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ecoterrorist-katara · 9 days

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The tragedy of Katara’s parentification

Sokka and Katara were both parentified, and it’s a profoundly life-changing thing for both of them. One of the saddest things in ATLA, though, is how Sokka sort of got to outgrow parentification, but Katara never did.

Sokka’s told to be the man. The provider, the protector. He’s not so good at the former (his hunting failures are a consistent source of comic relief), and he takes failures of the latter very, very hard. He doesn’t manage to save Yue, and that wrecks him. After Yue, he becomes extremely protective of Suki in a way that’s borderline offensive to her. He’s willing to do anything to protect his friends and his family, including something as irresponsible as breaking into the Boiling Rock. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Sokka is the only one of the Gaang who unambiguously kills. The rest of them may technically have clean hands because of cartoon logic, but Combustion Man is very dead, and Sokka is the one who killed him. We don’t know how he feels about it, because the show never goes there, but I have a pet theory that Sokka is so uncharacteristically (remember he was team “leave Zuko to freeze to death”) against Katara confronting Yon Rha in The Southern Raiders because he’s the only who knows what killing feels like and wants to protect Katara from it.

But by the end of the show, Sokka’s in a place where he can start to let go of his need to protect. Objectively, all his friends are unbelievably powerful and can take care of themselves, including his sister and his girlfriend. Suki is the one who saves him in the final battle, representing not only a reversal of his initial cartoonish misogyny, but also demonstrating that he is worthy of protection. And of course, he and his friends saved the world, so there isn’t really an enemy that he has to protect them from anymore. Sokka’s loved ones create the conditions under which his parentified behaviour is no longer necessary. Sokka would still have to take the first step to stop seeing himself as the one who has to lay his life on the line, but at least it’s possible for him.

But not Katara.

Katara had to take on the mom role after their mother was murdered, which meant she was responsible for domestic labour and emotional support. Sokka says in The Runaway that her role was to keep the family together. Unlike protection, that’s always a full time job regardless of the war. We see Katara spending more screen time than anybody cooking, getting food, mending, and generally doing women’s work. We see Katara giving everyone emotional support, including strangers and her enemy. We see Katara putting aside her own discomfort and her own hurt in The Desert because if she falls apart, they all die. Nobody ever showed her that she doesn’t need to be the only one who cooks, or that somebody else can be responsible for the emotional wellbeing of her friends, or that — god forbid — someone else can actually be responsible for her emotional wellbeing.

That’s why I never cared for the Ka/taang argument of “he teaches her to be a kid again!” Putting aside the fact that Katara ends up taking care of Aang a lot more as the series goes on, the whole tragedy of parentification is that you can never again be a child. That part of your childhood, your god-given right, is robbed from you. It is extremely precious and important to still be able to be a kid, but breaking free of parentification is not about seeing yourself as a kid. It’s about breaking free of being responsible for everyone’s feelings and behaviours.

For Katara, that responsibility is not problem of perception, but of reality. Unlike Sokka, who was told and shown that his loved ones are capable of protecting themselves, Katara has zero reason to believe that her loved ones are able to feed and clothe themselves and not fall apart emotionally. Between Toph and Sokka who emphatically don’t want to do this work, it all falls on Katara. Telling a parentified child that they just need to loosen up is akin to telling an overworked mother that she needs to just relax (“happy Mother’s Day! You get a break from chores, which you will catch up on tomorrow because nobody else is doing them”). It doesn’t accomplish anything if nobody creates the circumstances under which it’s possible to let go of responsibilities. A lot of Zutara fans, spanning all the way back to the early days of the fandom, like the “Momtara and Dadko” trope where Zuko also does chores. Why? Because even without the concept and language of parentification, many fans recognized that Katara’s performance of domestic and emotional labour is inequitable and probably very taxing.

Growing out of parentification is about more than just letting go of old expectations: it’s also about finding a new way to value yourself beyond the role you grew up with. I’ve said this before, but it’s very important to acknowledge that just because a kid is parentified doesn’t mean they’re actually good at being a parent. In fact, it’s probably a given that they’re not, because they’re kids performing roles that are developmentally inappropriate! Sokka remains a shit hunter; he becomes a decent fighter but he’s still miles behind his friends. A big part of healing from his parentification is finding another area — strategy, engineering, project management (what else do you call that schedule) — where he actually excels, to which he can dedicate his time and from which he can derive satisfaction and a sense of identity. For Katara, fighting for the oppressed and combat waterbending give her that. Crucially, however, Katara does not stop being a girl when she becomes a warrior. She’s still responsible for domestic and emotional labour. Unlike Sokka, whose protector duties were more or less relieved as the series went on and he found new ways to contribute to the group, Katara continued to perform her old role in addition to her new one (which is depressingly realistic btw, look up feminist theory around the concept of the second shift). Still, it’s important that she found these new ways to value herself and her contributions…

…which disappear in her adult life. Where’s adult Katara fighting for the oppressed? Where’s adult Katara enjoying her status as a master waterbender? Where’s Mighty Katara? Where’s the Painted Lady? Where’s the person who vanquished a whole Fire Lord?

What do we know about adult Katara? She’s no longer a rabblerouser or an ecoterrorist. She did not translate her desire to help the downtrodden into a political role, like being Chief or on the United Republic Council. She’s not known as the best waterbender in the world, only the best healer, even though her combat abilities are what she took the most pride in. Even as a healer, she established no hospitals, trained no widespread acolytes (except Korra, I guess?), and made no known contributions to the field.

What Katara is known for…is being a wife and a mother. The same role she was forced to take on at age 8. One which she performed for the next 80+ years.

#Self-proclaimed feminists who don’t see Katara’s trajectory as a tragedy…I want to know what you’re on because I’d like to use it to cope #Katara deserved better #anti kataang #as always my anti kataang posts are more #anti Bryke #very mild #zutara #pro Katara #pro Sokka #water sibs #They just give me so many feels #my meta

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tonberry-yoda · 1 year

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A Nice Girl - Zuko

Pairing - Zuko x f!reader

Warnings - none!!

Word Count - 3,211

Notes - I have been pumping out these really long fics lately lmaoooo. i dont mean to i just simply get carried away. i need to stop before i get a block tho lmao. AND IM ALMOST AT 400 FOLLOWERS OMG!!! im like so excited about it tbh. maybe ill open my request when we get there. thank you all and i hope you're all well. stay hydrated!!

You yawned and stretched, the silk from your nightgown tickling you. That had to have been the best sleep you have gotten these past couple of weeks. As the oldest in the “gaang” at 17 years old, you had to act as the mother of the group and felt this awful need to protect everyone all the time, thus granting you several sleepless nights.

Sure, Ba Sing Se didn't feel like home and it didn't feel 100% safe either, but you got to sleep in a comfy bed and wear some really nice clothes. You had to admit that it was nice to be working with the Avatar sometimes.

You pushed your tangled hair out of your face and looked into the full length mirror next to your bed. Yeah, you definitely slept well, that was no question. You could tell by the rat’s nest created on your head and the sleep lines across your arms and face. You definitely needed to wash up before you started your day.

You got out of bed, stretching as the sun kissed your warm cheeks. You were going to make the best out of today. Lots of planning, but lots of downtime too, so that was nice.

As you finally walked out of your room, you were welcomed to cackling laughter from Sokka, his finger pointed at you.

“Ha, ha,” you said sarcastically, Katara handing you a brush. “Very funny, Sokka.”

“Not just funny,” he said through laughter. “It’s hilarious, y/n! You look so stupid!!!”

You rolled your eyes, hiding a smile, and tamed the rat’s nest on your head, looking a little more yourself.

Aang walked in the house holding a bowl of snacks with a smile on his face. “Oh, good morning, y/n! You sure slept in this morning!”

“Slept in?” You tilted your head. “What time is it?”

Katara took the brush from you and set it down on a nearby drawer. “Almost 10 am.”

“What?!” You were shocked. You were usually the first one up always and if not, you never slept past 8.

Katara giggled. “Listen, y/n. I think it's great that you finally got some sleep. We never really see you rest well, so none of us had the heart to wake you up.”

You beamed. “You guys are the best. Well,” you stretched. “I'm gonna get washed up so I don't look like a sleepy monster all day.” Something about Ba Sing Se gave you the creeps, but at the same time, it was nice to be back in a place where you could bathe in warm water and not fear Zuko coming after you. It's not like you had anything against the Fire Nation prince… it's more like… he was an inconvenience to you and the rest of the gaang. Since you and Zuko were about the same age, you understood him. Well, kinda. You escaped the Fire Nation when you were younger, disagreeing with all of their ideals and overall how they treated the world. You did see the prince as Fire Nation scum, but at the same time, you saw him as a kid, just like you. He was banished for god knows what and he just wanted to go home. You didn't hate Zuko. Not one bit. You understood that he may just be in some sort of hidden pain. But you had to admit that it was kinda nice to not have him around to bother you.

You got out of the shower refreshed and ready for the day. It was nice to have a day off, so you were probably going to get some tea and write in your journal about how the past couple of weeks have been. You figured it would be nice to log everything that has ever happened on this little journey just in case you all wanted a refresher in the next twenty years or so. You slipped on some Earth Nation attire and smiled at yourself in the mirror as you braided your hair. Today is going to be a good day, you thought. Nothing better than tea and some late breakfast.

“I'm going out for the day,” you said, placing your bag on your shoulder. “Stay out of trouble today, got it?”

You looked at Aang and he laughed. “I will, I will! Have a nice day, okay, y/n? You deserve it.”

“You’re all too kind to me. Thank you.”

“And let me know if you find Appa!”

“I will, don't worry.”

You smiled and walked out of the house, smelling the fresh Earth Nation air. Luckily, the walls didn't cover the fresh air, so you could still get the almost afternoon breath.

You spent the beginning of the day walking around shops, buying some supplies and new clothes for yourself and the others. The markets were busy, but it was nice to get some of the things you needed without Aang begging for some stupid trinket that you always ended up buying him because you thought it was cool too. That was always your impulse, stupid things that Aang showed you. Those could be the death of you.

As you finally finished your browsing journey, you overheard a conversation while looking over a map.

“I swear their tea has gotten better.”

“Really? I dunno.”

“I'm serious. It has to be the best tea shop in Ba Sing Se.”

“Fine, we can go try it later.”

You turned to the two men a little embarrassed that you were eavesdropping. “S-Sorry, but I was kinda listening to your conversation… uh… where’s that tea shop you were talking about? I've been trying to find a nice place to get some tea all morning.”

The man hyping up the shop smiled at you. “Don't worry about eavesdropping, kiddo. It's right here.” He pointed to the map you were looking at and you were satisfied that it wasn't too far from where you currently were.

You thanked the man and began your journey to the shop. It was a little closer to afternoon and you could feel your stomach rumbling, so you just decided to skip right to lunch.

You walked into the tea shop and saw people smiling and laughing together, the heavenly scent of tea filling your senses. You were quickly seated at a lone booth and given a menu. Everything looked so good, you could swear that you were about to drool just thinking about food.

You decided to order something that the waitress recommended and as she walked away, you flipped through your journal, going over everything that you and the gaang had been through. You quietly laughed to yourself as you passed a page that said: note to self - slap Zuko’s bald head at least once. Imagine the sound that would make.

It’s definitely been a long trip of both laughter and struggle, and honestly, you were really happy. You don't remember the last time you had laughed so hard before you met Aang and the others. It was nice. Really nice.

