the series; as in, he would’ve liked to see someone suffocated, but it’s okay, because aang wasn’t like that.  and he heard it happens in the next series over.

anyway, beel’s favorite quote in the show...well, it isn’t really a quote, as much as it’s a dialogue between two characters. it’s the scene where toph asks, “do you really think friendships can last more than one lifetime?” and aang says, “i don’t see why not.” it could bring a tears to his eyes just thinking about it; and in the next series over when it’s proven to be true, he absolutely cried. 

does he like any other characters? he’s actually really fond of zuko and mai because they both remind him of belphie. he also likes sokka for the same reason lucifer and satan like sokka. he has a deep appreciation for katara because aang would literally be dead without if it weren’t for her.

does he hate any characters? well, he doesn’t really like azula. he feels bad for her, but he doesn’t like her. but as for who he hates? take a wild guess. 

belphie 

zuko makes him sob is his number one. yes zuko is his favorite because of his redemption arc, yes he sees himself in zuko, no he will not explain any further than that, what’s your point🤨

in actuality, he will never be able to properly articulate how important it is for him to see that redemption is, indeed, attainable, if you put the work in. in a similar vein, he will also never be able to give words to how important it is for him to see that forgiveness is also attainable.  it means the world to him. that is why it makes him cry. the feeling is overwhelming. i’m gonna cry if i think about it for too long.

he will cling to the fact that zuko is the best character in the show, and he will cling to it even when zuko embarrasses him by saying stupid shit like, “no lightning today?” and even when zuko is so awkward it causes him physical pain. that’s his number one and he’s not changing on it!

firm zukka supporter. will not argue. that’s all.

what’s his favorite line in the entire series? it’s one of the two you’re thinking of. make that decision for yourself.

does he like any other characters? he positively adores aang and will readily admit that it’s because he reminds him of beel. bonus points for aang because he also loves the dynamic between him and zuko. toph is a distant third, mainly because he just really likes her attitude. he looks at her and thinks, now this is someone who would not hesitate to kick lucifer’s ass. 

does he hate any characters? you better believe it. he hates iroh because he reminds him of dia. he can’t really bring himself to like azula because she makes him a different kind of sad. and if you know what’s good for you, you will never mention ozai. 

#can you tell i am also an azula enjoyer #doesn't matter because i'm correct but still #worth mentioning i suppose #obey me #obey me! #obey me headcanons #obey me imagines #obey me lucifer #obey me mammon #obey me levi #obey me leviathan #obey me satan #obey me asmo #obey me beel #obey me beelzebub #obey me belphie #obey me belphegor

[comradekatara]

let’s talk about ty lee

there’s this one, very overlooked line from “the beach” that I just find fascinating. ty lee is trying to pacify zuko, at which he yells

to which ty lee sighs and responds quietly, wistfully

the reading of this line betrays a sadness on ty lee’s part that brings out an otherwise unforeseen maturity. 

anyone paying enough attention can tell that ty lee is smarter than she lets on. she and mai are both protecting themselves against azula’s manipulation in different ways. it’s a two-sided dance: azula brazenly manipulating mai and ty lee, and mai and ty lee subtly manipulating azula. azula knows that they fear her and are only there by coercion, and she openly uses this to her advantage. but she does not anticipate either of their betrayals, and this speaks volumes to how ty lee wears a mask of naiveté that [almost] never cracks. 

make it impossible for her to disagree with you by complimenting her. 

mention auras whenever you want the conversation to change tracks. 

feign innocence. 

make her jealous by flirting with boys. (that one’s just for fun.) 

this whole scene, and every scene, she is looking for levity wherever she may find it. she is the peacekeeper; she knows how fragile their group is, all the underlying tensions bubbling beneath, constantly on the verge of overflowing. she’ll make vapid remarks whenever she feels like anyone is about to lose control of their emotions and say too much and/or hurt someone. 

but here, ty lee’s tone does a 180. she lets her perky cheerleader persona fall, because she’s overwhelmed with sympathy for zuko. frankly, if she had slapped zuko across the face this episode, i would not have complained, because zuko in this episode is peak Little Bitch. but his insufferableness in this episode only further speaks to ty lee’s sadness at seeing him in this state.  

