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highfantasy-soul · 1 month

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Things I LOVED from NATLA Episode 5 - Spirited Away

Katara creating a water version of the earth disks!

Small moment, but Sokka and Aang don't jump until Katara is there and grabs their hands to lead them off in the jump onto Appa

Love that Momo's the one who picks up the acorn to give to Katara - he's so cute!

Katara calling on Gran Gran's teachings <3

"Seeds for the future, not past mistakes" - bringing back up the themes around needing to let go of past guilt so you can step into the future

Big brother Sokka 😭😭😭😭

Pipenpadalopsikopolis!!!

Zuko is such a sassy dick to Lt. Jee XD but like, kinda deserved atm as a girl with ice is kinda, really, something that should raise some flags.

But damn, Jee's face - it makes the next episode all the more satisfying

"Water the most promising seed" ooooohhhhh

"Not self-serving flattery and coy whipers" oooohhh BBUUUURRRNNNNNN

Though it burns all the more as we know that children want the approval of their mentors/parents and it's unlikely Azula has ever gotten that organically, so she feels the need to prompt it.

tHiN pLaCeS????? Sorry, Bruce from Dungeons of Drakkenheim has just primed me to fear that phrase and what it will bring.

Jumpscare where I really thought Sokka had just been yoinked into the Spirit World by that tree branch XD

Aang and Sokka bickering because Sokka can't stop talking and Aang is trying to concentrate - love the group dynamic here

Sokka's little "sshhhhhhh" in the back

Katara practicing her forms!!!

Blue Aang!!

Sokka being absolutely not here for a Spirit World journey and Katara quickly accepting it and just enjoying the ride

"When have I ever caused trouble?" 🙄 "When indeed." 😐

The most AWKWARD and NOT SLICK questioning by Zuko 😩 failing to smoothly slide the money pouch over the counter, just…he's SOOO BAD at being 'nonchalant'! He wants to just scream at you and demand you obey his orders, damn it!!!

Just Dallas' whole performance here - so fucking funny

Pirate mention! Canyon guide!! Stopped the volcano from erupting!!!

All those side quests get nice little mentions <3

Iroh's little run as he chases after Zuko throwing his tantrum 😭

JUUUUUUNNNNEEEEEEE!!!!! NYYYYYLLAAAAA!!!!!!!!!

Omg perfect. So perfect. Perfection. Gorgeously perfect. Did I mention perfect?

Zuko and Iroh's little slap fight XD

June noticing Iroh is cute 🙌

And Zuko's disgust at that 😂

Love Aang always mentioning Gyatzo and all he taught Aang - and Katara really wanting to soak in the knowledge

I like that they brought the entire Gaang into the spirit world here so we could have a natural in-road to deep character work

WON SHI TOOOOONNNNNNNNNGGGG!!!

Nice birdie!!!!

Also great touch with only Aang being able to understand him here, humans just can't

Pretty eye shot!!

Azula's blue fire!!!!!

Really like the choice to let us see her progression to the blue flame - more character development is always a good thing in my book

"Everyone knows you're perfect" "That's not good enough" - smash cut to Zuko

SOOOOO GOOOODDD - seeding her fear that if she doesn't prove herself adequately, her father will treat her like he did Zuko

Showing not telling, people! This is what that means!!!

Zuzu!! Being disgusted - love it

Love Iroh trying to seed his lessons in with pai sho anecdotes

I'm sorry, this scene is hilarious and I cannot unsee it being Iroh trying to prep Zuko for the news that he and June are a thing XD "I know it's unexpected, and she's much younger, but open up your mind to new ideas! There's much you (I) can learn from a dommy mommy."

Again, reinforcing that Zuko has a strong sense of right and wrong - right now, that's leading him down the path of following the Fire Nation's rules, but that very same integrity will be what makes him change sides

Ugh, Iroh's lessons wrapped in pai sho terminology are soooo gooooddd

Creeeeeepy spirit world!!

HEEEIIIII BBAAAIIIII!!!

Who's a cutie patootie panda bear?? YOU ARE!!!!

Oh no, Sokka!!! He went flying.

Suspicious 3-tailed fox!

Her talk about pain right here is so poignant not only for this storyline, but the future one with the ocean spirit

"Do you always make jokes when you don't want to talk about something?" - cutting right to the heart of a lot of Sokka's humor as a coping mechanism

Just… everything with Katara's spirit vision

Her getting to see her mom again and hug her, the women joking around about braiding and Kya encouraging Katara with her waterbending

The absolute gut-wrenching horror as Katara knows what's about to happen, the viewer knows what's about to happen, but the helplessness you feel as you have to watch it play out

Katara trying to save her mom but not being strong enough - it's so well done and we see why the trauma is so very deep when it comes to her and waterbending

Omg Koh's introduction was sooooo terrifying

The sounds, the way he senses despair - it's everything I love about the spirit world

Hakoda!!! DX

Bato!!!!!

