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comradekatara · 4 months

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what's up hakoda with in the modern au? also anything on yue would be appreciated ^·^

okay so hakoda basically disappears from their lives at the same point as he leaves in canon. and he’s like “you can’t be upset, sokka, you have to hold it together because you’re the Man of the house now and it’s your job to take care of your little sister” (which of course, sokka takes very seriously. perhaps too seriously considering he lives in a suburb) and “you can’t be upset katara, you have to soldier through this heroically and bravely because you are so strong” (which only somewhat calms her down. because she’s a child, and her mom died in front of her like a year ago). and then he’s gone. for years they have no clue where he went or whether he’s even alive.

and then. he inexplicably returns once they’re both in high school. sokka is just a few months away from graduating. and suddenly a man they barely remember is standing in their doorway. sokka is elated. it’s his dad!!! his dad came back!!! he fully thought his dad had killed himself. he wouldn’t have even resented him if he had. he also tried wanted contemplated suicide after yue died. and if hakoda loved kya even half as much as sokka loved yue, he gets it. like, he wasn’t very pleasant to be around after kya’s death anyway. he was sullen and irritable and distracted. but now he’s back! and he seems really happy to see his kids again. and sokka is equally overjoyed to see him, because he was gone, and now he’s not.

katara is less enthused. why is he back?? where even was he??? is sokka just not going to acknowledge how fucked up it was that he disappeared for years???? normally sokka is a miserable little hater, why is he acting like a fool??? they have dinner, the four of them (kanna is also there), and katara is snippy the entire time. “you know sokka got a full ride to princeton. no thanks to you.” “can you pass the beans?” “why? do you feel like the beans abandoned you????”

hakoda’s not an idiot. he certainly anticipated this possibility. so he pulls katara aside and tells her what happened. after kya was murdered, her killer went to trial. katara was technically the only eyewitness, but she was way too young and traumatized to testify, so hakoda testified for her. and then, a couple years later, he escaped from prison. and tried to kill hakoda. it was a very near miss. and then, he effectively disappeared off the face of the earth. hakoda was put in witness protection. he figured that he should take his kids with him, since they wouldn’t be safe, but since he hadn’t come for them, the authorities assured him that his kids would be safe as long as hakoda never contacted them. it took years, but eventually they caught him again. and so hakoda came home.

katara’s just like “wow…… that is…… an absolutely ridiculous story.” it’s not that she doesn’t believe him, but like. what????? WHAT??????? also. “does sokka know about this?” “no, I wasn’t allowed to tell anyone.” “then how is he just fine with this situation?????” hakoda shrugs. “you know sokka, he’s very…… easygoing.” katara just laughs in his face.

eventually, hakoda tells sokka too. he has a lot of follow up questions, but he accepts it. and so for the next couple months, they cram as many father son bonding activities in as humanly possible. hakoda goes to one of sokka’s baseball games and realizes that he’s some kind of baseball prodigy, which infuriates katara to no end (hakoda didn’t even realize that sokka wasn’t allowed to be good at sports in their house. he has a lot to catch up on). after that first game sokka just lies and says the baseball season is over. hakoda goes to all of katara’s games too, of course. he meets all their friends. he’s kind of confused about whether or not suki is dating his son?? (“we’re all confused about that,” assures katara.) sokka is happier than anyone has ever seen him. katara wonders how he can just be so…accepting of this situation.

like, yes, it’s technically not their father’s fault that he was gone from their lives for years and forced both of them to work multiple jobs while in high school and wasn’t there for them when yue died and missed so many important milestones and never contacted them to let him know where he was or whether he was even alive. but katara saw her mother murdered in front of her as a child. and then her father disappeared. and then one of her best friends died a few years later, and had to watch her brother become a hollow husk of himself who wanted nothing more than to join her. and now sokka and hakoda are just….. blithely pretending that none of this wrong???? they’re not even willing to recognize the deep injustice of this tragedy???? everything is just suddenly fine????

katara simmers for a while, but it’s never taken long for her to boil. it happens at, arguably, the worst possible time. sokka is giving a surprisingly beautiful valedictory speech (everyone had just kind of assumed that he was gonna say “fuck you you’re all idiots” or something along those lines, but he actually gets really poignant and sincere with it) and hakoda sheds a tear. katara sees this tear, and it pierces her heart. she scoffs, but remains silent.

then, graduation is over, and katara goes to hug sokka. she might find him endlessly frustrating, but after spending a not insignificant period of time his sophomore year keeping him on suicide watch and forcing him to eat and bathe regularly, she feels like she’s earned this, that this is her victory too. she wants to tell him how proud she is, and how pleasantly surprised she was that his speech didn’t quote derrida, or artaud, or even benjamin. but before she can reach him, hakoda wraps his arms around her brother and says “im so proud of you.” and naturally, katara blows up.

sokka doesn’t actually want to be here for this, so he goes to find suki…to take his mind off things. meanwhile katara is causing a veritable scene yelling with no compunctions about disturbing the other families attempting to celebrate their children’s graduations. “how can you be proud of him when you haven’t even done anything for him, when you haven’t seen how much he’s suffered, how much i’ve suffered?? you don’t have any idea of how difficult it’s been because we’re all just supposed to pretend that everything is fine now and nothing bad ever happened and we’re just a perfect happy family” and so on and so forth.

once she’s finally out of breath, hakoda takes her aside to somewhere more private, and those tears he shed at sokka’s speech turn into a flood. he tells katara that not being able to be there with her was the hardest thing he’s ever had to do, that he thought about her and sokka every single day, and wanted nothing more than to return to them. even tried to, at times, but was caught by the feds. and he finally apologizes to her, understanding that even if it wasn’t his fault and was never his intention to, he did nonetheless still hurt her deeply, and sokka too, even if sokka won’t acknowledge it. they’re hugging, they’re crying, they’re forgiving each other, they’re making an attempt to move forward. and for the next year, before katara herself goes off to college, katara is once again close with her dad.

they cook together, play sports in the park together, watch tv together, enjoy each other’s company. hakoda helps katara with her math homework (now that sokka is out of the house and cannot just. do it for her), and katara starts to realize where sokka got his brains from. he gets a job, and katara gets the opportunity to work fewer shifts at the claire’s at the mall and actually spend time with all her two friends (technically zuko was her third friend, but he’s not there anymore so). hakoda helps her polish her speech for student body president, and finds that katara is actually an incredible orator (even if he doesn’t think that “abolishing math” is a particularly reasonable platform). it’s just like old times. before kya died, and they stopped communicating. it’s like reconnecting with an old friend.

as for yue, she was of course sokka’s best friend in the whole wide world, his first love, and his only girlfriend (depending on who you ask), but she also one of katara’s best friends too. not her ultimate best friend, because obviously aang has always filled that role, but she’s like a sort of. big sister to her. at first, yue doesn’t really understand katara. she’s an only child, and seeing the way katara antagonizes sokka kind of horrifies her, even as sokka attempts to explain to her that this is just normal sibling behavior. but after hakoda leaves, sokka starts working more, and yue gets to talking to katara when sokka isn’t around. and it’s strange how different katara is when she isn’t around her brother. she’s actually quite pleasant. sweet, even.

yue and katara bond over different things than yue and sokka do. yue and sokka can talk science, math, even poetry, but sokka doesn’t read genre fiction, won’t watch all ten bajillion hours of the lord of the rings director’s cut with her. yue gets katara into terry pratchett, tolkien, ursula le guin (who quickly becomes one of katara’s all time favorite authors). katara gets yue into octavia butler, tamora pierce. they start an unofficial book club (aang occasionally joins in). katara actually enjoys discussing literature for the first time in her life. who knew that something so similar to english class could actually be fun? sokka thinks it’s nice that yue is making more friends, even if those friends do happen to be limited to the kids he happens to know.

it’s not that yue is unpopular, in fact, everyone likes her because she is so lovely, gentle, smart, and beautiful. it’s just that yue met sokka on the first day of school, and promptly decided that she had no need to befriend anyone else. as you can imagine, they are extremely codependent. not a day goes by that they do not spend time together. even when yue is too sick to leave her room, sokka comes over to bring her the homework, and reads to her, or just sits with her. on days where yue is doing better, they sit on the porch of aang’s backyard and eat almonds while katara and toph wrestle in the grass and aang attempts to perform tricks on a far too small trampoline. sokka and yue are just in their own little world where the only thing that matters is being together. they don’t need anyone else.