ty lee did not know him during his banishment. she saw him as a child, and she saw him after ba sing se fell, where he was basically just introduced as the latest player in azula’s posse. azula used the same coercion tactics on him to make sure he never strayed too far, and it’s clear to anyone (because zuko is...not subtle) that he is unhappy here, with them. she never saw zuko in his Ponytail Phase. she never saw him yell “I DON’T NEED ANY CALMING TEA” and stomp around burning things. 

so when she sees him again, to us as the audience, he’s actually calmed down quite a bit. but to ty lee, the change is drastic. for one thing, half his face has been burned off since she last saw him. again, to us, this is how he is introduced, and it just feels like a natural part of his face. but to anyone who only knew him before the age of 13, they’d be quite horrified to encounter his scar. it is not clear whether she knows the specifics of his banishment, or what exactly happened. well, that is, before zuko yells at her, “my father decided to teach me a permanent lesson on my face!” which... yeah, elucidates the situation pretty nicely. 

but even more so than the scar is his seeming personality transplant. before his banishment, zuko was terrible at performing the way azula is. some of that is simply the fact that azula is also far better at lying to herself, and convincing herself that ozai’s feelings are her own. zuko is painfully transparent. especially in contrast to someone like ty lee, he wears his heart on his sleeve (and you can bet daws peck at it). ty lee knows zuko as he was before he was warped by that severe trauma, so she knows him as he truly is. whenever i watch this episode, i can only scream “this zuko is not my boy!!!!” and i’m willing to bet ty lee feels the same. instead of being earnest, idealistic, kindhearted, and sensitive, zuko is just yelling all over the place and treating her best friend like shit. it’s horrible to watch. 

and yet, ty lee can’t find it in herself to be frustrated by his behavior, only saddened. so when he yells “you don’t know me,” what he’s saying is “you don’t know what i’ve been through,” and while that may be true, ty lee did see his life before that. his childhood paints a relative picture of what his life would have been like in a vacuum. sure, he’s still suffering under ozai’s abuse, his mother’s disappearance, lu ten’s death and iroh’s consequent grief, but before the agni kai, he’s still an idealist who cares about people and isn’t afraid to speak his mind in favor of what he believes is right. 

zuko was routinely punished for showing kindness, because kindness = weakness, but even though he was punished for it, he still trusted his instincts and remained kind. that is, until he got banished for “speaking out of turn.” how could he have been in the right in that situation when clearly his father who loves him would never have done such a thing unless he had committed an egregious crime? so he tries to behave the way he thinks ozai would want him to behave, and bases his decisions off of what he thinks his father wants, convincing himself that these must be the right decisions, and that his instincts are wrong. thus, he feels tremendous guilt when doing the right thing, and he feels tremendous guilt when doing the wrong thing––and it is only once he confronts his father, and acknowledges that ozai had been the one in the wrong the whole time, does he learn to trust his instincts again. 

it’s obviously a tragic situation, and therefore ty lee’s cognitive dissonance between this zuko and the one she knew is enough to break her facade, for even a moment. she wants to reach out to him, she wants to help him, but with azula there, she knows she cannot. 

look at how this shot in “the boiling rock (part 2)” is positioned. azula is in the background, with ty lee in the foreground. here she is realizing that azula would just let them all die, let her brother die, without a care. but we know that ty lee does care. ty lee’s fighting style is specifically one of fully incapacitating people without truly hurting them. and even when they took ba sing se, azula made sure not to kill anyone. but now, here she is, not only letting strangers die, but letting zuko die. 

ty lee is not faced with the decision between saving zuko and betraying azula (and it seems like she cares more about not incurring azula’s wrath than she is about finding a way to help them) because mai makes that decision for her, and ty lee only acts when it’s clear azula is about to strike mai. if mai “loves zuko more than [she] fears [azula],” then ty lee loves mai more than she fears azula. this is significant, because up until this point, we––as well as azula––are pretty much convinced that ty lee worships her. and say, for argument’s sake, that she does. then we can look to this moment on the gondola as a turning point. ty lee realizing that azula would not hesitate to kill zuko would cause ty lee to want to turn against her, and azula forces her hand when it looks like she is about to kill mai. 

but i don’t even think it’s as simple as that. because ty lee’s not dumb. she knows what azula is capable of. this is why she behaves just so sycophantically towards her. azula trusts mai because she deems her too apathetic to act on a moral code, and would instead act only in her own self-interest, and in a sense, she’s right. but mai won’t let zuko die, which azula did not anticipate because she assumed that because she was the one who engineered their relationship, that meant that their relationship would work on her terms. she thought the same of mai and ty lee, that because they were only friends through her, they would choose her over each other. but obviously, they wouldn’t. 