“Here’s your tea. Is there anything else you need?” Your tea was set in front of you along with your lunch and you tilted your head at the familiar voice that wasn't your waitress from earlier. It was on the tip of your tongue.

“I think I'm alright, thank-” You looked up and the smile you had suddenly dropped. No way. “Zu-”

Before you could say his full name, Zuko covered your mouth and quickly let go, hoping no one saw or heard any of that. “P-Please don't.”

“But you’re-”

“I know,” Zuko’s voice was low. “Just… can we talk… in the back?”

You looked around the restaurant at all of the other people and back at Zuko. He looked so different. Barely recognizable. His face didn't look so pissed off and he had a short head of hair now that looked healthy. The only reason you recognized him was the scar, but honestly, if he covered it up somehow, you wouldn't have a clue that he was the prince of the Fire Nation.

You nodded and stood up, collecting your things. You followed Zuko to the back, almost a little scared. You had no means of defending yourself. You were a non bender, so if he wanted to pick a fight, you were screwed. You didn't even have a simple weapon on you. Maybe you were getting too cozy.

Zuko brushed off a small table and pulled out a chair for you, which you sat in with slight hesitation.

“How did you get into Ba Sing Se?” You didn't mean to sound so defensive. Well, you did, but you weren't expecting to. Especially not on such a good day like this.

“It's… a long story.”

“Why are you here?”

“Listen… It’s not for the Avatar.”

“Huh? Is that so?” You crossed your arms and looked him dead in the eye. “Then explain to me how you always end up where we just so happen to be. That’s suspicious, isn't it?”

“I-”

“If you hurt Aang, I swear to-”

“I don't care about Aang right now!”

The whole room went quiet. You had never heard Zuko say Aang’s name before, let alone not care about what the Avatar is doing.

“Then why…”

“I have my own stuff to deal with. It's none of your business, okay? I do have a life outside of the Avatar, you know.”

You nodded and looked down at your tea. “I'm… assuming your uncle made this?” You giggled softly.

“Yeah. He did.” Zuko’s voice was small and way less frustrated.

“So that’s why this tea shop has hype all of a sudden.” You wondered aloud, your eyes wandering to the ceiling.

Zuko cleared his throat and shuffled in his spot. “So… uh… what now?”

“Promise not to hurt Aang and I won't say a word about you being here. I believe that you have your own stuff to deal with, so prove it to me.”

“I promise.”

Your eyes locked with his and you smiled, shocking Zuko a bit. You smiled at him, the guy that’s been trying to hurt you and your friends this whole time. The guy who would’ve done anything for the Avatar to be in his hands.

“You probably hate me, don't you?” Zuko spat out, rubbing the back of his neck.

You tilted your head. “Hate’s a strong word, don't you think?”

Zuko looked at you, appalled. “I mean, I would understand if you did.”

“It's been a long road for you, hasn't it, Zuko?”

He nodded at you and you pointed to the other side of the table, just realizing that he was standing that entire time. “Let’s share some tea.”

“I-I don't know if that’s a good idea.” Zuko took a step back.

“Ah, I see,” you stood up, scooting your chair back in. “You’re a busy man with a job now.”

He just nodded at you.

“Well, I'll let you get to it then, but I expect to see you at 6 tonight ready to hang out, okay?”

“Wh-What?! Won't your friends notice that you’re gone?”

You just smiled, collecting your things. “Zuko, I do have a life outside of the Avatar, you know.”

Zuko’s face went bright red as you walked out of the room with a smirk on your face. It was actually kinda cute to see Zuko not being some evil kid with his heart set on hurting anyone.

“You’re leaving?” Sokka whined, watching you grab your bag.

“Yes Sokka,” you said for what seemed like the hundredth time. “I'm leaving. I just want to go get dinner out by myself tonight. Maybe go for a nice walk.”

“Aww man,” Sokka pouted, crossing his arms. “Who’s gonna make dinner now?”

You rolled your eyes, trying to hide the smile creeping on your lips. “Sokka, I left some money on the table. You guys should go out and get something to eat tonight.”

“Why aren't you coming with us?” Sokka tilted his head, counting the money on the table.

“I just want to go out by myself tonight, that’s all.”

“So you’re just gonna have a lonely dinner all by yourself?” Sokka questioned, looking skeptical.

“Yes!”

“She’s lying.” Everyone turned to Toph and your face went bright red. You forgot she could tell if you were lying or not, and it definitely didn't help that you were outside on the concrete so Toph could really feel right through you.

Sokka turned back to you quickly. “You’re going to dinner with someone?”

“Fine, yes, I am, so what?”

“Who is it?”

You rolled your eyes, already late. “Just somebody.”

“Is it a boy?” Sokka gave you a mocking look and you pushed his face away.

“Fine, whatever! It's a boy! So what?! Now let me leave before I'm late. Have a nice dinner everyone.” You waved at the group and ran to the tea shop, hoping that Zuko didn't leave yet.

The bell rang as you opened the shop door. “Sorry, we’re not serving tea anymore, we’re closing at the moment,” a familiar voice said. Iroh peeked his head out, surprised to see you. “y/n?”

You smiled, “hi Iroh.”

“How are you?” Iroh set down the broom he was holding and pulled you into a soft embrace. You never told the others, but you spent quite a bit of time talking to Zuko’s uncle when you got the chance. He was a wise man and kind as well. Maybe that's why you understood Zuko so well, you had someone to give you some insight on the boy.

“I'm good, Iroh. How are you?”

“Oh I'm fine,” he beamed at you, pulling away from the hug. “I'm getting to live my lifelong dream of making tea for the people of Ba Sing Se, so that feels pretty nice.”

“Well, you are the best at making tea, Iroh.”

“Oh, stop. You’re so full of flattery, y/n.” Iroh blushed with a smile. “Is there a reason you’re here?”

“Is your nephew here?”

“You’re looking for Zuko?” Iroh cocked an eyebrow at you and you chuckled, surprised that you were even here.

“I am.”

Iroh gave you a skeptical look, but honestly didn't care much. He thought it was nice that someone wanted to visit Zuko. “He is here. Let me go grab him. Would you like some tea in the meantime?”

“Tea sounds great,” you admitted, sitting at a table.

As you got comfortable, Zuko ran into the room, completely surprised. “You’re here?”

You laughed. “Of course I am! I said I’d be here at 6 didn't I?”

“I thought you were bluffing.”

“Well now you know I'm serious. Wanna hang out?”

Zuko gave you a side eye and thought for a moment. “I think I know what you’re trying to do.”

“And what might that be?” Iroh entered the room, placing two teacups and a kettle on your table. You thanked Iroh as he left with a smile.

“You’re trying to get info out of me. About the Fire Nation… aren't you?”

You shook your head. “You’re so defensive all the time, Zuko.”

“Can you blame me?” Zuko shut all of the blinds in the shop and sat across from you, taking a sip of tea.

“I guess not.”

“I'm surprised you’re not a little more on edge.”

“Why’s that?” You took a sip of tea as well, humming at how delightful it tasted.

“I'm a firebender. You don't bend right? I could literally take you down at any moment. And it doesn't seem like you have any weapons either.”

“I trust that you won't do anything. Your uncle would probably be pissed about the mess to be honest.”

For the first time in all of your time knowing Zuko, you heard him laugh. He laughed so hard that he snorted a bit, which made him laugh harder. Because of all of his laughter, he made you laugh too, sending you both into a laughing fit. It felt good. You haven't laughed this hard since you first met Sokka, all covered in Appa’s snot.

Zuko literally had tears in his eyes by the time he stopped laughing. Seeing him happy made you feel… good. Really good. It was almost a relief. It made Zuko more human. You didn't know if you could even remotely call him your enemy anymore.

You two ended up talking all night, Iroh occasionally bringing more tea or just little treats every now and then. You literally couldn't stop talking to Zuko. To hear about what it was like to grow up in the Fire Nation as a prince was interesting. To hear what Ozai was really like in person sent chills down your spine. To hear where that scar on his face came from almost brought you to tears. Zuko didn't even know why he told you all of this, but he could say one thing. It felt nice. It felt this giant weight on his chest had been lifted.

After a few hours, you looked at the clock in the shop and frowned. “Bad news, Zuko. I gotta go.”

“Already?” He turned to face the clock and pouted his bottom lip. “Alright then.”

You stood up and collected your things. “Thanks for the tea, Iroh!” You shouted, which was responded with a big smile and a thumbs up from Iroh.

“Thanks for stopping by.”

“Anytime,” you said, opening the door of the shop. “I'll be back.”

“You will?” You turned to Zuko, who almost looked excited that you said that.

“Of course I will. Goodnight guys.”

“Wait,” Zuko ran up to you, holding the door open. “Let me walk you home, it’s late.”

“Zuko, I don't know if that’s a good idea.”

Zuko frowned, but you were probably right. If Aang spotted him for even a second, both of you would be done for. “R-Right. Well… thanks.”

“For what?”

“Hanging out. That was fun.”

You smiled. “That was fun. Thank you for not killing me, Zuko.”

“Anytime.” He giggled, immediately taken aback when you pulled him in for a hug after dropping everything.

He was so… warm. I mean, duh. He was a firebender. But even so, his hug felt so genuine, so nice, and you didn't want to leave. “Goodnight, Zuko,” you said as you pulled away from the hug.

“Goodnight, y/n.” This time, he shocked you by pulling you in for another hug and pulling away only to pull you in again, but this time, your lips were inches apart.

“Can I kiss you?” His voice was in a whisper, his warm breath dusting over your lips.

You just nodded and closed your eyes as his soft lips brushed against yours. You wrapped your arms around the back of his neck pulling him closer. He smiled into the kiss, wrapping his arms around your waist.

When you pulled away from the kiss, both of you said a quick goodbye, your cheeks dusted pink.

Zuko quickly walked back into the tea shop to help Iroh close and put his back on the door.

“I'm glad you found a nice girl, Zuko.” Zuko jumped hearing his uncle’s voice, his face turning a dark shade of crimson.