that said, aang, katara, and toph all adore yue. for someone who fancies herself a loner, she is incredibly friendly and funny and outgoing and kind. she reads sff with katara, talks disability with toph, makes up fun little games with aang. technically only sokka is getting paid to babysit aang and tutor toph, but yue just enjoys their company. they’re all devastated when she dies. especially toph. katara and aang have both experienced immense, world-shattering grief before, but this is the first real tragedy in toph’s life. and yue was a confidante, someone who could directly empathize with her experiences and problems. yue was incredibly important to all of them. she was their big sister.

but after a while, they all learn to stop mentioning yue altogether. even though they want to talk about her, because she left such an indelible mark on each of them, they can’t. it’s just an unspoken rule that any mention of yue is taboo. katara thinks it’s kind of silly that sokka has placed a moratorium on any kind of discussion of the most important person in his life, but steadfastly pretending that she never existed is the only thing that actually gets him to function, and so it’s far preferable to the alternative (breaking his leg because he “slipped and fell” off yue’s roof while drunk, for example). there’s a giant yue-shaped hole in their group dynamic. and nothing can fill it, so they just pretend not to see it.

unfortunately just because katara, aang, and toph adhere to this rule doesn’t mean that the rest of the school does. of course the fact that a student died is a hot button topic for the rest of the year. the gossip train jumps from the fact that sokka was there (true) and the paramedics found him in the middle of the street holding yue’s dead body in his arms (also true) to the notion that sokka actually killed her (insane) because he found out that she was cheating on him (also insane) and then staged it as an accident (thanks hahn). katara makes it her mission to beat up anyone she hears spreading these horrific rumors to a pulp, and spends a lot of her freshman year in detention as a result. and then she spends the next four years wondering why everyone is scared of her.

after a while, katara lets herself indulge in fantasies. she thinks about what life would be like if yue were still alive. if kya were still alive. would they have gotten along? (of course they would have.) would she and sokka still be together? (also yes, of course.) would she have gone on to be a biochemist like she’d always planned? (probably. she was brilliant.) would she have gotten along with suki and zuko and the rest of their new friends? (yes, they would have adored one another.) if sokka knew that katara thought about this, he would no doubt dismiss it as some kind of futile exercise in despair. but as a thought exercise, it actually soothes katara, gives her hope that there exists a parallel universe where her parents and friends are still alive and her brother is still happy and her knuckles aren’t bloody from beating the shit out of random asshole kids every day. sokka never quite understood that fantasies can be real too.

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muffinlance · 2 years

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Baby Zuko (13 year old) being babysat by the Gaang straight after rescue (kidnapping) off the Wani?

Going with “only Zuko is aged down” and, to avoid just writing Little Zuko v the World again, “instead of Uncle Iroh, he sails out under the auspices of Uncle Zhao <3”

- - -

Fire Nation jail cells were everything Sokka ever imagined, if by ‘imagined’ he meant ‘had nightmares of’. And it was really inappropriate, and not a thought he’d ever share with Katara, but the longer they were down here the more his thoughts kept roaming back around to I’m glad mom was never in one of these.

There was rust, but not in any strategically important, make-it-easier-to-break-out places. Water dripping, but not in his cell where he would have been getting really close to wanting to lick it off a wall. Guards, but at the far end of the cell block, where they refused to interact with his witty banter and/or attempts to lure them into grappling-through-the-bars range. The only one who ever got close enough to grab was the tiny semi-feverish child who, given the huge fresh sorta oozy burn wound over half his face, Sokka was going to go ahead and classify as not the best hostage material.

Unlike the son of Chief Hakoda, his waterbending daughter, and—

“How’s Appa?” Aang, who was another tiny child, who was the Avatar, who was arguably the reason Sokka and his little sister were in this mess but Sokka was still wrapping his head around the Avatar part, said. Said after wooshing towards the bars, and then wooshing again in a way that made him not hit the bars, and then he was holding them and leaning as far as he could through which was almost but not quite enough for him to slip through entirely.

“Fine,” the kid who’d gotten on the bad side of his own country croaked. Sokka did not get the impression he was allowed to talk much, outside of the prisoner block. The kid’s face was twisted into even more of a scowl than just the burned-on one. “He’s too fast for the catapult operators. Zhao said he’s going to keelhaul them if they keep missing, but when I yelled at him about it—”

The kid stopped mid-sentence in that sort of horrifying way he did sometimes. And then he set down his tray and gave them all their slop, which they got once a day, and which contained all the water they were getting, too. Something about Katara’s extremely ineffective waterbending had the big bad Fire Nation spooked.

“Thank you,” his little sister said, her own voice a rasp-croak that pained Sokka a lot more than the random Fire Nation brat’s.

The kid scowled harder, which was his general reaction to any gratitude from them.

“So,” Sokka croaked his own croak. “About helping us with that escape…”

“I’M NOT,” the kid shouted, and then the guards turned to look at them all, and then he hunched in on himself and re-evaluated his volume decisions. “I’m not helping you escape.”

“Why not?” asked Aang, bless him.

“Because,” the kid said, which is usually as much of a reply as they get before he stormed off. But today he added, even if it was really hard to hear: “Because I want to go home.”

“So,” Sokka said, “did you get that on the ship or at home?” And he waved at his own face, like the subtle genius he was.

Ah. There was the storming away.

“You forgot our bowls!” Sokka called after him.

“Keep them,” the kid shouted back, and left Sokka alone with a metal spoon and a Fire Nation lock.

- - -

The lock was a bad idea, actually. It would have taken way too long to file the spoon down against the floor so it would fit, not to mention made way too much noise. Also: Sokka did not actually know how to pick a lock.

The screw slots on the hinges, on the other hand…

- - -

“What?” the kid got out, all sleepy-confused, before Sokka was shoving a literal sock in his mouth and tossing him over a shoulder and running as quickly and quietly as he could with a very angry sack of potatoes bouncing on his back.

“Go go go go,” Sokka said, as he vaulted the rail into the saddle waiting below.

“Yip yip!” said Aang.

The catapult didn’t even come close to hitting them, in the darkness. Sokka kind of really felt bad for the operator team and their future date with the hull, but there was only so much saddle space, and there was an upper age limit on the Fire Nation soldiers he was willing to pardon no-questions-asked.

“Let me go!” shouted their squirmy new friend, as Katara held him around the middle, because otherwise he’d have thrown himself into the ocean an alarming number of times by now.

“Nu-huh,” Sokka said, patting the kid’s angry little head, right on its ridiculous little ponytail. Which was nothing at all like his own extremely masculine wolf tail. “You’re our prisoner. Relax, and enjoy the improved living conditions.”

“My father isn’t going to pay for me,” the kid said back, with a glower.

“...Please, please don’t tell me that Zhao guy was your dad.”

“What? No,” the kid said.

And then he opened his mouth again, and Sokka’s world got both way more complicated and way more simple.

#so to return to an earlier question #did you get that scar on the ship or at home?#I see I see #and you need the Avatar to go home #yes yes #so hypothetically speaking #I could put you and the Avatar at the head of a fleet #and we could just… sail into your nation’s capital?#noted #avatar the last airbender #atla #Zuko #ficlet

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zutaras-where-its-at · 8 months

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zutara prompt: au in which zuko doesn’t know how to swim and katara teaches him while she’s still unsure whether they can trust him (at the beginning of his redemption arc)

she hates him. really, she does.

he’s a no-good, lying, son of a bitch, and if he hadn’t betrayed them in ba sing se, aang wouldn’t have a scar cratered in the skin of his back. she hates him.

except—

he just looks so…pathetic right now.

everyone else is carving graceful arcs in the water, whooping as they dive headfirst into the frigid-but-still-functioning pool they found in the western air temple. even toph—who notoriously can’t swim and hates being in water—wades casually in the shallow end next to teo.

but zuko won’t even get in.

the heavy look of dread that muddles his sharp features and curls his proud shoulders inward is enough to elicit a stab of sympathy in her for the scorned prince, and katara wonders at the fact that sympathy and hatred are apparently not mutually exclusive.

it’s pity that leads her to brush past him with hardly a glance as she says, “if you don’t know how to swim, you don’t have to get in.”

“i know how to swim,” he snaps, then flinches when he sees who he’s speaking to. calmer, he repeats, “i know how to swim.”

she just ticks a brow speculatively. “you sure?”

zuko has tried very hard to be extra civil with her the last week, but now, she can see just how difficult it is for him to keep the glare off of his face. “i’m sure.”

there’s something there, then. something hesitant and anxious and dark that twists his mouth and keeps his eyes from really looking at her. and katara—observant as she is—recognizes it for what it is.

“okay. so you’re scared.”

he looks stricken, suddenly, adam’s apple bobbing once up and down in his throat. he still won’t look at her. “i’m not.”

it’s sharper now, sitting just under the surface, so katara sinks her talons into it and tugs—“you don’t like the water. you’re afraid of it.”