meanwhile, ty lee knows that azula likes her not just as an asset, but as a person. and she knows that the more she flatters azula’s ego, and the more she pledges her loyalty, the more azula will like her. azula clearly cares about mai and ty lee. their betrayal hurts her on a personal level that she isn’t willing to admit, but incites a breakdown nonetheless. you can see that even in the beginning of “the southern raiders,” azula is starting to come loose at the seams. and by the time that ozai demonstrates to her that he does not truly love her, all the bonds in her life have been broken. she falls apart because to her, she has just been handed empirical proof that she is incapable of being loved. and so she loses it completely. 

ty lee let azula feel loved, even if said love was only expressed in dramatic compliments, the illusion of obsequiousness, and paper-thin loyalty. this scene, at the beach, shows us ty lee’s internality in a way we very rarely see throughout the show.

it’s clear that she cares. to be able to manipulate people as well as ty lee manipulates azula, one must be able to read people incredibly well. it’s obvious that ty lee possesses uniquely adept social skills, and it’s obvious that zuko, well.........does not. ty lee is an incredibly quick-thinking performer. very rarely does she not know how to talk her way out of a situation. we only see two instances wherein she does not: 

when she is confronted by multiple boys at once asking her to pick one, (sidenote: dykon???????????) and when she must save mai.

even though it’s clear that she easily could, punching her way out of a situation is ty lee’s last resort. though azula’s priorities lie elsewhere in assessing ty lee’s usefulness, it is evident that personally, ty lee values her people skills over her fighting skills. 

she wants to resolve this conflict not through violence, but through communication. zuko is making it particularly difficult because he keeps lashing out, but she can tell exactly what he is thinking and feeling because his behavior is so readily apparent. when the audience is introduced to zuko, we are led to assume that he is an inherently angry person. and yes, even as a child, he has always had a bit of a temper. but zuko behaves particularly egregiously in this episode, and ty lee is acutely aware that this is not his neutral state. this behavior is a response to an inner turmoil that becomes painfully obvious when he burns a portrait of his family. 

ty lee confronts him about it and he says, “whatever. i don’t care,” to which ty lee sadly responds, “i think you do care.” thus the exchange that leads to ty lee’s most revealing moment. the line, the wistfulness behind its delivery, lets us infer so much about ty lee. she is more perceptive than she lets on, and more caring, too. if azula had only been paying attention, she would have known that her betrayal hadn’t come out of nowhere, not remotely. but to paraphrase mai, azula doesn’t know people as well as she thinks she does. because ty lee played her like a fiddle. 

#ty lee #analysis #zuko #azula #mai #azulaxtylee #maixtylee #tylee&zuko #this analysis is kind of all over the place but you guuuuyyyyssssssssss #i love ty lee #sidenote #mai and ty lee are .....what the kids call........an otp???????? #ok im done now

[rebellconquerer]

So I finally watched Avatar and I could spend an entire day gushing about it. I started writing almost immediately. Here is a random scene I couldn't get out of my head. Can you tell im fascinated with Zuko?

She expects him to erupt. She's known him a long time and though she'd never pretend to understand him, she has become good at predicting him. So she expects him to erupt, that fire he carries inside him spilling over.

What she doesn't expect is the flat, blank stare that takes over his features as the head of the palace guard tells him of Advisor Ling's treason. Somehow the calm scares her more. As Zenia finishes speaking, she switches to a parade rest, allowing her gaze to shift just to the right of the Zuko's shoulder. The quiet of the room seeming incredibly loud.

She glances at Toph who is lounging on the large sofa on the far side of the room and who doesn't seem as discomfited by Zuko's non reaction as Katara is. She wishes for a moment that Sokka was here. He'd know what to do, but someone has to help Uncle make it through the meetings today.

"Do we know if he acted alone?" Zuko asks reasonably.

Zenia shifts uncomfortably before her gaze goes back to her monarch.

"It is unlikely, however we are unsure. He hasn’t talked yet, but given the timeline we put together…" she trails off.

Zuko nods sagely. "Thank you Zenia. You may go."

Zenia salutes crisply and leaves. Katara's eyes don't leave Zuko who sits in the bed, staring ahead, still too blank. The stillness is absolute, until Zuko's eyes seem to snap back into focus.