Though if he was being honest, he was glad he found a nice girl too.

~~~~~

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@tonberry-yoda

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#i hope you guys like it #i got carried away and wrote too much lmao #writing #fanfic #fanfiction #my writing #<3 #atla #zuko #atla x reader #zuko x reader #avatar the last airbender x reader #avatar the last airbender #avatar #prince zuko #the gaang

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firelordsfirelady · 2 months

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IV. Outburst

Author: @firelordsfirelady

Imagine: When Y/N—a princess of one of the Water Tribes—is told she’s leaving her tribe, she never expects that she’s to be betrothed to the Fire Lord’s son, nor was she prepared to be exiled the very day she arrived at the Fire Nation. With her life in the hands of her new fiancée, how will life change for the princess?

Pairing: Zuko x F!Reader

Trigger warnings: arranged marriage, feelings of fear, banishment, mentions of burns/abuse, frustration, violence, betrayal

Word Count: 1167

Destined to be Yin and Yang

I own no rights to Avatar the Last Airbender or any of the characters/story.

Author’s Notes

The characters as all aged up so Zuko’s banishment happens when he’s 16

Keep in mind I am bringing a unique world with inspiration from ATLA in their characters, some of the events that happen, bending, etc. Not many things may align or occur with what happened in the show. It’s intended that way, so I hope you enjoy it regardless.

See Y/N’s inspiration here.

Destined to be Yin and Yang Soundtrack (YouTube)

Zuko made no mention of the cookies the next morning, but I anticipated as much from the Prince. The crew, however, raved about my cookies and were quite happy to hear that I would make them plenty of cookies during our time together. I kept my promise because every full moon I would make the crew a batch of cookies and then practice my water bending on the deck before heading to bed. Of course, I never let Zuko or Iroh be out of the cookie receiving as I would deliver their plates before going to bed.

Thus began my new daily routine of lending a hand in the kitchen or helping with the dishes. I often found myself aiding in other chores around the ship, which only served to aggravate Zuko more. Zuko always made sure to make remarks about how informal of a princess I was, so I made it my mission to find ways to annoy the Prince further. Let’s just say that I was very good at it.

The first time Zuko saw me mopping the deck, he made a snide comment that earned him an accidental flick of some water from the mop bucket.

“Forgive me, Prince Zuko,” I had teased him that day. “I am merely just a princess who doesn’t know how to handle the mop.” Iroh hid his small chuckle at my comment, knowing all too well that I was more than capable of handling the simple mop. I think he found it mildly amusing that I teased the Prince often, and this served to agitate the Fire Lord’s son further.

Despite the banter from Zuko, I had grown to enjoy life traveling around on a ship. As a young girl, I had dreamed of what it would be like to see the world outside of the Tribe, but I quickly realized that as the princess I would never have those opportunities. Especially since after the Avatar disappeared from the world a century ago, the nations decided to sequester away from each other to protect themselves.

With Zuko on the quest to find the Avatar, he has been researching the previous avatars. We have been to several Avatar shrines across the nations and have been frequenting the other Water Tribes. Zuko was sure that the next avatar would be a Waterbender, and so we stayed near in case the Avatar made his appearance. Each time Zuko got a hint or a tip that there was a chance of the Avatar appearing, the ship would speed to the new destination. Disappointment met Zuko at every new stop, and I felt my heart break more as I watched the hope slowly die from his eyes. Yet, at the next whisper of a sign from the Avatar, Zuko would begin the cycle all over again.

The months slowly turned into years, and Iroh and I met regularly to drink tea together. During our tea visits, Iroh would tell me stories of dragons and the origin stories of Firebending, and, in return, I shared the stories of the Water Nation and our origin. I enjoyed listening to Iroh’s great accomplishments and was glad that I had found a friend in Iroh.

While my friendship with Iroh grew, I could not say the same about my relationship with Zuko. Three years of the same routine with Zuko had begun to wear the hope in me down. I tried my best to make an effort with Zuko in hopes that we might be able to at least tolerate each other. I gave him cookies every full moon, and I offered information that I read at the shrines regarding the avatar that might help Zuko. I did get a small glimmer of hope when he stopped calling me an informal princess after the first six months of life on the ship. After two years, there was light banter between us that was somewhat jovial, but the banter was more teasing than anything else.

That all changed today when Zuko had met another dead end in his search for the Avatar. Once we arrived back at the boat, Zuko’s anger was palpable as he stalked on to the deck. Iroh’s face was a look of concern as he watched Zuko clench and unclench his fists. I chewed my bottom lip as I slowly walked onto the deck behind Iroh, who shared a concerned look with me. My heart increased its pace in my chest as I opened my mouth to say something to the Prince.

“Zuko—“ I started, but Zuko whipped around on his heel and his golden eyes were bright with rage.

“You don’t get the right to call me Zuko.” He snapped in anger. “You’re a good-for-nothing princess who doesn’t understand her place.” My breath hitched as I prepared myself for whatever else he was about to say. “I can understand why my father wants me to find the Avatar, but I can’t begin to wrap my head around why the hell he wants me to marry you.”

“You’re prancing around this ship like it’s a vacation home. Cooking with the crew, cleaning the decks, and not to mention you’re waterbending during the full moon.“ Keeping my face straight, I felt hurt cloud my heart as Zuko spoke his next words with so much hate. “You make cookies to compensate for what you lack as a person. You’re a pathetic excuse for a princess, and I hate that you’re my betrothed.”

Zuko was breathing heavily as he finished his rant, and I swallowed the lump in my throat in a pathetic excuse to calm the tears forming in my eyes. Silence fell upon the entire boat as I composed myself. Part of me wanted to scream at him that he wasn’t the only one suffering here. A tiny part of me wanted to wrap him in a cocoon of ice and then walk away. Another part of me wanted to hug him because I could see he was frustrated, and I was the only person who he was set on taking his anger upon.

I did none of those things as I shook my head and walked away. His words cut me deep, but I refused to let him see the tears that silently fell from my eyes as I made haste to my bedroom. Once behind the security of the closed door, I let the tsunami wave of tears flow as I cried into my pillow.

After a few hours of crying, I lay in bed and I stared at the ceiling. My eyes were no doubt red and puffy from the amount of crying I had done. Though my eyes burned, I could not tempt my body into a thoughtless slumber. So, instead of sleeping, I got up from bed and lit the oil lamp on my desk. I grabbed some blank pieces of paper and a pencil then began doing the one thing that would distract me the most right now: draw.

Tag List @chevysstuffs @puttyly @ginger24880 @night-fall-moon @hypnoticbeing

#avatar imagine #zuko imagine #zuko x reader #avatar the last airbender #prince zuko #destined to be yin and yang

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shanastoryteller · 9 months

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Happy pride!! ATLA or Harry Potter? 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈

Zuko knows he's supposed to be surly and bitter about changing schools halfway through high school, but mostly he's so relieved to be on the opposite side of the country as his father that there's no room for any other emotion.

Besides, Azula is surly enough for the both of them.

"You're just starting, lots of people are coming from different places, so they won't all know each other either," he says.

Uncle had started getting that twitch in his eye that bode poorly for their tea pot. Zuko didn't get it, personally. Uncle has always dealt with Zuko's moods with nothing but cheerfulness, but Azula's always put him on edge.

"I don't know why we had to move," she says, laying on her bed and refusing to look at him. "You've already been living with Uncle for years. I shouldn't be here. Father doesn't hate me like he hates you. You should be here alone."

On second thought, it's probably because Azula takes after their father more than either he or Uncle would like, and he's never had much patience for Ozai.

He ignores it, just like he's been ignoring her jibes for years. She thinks she understands the depths of their father's cruelty.

She doesn't know the half of it and he's not going to be the one tell her. She's still his little sister. Protecting her is his responsibility.

"Ty Lee and Mai can visit over the holiday break," he continues. "That's only a couple months away. I'll bet you'll have a ton of new friends by then. You can introduce them."

She curls up on herself and he resists the urge to reach for her, knowing she'll just shrug him off. Azula is charming in the short term and intimidating in the long term and neither of those things lend themselves to making friends worth keeping. Mai and Ty Lee were the only real friends she had, everyone else just being tolerable to amusing. "Whatever. What do you know anyway? You already have a friend at this school."

"I don't know if I'd describe him as a friend," he says, somewhat dreading tomorrow if only because he'd let himself get roped into meeting him at some diner. There are still a couple weeks left of summer and apparently he's not allowed to spend it on his own.

Azula scoffs. "How else would you describe someone after getting lost in the wilderness for two weeks with them, fighting a bear, and rescuing an entire missing hiking group together?"

He'd told Uncle that camping was a bad idea.

"I do my best not to describe him at all," he says honestly.

He's the weirdest person Zuko's ever met, but he supposes being raised by a monk will do that to a kid.

Zuko is really hoping Aang has mellowed out over the past year, but the number of exclamation points he includes in his text messages bodes very poorly on that front.

#prompt answers #prompts are closed #asks #girlnic #atla

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sufferingsokkatash · 3 months

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THAT famous zukka hug in the atla north and south comic : an essay you did not need, by me.

i was thinking about how, in writing, there should be no accidents or coincidences in how and why something is described, or the detail the writer chooses to use. for example, zuko tapping his hand on his desk would be used to show that he is impatient or anxious about something.

so THEN i decided to apply this to the zukka hug, because why not be delulu about these things idk.

first of all, here are the zukka hug pages for context:

disclaimer: i don’t really know how the fandom feels about the comics. personally i like them, so i will proceed with that bias in mind. also please take this with the humour that is intended, it’s more fun that way.

i go down a sabre tooth moose lion hole below the cut.

this whole scene to me is largely what we all love about atla - humour and good characterisation combined with serious subject matter. king kuei and bosco are the comic relief and oblivious party in the face of quite a complicated issue, as zuko himself acknowledges. this humour then extends to kuei offering zuko the chance to join in on his hug with bosco, which zuko politely refuses. obviously, there is the clear issue of zuko being afraid of being eaten by a bear, but we’ll pretend that ernest hemingway is grading our papers here, okay.

it is a very deliberate writing choice and contrast to have zuko refuse hugs from one person/animal and then immediately and happily accept one from sokka. (see also: sokka running excitedly with a big grin on his face at the bottom of page 17 to greet them, naming zuko first, but remembering that he is a good ambassador to the swt and using their proper titles despite his excitement. more silliness mixed with seriousness. see also, also: HE RAAAAAN!) zuko may be touch averse and not a huggy person, but screw that when it’s sokka who’s offering the hug.

remember there are no accidents in good writing. kuei happily says: hello friends! to which, in both that panel and the next, he is clearly ignored. sokka and zuko are so absorbed in hugging each other that sokka neglects his duties in welcoming them both properly. zuko : 2 swt ambassador role: 0. also ignored is the fact that kuei brought his bear, which would normally be subject to some kind of smartass comment from our boomerang boi, even if he knows he’s obsessed with his pet from the ba sing se episodes.

this could be an actual mistake, but sokka ran towards zuko, who was standing in front of kuei. but in the hug panel, sokka is between them. that means kuei walked all the way around them trying to get their attention, and it still didn’t work. sokka, nor zuko, say a further word to kuei. like exactly how much tunnel vision is there in this, my goddddd.

bosco is protecting kuei and sokka is protecting zuko. could be why they mirrored them and their positions in the hug panel, so not a mistake. a swt person says: protecting foreigners, sokka?! but that is exactly what he does by ignoring the protesters and telling zuko not to worry about them. despite wanting to do his duty to everyone sokka puts zuko first, basically, and doesn’t care about what they all think of him. that’s kind of huge for sokka.