“i’m not afraid of the fucking water, okay?” he inhales and bites his lip and balls up his fists, “it’s just cold, is all.”

“cold?” she drawls disbelievingly. in the background, aang hollers loudly as he cannonballs into the deep end. “aren’t you a firebender?”

at that, his gold gold gold eyes finally find her face, and she’s startled by the raw panic she sees in them. after a long moment, he seems to make up his mind about something. she watches as he gathers his words properly in his mouth and confesses quietly, “i almost drowned. in the north pole.”

she puts two and two together in record time—because she’d always wondered how he’d snuck into the heart of the northern water tribe under such intense war-time surveillance, had always been confused and resentful of the fact that he’d stolen aang out from right under her nose when she’d least expected it—and frowns.

she thinks about her childhood, how hakoda taught them to check for thin ice, carefully pick their fishing spots, and above all, what to do should they fall in. it’s been drilled in them since they were young, that the ocean is no joke, but the poles are a nightmare should you step wrong. hypothermia, hidden icebergs, the disorienting dark beneath the surface—

katara hates him.

but it’s just so pathetic and sad the way he watches them all with lonely eyes and a fear anyone could see from a mile away.

because all too soon, she’s convinced aang that there’s absolutely no way he and zuko are strong enough firebenders to heat up the swimming pool, and surely zuko hasn’t taught him well enough that they could actually do it in under five minutes, and really, she doubts zuko even knows how to control the temperature so it doesn’t boil them.

she hates him, but maybe—maybe she doesn’t.

#lmao this ended up way longer than i meant it to #also #i tweaked it a bit bc zuko does in fact know how to swim #but i still liked the idea of him having a phobia of it #so hopefully that worked and didn’t come across as stupid haha #thank you for the prompt!#zutara #katara #zuko #my zutara stuff #flash fic friday

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witchering10123 · 3 months

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what taylor swift album each of the gaang would fuck with

(in my not exactly humble but ultimately correct opinion) you're in for the long haul so it's under the cut :)

aang: fearless and lover, don't get me wrong, he loves the sad songs, the heartbroken songs, the angry songs just as much as anyone else, but he just connects with like, the slight naivety of it all? like he's def matured since his first few crushes but it's the joy of that first love that really sweeps him off his feet ya know? and then the lover album is a more mature perspective on like a loving relationship ("cornelia street" who???) and he just loves it - OH and 1989, he and suki FUCK with 1989

katara: she's a reputation girl no doubt about it, "don't blame me" is literally her song, she owns it thank you very much, and she and zuko are reputation besties who have all the merch and they scream all the lyrics and wholeheartedly believe that rep tour is the best tour of all time HOWEVER she loves loves loves "marjorie", "don't you ever grow up" (balls her eyes out at the pair of them, but when she first heard dyegu she was sobbing -) and while they're not her fav albums, she loves singing fearless and lover with aang

sokka: ok, sokka is one of those fans who you don't realise are that intense until they are screaming themselves hoarse at folklore, mkay? I'm talking, it's not just hakoda and bato giving him the worried side-eye, it's everyone AND their mother (well, not everyone's mother but ya know) cause like, sokka was DEF involved in this major college cheating scandal and got his heart uber uber broken and had no support system because he just... didn't tell anyone because he didn't want people to worry and so screaming folklore is his therapy session. oh, and when he was dating yue their album was speak now, they literally did their homecoming king and queen dance to "enchanted" they were that couple, and he still loves the album so much but he just... can't speak for hours after a folklore song pops up, and couldn't speak for a week after the eras tour (in a similar vein, he's a big "the archer" fan, he and toph vibe with it so hard)

toph: she loves reputation (NOT for the same reasons as katara and zuko but they all still vibe with each other) because there's soooo much happening and she can literally feel the beat in her bones and the songs slap so hard and she can rage in peace :))) also she fucks so hard with "picture to burn", the harry styles saga (style, ootw, iion, wonderland, etc), "holy ground", "miss americana and the heartbreak prince" and "the archer" (and believe me she will go OFF at anyone who doesn't like the archer because "the beat's not supposed to drop, that's the whole point -)

zuko: reputation reputation reputation. all the fucking way y'all. is it shocking that "I did something bad" is his song, not his favourite (his favourites are the speak now vault tracks, "that's the way I loved you", "message in a bottle", and "wonderland" but that's neither here nor there) and no one, NO ONE gets in the way during the line "if a man talks shit then I owe him nothing" like sorry taylor, that's zuko's line actually. also he thought he was going to love folklore but then "seven" came up and he literally could not cope, and when he heard evermore was going to be in a similar vein he refused to listen to it too - he did eventually listen to the albums when he got into a better headspace for them and now really does likes them, but he avoids "seven" like the plague

suki: suki loves the breakup albums, red and midnights, and everyone, including suki, is confused because no offence to my girl but she's had one break up and that was with sokka, and whole it was sad, it was mutual and nothing bad happened they just decided they'd be better as friends, but she loves the albums so so much, so who is anyone to deny her that? also, she didn't like "me!" at first and thought it was so so cringe, but now she loves it and hates that she used to hate it and hates that taylor doesn't play it on the set list at concerts due to people hating on it (even though suki would never tell taylor that she hated on one of her songs, she still feels guilty) - btw, she and aang are besties and they work at the same place and it takes them like forty minutes on a good day to drive there so they blast 1989 the whole time and it's such a bop

yue: speak now girly, did I fucking stutter? she ate that album up when it first came out and she ate up the rerecording when that came out too, and don't get me started on the vault tracks (she feels as if a piece of her childhood was missing because "electric touch" ft fallout boy wasn't on the og track and she looooves fallout boy) "enchanted" is her and sokkas song and when it comes on they do a lil dance together even though they don't love each other in the same way anymore, they still love each other!!! but she now loves "enchanted" separate from sokka ya know? yue also loves midnights, literally because suki loves it so so much so yue listened to it for her (simp) and fell in love with it (and suki, it was truly a win win situation for her) but she specifically listens to midnights: 3am version because "paris" is her favourite and she doesn't understand how anyone (ahem, suki) could listen to midnights without listening to "paris" at least three times

azula: we all know she used to pretend to hate taylor swift but now she respects the hustle (but she's not a die hard swiftie and will happily critique her alongside katara, who azula was surprised to see critiquing taylor but katara's got her priorities in place she knows what's up) and azula loves red (duh) and evermore. surprisingly, she's not as into reputation as zuko and katara, and while she enjoys some of the songs on there, she won't intentionally listen to the whole album on her lonesome. she, sokka, and ty lee wore matching "cowboy like me" outfits to the eras tour

mai: fearless, and HEAR ME OUT HEAR ME TBE FUCK OUT I'm right. she's like aang in this regard, she grew up with all these expectations on her for corporation alliances and shit and she couldn't help but picture herself finding love for HERSELF having the CHOICE like, she will defend "love story" to the day she dies because it resonated so much with baby mai finding love against all odds and at the end her parents agreeing to it. now she's older and recognises a few, uh... interesting points about her upbringing, but she's still gonna defend baby mai's love for fearless. I know that the tortured poets department hasn't come out yet but... I have a feeling that mai will fuck SO HARD with that one too, but she's more a fan on individual songs than whole albums ("delicate", "paper rings" (ty lee simp lmao), "seven", "better than revenge", "getaway car", "endgame", etc)

ty lee: she actually sobbed when lover came out, I can't tell you how much lover resonated with her, she loved the aesthetic the vibe the songs, and like she literally had imposter syndrome from being a swiftie because while she appreciates the angry and sad songs, she's searching for the joy and a lot of swifties were like "no she's past that point so we have to be too" and she felt quite isolated BUT then taylor released lover and ty lee felt so so seen cause like, it's a happy album with sad songs and that's all a girl can ask for. ALSO she loves "bejeweled" and "slut!" I kid you not "slut!" is probably her fav song even though it's not on lover. she also loves evermore because it's a sad album with happy songs (do you see) and she broached the idea of her and azula wearing matching "cowboy like me" outfits but azula didn't respond at first and ty lee thought that it wasn't a good idea but azula didn't respond because she was texting sokka and sokka fell in love with the idea and they spent like two weeks figuring out exactly what it would look like and they brought their ideas to ty lee for the final approval and she was like "... you guys actually wanna do this?" but yeah. they all slayed

ok now onto the adults I'll be quick

hakoda screams louder but bato knows more songs, like hakoda is making himself heard what a king, but there's quite a few songs he's unfamiliar with. bato is singing like, the usual volume but he's consistent, he's singing along to every song

hakoda loves 1989 and reputation because the whole drama happened during his and bato's breaks between tours and then they got sent off before reputation came out, so hakoda was so invested and then really pissed cause he had to wait a couple of months before he got back so katara could explain the intricacies of the new album to him

bato is like sokka, he loves folklore not because he's a folklore girly™ but just because of the vibes, however bato 🤝 mai, resonating deeply with "seven"

iroh is convinced that he can ask taylor to pop over for a nice cup of jasmine tea because he doesn't quite grasp how insanely popular she actually is, but unbeknownst to zuko, who scoffs whenever iroh mentions it because "there's no way", iroh is actually in contact with taylor because when she was just starting out she got sick before a concert and iroh have her a tea that helped her maintain her voice and get her back on track and he's been on a group chat with taylor ever since