"No… No. No. No." He mutters to himself, scrambling to the edge of the bed. He stands before she can say anything, wavering drunkenly on his feet for a beat.

"Zuko! What the hell?" She shouts, rushing to his side. He turns on her, the fire flashing in his gold eyes enough to stop her in her tracks.

"Stop, Katara. I'm going to see him." He says matter of factly. He marches across the room, flinging the sleep robe from his body as he strides into his washroom.

"What?" She asks blankly, her confusion holding her in place. She throws a disbelieving glance at Toph who is now sitting up straight, but has made no move to interfere.

"You heard me." His voice floats out of the washroom a moment before he reappears, dressed in a much more formal robe, his hair still hanging loose and his crown missing.

He strides toward the door and she steps in front of him, blocking his path. He turns a hot glare on her and she holds her hands up in surrender, hoping to calm him.

"Zuko, just think about this please. You can barely stand. There is nothing you will learn that couldn't wait until later." Zuko's glare doesn't change.

"You can come with me or you can stay here. Either way, I'm going." He says hotly.

"Toph?" Katara says pleadingly.

Toph shrugs and stands. "Guess I'm going with sparky."

Zuko immediately sidesteps Katara and walks out the door. Katara doesn't try to hold in the disgruntled sound that she makes as Toph walks by her. 

"Zuko?!" She hears Suki ask as he strides out the door. 

Katara jogs a little to catch up to them, falling into step with a confused looking Suki. 

"He's going to go see the general." Katara says sharply. Suki's head snaps to face her, before a resigned but determined look settles in her features. She says nothing, just increases her pace to keep up. 

They must make an impressive sight as they make their way to the cell, Katara thinks. The Fire Lord with the youngest earthbending and waterbending masters, as well as the head of the kyoshi warriors as his personal guard. The young guard on duty straightens almost comically when he sees them and Katara has to fight to keep mildly hysterical laughter from bubbling out of her. 

"I want to see the prisoner." Zuko growls out. 

The young guard looks uncertain but steps aside, turning to open the cell door.

Zuko doesn't falter. He strides into the cell, head held high, regal in every sense of the word. Suki steps up beside the young guard, and makes an abrupt about face, settling in to wait. Katara sighs and follows Zuko into the cell. This is a bad idea.

The general is sitting on a bench in the corner of the room, looking only minimally worse for wear. His hands held in what looks like a metal mitten with a chain connecting him to the ground. Seeing him, knowing what he has done, Katara’s instincts scream for his blood, scream to make him beg and regret attacking Zuko, attacking her friends, and she has to grit her teeth to push the rage away. 

Zuko stops in the center of the room, regarding his old advisor with icy amber eyes. The general looks up, smirking snidely. “A visit from the fire lord himself. I am honored, milord.”

A muscle Zuko’s jaw twitches. “I want to know why.” He says flatly. 

General Ling laughs, a cruel mirthless sound. “Always asking the wrong questions boy. “

“Is that it?” Zuko questions lightly. “Was I just too young? Too young for you to listen to? Too young for you to respect? I want to know why, after all this time, you decided you wanted my head.”

The General glares at him. “You know why now. As for the why in general, well you know that too. This whole bit is an exercise in banality. Poor prince Zuko.” he says, cruelty dripping from his words. “Never as smart as Iroh, as brave as Lu Ten. Not as conniving as Ozai and certainly not as strong as Azula. We have a weakling on the throne. The runt of the litter. Better to be taken out back and fried. The fire nation deserves a real leader, not a boy playing at being an adult who would have us bow and scrape to the unworthy!” By the time he finishes he’s all but screaming, face blotchy and red, contorted in impotent rage. 

Katara sees red. Feels the blood rush to her face as a roiling hurricane batters against her better judgement. Her breathing has sped up and she wants to tear this man to pieces. The laugh startles her back to the present. Zuko’s laugh is loud in the small space, as clear and pleasing as a bell. A cold, disturbing facsimile of a smile graces his features. 

“Was that it? Was that your best shot? You thought that would what? Anger me enough to kill you?” He steps closer to Ling, limbs loose and comfortable as he tilts his head to regard the man more closely. The scowl that graces Ling’s face says that Zuko is not far from the mark. 

“Do you have children advisor Ling?” Zuko asks mildly, the change in topic abrupt enough to give Katara whiplash. The first hint of fear clouds the general’s eyes. Zuko steps in closer to him again. “You do right? A daughter if I remember correctly. About 14 or 15?” The general swallows audibly. 