yes, hakoda is injured at this time and yes he’s proud of sokka, but surely as chief he would have gone to meet the earth king and firelord? why did the writers go to so much effort making sure that sokka was there to meet zuko and have them hugging take up a third of an entire page when printing and space in the comics is such a consideration? it is clearly important, y’all.

their faces when they see each other. sokka can’t stop grinning and zuko closes his eyes in relief he’s so happy. enough said.

sokka says: thanks so much for coming! like he doesn’t already know zuko would travel the world just to make him happy or help in what’s important to him. have you forgotten boiling rock, sokka? because that dude you’re wrapped around, acting like he’s been starved of you, sure hasn’t.

this comic is all about nations coming together and traditions being upheld and shared. in other words, marry him sokka. it is in your diplomatic interests to do so.

in utterly insane conclusion:

i am always surprised at how much they made the effort in the writing for this one scene. i don’t see the comics as something that tease ships, they aren’t natla. what i do see is two guys who clearly care about each other, almost to the detriment of their roles and responsibilities, and their relationship was worth the effort taken in the writing and artwork to show that. it is super heckin sweet. does this mean i think zukka is canon or could be? no. maybe did i have fun pretending and overanalyzing every detail? yes.

ps in all seriousness, the answer is that this is about my fav boy and how far he has come in his character growth journey - exhibit a from ‘the avatar returns’ episode:

the end, i am getting blocked and going to jail but it’s okay because zukka is my bosco hug.

#zukka #unhinged ramblings #tash goes feral on nonexistent zukka lore #PLEASE YOUR HONOR #i love sokka so much i want to rip things up when i look at him

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akiizayoi4869 · 1 month

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The Southern Raiders

Been meaning to make my own post about this episode for a while now, so here it is. The main thing I hear about this episode is that Aang didn't understand Katara's pain at all but Zuko did. The notion that a genocide survivor doesn't understand another genocide survivor is certainly one hell of a take, and it's very stupid. Are we really going to forget the air nomad genocide?

Aang lost EVERYTHING because of the war. And to make it worse? He feels guilty because he wasn't there to stop it from happening (even though he wouldn't be able to do much since he hadn't mastered the four elements yet) because he ran away from his duties as the avatar. When Aang finds Monk Gyatso's body in the Southern Air Temple episode, he's overcome with so much grief and anger that he triggers the avatar state:

Katara herself even compares what she's been through to what Aang was feeling in this moment by saying "I know how hard it is to lose the people you love! I went through the same thing when I lost my mom." Certainly sounds like two people who understand each other perfectly if you ask me. Also, in the Lost Adventures comics, we're shown that the Fire Nation used a dirty tactic to smoke out any other airbenders that might have escaped from the genocide.

We see how happy Aang was to learn that some airbenders may have survived, only to find out that it was all a lie to capture any remaining survivors. At the end of the comic he looks disappointed and crushed knowing that the possibility that air nomads fell for this trick and were killed as a result.

A lot of people take Katara saying "I knew you wouldn't understand" to Aang as her saying that he doesn't understand her pain, but if you actually look at the context? That's not what she's saying at all. What she means is that she knew that Aang wouldn't understand her need for VENGEANCE. For her desire to kill her mother's killer. Because Aang was taught that revenge isn't the answer. Even though Aang absolutely understands how she felt, something that he says himself:

In both of those moments he felt extreme anger and hatred, both strong negative feelings that would have caused him to lash out and do something that he would regret later on. Who stops him in both cases? Katara. She calms him down (and can I just say that I think it's really poetic that in this specific episode, Aang's words are what calms Katara down in the end, and is why she decided to spare Yohn Rha?) in his moments of rage, something that he's grateful for.

Another argument that I've seen is that Zuko understands her pain more than Aang because he also lost his mother. While I can see why people make this comparison, those are two entirely different situations. Ursa was banished because she protected Zuko from being killed when he was a child. Which means that she's still alive (as we later find out from those horrible comics). Kya, on the other hand, was KILLED because she protected Katara by saying that she was the waterbender that they were looking for. This happened in a genocidal raid by the Fire Nation. Safe to say that Zuko can never understand what that feels like.

Also, it's pretty crazy to me how people can say that Aang was wrong in this episode, when Zuko HIMSELF says that Aang was actually right, and that what Katara needed in the end wasn't revenge. Aang knows Katara a lot better than Zuko does, and he knows that killing the man who killed her mom would have absolutely destroyed Katara because of the kind of person she is. Just like Aang remembering how he killed all of those Fire Nation soldiers in the North Pole while he was in the avatar state and being controlled by his past lives and the ocean spirit caused him to have nightmares and be terrified of what the avatar state can do. Both of them are alike in that regard. The closest thing I can say that Zuko understands about Katara is her anger. Boy spent 3 seasons being angry so he definitely understands that. But other than that? He doesn't understand her, which is to be expected since he just joined them a few episodes ago, and spent a whole year chasing them and trying to capture Aang. So he's just started getting to really know everyone on a personal level. In conclusion, Aang did indeed understand Katara, and his words were exactly what she needed to hear.

#atla #aang #katara #zuko #atla meta #the southern raiders

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likeabxrdinflight · 3 months

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I want to talk more about the way the characters have been adapted for the live action adaptation, because character writing is the thing I care about the most and as a psychologist it's probably the aspect of any story that I'm most invested in. I can get around pretty much any plot contrivance or weird maguffin or even shitty pacing if the characters of a story are engaging enough. This is my bread and butter, so to speak.

And I want to start with Iroh, because I think he is by far the best adapted character from the original. But I suspect I think this for different reasons than other people might, because the beloved Saint Iroh from the animated show this man is not.

See the thing with animated Iroh is that he's just...a bit too perfect. We know he's been complicit in the war in the past. We know he laid siege to Ba Sing Se, we know he had a complicated past. But we never really see it, we only barely hear about it, and more often than not there are other aspects of Iroh's past that serve to further deify him. He was a general in the war, but then he goes on to protect the last dragons and learn the true meaning of firebending. He led a 600-day siege and lost his son but he came out of that experience Enlightened, having journeyed to and from the spirit world. He joins up with the White Lotus (at some point) and becomes the wise old sage we know and love.

Except most of that is revealed in later seasons and is inconsistent with his actions alongside Zuko in season one. Season one animated Iroh is kind of a passive character, largely existing for comic relief and as a support to Zuko. But there's very little to suggest he's disloyal to the Fire Nation or their cause. He says it himself- "I'm no traitor, Zhao!" Now you can certainly interpret that line in several different ways, but I suppose that's the point- there's a lot left up to interpretation with animated Iroh. We get a sense of who he is in relation to Zuko, but his own development largely happens off-screen. And because to Zuko he's a wise, caring uncle and mentor, that's largely how we, the audience, see Iroh. We love him because Zuko loves him. And that's fine for what it is, and clearly it was effective- Uncle Iroh is almost universally beloved. But it does leave a lot of questions about him up in the air.

Live action Iroh is a very different character. This Iroh is a deeply broken man who was been profoundly impacted by the war and what he has lost because of it. I do not get the sense that the loss of Lu Ten has led to any spiritual enlightenment for this Iroh- there's no indication that he can see spirits, for example, or that he has ever traveled to the spirit world himself (he does still oppose the killing the moon thing, though.)

Right out the gate, we get the sense that this Iroh has lost faith in what the Fire Nation is trying to achieve with the war. He explains to Aang fairly early on what the Fire Nation's goal and perspective is, and can rattle off this dogma quite easily. But when questioned by Aang if these beliefs are also his beliefs, he dodges them rather un-deftly. So you know immediately that this Iroh doesn't really support the war. Later you see him somewhat bluntly telling Zuko that the throne may not be all it's cracked up to be, and he's fairly openly critical of Ozai in other moments. So you know from the jump that Iroh's not really on Team Fire Nation.

And yet this is also not a truly repentant man. When he is captured in Omashu, Iroh gets another brief scene with Aang while they are both imprisoned there (this is before Aang meets with Bumi). And in this scene, Aang tries to convince Iroh to help Zuko stop being The Bad Guy. And Iroh defends Zuko to Aang and stresses the point that it is not Zuko who owes him any great debt, but he who owes Zuko. Later, when he is confronted (and hit several times) by an Earth Kingdom soldier who lost his brother during the siege, Iroh does not apologize. He does not flinch at the man's accusations, nor does he deny them. He defends himself, albeit weakly, by stating he was a soldier, and it was a war. He has the audacity to accuse this soldier (somewhat obliquely) of having been made dishonorable by the effects of war. It's kinda messed up, honestly.

But then this man accuses Iroh of knowing nothing of loss. He leaves the shot, and we saw Iroh's face just crumble, and the scene cuts directly to Lu Ten's funeral, where Zuko chooses to sit with his uncle and support him through what must have been the darkest moment of his life. Back in the present, it is only later, after Zuko has come to rescue Iroh, that he speaks more honestly to the Earth Kingdom soldier- he shows mercy and states that they've all "seen enough death."

So what we have here is an Iroh who is deeply disenchanted by the war and does not support it or the goals of the Fire Nation, but who has continued to stand alongside Zuko and support him in his goals. We have a man who doesn't necessarily regret his actions as a soldier in the war but who very much does regret what those actions have cost. We see a man who is profoundly impacted by loss and grief and has become emotionally reliant on his nephew as a source of support. Not that he's parentifying Zuko or anything, he's very much not, but he is rather obviously channeling all the love he once felt for his son into Zuko instead. Zuko is his lifeline, he needs Zuko and you get the sense that without him, Iroh would truly fall apart. I mean the man is on the verge of tears more often than not when Zuko is in even the slightest bit of danger in a way that animated Iroh was not.

This is what I think is different here. Animated Iroh seemed to turn against the war because it was morally wrong, it had thrown the world out of balance, and imperialism is bad. Live action Iroh seems against the war because it wasn't worth it. It wasn't worth the cost, or the death, or the grief. He couldn't see that until he lost Lu Ten, but now he sees it everywhere. I get the sense that this Iroh just wants it all to stop, and I'm not sure he cares how that happens.

The White Lotus is definitely hinted at, but I suspect that was his motivation for joining it. It's not about restoring balance to the world for this Iroh. It's about restoring peace, so that he won't have to lose Zuko like he lost Lu Ten. So that the death and destruction stops. So he can just live a quiet life and put the past behind him.

It's a different take. And it's not that he doesn't still have a lot of wisdom to him, that he's not still a gentle, caring person. But he's a much sadder person, and he's lost that sense of "enlightenment" that his animated counterpart had. There's a selfishness you can read into to this version of his character that's much more apparent than the animated version.

I think a lot of people are gonna hate this, because it's a darker take on a much loved character. But I love it. This Iroh is human, this Iroh is flawed, and this Iroh has a lot more growing left to do. And that's awesome. If we get to actually see more of a character arc for him too, if we get to see him also growing and changing alongside Zuko? Please. It's not like he needs a total redemption arc, per se, but if in his journey with Zuko throughout the Earth Kingdom we can see Iroh gain some of his fortitude back, we can see when he decides he needs to push Zuko down a certain path, to take a side in the war, to see that it's not just the death and destruction that makes it wrong? God there's so much potential with that.