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ao3feed-zukka · 20 days

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No thing defines a man like love

Read now on Ao3 at https://ift.tt/rqtFETs by mushwrites Title from Strawberry Wine - Noah Kahan. Hakoda is a good Chief. He prides himself in his connection with his people, and he prides himself in his morals. When a sick firebender crawls onto his boat, Hakoda is faced with choosing between the two. Doing the right thing and protecting his people, both those in his crew and those who he had to leave behind, and his morals that scream killing a child, no matter their loyalties, is wrong. Especially a sick, terrified one. Fever ridden, in pain and confused, Zuko escapes his ship a few short days after he is first exiled and finds himself on Hakoda's ship. Struggling between his loyalty to his nation, his father, and the conflicting stories from the members of the crew, Zuko is faced with a very different path, and destiny, to the one he had always envisioned for himself. Words: 8351, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English Fandoms: Avatar: The Last Airbender (Cartoon 2005) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Categories: Multi Characters: Bato (Avatar), Hakoda (Avatar), Kya (Avatar), Sokka (Avatar), Zuko (Avatar), Aang (Avatar), Katara (Avatar), Toph Beifong, Iroh (Avatar), Azula (Avatar), OCs Relationships: Bato/Hakoda (Avatar), Hakoda/Kya (Avatar), Bato & Kya (Avatar), Sokka/Zuko (Avatar), The Gaang & Zuko (Avatar) Additional Tags: Eventual Sokka/Zuko (Avatar), Canon-Typical Violence, and some more intense violence, Hakoda Adopts Zuko (Avatar), Bato adopts Zuko too, theyre old dads, Bad Parent Ozai (Avatar), Good Parent Hakoda (Avatar), Canonical Child Abuse, Disabled Zuko (Avatar), Partially Blind Zuko (Avatar), Partially Deaf Zuko (Avatar), Hakoda and crew adopt Zuko, Zuko Joins The Gaang Early (Avatar), Slow Burn, like really slow burn, Pining, Childhood Friends to Lovers, Graphic Description of Injuries, HE GOT HALF HIS FACE OFF IDK WHAT U WANT FROM ME, no beta we die like jet, Hurt/Comfort, Canon Rewrite, I suppose?, Pre-Canon, Emetophobia, just as a warning ! it isnt like plot. centric but it happens so yknow!!, More tags to be added, Maybe - Freeform, lmk if i missed something in the comments Read it on Ao3 at https://ift.tt/rqtFETs

#IFTTT #zukka #sokka #zuko #avatar: the last airbender #atla #ao3 feed

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toranoya · 3 months

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Pushed into the past

@merveiilles

As the wind whipped through his hair, Kai soared through the sky alongside Jinora, their airbending gliders slicing effortlessly through the air. They were on a routine patrol of the New Air Nation territories, ensuring peace and safety reigned over their lands.

Kai glanced over at Jinora, her serene expression illuminated by the soft glow of the setting sun. She was his closest friend, a fellow airbender whose wisdom and skill he admired greatly. Suddenly, a strange sensation washed over him, as if the very fabric of reality was being twisted around him.

"Jinora!" he cried out, his voice drowned out by the rushing wind as he realized he had to save her. Summoning up a gust of wind, he pushed her aside as he got pulled backwards by the unusual distortion and then turmoil consumed him.

In an instant, the world around him blurred and shifted, colors swirling together in a dizzying display. The sensation was nauseating, disorienting, like being caught in a whirlpool dragging him into the depths of the unknown.

When the chaos finally subsided, Kai found himself spiraling in the air, gasping for breath as the world spun around him. He struggled to make sense of his surroundings, his head pounding with confusion and disorientation.

Once he settled enough, he groaned and looked around for Jinora, but it seemed like he was alone. Realizing he needed help, he spotted a trail of exhaust rising into the air and flew off in that direction, approaching a Fire Nation ship for assistance. No problem, they were all friends now and then they could help him get word back to Air Temple Island.

Flying over the ship, Kai soon began to get alarmed as the sight of him seemed to provoke a panic and he realized the sailors on her decks were starting to aim weapons at him. What the? Kai thought as he jerked away in a hurry as he got fired on by buckshot, tearing holes in his glider’s wings and a few scrapes along his sides too. He got a little farther away before losing control and splashing down in the waters below, staying afloat only by resting on the wood of his glider.

Nearby, Hakoda watched with his son as the bright orange robed figure fell from the skies. “That looks like your friend son.” Sokka’s father said as he made the same mistake the Fire Nation ship did. After all, in this troubled era who else wore such robes and flew in the skies?

#rp #starter #non i11 #muse-kai #merveiilles

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poeticmoonspirit · 2 years

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These Things I've Done - Part V

Part I Part II Part III Part IIII Part VI

The anger beneath Sokka's skin boiled, hot as fire, and would probably burn anyone who tried to convince him to be otherwise. It wasn't in his nature to be hotheaded. That's what Zuko was for, no pun intended. Sokka was the calm one. (And yes, Zuko was very mature and rational, but you'd never hear it from him.) The voice in their ragtag group that kept everyone sane and levelled out enough to where they rarely ever fought. Arguments happened, sure. There were two twelve-year-olds with them, after all. But nothing could've prepared him for what happened today. You could say he was completely blindsided, though Toph would've probably just waved her hand in her face, her milky eyes wide with sarcasm plastered all over it.

He loved his mother, he loved Kya and Hakoda and Gran Gran. He loved his village. He can almost taste the ice that covered just about everything there. Cold and rigid, just like Katara's element. But when he thought of Kya, he couldn't picture her. Every year it became harder for the young warrior to remember her face, her smile, her voice. It was as if she were a distant relative, so far and wide that he didn't feel that immense feeling of joy and longing that his sister did.

Katara had a connection to their mother that he didn't. It wasn't that he didn't love her, he did. He knew that. He felt it. But it was nothing like Katara's sentiments. Even seven years later, he finds her huddled beneath thin blankets, crying out for the woman. It was as if that moment, that short and bitter moment, was on repeat in her mind. She took responsibility for the tribe, for their grandmother, for him. He can't imagine the grief that must be welled within her. That's why he supported her in finding Yon Rha. He didn't care what happened to him because he knew his sister would do what she saw fit.

The murder of Kya of the Southern Water Tribe affected her a lot more than it did him.

And part of him loathed himself for it.

He put Katara in a very risky situation, one that jeopardized her sanity and was the pinnacle of her existence today. He should've shouldered that burden with her so that she wouldn't feel alone.

Because that's how Katara felt. He knew that now. She felt alone.

The anger in his veins was hot but not at Yon Rha anymore, though he'd never ever forgive the man. It was for Aang.

For a split second, he saw a blur of blue rush past him and out the door, flinching at the noise of the door slamming shut. He rubbed his temples, very grateful for the brief nap he had. Putting aside his anger at the nomad, he ventured off into the night.

It didn't take him long to find her. She was sitting on the sand facing the water, her knees propped up so that her chin laid on top of them. Her arms braced them as if she were freezing and unable to find shelter from it all. But Sokka knew better. They grew up in a frozen wasteland. She wasn't cold. Nowhere near it.

She was devastated.

He made his way to her slowly, careful to not startle her. She turned her head slightly, but still not entirely facing him. There was a full moon tonight; the glint in her eyes spoke unspoken words between them.

"Hey," he said. He sat down next to her, giving her a respectful amount of space, but not too much to where it was weird.

She looked at him then, unshed tears in her eyes. Lines of white ran down her cheeks. She had been crying.

"Hey yourself."

There was a moment of silence, with Sokka reaching into the depths of his soul to find the words to comfort his sister. And like crashing waves they came to him suddenly.

"Katara, I'm so sorry. For everything." She looked at him in utter confusion. She wasn't sure what she was expecting from him, but it wasn't that.

"Sorry for what?" He shifted, moving so that his legs wouldn't grow numb under him.

He gulped, his hands clammy. "When—after mom died and dad left, I should've shouldered the responsibility of being the oldest. I should've made sure you were okay."