“Do you know how I got my scar, general?” The ice in Zuko’s voice seems to drop the temperature of the room. “You do, don’t you? Wouldn’t have been there though. Administrator to some no name village. No... you wouldn’t have been invited to a royal agni kai.” Zuko is close enough for the general to reach, even with his shackled fists, but he doesn’t seem to care. He stoops slowly in front of the frozen man. “You know I never passed out. My father was skilled enough to make sure I was awake through the whole thing. I can still remember the smell of skin burning. ‘You will learn respect, and suffering will be your teacher.’ Those were the words your worthy fire lord said as he maimed his son.”

Katara's heart stutters painfully in her chest as bile, bitter and raw rises to the back of her throat. She’s never heard Zuko talk about it. He's never even told them what happened. She had heard from Iroh. Just two lines. ‘It was his father. He was 13’ She tries not to picture what he says. Feels her stomach roiling against this knowledge, threatening to make her sick. She glances over at Toph who looks similarly horrified, almost physically pained. 

With his back to Katara, she doesn’t initially see that he is undoring his robes, it’s not until the finely embroidered sash falls to the floor that she realises. 

“And this… this I got from your powerful fire princess. No, I want you to look at it.” he all but growls at the general as he tries to avert his gaze. “She shot enough electricity at me, her brother, to stop my heart. I remember the scent of my skin burning then too.” he ends, so, so quietly. “But where are your worthy leaders? Hmm? You will look at me when I speak to you!” Zuko grits out. The general’s gaze flicks immediately back to Zuko, though Katara can see the force with which he is gritting his teeth.  “You know what skill I have, advisor Ling? I survive. Your powerful warlords are nothing but scars on my skin. And I am still here.” The general’s face is ashen now. Zuko finally rises, still too close for Katara’s comfort and gazes down his nose at Ling. “I want you to know Ling, that your daughter is safe in this country from scars like mine, because your weakling fire lord deems it so.” A small sound, somewhere between a gasp and a sob escapes Ling’s throat. Zuko doesn’t look up from re-tying his robes. “I want you to know that if you do not cooperate, you are going to spend the rest of your life in a very small cell somewhere the light of Agni will never again touch you. But I assure you, whatever happens, I will find the rats you were working with and purge them from my country, no matter how long it takes.” He looks up and makes paralysing eye contact with the general. “And when I do, I will come remind you of this conversation. Because I survive.”

#avatar the last airbender #zuko #fanfic #toph #really rough draft #fanfiction #fiction #team avatar #zutara #katara #suki #zuko fanfic #myfic #my fic #atla #atla fic #rebellwrites

[bellatrixobsessed1]

Avatar World Week; Day 4 Cactus Juice

I’m very late to this because I didn’t realize that the week was this week! But no less here’s my entry. I decided to add a touch of Thanksgiving for the holiday.

Azula brings her new boyfriend Sokka to Thanksgiving Dinner and hopes to announce their relationship. But he decided to hit the cactus juice to relieve his nerves.

Azula hadn’t exactly gotten around to announcing her new relationship with Sokka. She hadn’t figured out how to vocalize it—she knew that no matter what she said it would cause some type of rouse. A little outrage from her father, some shock from Iroh, and a flurry of over-excitement from her mother with a dash of encouragement from Zuko. Positive or negative, she didn’t want the attention. She just wanted to eat and, for the sake of holiday sentiments, pretend to like the taste of some Moose Lion. “Are you sure that you want to do this?” She asked. “Really, you don’t have to. I know my family is a…” she trailed off searching for something diplomatic to say instead of her blunt commentary. “bit unusual.”

 “Pretty sure you’re part of the unusual.” Sokka said. “Ya know, voices and everything.” As it would seem, he would be making no efforts of his own to put things lately.

 “Tread carefully, Sokka. You don’t get special treatment just because you’re my boyfriend.”

 “You keep saying that, but I don’t think you mean it.” Sokka smirked.

 Azula sighed, “just answer my question.”

 “I already did.” He replied. “Several times.” He wrapped his arms around her waist and placed a soft kiss on her cheek. “I’m going to visit with your family.” He paused. “Zuko’s cool, you’re uncle is a riot, your mom is pretty nice. Really the only problem is Ozai.”