Now, maybe this isn't what will happen with seasons two and three. Maybe they'll back track and try to make him more similar to the animated version. I don't know. But for now? Live action Iroh is fantastic, and Paul Sun-Hyung Lee is giving a hell of a performance. He's warm and tender when he needs to be, fierce when he has to, and just profoundly sad throughout it all. And I love him so much more for that.

I'll be controversial here and say it. So far, live action Iroh is a better character than animated Iroh.

#I never disliked animated Iroh to be clear but perfect can be boring #this Iroh is not perfect and that is so much more interesting to me #natla spoilers #natla #iroh

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weepingchronicles · 2 months

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yan!azula (atla) getting back reader 🙏🏻 (headcanons, or one shot please!)

yandere azula x airbender reader (part 2) platonic or romantic tw/cw: yandere, choking, death threats, verbal abuse, possessive behavior a/n: erm guys.. it's getting kinda scary 😰 😰 (part 1)

being with aang and the others was unlike anything you've ever experienced.

when you first met everyone you were scared- but they all welcomed you with open arms. katara emphasized with you, having her mother also die at the hands of the fire nation. sokka tried to flirt with you, which you were oblivious to, until aang and katara told him to knock it off. after that, you became like katara to him, like a younger sibling who'd he protect.

you were so naive to the world, never stepping foot outside of the fire nation before.

when aang had told you his story, how he was in a iceberg for 100 years and was the avatar, but more importantly one of the last airbenders- you could hardly believe it.

the more the gang told you their stories, the clear it became that the fire nation had took away your parents, your culture and your freedom. you knew azula was evil, but you still believed you had no other choice but follow her.

you told aang that you had no airbending ability, you thought you'd be discarded away, just for being useless

but aang did no such thing, just offering a smile and saying he's just glad he has someone from home.

and you did feel at home.

You woke up to shaking, and your eyes immediately lit up. For a minute, you were back in the palace. Azula waking you up so she could sleep beside you. It was when we were in our younger years and Azula would wake you up at odd hours of night, slipping with you under your blanket. You assumed it was because she had nightmares, you did too, but you never dared ask her about it, fearing you'd end up with a scar like Zuko's.

You woke up from your flashbacks and took in to the actual scene in front of you. It's Aang.

"What's wrong?" "It's someone. They're following, come on, we need to get onto Appa."

You all pack your sleeping bags and ride on Appa. It's still the middle of the night, and the cooling wind blowing past your hair is not making your exhaustion any better.

Finally you all spot a place to settle down, it's in a middle of a forest which will be hard for anyone to navigate through

You lay out your tents and sleeping bags again to finally rest. You find yourself somewhat missing Azula, when she would be nice for once and fall asleep beside each other until morning. You push back those thoughts, remembering how she treated you. If she really cared she'd let you go and be happy.

With all these thoughts swirling in your head, you don't notice yourself start falling asleep.

You feel a hand on your mouth causing you to snap your eyes open. There she is, Azula. It's only been a week and she's already found you. Your eyes look to where the rest of the gang were sleeping but instead they're gone!

"Aw, don't look so surprised. You really thought I wouldn't go looking for my favorite pet?" The nickname made you cringe and Azula removes her hand from over your mouth, but both her knees restrain your arms to the ground.

"Where's Aang, Katara and Sokka!?" You spit out, but you instantly regret when you see Azula's sly smirk turn to an expression of jealous rage.

"Really? I could kill you right now but you're more worried about your friends!?" Before you could reply, her hand slapped over your neck, squeezing around your throat. Perfect manicured nails dug into your flesh, practically leaching the breath you had left in your lungs out of you. Azula's eyes leaked of fiery rage, pure fuel and the truth is you've never seen her like this. She's dangerous, more dangerous than ever before but she is not as calculated. You knew that Mai and Ty Lee couldn't defeat the Avatar on their own so she must know that, but instead she came for you.

Still, your heart ached for your friends, the only true ones you've made all your life. You yourself felt a fire deep inside you, not as fiery as Azula's, but it was ignited when you first met Aang.

"Please.. don't hurt them." was all you could manage out before you start turning purple. Azula's face turned shocked, like she couldn't believe you care more about your friends than her. She dropped her claw-like grip on your throat, you let out a gasp of air before rolling to your side and coughing.

While you were coughing, Azula let go of your arms and stood. "(Y/N), they don't truly care for you. At least not like I do, look at what I have done for you! You really think a pesky water tribe girl, a non-bender and a 12 year old Avatar really care for you? Tell me, do you really think the Avatar would save you if you weren't from the Air Nation?"

You were on your side, refusing Azula to see your face. Was she right? It's true that Aang came for me because we are both air but Aang is a good person! He would definitely rescue me even if I were someone else.. right?

You felt Azula's hand cup your cheek and turn your gaze towards her. Her eyes now are half-lidded and the fire was just warmth now.

"(Y/N), please, come home now and we can forget about this. This is silly." She tucked a piece of hair away from your face, which would have been loving but all it made you feel was owned. Like you were a pet, something to leash and expect obedience from. You wanted to show her you were nothing like her, and she did not own you.

Without even thinking you smack her hand away, a surge of strength powering you as you stand up. You moved to shove away Azula but as you did so, a gust of wind flew her back more than 8 feet away from you.

What?

You look down at your hands and back at Azula wobblily getting up, pure shock but also confusion on her face.

You turn around, hearing a familiar girls voice calling you.

"Katara!" You yell, running back to her. "Come on, we have to go! This girl somehow took away my bending." The girl Katara was saying about sounded Ty Lee but you knew you had to get out before Azula fully recovers. You finally made it back with the others and flew away safely on Appa. You look down as fly away, Azula's form getting smaller and smaller by distance. Aang speaks, finally pulling you you of your daze.

"(Y/N), are you okay? How did you manage to fight off Azula?"

"I.. I don't know." The group looks at you with confusion but you're more confused than they are.

You were safe from Azula for now but you knew she'd be back for the Avatar, especially now since he wasn't the only Airbender..

And that's a wrap! Sorry it took so long, I got really busy and I couldn't figure out an ending I liked. Comment or request whether you'd like reader to fully escape Azula or not, or something completely different!

#platonic yandere #yandere headcanons #yandere x reader #yandere #avatar the last airbender #yandere atla #yandere azula #yandere avatar the last airbender #princess azula #atla azula

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mangekyuou · 5 months

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hi zuko !!! may i have familial headcanons for the monster trio with a little brother figure that wants to follow in their footsteps (wants to be a pirate, a swordsman, a chef) ? like how they'd treat him, what they feel about him, et cetera... ! thank u if u do take on this request n i hope u have a good day <3

★ WITH A LITTLE BROTHER FIGURE WHO WANTS TO BE LIKE THEM! headcanons ★

── featuring. luffy. zoro. sanji.

── cw. m!reader. no pronouns used. familial pairings. implied younger reader. slight marineford and whole cake island spoilers. mentions of getting injured. me rambling again. not proofread.

── notepad. i just think each of them would make such great older brothers, even though some are more reckless than others.

★ MONKEY D. LUFFY ★

── now the idea of having a younger brother has never really crossed his mind. he has always been among the youngest in his family

── but when you come along, seemingly out of nowhere, he’s so excited. but when you express that you too want to be a pirate, he’s ecstatic, he’s quite literally over the moon

── since you want to be a pirate like him he’s going to take you along with him and you’re going to be the first straw hat. how did the two of you even manage to make it out alive, no one knows

── luffy is the bad influence brother. he’s going to have you jumping right into the face of danger with no regard for safety whatsoever

── safety is not in his vocabulary

── luffy feels the need to be the cooler older brother to you in the way that ace and sabo were to him so that you can keep respecting him and thinking he’s the coolest big brother ever

── your opinion of him matters much more than you would think. if he ever found out you didn’t think he was cool anymore, he would burst into tears

── he knows you can handle your own and he would never get in your way. however, he can be a bit protective of you and is prone to worrying about you. if you disappear for even more than five seconds in a battle, he starts to get anxious

── he’s already lost one brother, and he is terrified to lose another one

★ RORONOA ZORO ★

── zoro doesn’t have any siblings [ that we know of ] so he didn’t really have someone to show him how to be a brother. there are a million other people out there he could easily be your older brother figure, why in the world would even consider him, he thinks to himself

── when you approach him and say that you want to follow in his footsteps and be a swordsman, he supports you

── he saw a bit of himself in you. it was like looking in a mirror at his younger self

── he becomes your first teacher and a very harsh one at that. maybe a bit too harsh sometimes

── he struggles at being soft with his words and comforting you. he gives you his critiques and they end up sounding just like insults. you were starting to lose not only your confidence but also your interest. could you really even be a swordsman if you couldn’t even do this simple move without falling over and almost hurting yourself?

── your insecurities become too much when you almost get yourself killed trying to use a sword in battle after zoro told you that you weren’t ready.

── he never lost his cool with you. but that day, he did. as he was yelling at you, it was all too much and you just ran and hid in the library on the sunny. while talking with robin, he realized that he shouldn’t have yelled at you, that you were just trying to help out.

── when he found you crying, he felt awful. watching you try to hide your face and wipe away your tears because it was weakness and swordsmen weren’t weak, cut deep. that’s not what he wanted to teach you at all :(

── he apologizes to you and confesses that, he was just scared of losing you. he opens up to you about his past, showing you wado ichimonji, and just how much this sword meant to him. never did he ever want to lose someone close to him again.

── with time and very intense training of his own [ training meaning being threatened by nami that if he ever made you cry again, she’d throw him overboard ], he became a better instructor and older brother to you

★ VINSMOKE SANJI ★

── with his complicated relationship with his brothers, sanji isn’t exactly looking to be someone’s big brother. even when you show up with those curious sparkles in your eyes

── though when you express interest in cooking, he’s more than happy to teach you the ropes to impress the ladies. ladies love a man who cares about their family, don’t they?

── he first teaches you the basics, the essentials, everything you need to know as a beginner, and simple but delicious recipes that you can cook for yourself. when he feels that you’re ready, he will slowly move on to more difficult techniques and recipes

── such as using a knife and cutting things correctly. you may have ended up cutting yourself a few times, it’s a painful part of the process, he tells you as he tends to your cuts and scrapes.

── sometimes the dishes that you worked hard on end up all weird and not at all how you imagined them. or sometimes they just end up burnt, leaving the kitchen with an awful smell

── sanji is just proud of you for not giving up. he admired your determination and independence…though he wishes you would let him help you sometimes. as your big brother that’s part of his job description. and so you wouldn’t dirty up so many dishes

── and as his younger brother, it’s in your job description to help him pick up ladies by making him look like the best older brother ever

── but it never works in the way that he hopes it will. so you just end up getting all the attention for the pretty women while he just sulks because that was supposed to be him

#☆ — MY LOVE MINE ALL MINE.#one piece #one piece x reader #one piece x male reader #x male reader #monkey d. luffy #luffy #luffy x reader #roronoa zoro #zoro #zoro x reader #vinsmoke sanji #sanji #sanji x reader #one piece oneshots #one piece scenarios #one piece imagines #one piece headcanons

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xkaidaxxxx · 3 months

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Pt2 for Zuko x Chubby reader?

Zuko x chubby reader pt.2

Mentions: body shaming, foul language, angst, aggression, lying, fluff

Simple! :) sorry for the errors.