Her mouth was slightly ajar, not sure where this was going. He never talked about that day. Not like this. Not in the manner he was speaking and definitely not with watery eyes that mirrored hers.

"I talked to Toph a while ago, about—about you. About how stiff and courageous you are. About how bold you can be. And I said that whenever I tried to picture Mom, I always thought of you."

Katara sobbed. She couldn't hold it in any longer. He placed an arm around her shoulder and pulled her into his chest so that she could cry in his shirt. He'd fuss over it later but right now he couldn't bring himself to care.

Her voice trembled as she spoke, navigating this unknown territory. They had never been this open before. "I—I kind of overheard you two talking that day. And I'll be honest Sokka, part of me was glad that I was able to have been that rock in your life. You needed someone to be there for you. But I hated—I hated that I had to be there for everyone like that, and not have anyone do the same for me."

His grip on her tightened, shame flooding his being at her words. He had hurt her, not intentionally, but it happened. He had never felt so sorry in his life.

"But you were there for me today and a few days ago, in a way that no one's really been. Except maybe Zuko. And it felt really really good."

"I promise to be a better brother to you, Katara. I swear to Tui and La, I will." She allowed herself to smile, barely, but Sokka caught it and made sure to store it in his memories.

Another thing had been bothering him, but he wasn't sure how to voice it without sounding silly.

"I also...well," he began drawing shapes in the sand to quell his nerves, "Sometimes I feel bad for not feeling the same about Mom as you do. Sometimes I feel like I'm not even her son."

There, it was out there, an unspoken truth laid out in the open for them to see. Katara turned to him quickly, reassurance on the tip of her tongue. Her brother saw this and tried to stop what he knew was coming.

"Katara—"

"Sokka."

She said his name with a sense of finality, as if she were daring him to say another word. He bit his lip so hard that he began to taste copper.

"She was your mother, too."

Maybe it was the way she said those words, the conviction behind them that weakenedhis defenses. He swore he wouldn't bawl his eyes out like a baby, but sometimes he wished he could feel how Katara feels. Not love, he loved his mother dearly. But the intensity of it, the longing and grief that seemed to plague his sister in her nightmares and daydreams. Anything would be better than feeling like he shouldn't have been born.

They cried together then, their hearts bled out and intertwining with years and years of trauma between them. They cried until they had nothing else left to give, making their hearts feel whole once again.

Another moment of silence came, with Sokka's thoughts drifting towards Zuko. The banished prince of an abusive psychopath that was willing to do whatever it took to see his enemies burn.

And unfortunately, that meant his only son.

Sokka then thought of the boy's unwavering respect and loyalty to his sister. He might've doubted him before, but that was months ago. Zuko had changed and had proven time and time again that he was here to make a change. And the proof was in how he looked at Katara.

"He loves you, doesn't he?"

Katara's eyes widened in shock, the firebender never told her that, so why was Sokka saying it? Something told her that he knew a lot more than he led on.

"W-what? Did he tell you that?" Her heart was the sound of a soldier's footsteps, ready to jump at the slightest movement.

Sokka smirked, wiping his eyes, "Nope, just a hunch."

A moment of comfortable silence blanketed them again before the tribesman spoke again.

"He's a good guy. Zuko's lucky to have you." Despite the tears on her face, the reddened and swollen eyes, Katara smiled.

Sokka fidgeted, "Will you be okay? I mean after... you know." Katara looked away. She could still remember the look on Yon Rha's corpse afterwards. Shocked, bloody, lifeless. Katara let out a breath.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. I'm still a little...shaken....but I'll be fine. As long as I have you all with me, I'll be okay."

They say there for hours more, holding onto each other for dear life, as if someone would try to separate the two. They admired the moon and its stars, the moon casting a brighter glow on the two. Katara knew then that Yue was watching over them and if they looked closer, they could see her smiling.

#zutara #anti kataang #anti aang #atla katara #atla sokka #WELP THERE IT GOES LMAO #i have to pee SO BAD but i didnt wanna get up

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ao3feedzukka-blog · 20 days

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No thing defines a man like love

https://archiveofourown.org/works/55992616 by mushwrites Title from Strawberry Wine - Noah Kahan. Hakoda is a good Chief. He prides himself in his connection with his people, and he prides himself in his morals. When a sick firebender crawls onto his boat, Hakoda is faced with choosing between the two. Doing the right thing and protecting his people, both those in his crew and those who he had to leave behind, and his morals that scream killing a child, no matter their loyalties, is wrong. Especially a sick, terrified one. Fever ridden, in pain and confused, Zuko escapes his ship a few short days after he is first exiled and finds himself on Hakoda's ship. Struggling between his loyalty to his nation, his father, and the conflicting stories from the members of the crew, Zuko is faced with a very different path, and destiny, to the one he had always envisioned for himself. Words: 8351, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English Fandoms: Avatar: The Last Airbender (Cartoon 2005) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Categories: Multi Characters: Bato (Avatar), Hakoda (Avatar), Kya (Avatar), Sokka (Avatar), Zuko (Avatar), Aang (Avatar), Katara (Avatar), Toph Beifong, Iroh (Avatar), Azula (Avatar), OCs Relationships: Bato/Hakoda (Avatar), Hakoda/Kya (Avatar), Bato & Kya (Avatar), Sokka/Zuko (Avatar), The Gaang & Zuko (Avatar) Additional Tags: Eventual Sokka/Zuko (Avatar), Canon-Typical Violence, and some more intense violence, Hakoda Adopts Zuko (Avatar), Bato adopts Zuko too, theyre old dads, Bad Parent Ozai (Avatar), Good Parent Hakoda (Avatar), Canonical Child Abuse, Disabled Zuko (Avatar), Partially Blind Zuko (Avatar), Partially Deaf Zuko (Avatar), Hakoda and crew adopt Zuko, Zuko Joins The Gaang Early (Avatar), Slow Burn, like really slow burn, Pining, Childhood Friends to Lovers, Graphic Description of Injuries, HE GOT HALF HIS FACE OFF IDK WHAT U WANT FROM ME, no beta we die like jet, Hurt/Comfort, Canon Rewrite, I suppose?, Pre-Canon, Emetophobia, just as a warning ! it isnt like plot. centric but it happens so yknow!!, More tags to be added, Maybe - Freeform, lmk if i missed something in the comments May 18, 2024 at 09:43AM

#IFTTT #Zukka #AO3Feed Zukka #Sokka/Zuko

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blueleopard555 · 1 year

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Happy 300th Chapter to Seyary!

Here's my response for @kigozula's celebration of @seyaryminamoto's masterpiece, Gladiator! Thank you both your amazing work!

FAVORITE…:

OC: Rui Shi

2. Guard: Fei Li

3. Gladiator: Not counting the Blue Wolf, The Millennium Dragon

4. Sponsor: Ty Lee

5. Pair/Couple (besides Sokkla): This is hard… Ty Lee and Haru or Song and Rui Shi

6. Friendship: Song and Sokka

7. Villain/Antagonist/Opponent: The dread that exists for Azula and Sokka about being caught… for a more “true” villain/opponent it would be Rhone

8. Suitor for Azula: Huan because this man is worse at giving gifts than I am

9. Place (any houses/island/cities…): Ember Island or Shu Jing or both.

10. Event (weddings/festivals…): Azula’s and Sokka’s wedding with Xin Long as the officiant

FAVORITE TOP THREE…:

Sokkla Kisses in Part 2 when they become finally a couple: Hmmm…. I think the best one for me was the kiss(es) in the Library’s planetarium. There's too many to accurately rank and all are worth remembering now that Arc 3 is in full swing. I miss the Sokkal kisses.

2. Sokkla Love Making: The hot springs date at Shu Jing, the palanquin quicky, and the… every one? There’s too many to list. Like the kisses, I think most readers miss the love between Sokka and Azula.

THIS OR THAT:

Part 2, or Part 3 (so far): Part 2 for the happy feels

2. Zuki Family or Mai Jian Family: Zuki family

3. Festivals Arc or Anniversary Arc: Have I mentioned these are hard? Anniversary is my favorite for the sole fact that Xin Long officiated a wedding

4. Captain Rui Shi or Captain Fei Li: Captain Rui Shi

5. Ozai or Zhao: Ozai

6. Gladiator Brawl, Sponsor Race, Pairs Tournament or Scavenger Hunt: Gladiator Brawl for the awesome final but Sponsor Race for the feels

7. Xin Long or Appa: Close but Xin Long

8. Azula’s Squad or Sokka’s Squad: Choosing sucks but Sokka’s. I think Azula’s Squad is still forming at the moment.

9. Ty Lee or Mai: Ty Lee

10. Shoji or Kino: Shoji

11. Ruon Jian or Haru: Haru because I think Ruon Jian did not have enough “screen time” to really move into my heart

OTHERS:

A Place you would like to visit or live: I want to visit Ember Island or Shu Jing or Sokka’s house, or the dragon cave or the… Throw a dart at the map.