 As seriously as he wasn’t taking things so far, they were on the same page. Ozai, fresh out of prison and full of opinions—as per usual—would be the main concern. Azula could deal with Ursa dotting over her new relationship and how far she’d come since coming home. She could deal with occasional brotherly jest. But her father’s approval wasn’t something she was quite ready to let go of. As it were, she’d already lost a good lot of in failing so miserably when Sozin’s comet came around. “Alright, I’ll come pick you up tomorrow before noon.”

 “Yeah, that sounds like a plan. Seriously, try to relax, everything will be fine.” Sokka smiled. Everything in his tone and his words told her that he, himself, was relaxed. Nothing betrayed that his nerves were just about as frayed as a piece of cloth that a platypus-bear had gotten to. He wished her a good night and kissed her goodbye. He was reluctant to not accompany her home, but she insisted that he use every minute to prepare for the upcoming family event.

 .oOo.

 Azula frowned at her reflection, her hair wasn’t exactly on par with her expectations, but it would work. She had more pressing issues to address. As much as she loathed to admit it, she was nervous. On top of having a bold announcement to make, she hadn’t seen any of Sokka’s friends (with the exception of Aang) since her elope in the Forgetful Valley. She was certain that Katara would be just as thrilled as Ozai about the blossoming relationship. She made one last attempt to get her hair to sweep in the direction that she wanted it to. It looked that much better than before, but wasn’t yet satisfactory. She put the comb down regardless and found her palanquin. Just like any other time she was eager to arrive at her destination, the ride seemed to drag. Regardless, she found herself at his door. And for the hundredth time she counted herself grateful that Sokka had been so willing to get his own place just to be near her until the word was out.

 “Oh hi Zula.” He greeted with an unnecessary eyebrow wriggle. “Mood gorning.”

 Azula looked back at her palanquin bearers and prayed that they were too busy with their own conversations to catch on. She hustled them inside, her cheeks slightly flushed on his behalf. “S-sokka! Are you drunk?”

 “No, I’m Sokka.” He was beaming from ear to ear.

 “You are drunk.” She remarked more to herself than him.

 Sokka slung his arm around her neck. “Ya know,” he slurred, “I learned to waterbend while you were gone.”

 “Are you expecting me to announce our relationship when you’re drunk? Are you going to try to tell your sister?”

 “You have a family? I thought you were…like…the dragons made you with their fire that they breathed and you just kind of rose from the ashes.”

 “I told you about this yesterday.” Azula grumbled. “I outta…” She ignited a small flame in her palm and let it die down.

 Springing up like a crazed cat, Sokka shouted, “Since when was your fire green?”  He took up a lopsided fighting stance. “Do it again.”

 Azula sighed and glanced at the sun. It was nearly at its highest. If they didn’t get moving they were going to be late. Thankfully he didn’t seem too drunk. She hoped he’d be at least a little soberer by the time they got to the palace. Until then she would endure a ride with him marveling her hair and stroking it muttering, “silky, silky, silky.” She supposed that it could have been worse. At least touching her hair and stroking her face with occasional appreciative commentary had kept him from doing other more aggravating things.  She helped him down from the palanquin and led him inside. Just as she had dreaded, everyone was already at the table. Though dinner hadn’t yet started, she was hoping to have been able to slip in undetected, find her seat, and wait for the small talk to start.

 “Who are these people?” Sokka whispered.

 Azula rolled her eyes, “you know all of them.”

 Sokka squinted. “Oh yeah, I recognize him, he’s the Avatar.” He was practically squealing, voice rising with every word. “The Avatar is in this room!”

 The only one blushing harder than Azula herself was Katara. Apparently, there was enough second hand embarrassment to go around.  “What did you do to him?”

 Azula furrowed her brows. “I found him like this, believe me. He’s clearly had his share of cactus juice so I decided to help make sure he got here in one piece.”

 “Since when do you care about Sokka’s wellbeing?” Her interrogation continued.

 Azula felt herself growing both distressed and frustrated. This was not going as she had planned. It was supposed to be clean and at least somewhat easy. But she hadn’t even made her announcement and she was already being hit with a torrent of questions. “In spirit of the holiday, I thought I’d give everyone something to be thankful for. You’re welcome.” She helped Sokka into the chair next to Katara. Despite it all, fate was being charitable. The only remaining chair put her between Zuko and Sokka. At least she wouldn’t have to clamor up some excuse as to why she was sitting with him.

 “Thanks, Azula.” Aang smiled.