"One day there will be an amazing man who will fall in love with you. He'll love everything about you." Katara said. You smiled and hugged her. "Awe" Aang and Sokka said in unison. You are very fortunate to have wonderful supportive friends. Katara's words came true. Years later. When you dumped Zuko that was the day Zuko and Mai decided to leave. You missed him more than anything. Once the war was over you went back to your parents. People still judged them for taking a water bender into their family.

"Well I'm off mama," you said. You turned to the door and your father was blocking it. "Dad please don't start." he smiled rolling his eyes as he added a blade into your bag. "Just in case y/n. Now run along," he said moving away. Your dad is very protective.

You didn't want to be late for your business. Since you learned how to heal with water bending back in the war you finally found it useful in the fire nation. You saw soldiers at your place. "Excuse me soldiers...is there a problem?" you asked and crossed your arms. They turned to face you. Zuko was right at your door waiting. He thinks he can show up because he's the Fire Lord. You gladly ignored him. Opening up and walking inside. His eyes widened as the door slammed in his face. A little boy giggled. "Your girlfriend is mad at you?" he then gasped realizing Zuko was the fire lord, bowed, and ran off. He walked inside waving off the soldiers. "I'm here to see Y/n." He spoke looking around. You're a doctor. "Zuko get the hell out of here. You can seek help elsewhere." he frowned. After you went separate ways he never forgot about what you did for him. How many sacrifices have you committed? You left your family..your home...You always put him first. " My heart is aching Y/n...ever since the day we went our separate ways. I never lost thought of you. My mind kept replaying how many times you showed me all your love and support. You're the one. It took me a while to know that." he confessed. "Zuko...you're losing your mind. You obviously need to see a therapist." you continued looking at your list of incoming patients. He held your hand, gripping it lightly. He now has your undivided attention. " Y/n I'm in love with you. I need you in my life. I know you still have feelings for me." he said hoping you'd kiss him or hug him. "I don't have feelings for you Zuko. I'm flattered by your confession." you pulled away and started organizing your files. " Then why do you still have the ring I gave you on our 2nd date..and the necklace too." he called you out on it. He's willing to make it up to you even if it takes long. He frowned as you placed the necklace and ring in his hand. "Here I should've given them to you that day," you said with a shakey voice. You did still love him. More than anything. "I love you y/n. why...why did I have to break something I love too much?" those words made you cry. "you..love me Zuko?" he looked up in hope you'd let him back into your life. He nodded. "I..I love you too. Always had. Now give me those back!" you yelled snatching the ring and necklace. He blushed as you put them back on. " I want to meet your parents." you smacked his arm. "way too soon. We need to take things slowly ya know.." your first patient walked in with her lovely daughter. "Hi little one are you ready for your treatment today," you asked as you carried her. Zuko was already thinking about how many kids you'd be willing to have.

Taking things slowly was revoked. Within a month he met your parents and 5 months later you're married and living in the palace. "so..how many kids are you willing to have with me?" he asked as he undressed you for a bath. " When the time is right I'll know," you replied. You already knew the answer to that. 4.Eventually, you had a little boy. He has his Daddy's black hair and his Mommy's pretty dark brown eyes. "Daddy this hard," Akio complained and started crying. "Akio momma said no fire bending yet. wait...where did you get this scroll?" Akio pointed a the wall. Where a portrait of Iroh was placed. "Uncle is yours," Akio said. Zuko carried Akio and sighed. " yes now let us go to momma. She's waiting for us to head into town." Akio giggled excited to attend the festival. Before leaving Zuko looked at the portrait and smiled.

Once you all got to the festival you met up with your friends. " Oh, he's so adorable." Katara said holding out her arms to carry him."Akio this is my best friend Katara." you said. He hid his face in your neck. Sokka chuckled. "Ha, he doesn't like you." Katara smacked him. "Shut up." "Not in front of my son." Zuko scolded her. Katara dedicated herself to getting Akio to call her auntie. Sokka bought a small teddy bear just the right size for Akio. He was too shy to grab it at first from Sokka. "It's yours bud," you said and he grabbed it. "What do we say?" Zuko spoke to him. "Thank yous." Akio said. "Hey, kid. You look a lot like your dad. I'm Aang." "This kid is my son Akio,"Zuko said. He's grateful to Aang but boy can he be so annoying. "Right Akio. Hey!" that sudden loudness made Akio cry. "Dada" "Sshh shh it's okay come here." Zuko took him from you. He's such a daddy boy. All your friends were shocked. A kid does change people. Zuko was more open-minded and a little carefree. He's a good dad and husband. "let's go get sweets not tell momma okay." he whispered to Akio. You knew what he told him because he quickly stopped crying. Sweets. It's Akio's weakness. " we'll be back baby love you." They left. "He looks like such a good dad," Aang commented. Sokka and Katara agreed. "Yes, he is and will be again. I plan on telling him tonight. Although I think he already knows.," you replied.

#fanfiction #fanfic #fire lord zuko #zuko x reader #zuko #prince zuko #aang #katara #sokka #aang the last airbender #the last airbender #waterbending #firebending #earthbending #airbending #avatar the last airbender #princess azula #toph #the gaang

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zuko-always-lies · 28 days

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Unpopular Opinion: Ursa's parenting negatively affected Zuko

One of the fascinating things about the ATLA fandom is that people are utterly uninterested in analyzing how Ursa's parenting really screwed up Zuko, even though it's pretty clear. I don't mean to attack Ursa here, because I think she had good intentions, but, although her parenting was far better than Ozai's, it contributed to Zuko's many poor decisions.

I've given a broader coverage to values Ursa extols to her children elsewhere. The general point you should take away from that is that Ursa was critical in instilling imperialist values in her children and in teaching them to respect/obey the Firelord.

However, that's not the point I will belabor here. I want to turn to something else. Let's take a look closely at the scene where Zuko tries to perform Azula's firebending routine in front of his grandfather and his father but falls flat on his face:

Ozai frowns at this news. Zuko starts off well, doing the same circular motions as Azula earlier. He manages to produce a small fire blast, which does not impress Fire Lord Azulon. When he tries to create another one, he falls. He gets back up, panting heavily, and tries again, only to fall harder. Ursa gets up worriedly and approaches Zuko to comfort him. Young Zuko: I failed. Ursa: No. I loved watching you. That's who you are, Zuko. Someone who keeps fighting even though it's hard.

The lesson that Zuko learns from Ursa here is that his gift is stubborn persistence and that he should never stop trying to meet the toxic expectations of the Fire Nation royal court and of his father(she also might have inadvertently encouraged the Zuko-Azula sibling rivalry).

How do we know this is what Zuko took away from this? These scenes are paired together at the end of "Zuko Alone," as Zuko struggles to defeat Gow:

In the flashback, Zuko is sleeping in his room at night when a hand gently touches his shoulder. He awakens drowsily to see his mother dressed in a cloak.

Young Zuko: … Mom? Ursa: Zuko, please, my love, listen to me. Everything I've done, I've done to protect you. She pulls the barely conscious Zuko into a hug. Ursa: Remember this, Zuko. No matter how things may seem to change, never forget who you are.

and this scene:

Gow: Who ... who are you? Zuko:My name is Zuko. Son of Ursa and Fire Lord Ozai. Prince of the Fire Nation, and heir to the throne. Old man: Liar! I heard of you! You're not a prince, you're an outcast! His own father burned and disowned him!

Zuko took Ursa's advice to never give up and never forget who he was to heart, and as a result even though he's been burned, banished, and declared a traitor, even though he objectively has no real chance of getting his status and Ozai's favor back at this point, Zuko is still trying to do that and refuses to let go of his long-lost position in the Fire Nation as crown prince. The smart thing to do would be to give up and move on, but Zuko refuses to do that.

We can also turn to what Zuko says to Aang in "The Siege of the North, II":

Zuko: I finally have you, but I can't get you home because of this blizzard. [Stands up and looks outside the cave.] There's always something. Not that you would understand. You're like my sister. Everything always came easy to her. She's a firebending prodigy, and everyone adores her. My father says she was born lucky. He says I was lucky to be born. I don't need luck, though. I don't want it. I've always had to struggle and fight and that's made me strong. It's made me who I am.

All of this brings me back to my main point. Ozai might have been the one who burned and banished Zuko, who abused him and declared him a traitor, who demanded that Zuko capture the Avatar, but Ursa is the one who taught Zuko the persistence that made him chase after legends for three years, that made him take reckless risk after reckless risk, that made him continue chasing the Avatar even after Ozai was having him hunted as a traitor across the Earth Kingdom.

The biggest problem in Zuko's life is that he refuses to let go of his dream of regaining Ozai's favor, that he refuses to accept that Ozai doesn't love and move on and find something better to center his life around, and from what we see Ursa played a huge role in this, because she taught Zuko to never give up trying fulfilling the expectations of Ozai and the court, no matter how many times he failed. Ursa wasn't intending ill, but her parenting had a huge negative effect on Zuko's life.

#Ursa #Zuko #Ursa meta #Zuko meta #ATLA #avatar the last airbender #ATLA meta #zuko alone #Fire Nation #Fire imperialism #Fire Nation royal family #Ozai #Ozai's a+ parenting #Ursa's A+ parenting #Azulon #Look I actually wrote something that might have broader approval #wow #we'll see

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five-flavor-soup · 3 months

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I personally think that basing your interpretation of how Ursa treated Azula on Zuko’s memories shown in ‘Zuko Alone’ is kind… incorrect. You can obviously — they’re the only real images of their childhood we get in the cartoon, other than the tiniest of snapshots in sepia — and that’s fine, but for me personally I just don’t think they’re complete enough.

These memories are from Zuko’s perspective. Not Ursa’s, not Azula’s, not Ozai’s or Iroh’s—Zuko’s perspective, his memories. And they’re all about him and Ursa together: every one of these memories have Ursa at their centre. We see her protect him and be kind to him, see her be physically affectionate and gentle, see her encourage him to be kind to himself and to Azula.

They essentially tell us that Zuko is Ursa’s son first, Ozai’s son second. Ozai remains a hovering, intimidating shadow on the sidelines (we still don’t see his face, we don’t see him genuinely interact with his children, and we see him irritating his father while being a very hands-off kinda dad himself) but Ursa is fully present. And ‘Zuko Alone’ is about Zuko trying to figure out who he is: the memories show that he views being his mother’s son as an exceptionally important part of his identity, which means they are about Zuko and his relationship with Ursa alone.

They are not supposed to tell us that Ursa neglected or abused Azula emotionally—that she only focused on protecting Zuko, while leaving Azula to suffer in Ozai’s incapable hands. Sure, we see Ursa scold Zuko for acting like Azula and cuddle him right after, and we see her scold Azula for acting mean and not cuddle her right after, but the key differences here are that Zuko shows guilt after frightening the turtleducks and Azula doubles down on trying to scare Zuko. The behaviour is different and will be, by any halfway decent parent, treated differently.

I’m absolutely not saying that Azula wasn’t abused, because she 100% was. She was absolutely abused by Ozai, and I’m not ruling out that Ursa didn’t have a hand in how Azula ultimately turned out. But my point here is: these memories are far too limited and narrow for the viewer to properly determine whether Azula was treated incorrectly by Ursa.

Zuko isn’t going to remember an intimate, lovely moment between Ursa and Azula when all that’s on his mind is his identity, and how it’s entangled with his mother and what she may have sacrificed for him. Additionally, he’s not particularly fond of Azula at this moment in the show (she did kind of kickstart his being a refugee, disregarding how the audience sees this sequence of events having begun), so he’s not going to remember her fondly either. Why would Zuko try to remember Ursa’s relationship with Azula at that point, instead of his own?

(Small tidbit: we also... don't know if Ursa's last words to Azula were 'what is wrong with that child', disregarding the comics which completely ruin azula anyway. Again, the memories are from Zuko's perspective and therefore won't show any private moments between Ursa and Azula. We're not even certain whether Azulon actually ordered Ozai to kill Zuko, or if that is simply what Azula interpreted it as/thought would be funny to say--causing the sequence of events that ultimately put Ozai on the throne. But whatever)