2. If you could give Part 2 a title it would be: “The Bonds that Drive Us” because, yes, the bond between Sokka and Azula are the key driving force of the plot and the story, but other bonds, those of friendship and/or romance between the many characters, give the story more depth and pushes the story forward.

3. Something you look forward to: Ozai’s reaction to Sokka living and fighting against him

4. Best Arc(s) in Part 3 (so far): Story telling

5. Favorite Sokkla Artwork from Part 2: Sokka and Azula in the planetarium

GUESSING TIME:

Future Ships you think will happen: Here me out… Yue and Anorak

2. Azula and Zhao will divorce when/because of …: Zhao dying to Sokka. Or dying to something/someone else. I don’t see him living to see the final chapters of the story.

3. When Hakoda meets Azula and Hotaru for the first time…: Hakoda joins Sokka for the battle where Azula and Sokka meet again but is in a different place when they do battle. Once the battle ends and the dusts settle. Hakoda watches Hotaru because we all know Sokkla is horny.

4. When Ozai and Ursa see each other …: This is hard. I think that Ursa would be one of if not the final nail in the coffin for Ozai to truly realize he’s beyond saving. This would take place closer to the final chapters.

5. I think Ozai's future looks like...: It’s very hard to say. For the short term, I see him beating himself up for the awful choices he made before making even more after Sokka's return.

6. When Azula finally visits the south pole, I hope/wish/think …: The villagers calling her Jing and she being confused.

7. First things Azula and Sokka will do after their reunion: Hug, cry, apologize, visit Hotaru, find a private place…

QUIZ: (The correct answers can be found in my post on June 16th)

Name of the first Gladiator Sokka fought against? Spawn of the Volcano... Chan's gladiator. That's his name now.

2. How many years are Azula and Sokka a couple now? 3 to 4 years now. Maybe even five but that seems wrong. Once the 3rd Part started, for some reason I thought they were together for 5 years.

3. Which character found out about Azula and Sokka’s secret relationship first? Song

4. Which character felt something might be going on/will be going on between Sokka and Azula from the beginning? Ty Lee

5. What’s the name of Ozai’s first love? I sadly don’t remember but I’m willing to bet my left kidney that it was himself. Please don’t take my kidney because I know I’m wrong.

6. What was the first Gladiator event Azula and Sokka took part in? Scavenger Hunt

7. How often did the Blue Wolf fight in the Slate? Twice in six months? Nine months?

8. Who would have almost been the potential future prince? Chan

9. How old was Aang when he was forced to freeze himself and Appa? 18, I think.

SOME NICE WORDS TO OUR DEAR AUTHOR SEYARYMINAMOTO:

I won't lie. I used to think fan fiction was only something bad and cringe inducing (Mine definitely are) but then I was introduced to your work(s) on an Artcraawl post. I thought, "why not? It has three million words, hard work had to be put into it." Six hours later I realized it was past midnight and I had classes the next morning and I had a long ways to go to catch up. For the next few weeks of January/February in 2022, I was addicted. Friends thought I was crazy because every time they looked at me, my face was glued to my phone. The glee I felt when I realized that new chapters were being posted was amazing. And then the impatience of having to wait two weeks for the next update was devastating. But then I saw that you had more works for me to read and read I did. Safe to say that you changed my view of fan fiction, Avatar, Azula and Sokka, and writing. You opened many new doors for me that I refused to even have to key made for. Your dedication, hard work, and awesome writing skills amaze me. I'm happy to be one of many readers you have even though I'm a bit late to the party. If the story continues for another ten years (That number is insane BTW, that's a decade!!), then count me in! I will still wait for every update and my heart will be moved by your beautiful writing. Thank you for all the work you put into this and for how you have influenced me for good. Truly, thank you.

Here's for 300 more!

For the record, @kigozula, why on earth did you make the questions so hard to answer? This was supposed to be fun yet here I am trying to decide which Sokkla smut scene was my favorite. Do you know how hard that is? Shame on you 🤭

#gladiator #sokkla #gladiator300thchapter #Here's to 300 more!#formatting on tumblr is hard #I think I got it to look good #No promises though

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theowritesfiction · 1 year

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‘The Day of Black Sun Part 1: Invasion’

Okay, here we are with the big mid-season double header! Right off the bat, I have to remark on another sweet Water Sibling moment, with Katara slipping a drink into Sokka's hand as he's pouring over the maps. Aww <3

The invasion force arrives... and no, I can't think of anything else but Haru's facial hair committing crimes against all common decency. 30 Jerk Points for that mustache. Also, Aang getting a new glider just in time... that snack compartment sounds like a Sokka idea, though. I loved Appa's armor - okay, I guess the scam money was put to good use. I don't love Aang shaving his hair - 10 Jerk Points.

Poor Sokka choking up right before it was time to present his big idea was kind of mean... but Hakoda's explanation of the plan really underlines how desperate it is. Most of the fighting is still being done without the aid of the eclipse. Also, there are some very serious flaws in the plan that I can see right away, and I will probably do a more serious meta about it, but I will immediately challenge the assertion that 'once the Avatar has defeated the Fire Lord, the war will be over'. Like... why would you expect the war to be over at that point? Why wouldn't the Fire Nation keep fighting back against an invading force striking into the heart of the capital? The Fire Lord isn't the only one keeping this war going. The moment the eclipse is over, every firebender in and around the capital will be looking to kick these invaders out, because there is no way in hell they will be viewed as 'liberators'.

And yes, I think this invasion plan was terrible and is one of the reasons why I don't subscribe to the genius Sokka theory. But even if the overall plan is not good, I can still give Sokka credit for his awesome inventions that individually performed as intended. <3

Okay, the Kataang stuff... let's get that out of the way quickly, I don't really blame Aang for wanting to kiss Katara before heading into what they believe is the decisive battle, even if Katara just wanted another big sister moment. I still find the framing of this whole 'romance' very badly done. The last Kataang moment was way back in The Headband, which was pretty much the only clear time where Katara showed romantic interest in Aang, and yet it had no follow-up and here Katara once again acts confused and uncertain, and knowing what we know about Katara and how free she is with her affections... once again, she is clearly far less interested in Aang than Aang is interested in her. Sorry, facts only. Also, since I was still subjected to Kataang kiss which I find gross, I give the culprit (Aang) 20 more Jerk Points.

I think Mai actually spent a lot of effort trying to be supportive for Zuko during these Book 3 episodes. I think she deserved better than a crappy letter. 30 Jerk Points for Zuko. Also, Zuko, saying farewells to Mai and Ursa, but not to your sister who brought you back, gave you what you wanted and kept your ass safe? Boo, 20 more Jerk Points to a bad brother.

The action in the harbor is appropriately epic, but I don't have too much to say about that. It's action, what do you want me to say? I'm a bit sad that Hakoda's injury put Katara out of the final confrontation, and she wasn't there to face off against Azula... robbed again :(

The ending actually felt very satisfying to me. Aang's despair at having been tricked and the viewer realizing that Azula has outsmarted everyone... ah, how does Azula manage to be the best even when she doesn't appear on screen? <3

Anyway, see you soon in Part 2, but meanwhile, here are the updated Jerk Points for Book 3:

Zuko - 460 Aang – 280 Roku - 100 Hide, Sokka - 80 King Kuei - 60 Toph - 50 Haru - 30

#my atla rewatch #atla book 3 #the day of black sun

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thispatternismine · 1 year

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Into the Fire [7/?] - Family Drama

Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender

Relationship(s): Mai/Zuko, Zuko & Iroh, Ozai & Zuko, Zuko & the Gaang

Summary: When Azula met her brother in Ba Sing Se & told him he could come home, he believed her, even though she had made this exact offer before. This time there was no loose-lipped Captain to give the game away, & he was brought back to the Fire Nation not as a hero, but in chains. When he is dragged from his cell months later, he expects to be facing his execution, not his coronation.

Chapter 1: A Decision is Made

Chapter 2: Preparations & Discoveries

Chapter 3: A Public Spectacle

Chapter 4: Prison Break, But Legally

Chapter 5: Casually Suggesting Treason

Chapter 6: Confused Hakoda

Chapter 7: Family Drama

Extract:

Ozai sat slumped against the wall of his cell, too exhausted to do anything else. (Weak, so weak…) He felt drained, empty, the void where his inner flame had once been clawing at him.