 “Well I’m glad someone’s getting into the holiday spirit.” Ozai grumbled.

 The rest of dinner progressed painfully slowly, leaving Azula plenty of time dread and Sokka plenty of time to embarrass, she, Katara, and himself. And he did so expertly with a horribly inaccurate tale of how he brought down the air fleet. She regretted the glance she spared Ozai. The reminder of his failure darkened his expression considerably. Moose Lion mean wasn’t appetizing to begin with, but all of that anticipation was making it difficult for her to work up an appetite even for the foods she normally served herself. She forced herself to take a scoop of purple berries and lychee nuts for the sake of acting natural, but was only able to poke at them with her fork. Sokka on the other hand was having no trouble downing a slice of pie made from the very same berries and nuts Azula had taken. Between mouthfuls he began crafting another wild tale about one of his life adventures. With every word, Azula found her appetite plummeting even more.

 At last Iroh intervened with a, “perhaps we should get on with the thanks giving part of dinner.”

 Azula chewed the inside of her lip, It was coming up, like ripping off a band aid, she would state that she was thankful for Sokka’s company and from there let everyone know just how thankful. That had been her plan from the start. But Sokka put a hiccup in it by not being there to help her make the confession. She noticed just how hard she was biting down on her lip and, to keep herself from drawing blood, she opted to bite on a leechy nut instead. Under the table and without thinking about it, she took Sokka’s hand. Like the idiot he seemed to be at times, he gave her one of his goofy grins. The same kind that had her strangely drawn to him in the first place.

 “What are you smiling about?” Zuko asked as hushed as he could, so not to cut Iroh’s lengthy thank you speech off.

 “Well you see,” Sokka proclaimed loudly. “I for one am thankful for my beautiful wife, Azula and her silky, silky, silky hair.”

 Azula practically spit out her food, instead she swallowed it down and drew in a sharp breath. The only eyes that weren’t on her, were on Sokka. For the third time that day, her cheeks were just about as hot as her fire. “That is not the truth.” She sputtered. “As I said, he’s had a lot of cactus juice.”

 Sokka’s face fell. “You mean you don’t love me?” The look of sorrow on his face sent a quick jab into her heart.

 She supposed that it was time to do the ripping. “That’s also not true.”

 “What’s that supposed to mean?” Ozai asked.

 “It means,” she moved her hand—still linked with Sokka’s—to rest atop the table. “We are together,” and more quietly she added, “as humiliating as that is.”

 Sokka’s ridiculous smile was back and brighter than before.

 “But we’re not getting married.” She shot him a sideways glare.

 “Maybe some other time?” He asked hopefully.

 The look of disappointment on Ozai’s face was every bit as nerve wracking as she expected. That look quickly morphed into an even more dreadful scowl. The very same scowl that always had her scrambling to apologize and correct her error. But this…whatever she had with Sokka, it wasn’t an error. And despite every part of her screaming to apologize, she held her ground. She locked eyes with her father and replied to Sokka, “maybe some other time.”

 With a fist pump Sokka whispered, “score!”

 Azula tore her stare away from her father to assess her mother’s reaction. The expression was every bit as warm and approving—perhaps even proud—as her father’s was judgmental. She was relived to find that her mother wasn’t making a big deal of it. She realized that, that was all she really hoped for; acceptance. The feeling that her new relationship was as ordinary as it was.

 She turned to Katara. “You really like him? You’re not just saying that to hurt him later?”

 “If I didn’t care about him, I would have let him stumble around the Fire Nation all morning. Besides, he doesn’t need my help to hurt him, he can do that all on his own.” Azula shrugged.

 “Alright, fine, but just so you know, I’ve got my eye on you.”

 “Water Tribe.” Sokka whispered. Thankful that he seemed to be growing drowsy, Azula stroked his hair in hopes of lulling him to sleep, where he could no longer embarrass them both.

 “If that makes you comfortable, go ahead. There’s nothing to see, really.” Azula replied. “With or without cactus juice—though I can definitely do without—I suppose I’ll stick with him.” She took Sokka in her arms, allowing him to put his full weight upon her as he dozed off. She was more than content to let him sleep the cactus juice off.  Again, she fixed her stare on Ozai. “Some of us will just have to learn to live with it.” She stood up and headed for the door.

 “Fire Nation.” Sokka added for emphasis.

#avatarworldweek #azula #sokka #sokkla #fanfiction #thanksgiving