#fact of the matter is #based on the text itself the 'bad mom ursa' trope is iffy at best and completely unfounded at worst #ozai is VERY MUCH the aggressor of the family here #and ursa (in punishing her children for behaviour ozai would encourage) is trying to undermine him #scolding your kid for being mean isn't abuse actually. that's just parenting #ursa #azula #zuko #ozai #atla #avatar the last airbender #atla meta #azula meta #zuko alone #fire nation royal family #abuse mention

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ozai-the-bonsai · 16 days

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Thank you for answering my Zuko request ask. My request is Zuko x reader, water tribe princess. They have an underwater cave kingdom. Her father chose to follow his ancestors decision to stay in isolation like the other tribes. Her mother was murdered by an earth king assassin or a northern water tribe assassin (Ozai set it up to look like either tribe). They enter an alliance and betroth Zuko and the reader. Ozai wanted access to their underwater passage ways and healers for his army. The two meet before his banishment and seem to like eachother. During his banishment the underwater kingdom is open to him. They make a plan to lure the avatar and put him to sleep during a celebration banquet. Sokka finds the princess beautiful and flirts with her. Zuko has to keep his fire in check when spying on them. During the banquet a fight breaks out, Zuko vs Sokka and Aang. Sokka thinks Zuko is holding the reader hostage. Katara and the reader have a water bender fight before the Gaang escape. “I’m sorry sister of the south, but I have to protect my people so stand aside!” Aang realizes how sad and trapped the nations have gotten.

Pairing: Zuko x Water Tribe Princess!reader

Summary: See request

Word Count: 3.5k

Warnings: I guess implied sex, but nothing explicit

Additional details: Perhaps I didn't really have to give any thought to these details at all but I cannot start writing something out with question marks in my head. So this is how I imagined the underwater cave kingdom to be: the only way into the kingdom is through a special current in the sea. The kingdom resides in the Eastern Sea between the Eastern Airtemple and the Chameleon Bay of the Earth Kingdom. Which means that they control the waterways leading up to Ba Sing Se. Even though it is an underwater cave, the cave itself is not filled with water. I didn't really like the idea of everyone having to somehow breathe underwater all the time and literally live like people in Atlantis, hence I figured the almighty Waterbenders of the tribe have (with the assistance of the Ocean Spirit) found a way to keep the water away from their city. You can imagine it like a huge vein of caves inside a submerged volcano in the sea but without the water filling in the caves. Lastly, everyone is able to breathe normally without any oxygen shortage due to rich underwater plant life (like the algae) and the plankton around the caves, which produce the needed oxygen. Note: I am a computer scientist, not an oceanologist, so there may very well be problems with my construction. If that is the case, I am really sorry!

"Princess, your guest is here."

Your blue eyes found the servant standing at your door through the mirror as you combed your hair. Realising how fast your heartbeat became by the second, you simply nodded at the servant, not uttering any words. It had been quite a while since you had last seen him, all the longing and the daydreaming had left you overmuch excited for his return.

Deep down, you really wished that you were the sole reason for his return to the Eastern Water Tribe; however, you very well knew that he was here for the big day that is tomorrow. For him, duty always came first - even though he did love you with all his heart.

The moment you saw his reflection through the mirror as he entered your chambers, your heart skipped a beat. Slowly, you turned around and stood up, your gaze meeting his. "You are finally here," you muttered, taking big steps towards him. "After all those long months, you are finally here."

As soon as you saw the shift in his amber eyes, you found yourself inside his arms, his lips capturing yours hungrily. The determination had left its place to longing. "I wish we had more time for each other, my love," Prince Zuko whispered in your ear as his warm lips left a trail of kisses down your neck, stealing your next breath. "But you know - we cannot allow distractions."

"I have missed you, Zuko," you spoke as you wrapped your arms around his body; his cold, firebender armour cold against your silver, satin gown.

Prince Zuko and you had been betrothed ever since you two were kids - eleven, to be more precise. At first, it was simply a great way to form an alliance with Fire Lord Ozai in exchange for giving the Fire Navy access to your tribe's underwater passageways and exceptional healers.

Your father, the Chief of the Eastern Water Tribe, had decided to form such an alliance and side with the Fire Nation after your mother was murdered by a Northern Water Tribe assassin.

Originally, the Eastern Water Tribe had lived in isolation, not meddling with the complications of the other Nations. Even during the war, the tribe had stayed neutral for many decades. The only sided act that could be considered had been carried out to help your sister tribes - whenever a Southern or Northern ship was spotted, the men of your tribe would ensure they had a safe and easy ride through the Eastern Sea.

Of course, the way your sisters and brothers from the North repaid the kindness of your tribe had changed everything. That night, as your mother gave her very last breath in the arms of your father, each and every person in your tribe swore to make the North pay for what they had done. Knowing that as the Eastern Wate Tribe alone, you would not stand a chance against the forces of the Northern Water Tribe, your father spent countless nights trying to find a way for your tribe to gain more power.

Then, one day, the proposal from the Fire Lord reached the Royal Chambers of the Eastern Water Tribe.

However, not to lose the upper hand, both your tribe and the Fire Nation had been holding this alliance as a secret - on the surface, it seemed like it was just two nations doing trading and some political business, nothing more. Also, only the Royal Families in both Nations knew about the betrothal.

Even after Zuko's banishment, your tribe left its doors wide open for him and his crew whenever they needed help around the Eastern Sea; they were also granted special access to your tribe's underwater passageways. Moreover, your father, the Chief, agreed to help the Banished Prince - his future son-in-law - on his quest to capture the Avatar.

After hearing the news about the return of The Last Airbender, you contacted Zuko, letting him know that Eastern Water Tribe was ready to help him if he needed any kind of assistance. That was when he came up with a discreet plan, at the end of which he would have his honour back and you would have your Prince back.

"Are the preparations done?" Zuko asked as he stepped back to look into your blue eyes. You nodded as a cunning smile formed on your lips.

With slow movements, you started to take off his armour. "At this time tomorrow, the Avatar will have fallen into his forever slumber," your voice was a mere whisper as you placed the body armour carefully on the ground. Reaching onto your fingertips, you brought your lips to a level with Zuko's ear. "You will have got your honour and your throne back," Zuko shivered slightly as he felt your warm breath licking the skin of his neck. You could hear his breath getting deeper and deeper. "And I will have had my Prince back at my side."

You let your satin gown fall down onto the ground, leaving you completely naked as Zuko's amber eyes darkened with lust and desire.

[Time Skip]

"I have never been to the Eastern Water Tribe before!" the Avatar spoke with much enthusiasm in his voice while you and your father led him and his friends to the Great Hall, where the celebration banquet was going to be held. You yourself were being followed by a Royal Guarding whereas your father had two - ever since the assassination of your mother, you weren't allowed to go anywhere without a Royal Guardian.

Of course, there normally wasn't a Fire Nation Crown Prince under the Royal Armour. Since the helmet of the armour was large enough to cover most of his scar, no one took another look at him.

"We have always preferred living in isolation, you see," your father spoke with a deep voice, his dark blue robe moving with each step. "Not only isolated from the other Nations but from our sister Tribes as well."

Only you could hear the sorrow and anger in his voice when he uttered the words sister Tribes.

Katara, the last waterbender from the Southern Water Tribe, nodded at your father's words. "That is probably why we have never really heard anything about your tribe," she said, then a frown appeared on her face. "But, you haven't been acting neutral during this war, right?"

"Actually, we have." You spoke before your father could take the word. "Just like the North, we don't mess with anyone unless they mess with us. And since no one can find the Easter Water Tribe without having someone from inside, this has worked out quite well for us."

Aang, the Avatar, was frowning too. "At some point, you will have to take action - we all depend on the balance!"

A big, fake smile inhabited your father's lips as you arrived at the Great Hall, which was illuminated by bioluminescent plants hanging from the ceiling, casting an ethereal glow on the cavern walls. "That is why we are holding this feast in your name, young Avatar, to celebrate your return and offer you our support, as the Eastern Water Tribe, while you put an end to this war and restore balance to the world!"

Everyone sitting inside the Great Hall began to applaud upon hearing your father's words. You, too, had a fake smile on your lips as you turned right, only to come face to face with the boy from the Southern Water Tribe - who happened to be Katara's older brother.

"Is there something on my face?" You asked Sokka because of the way he had been staring at you the whole time. Hearing your question caused him to shake himself properly to get rid of the drooling expression on his face.

"No, nothing, it is just a regular face!" Sokka immediately went red after realising what he had said. Dropping your Princess façade for a brief moment, you raised an eyebrow at him, Sokka started to wave his arms in the air. "I didn't mean it that way, I meant you have just your face on your face."

The brow was still arched. "You are not making this any better."

From behind, you heard Katara giggling.

Taking a deep breath, Sokka let his head fall down to his chest, averting your gaze as he spoke. "I was staring at you because of how pretty you are." He muttered quickly, almost as if he didn't want you to understand what he was saying.

A small, professional smile formed on your lips as you placed the side of your index finger under Sokka's chin to lift it up gently so that you could look into his eyes. "I really appreciate the compliment, Sokka from South."

As you all made your way towards the main table, you slowed down your steps on purpose, waiting for Zuko to catch up with you. Taking the hint, the Banished Prince walked a little bit faster. "Keep your fire in check, my love." You whispered, your gaze still fixed on the table in front of you with a big smile inhabiting your lips. "You are steaming, literally."

It was impossible not to feel jealousy radiating off Zuko's body but on top of that, he was indeed producing steam on top of his head with his firebending. He quickly shook himself to get his temper under control.

"I don't like the way he is looking at you," Zuko whispered under his armour, walking you towards your place next to your father. "You should have worn the betrothal necklace I have made for you."

You had to tighten the grip you had on yourself not to giggle, you found it somehow adorable how jealous he was getting. "Nobody knows that I'm engaged, we cannot blow up our cover just yet."

Katara was seated to your left and the Avatar was right next to your father. Sokka, upon seeing that you were headed to the seat next to Katara, decided he wanted to make himself comfortable close to his sister. Zuko clenched his fists.

"That peasant is pushing his luck," Zuko muttered under his breath. "But my patience is not infinite."

As if you have any, you thought to yourself while gathering your icy blue robe neatly before taking your seat.

[Time Skip]

"Is that a betrothal necklace?" You asked Katara while waiting for the dessert to be served. "Who is the lucky boy?"

The young waterbender's right hand went immediately to her neck as she shook her head while giggling. "Oh no, you have got it wrong - I am not ready for something like that, yet." She corrected the situation. Then, sadness fell onto her blue eyes. "I got this from my mother, who got it from my grandmother." Katara turned her gaze away. "This necklace is the only thing I have left of her."

Understanding the meaning behind her words, your expression softened immediately, empathy inhabiting your eyes. "I am so sorry, Katara." You spoke with a low voice as you placed your left hand on top of her right one in a sisterly manner.

"Thank you," Katara spoke with a low voice as well. "She died when I was little, during a Fire Nation raid."

Giving her hand a gentle squeeze, you pulled yours back. "I can understand how you feel." You said, your words causing the young waterbender to look into your eyes. "I lost my mother, too."

Before you two could share more about both your pasts, the Avatar came flying on an airball. "Hey, Katara, you should check this out!" Aang called at the waterbender. "I have met an incredible Waterbeding Master!"

The moment she heard Aang's words, Katara's eyes were highlighted. "Please, excuse me, I need to go with Aang."

As soon as his sister was gone, Sokka quickly slid onto her seat to be right next to you. "So, uh you enjoying this banquet?" He asked, trying to sound casual.