He had lost everything. His power, his throne, even his firebending, even his strength. And soon, probably, his life. The Avatar was clearly intent on Iroh being Firelord, judging by the gloating comments of his friends as they had hauled their prisoner onto an airship, and by now the coronation must be over.

(There was something in his hair. Rotten fruit, he realised, from Ba Sing Se. The Avatar’s little band had of course needed to collect the new Firelord and take him to his coronation. And they had made sure to show their prisoner off while they were there, just to underscore his humiliation.)

When a guard announced that he had a very important visitor, and the pathetic torches blazed stronger, he remained slumped against the wall, not even bothering to turn and look up as a shadow fell over him. He didn't want to have to see his brother's smug face again.

"Father."

His head jerked up, half worried that he was hallucinating from his dehydration (though the Royal Physician had provided him with water). Or worse, that Zuko had been restored to the title of Prince, and dispatched as a messenger.

But no, it was indeed Zuko, dressed in Firelord robes, the crown glinting in his hair.

He closed his eyes for a moment, relieved. Thank Agni for small mercies. At least one of his children was on the throne. He'd rather it was Azula, of course – he had groomed her as his successor – but better Zuko than Iroh.

A shiver wracked him.

“You’re cold?” He hesitated a moment, before leaving.

Ozai wondered if he’d been abandoned for displaying weakness, but Zuko returned a minute later, a blanket draped over his arms.

“Here.” He held it through the bars.

Ozai didn’t reach for it; he wasn’t going to debase himself more by begging. And he was too weary to move. Besides, what good would it do?

“It won’t help.” The cold was inside him, threatening to consume him.

Zuko sighed. “Just take the fucking blanket.”

[ tip jar ]

#zuko #mai #ozai #iroh #azula #maiko #atla #fanfic #stuff what i have wrote

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comradekatara · 1 year

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there's a post going around about how katara is misunderstood by fans who claim that she "whines too much about her mother" and "unfairly friendzoned aang" and how people who say that are doing a disservice to such a great character. and obviously i agree. even though i've never actually seen anyone say those things firsthand, i'm positive that they do, and it is a gross misinterpretation of her character. i'm glad people are defending her from slander. but i also can't help but feel disappointed by that post, because in an attempt to defend her from bogus allegations, they end up actually reducing her themselves. and that makes me so sad, because katara would not actually be as special and wonderful as she is without her flaws. of course, her response to aang's affection and the way she brings up her mother are not flaws, but she does have them. they're what make her such a good character! putting her on a pedestal is just as reductive as calling her whiny or whatever.

Or you hear the infamous line, “then you didn’t love [our mother] the way I did” and you prepare yourself for one of the worst character assassinations ever only to see the scene after nearly three seasons worth of context and realize she was kinda right. She’s been the mother, the nurturer, the comforter. She’s been patient, gentle, and accommodating where everyone else has gotten to be insensible and reckless and childish, and the one moment where she allows herself to feel her grief, suddenly she’s this evil bitch and not, y’know, a 14 year old girl whose (sic) been thrusted into adulthood in a way no other character has. A 14 year old girl who should be allowed immaturity and raw emotion and anger instead of the patience and grace she’s been forced to extend to every character without even the smallest amount of gratitude or even consideration in return.

okay so the thing is... i do think katara is kinda right when she says this line. it's cruel, but it's not exactly wrong. katara has placed so much of her identity into kya's sacrifice. perhaps sokka and katara loved their mother equally, but they did not grieve her equally, they did not feel the same loss. kya's death was personal to katara in a way it was not to sokka, and in that moment, when she says that, it's upsetting, but understandable.

that said, katara gets to be insensible, reckless, and childish constantly. it's a cornerstone of her character. that doesn't mean that she isn't often reasonable, practical, sensitive, and comforting, but that's not all she is. she's a kid and she acts like it! her immaturity, raw emotion, and anger are some of her defining characteristics. we see those wonderful traits of hers as early as the pilot, and they never go away. so i'm confused by the claim that she is denied that. she just simply isn't.

she's also not the only one who is thrust into adulthood. even if you ignore azula, since she's a villain, we literally see hakoda say to sokka multiple times that he left sokka behind to care for and protect katara and their village. and sokka takes that very seriously. he and kanna face down katara and aang in episode one chastising katara for being irresponsible enough to accidentally send a flare that locates the fire nation to their village. sokka tells katara that she put them in danger and kanna says "sokka is right." katara tells sokka that he's making a mistake, but he says, "no, i'm keeping my promise to dad. to protect you." sokka's mentality is one of protecting katara, of being responsible for her, for his village, and then aang, and later toph. he was thrust into adulthood at 13 when he was "the only man" left in the tribe. i don't understand how anyone could see that and say that katara was the only one forced to grow up too fast. she was forced to grow up too fast, and it's tragic, but she also clings to her innocence and childhood, and that's an integral aspect of her character. why would you erase that?

Katara is the most misunderstood character in the show. As much as people recognize the complexities of Zuko, Sokka, and Azula, they struggle to do the same for Katara because they see her struggles as somehow lesser, and therefore, less deserving of sympathy. They can handle her so long as she’s being endlessly patient and loving and kind, but the moment her endless love, patience, and kindness runs out, she’s suddenly this annoying bitch who can’t shut up about her mother or reciprocate Aang’s feelings. But Katara’s trauma does matter as much as anyone else’s. No, she wasn’t banished from her kingdom. No, she didn’t lose her entire community, and no, she isn’t the only one who lost her mother. But the difference between her and everyone else whose experienced loss because of the Fire Nation is that she’s never given time to process her trauma. Aang gets to lean on Katara constantly. Toph gets to express her feelings to Katara, and yeah, Sokka also lost their mother, but unlike Katara, he isn’t put in the position of being a substitute for everyone’s parent. He even admits that he sees his sister as a mother. The only characters who ever comfort Katara or allow her to vent is Zuko and her father and that’s, like, three scenes in a show where the other characters are consistently given opportunities to seek out Katara for unconditional support.

lmao i don't really think people understand the complexities of azula and sokka. zuko, yes, definitely, much ink has been spilled on zuko's strife. but if you know where to look, people write about katara as much as they write about azula and sokka, which is to say, not as much as they do zuko, but nonetheless a fair amount.

she is given time to process her trauma, though. she talks about her trauma constantly. not in a whiny way, but in the sense that her grief defines her in many ways, and since she is the main character, arguably on equal standing with aang, her trauma is explored a lot throughout the show. she certainly discusses it with more than simply zuko (who immediately goes on to betray her). she does have that beautiful scene with hakoda, but she also talks about her trauma to aang, jet, haru, hama, and of course sokka. she never talks about it directly with toph, but sokka talks about her to toph.

the idea that aang and sokka cannot empathize with her grief is actually pretty absurd. aang knows what it's like to be the chosen one, to be the last of your people and expected to carry the weight of your entire culture on your back. sokka knows what it's like to lose their parents (they lost. the same parents) and be expected to replace that parent and bear their legacy (even if with sokka he is attempting to replace hakoda while katara is attempting to replace kya). and just because zuko is the only one who bears the guilt of knowing that his mother sacrificed herself for him in the same way that kya sacrificed herself for katara, doesn't mean that aang and sokka are completely blind to her grief. they do want to help and support her. helping and supporting katara is sokka's number one priority at all times. and although katara's support is invaluable to aang, that doesn't mean that their relationship is all giving and no receiving. he also supports her. he inspires her and helps her and would do anything for her. yes he's kind of awkward when it comes to navigating his feelings for her, but he's also twelve years old. and he's not a selfish monster. katara would not love him (platonically or romantically) if he were.

the idea that sokka isn't put in the position of being a substitute for everyone's parent but katara is doesn't make sense to me either. if anything, they take on equal responsibilities. and okay. sokka does not actually say that he sees his sister as a mother, but i do understand why that is a common interpretation of his speech in "the runaway." i just don't think it really makes sense to say that considering he never actually treats her like a mother. if he does see her as a mother, then why does he always treat her like a little sister? i'm not going to repeat my take on this scene since i've already discussed it enough, so just read this post.

^guy who sees his little sister, who is the most responsible girl in the world and never does anything reckless or irresponsible in the name of justice (no sir!), as his mom

i know i've talked about this before, but it makes me really sad when people diminish katara's character in a misguided attempt to defend her from racists/misogynists who unfairly malign her character. she should be defended, by all means, but erasing the traits that make her interesting and good, at sokka and aang's expense no less, is not the way to defend her. she is worthy of praise, but there is no need to remove entire chunks of her character and slander other characters to do so. i want more posts lauding katara for how amazing her character is, but i want those posts to be accurate. she deserves to be appreciated for her flaws as well as her virtues. she deserves to be honored properly.

#id in alt text #katara #this isnt really analysis it's more like #hot takes #sokka #aang #hakoda #katara&sokka #aang&katara #why cant ppl ever just defend and praise katara #w/o acting like she's some flawless mother who never makes mistakes #as if that would not make her a bad character. if she were.#sad!!!!!!!#sokka slander? also sad!#it's all. SAD

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goldenavenger02 · 1 year

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troubled water running cold

So I kinda got confused while writing this and noticed in my rewatch of this episode that Zuko does not fall during the fight with Azula. That being said, I'm very sick and I don't care to change the plot, so...take it as a creative liberty.

And now, on with the story!

Zuko knew as soon as he had slipped during his fight atop the trolley against his sister and his left side had hit the metal roof hard that his ribs were broken.

Even if he couldn't feel anything but a mild twinge every time he inhaled as they made their way back to the Western Air Temple, he knew. He had become used to such injuries between how rough Azula was when they would fight as children and his fights against Aang and the others.

How he could never really get a full breath in without doubling over, how blood would coat his tongue and stain his teeth when he coughed if he overexerted himself, how he had to keep perfect posture when his chest was bound tightly so they healed correctly. It was practically routine at this point in his life.

Sure enough, after the joyful reunion between Katara, Sokka and Hakoda and the group made their way inside, Zuko felt the familiar spike of pain from the left side of his chest into his nerves that could only be his ribs. He couldn't stop from doubling over in the courtyard as his right hand gripped his left side and he gritted his teeth till the pain slowed with only Appa as a witness.

When the pain subsided, he stood up slowly, his right hand still against his left side; he considered going to Katara for a brief moment, but he stopped himself just as quickly. Even though he helped Sokka save Hakoda and Suki, that didn't mean that everything between him and Katara was okay, not that it should be.

He knew that he had betrayed her many times, that if he so much looked at Aang the wrong way that she was ready to kill him, and he couldn't even blame her. He knew that like always, he had to deal with this on his own because of his own mistakes.

So he removed his hand from his left side, letting it dangle loosely as he walked at a slow pace towards his room so he could mend his wounds in peace without worrying the others or worse, angering Katara.

He could hear the lively discussion coming from the main room, it sounded like Toph and Katara were poking at each other with their comments, so he knew that he wouldn't miss much and no one would be too shocked if he went to his room early. But even in the near silent hallway, a voice hit his ears that made his body stiffen and stopped him from walking instantly.

"You know, for being a crown prince, you have a very readable face."

He knew it was Hakoda even before he turned around, but the tone had been one he had been on the receiving end of from his uncle Iroh. Stern enough to get his attention, but the scolding was light enough to not send him into fight or flight mode.

"I was a pretty lousy crown prince. Sokka and Katara will tell you all about it."

"I'm sure they would, but that's not why I stopped you. Are you injured?" Before Zuko could come up with any excuse or lie to wave the man's concern away, Hakoda added, "I saw you from my window in the courtyard."

And Zuko knew that he was cornered by the man with no escape or excuse to give, so he just let out a long sigh that had the repercussion of a strong surge of agony up into his arm before asking, "you won't tell Katara, right?"

"She could heal you. Her water bending doesn't heal bones, but it would help some of those internal injuries."

"She doesn't trust me, she thinks I'm going to backstab them again and bring Aang to my father. She threatened my life if I stepped out of line."

The hallway went eerily silent except for the light wheeze from Zuko's lungs when he exhaled after he explained his reasoning and he winced as soon as he realized that he had just told Katara's father what she had said to him, but there was no taking it back now.

"Why don't you head to your room," Hakoda spoke at last, resting a soft hand on Zuko's right shoulder for a brief moment, "and I'll get some supplies, see what I can do. I may not be a healer, but I've had my share of war wounds."

Zuko knew that his other option was enlisting Katara, so he agreed and turned back to his room, his hand now resting on his ribs once again as he slowly sat down on the stone bed and forced himself to wait patiently as his chest throbbed.

He was used to cleaning and mending his own wounds. Especially after his banishment, he refused to let anyone help him with the exception of his uncle tending to his burned face in the very early days of his hunt for the Avatar. Despite how much he had changed, he couldn't shake the mindset of having to care for himself away.

Zuko was pulled out of his thoughts by Hakoda's return, looking up to see the man's face was calm and collected as he seemingly inventoried the medical supplies on the small shelf next to his bed before he finally returned the eye contact.

"Do you need help with your shirt?"

It only hit him now that he was still wearing the paper thin prison uniform, but he shook his head and pulled the orange shirt off, wincing when it brushed against his chest and again when he raised his left arm to free it before depositing it onto the floor and laying back on the stone bed.

His forehead was slick with sweat from the struggle and his chest ached painfully with every shallow breath he was able to take. Hakoda hadn't even started to prod at his ribs yet but Zuko already knew that this was a particularly bad blow that he had taken, maybe one of the worst ones at that.

Sure enough, after Hakoda maneuvered the lantern so that his injury was in the light and Zuko felt light but painful fingers grazing his side, he could swear that he heard the man mumble just under his breath, "this is not good."

But he didn't say that to his face. He worked quietly and quickly, not saying a single word as he applied a cooling salve to numb the pain before beginning to wrap his chest tightly. Zuko was okay with Hakoda being quiet as he worked. It meant that he could try his best to ignore the twinges and stare at the stone ceiling instead.

Until he had to sit up so the bandages could be wrapped around his back and that's when Hakoda spoke up, his voice sounding choked slightly, like he had been crying.

"Zuko? Have you broken your ribs before?"

"Why?"

"Your chest is nearly caved in on the left side." He told him as he finished wrapping the bandages.

"Azula played rough, my banishment played harder." Zuko spoke, keeping his voice as emotionless as possible in order to keep his tears to himself. There would be plenty of time for him to do that when Hakoda wasn't looking.

"Zuko, this could be deadly, " Hakoda stopped to stand from where he had been kneeling to tend to Zuko, "I'm going to talk to Katara."

"But-"

"I'll also get her to back down on her threats, at least while you're recovering."

And with that, the man was gone and his door was shut again, leaving the firebender alone in the silence and with his aching chest. So he did the only thing he could do. He pulled his blanket over himself, the movement making his chest ache, before he closed his eyes and forced himself into a restless sleep.

…

He couldn't have been asleep for that long when he felt the blanket being slowly tugged down, followed by the removal of the bandages which were slowly pulled off of his skin so they didn't pull too hard on any of his skin.

"You're right, dad," Katara's voice was unmistakably hers as the familiar sloshing sound of her water bending hit his ears, "this is really bad."

"I know it's a lot, and that you don't trust him, but I don't think it will benefit either side if he dies. He is wanted by the Fire Lord after all and I don't think he'll welcome back his son with open arms."

Zuko cringed at the mention of his father as the sloshing continued, but kept it internal. It was probably for the best if they assumed that he was asleep.

"I don't trust him. That doesn't mean that I'm not going to heal him, especially because he's helping Aang and helped Sokka bring you and Suki back to us."

"Good girl," Hakoda's voice was soft and gentle, "but I think that you should start looking inward as well for a way to forgive Zuko."

"How can I when he tried to kill us? When he tried to kidnap Aang? How can I forgive someone who has betrayed me before?"

"By letting yourself accept what has happened and accept that he is not the same person that he was a year ago. None of us are."

Katara didn't speak again after Hakoda's words. Instead, she bent the water into Zuko's chest and slowly started to heal the years of internal injuries he had received from fighting them and training against Azula.

The tugs and pulls of the cold water, no matter how gentle, made his ribs twinge painfully but he managed to keep his eyes closed, even if that meant that he was biting the inside of his cheek at the same time. He didn't know whether it was the healing itself or the cold water that hurt more.

He had nearly lost consciousness a few times when the cold hit a particularly sensitive area, but he managed to cling tightly to being awake until finally, the water subsided with another slosh and for the first time in a long time, he could breathe just a little bit clearer then when he had broken his ribs in the past.

He stayed limp in Katara's arms as Hakoda wrapped fresh bandages around his chest, his face planted firmly against her shoulder. Even though she hadn't been with the water tribe in a long time, her hair still smelled like sea water; he hoped that he didn't smell like burning garbage.

Before he could ponder on the smell any longer, he was slowly lowered back down where he had been laying and felt an extra pillow propping him up as Katara's footsteps stormed away.

But Hakoda stayed to lay the blanket over his body and to push his sweaty hair off of his forehead before leaving the room and letting the door shut behind him with a soft click.

Zuko couldn't be more grateful as to where he had ended up.

#Avatar The Last Airbender #atla #hakoda #katara #zuko #whump #hurt/comfort #angst #found family #angry katara #hurt zuko #post The Boiling Rock

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