"It is just another feast for me" You responded with a smile as the servants brought the dessert. "But, how about you? How are you finding the Eastern Water Tribe so far?"

"It's... different," Sokka admitted, glancing around. "I mean, it's not every day you visit an underwater kingdom, am I right?" He chuckled nervously, making you laugh as well.

Upon seeing that the dessert was finally served, Sokka quickly stuffed some into his mouth, swallowed the piece probably as a whole, wiped his mouth smoothly with the blue napkin and turned to look at you once again, acting like the awkward stuffing moment hadn't even happened. "It seems like we will be sticking around longer than just a night."

Looking at where he pointed his head, you raised an eyebrow upon seeing that Katara and Aang were practising some basic waterbending moves with one of the masters' in your tribe. "Oh," you muttered as you turned back to Sokka. "I didn't know the Avatar was looking for a Waterbending Master."

Sokka nodded at you while leaning in a little bit closer. Once again, you could feel the jealousy radiating off Zuko's body. "He needs to master all four elements so that he can face and defeat the Fire Lord. Water is the next in line."

"I see," you said, your arms crossed over your chest. "In that case, you indeed need to stay a little bit longer than intended."

As if the Avatar will be leaving this place any time soon - once we put him into his eternal slumber, Eastern Watertribe will become his forever home.

"Since I won't be practising any waterbending for obvious reasons, would you be interested in, maybe, hanging out?" Sokka asked you, it felt like he had to use all the courage he could gather. "Or do an activity together?"

For a brief moment, you put your princess façade down without even noticing. "Shouldn't you have waited for the third date for that?" You put your hands over your mouth upon realising what you said. After the short, awkward silence, you and Sokka both burst into laughter.

Sokka's eyes wandered to your neck for a second. "You don't have a betrothal necklace?" He asked, kind of surprised. You needed a moment to remind yourself that nobody knew about Zuko; then, you shook your head.

The image of Zuko clenching his jaw and fists appeared in front of your eyes - even though you couldn't see him for he was standing behind you, it was quite easy to imagine how he looked like at the present moment.

"Well, who knows - maybe you will get one before we leave the Eastern Water Tribe." Sokka spoke, his voice flirtatious.

"That's enough!"

Before you could grasp Sokka's words, you saw a fire blast flying in his direction. The next thing you knew, Aang was standing between a frightened Sokka lying on the floor and a furious (and jealous) Zuko throwing away his helmet. The Airbender used his glider to dodge the flames and save his friend from getting burnt.

"Zuko?!" Aang shouted in a confused way. "What are you doing here?"

The Banished Prince held you from your upper arm and made you stand by his side. "Zuko, you're hurting me!" You tried to keep your voice as low as you could. Upon hearing you, he loosened his hold on you.

"Sorry, love, I didn't mean to hurt you," he whispered.

"There is a Fire Nation spy in the middle of your celebration and nobody is going crazy?!" Sokka asked in the circle as the noise in the background dimmed down. You realised how Sokka's eyes wandered from Zuko's hand holding you from your arm to your blue eyes which shined with fear. Of course, it wasn't for the reasons Sokka thought - you were afraid that your plan was about to fail.

"He is holding the Princess hostage!"

Without giving you any time to react, Sokka threw his boomerang right at Zuko, who ducked to avoid the boomerang, making you duck with himself. The next moment, you saw fire and air blasts clashing at each other, causing a giant explosion that threw both Aang and Zuko off of their feet.

Taking the opportunity, Sokka ran towards you. "Come on, follow me, there isn't much time!" He told you as he tried to drag you behind him but you forcefully shook your arms free from his hold.

"Let me go, Sokka." You spoke with a dangerous voice, which caused Sokka to take a step back rather clumsily. His blue eyes were wide with shock.

"You..." He stuttered while pointing behind your shoulder. "You are with him?"

The moment you heard Zuko's voice coming from behind you, a smirk formed on your lips. "Yes, you peasant - she is with me." He wrapped his arm around your waist. "For the record, she does have a betrothal necklace."

You chuckled at his words. "The Crown Prince of the Fire Nation craved it himself!"

Sokka's jaw dropped - if it could go any lower, it would hit the ground.

Upon realising that Aang was getting ready to take off, your father's deep voice filled the Great Hall. "Guards, do not let the Avatar escape!"

You knew the fear and betrayal falling into Aang's big, grey eyes had to make you feel guilty at some point, but it really didn't. Using the water from the cups next to you, you froze Sokka's feet to the ground while Zuko went after the Avatar, followed by the guards.

"Be careful!" You shouted, mostly for the guards to hear. "We need him alive!"

The water whip hitting you from behind left you screaming in pain as you quickly turned back, only to see the rage inhabiting Katara's pretty face. She was using the water from the waterfall that adorned the Great Hall.

"Why?" She asked as she generated ice spikes and threw them in your direction, one by one. "Why are you siding with the Fire Nation?" Using the waterfall as she did, you created a wall of ice with a swift movement of your hand. All the spikes Katara sent crashed into the wall, either falling onto the ground or getting stuck in the wall. "After everything they have done to our families?"

"Our families?" You asked while sending the ice wall at a breakneck speed. "It is funny how you so readily assumed that I was scarred by Fire Nation as if they are the only villains in this story!"

Katara turned the ice wall into a pile of water, created a huge wave out of it and tried to wash you over with it - only for you to part the wave in two with your hands. "I don't understand."

The water from the wave started to elevate in single drops, which then froze. "My mother was murdered by an assassin from the Northern Water Tribe." You spoke with a venom-like voice as the ice drops turned into ice bullets. Katara pulled more water from the waterfall.

"It... It cannot be. The North wouldn't do that! No one from the Water Tribes would do such a thing!"

You let out a condescending laughter as you made the ice bullets rotate around their own axis. "You are still so naive, Katara." Taking a deep breath, you took your offensive stance. "I am sorry, sister from the South, but I have to protect my people from the likes that have taken my mother away from me - so stand aside!"

However, before you could launch your attack on Katara, a boomerang hit the back of your head, knocking you out and sending you into a relatively long slumber.

"Sokka, Aang!" Katara yelled in joy as the boys caught up with her. "How did you manage to get away from the guards?"

"Hop on, there is no time to waste!" Aang was flying his glider with Sokka hanging from his leg. Taking the boomerang, Katara wrapped her arms around Sokka's body as the Airbender flew them clumsily towards the gate from which they had come in the first place.

"Aang kind of crushed the cave right on top of their heads," Sokka replied to Katara's question after getting off the glider. "Anyways, do you think you guys can get us to the surface?"

Katara nodded at her brother. "Sure, I guess we could just reverse what the Royal Guard was doing while he took us down here." Realising that Aang was calmer than usual, Katara laid her hand on his shoulder. "Aang, is everything alright?"

The young Avatar shook his head. "I have never truly realised how trapped the Nations became through the war," he spoke, his sadness dripping from his voice. "We... We used to live for balance and for happiness; not for one's selfish interests and desire for revenge."

"You are not alone this time, buddy," Sokka said as he patted Aang gently on the back. "I couldn't have imagined how... corrupt this whole Tribe has become." He put on a giant, but fake, smile. "I am sure it will be nothing like this stink-hole in the North Pole!"

Taglist: @annonymatic @yoongiesstar @lost-inthe-v0id @lokigodofmyheart @4l3x1s @potato87123 @asciendo @angelruinz @unamused-boss @junieshohoho @yourlivewire @itszzmoon @coolgirl458 @vyliie @6000-fandoms @aerikim246 @mymummydustxx @xenop0p @saikikusouswife @marsbars09 @stell404 (I took everyone from my taglist from Cry for the Moon because of zuko x reader, I hope that is alright for you! If not, I am sorry for the inconvenienc :/ )

#zuko x reader #zuko #avatar the last airbender #prince zuko #atla zuko #zuko x oc #sokka #katara #aang #water tribe #zuko x waterbender

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zukosdualdao · 1 month

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something that gets to me a lot when people suggest iroh was wrong for not intervening during the agni kai is like... can we just think through what would have happened if he'd tried?

before i say this, i want to also say that intervening in abuse in real life is also a difficult, complicated, and often inaccessible process. that doesn't mean people shouldn't try or that i think it's right things are that way - but there are legal parameters to what one is allowed to do in a situation where they witness or suspect abuse, particularly for things that are not universally recognized as inappropriate and abusive behaviors.

with that in mind:

the agni kai is a culturally sanctioned, violent, ritualistic duel. that doesn't make what ozai does right, of course, but it does make intervening that much harder. ozai was pretty obviously breaking the acceptable terms of an agni kai (because we may not know all the rules, but even if it's not an official standard, attacking a surrendering opponent is pretty much universally recognized as bad form. evidence that this is also true in-universe is that azula deliberately uses this cultural value to her advantage by faking her surrender when fighting iroh, zuko, and the gaang so that they'll stop attacking and she can strike iroh in bitter work. edit: i misspoke, this was the chase. whoops!) therefore, one could argue that someone (such as iroh) would have been in the bounds of their rights to step in during the agni kai. and i agree! he absolutely would have been, at least morally. but legally, he is living under the imperalist rule of his brother, so... acting like it's so simple ignores the power imbalance not just between zuko and ozai, but iroh and ozai at this stage of their lives.

sure, iroh was once next in line to be firelord, but that hasn't been true in a few years by this point, and ozai is now the absolute monarch of their nation. iroh can't appeal to a higher authority or report the danger zuko is in because ozai is the highest authority in their nation, and he's the one posing a danger to zuko.

some might argue, then, that iroh should have physically intervened, but again, i think it's important we consider context. because again - ozai is the absolute authority of the fire nation at this point. defying him in this way would be treason, and ozai has plenty of guards and other military officers under his rule that could fight iroh for him, even if ozai didn't deign to do it himself.

iroh is a powerful bender and a good fighter, but he's one man and unlikely to be able to gain the upper hand in a fight where he's so clearly outnumbered by people loyal to the regime, which ozai currently leads. the most likely results of iroh's potential intervention, in my opinion, would have been his getting arrested or killed, and zuko still getting burned and banished, only now without iroh coming along to look out for him. if he had tried to physically intervene, it would have been on the frankly very slim chance that he could have somehow managed to fight off ozai/guards/military officers, remove zuko from the situation, and safely get himself and zuko out of the palace...

and, in the wise words of iroh himself, then what? they wouldn't have the (already somewhat meager, compared to zhao's or azula's) resources they have in book one, yet they absolutely could not stay on fire nation soil at that point. maybe they could have figured something out??? like, i don't know how. (the part of my brain that likes thinking up aus and then never writing them imagines maybe he contacted the white lotus and hid out until they came, but i digress.)

but again, there's nothing iroh could have done in this situation that wouldn't have been risking not only his own, but zuko's safety. zuko's safety was already compromised in the agni kai, of course, but iroh maintaining his own safety meant he would be available to try and protect zuko in the long-term.

none of this means that i don't think iroh felt ashamed and guilty about his inaction (he quite obviously did, based on the way he recounts the story and how he "looked away" in the storm.) and i also don't think it would be totally unsympathetic or wrong for zuko to have some amount of resentment for it, either (i think this is less based in canon, but i've seen it in fics - where they otherwise clearly have a largely positive relationship - and i think it can be done well and add to the dynamic in an interesting and meaningful way.) it's obviously awful that this was done to zuko. but the nature of abuse is that it can often leave people, both the victims and the witnesses, with very few, if any, good choices. and that's tragic, but the onus of that tragedy will always be on the abuser - in this case, on ozai.

#abuse //#fandom critical #ig #ask to tag //#zuko & iroh #zuko #iroh #ozai #atla meta #my meta #also a note that i'm not saying iroh necessarily thought it through so deeply. i'm not Not saying it like i think he would obviously be #aware of the risks #but just. i think acting like it's simple does a disservice to the story

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