I like how we're getting to see that Sokka's feelings of inadequacy as a leader and warrior aren't unfounded - he DID struggle, it didn’t come naturally

I don't blame Hakoda in this moment - he knows the war is coming and he's going to have to leave Sokka in charge - he knows it's not fair - he knows it's an impossible situation, and he's desperately trying to exert some control over the uncontrollable

It makes sense that he'd want Sokka to be magically perfect, that way he could feel marginally better about abandoning him and the village - it's not like he has a choice to stay, everyone is in impossible situations and wishing your kid could be the perfect leader when you know it's going to be forced on them anyways is totally rational

Love that Aang immediately clocks the vision as not real

Despite wanting nothing more than to go see his home and people again, he's a master of the spiritual side of his nature - he knows how to rein it in.

It hurts all the more when we get to Gyatzo and there's the initial distrust - completely founded

Koh's lair!!!

Creepy centipede boiii

Love their chat and I like to think that Aang's past lives subtly let him know not to show emotions with Koh

The whole situation around Koh's face that opens and closes - thanks, I hate it.

It's well done. And I hate it. Please get it away from me. I do not like. Please, kill it with fire. Thank you.

But Gyatzo!!! He waited for Aang for 100 years!!!!!!!!!

I'm gonna say it again - everything with Gyatzo is pure gold. I'm so glad they expanded more with him being Aang's first mentor, even after his death

Gyatzo trying to relieve Aang of his guilt over not being there for the fire nation attack ): It's something Aang really needed to hear and I'm glad it was someone who was present who told him that, not someone just trying to make him not feel as sad.

Aang leaving Appa and Momo in charge of watching over Katara and Sokka!!! So sweet

Gyatzo's monologue is great - how sometimes it feels like we'll always be alone, the only thing keeping you company is your own pain

It ties into every single character of the series and it's such a great through line - they're all suffering in different ways. They NEED people (even Azula)

[Masterlist of my NATLA thoughts]

#natla #avatar the last airbender #netflix avatar #natla positivity #such a great character work episode

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firelordteo · 2 years

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Lukewarm take I guess, but I feel like some people should open their eyes and realize most of the main, recurring characters are kids, teenagers. And not just any kids, but kids who have lived in a world that’s in a war. Kids who experienced trauma, or abuse, are mentally ill, or lived in harsh conditions. Kids who were forced to grow up way faster because of their tragic circumstances. Circumstances that affected how they act, how they see the world, how they react to things. And it makes me really sad how some of ya’ll are so quick to tear some of these kids apart and demonize them for making mistakes, even though making mistakes is just part of life, especially if they live through so many rough things. Should characters be taken accountable for doing mistakes? Yes, absolutely! But it doesn’t make them horrible people or irredeemable, abusive, and whatever other words some folks like to throw around, because the fact is, they still got their whole lives ahead of them. And often times, it makes their character a lot stronger or believable, beause guess what! People in real life make mistakes too. And in Avatar in particular, it was amazing to see these kids grow and learn, even if it was in a shown in a subtle way. And it was amazing to see how everyone was different, how everyone deals with problems they have in different ways, and how they cope with things, even if not in the best or healthiest of ways, because again, that’s just what kids would do. So please, Stop saying Katara was annoying for bringing up her mother’s death often. She is deeply hurt, she had to step up and take up so much responsibility in her family, and she had a right to have a right time forgiving the people who have made her life so much tougher. And saying Sokka didn’t care about his mom as much as Katara does. He is also hurt from it, and is just coping with it and dealing with it in different ways. This goes the other way too btw, it’s okay Katara expressed it in a different manner than Sokka did. Stop saying Azula is 100% evil and doesn’t deserve love. She was weaponized by her father, encouraged to do bad things, when she was just seeking approval of her parent. (which kids simply just do!) She was just in a very unfortunate position, not being able to realize her wrongs when she lived under the wing of someone who glorified this behavior. She does have feelings too, she even had a moment where she apologized to Ty Lee after making fun of her. She was genuine at that moment. Has she done some awful things? Definitely, but that doesn’t mean she going completely insane from losing people she thought were loyal friends was a triumphant moment. It was tragic, she’s so damaged, and yet she’s only 14. Stop saying Mai doesn’t care. She does, just because she doesn’t show it outwardly like some other characters do, doesn’t mean she doesn’t care, and doesn’t mean she doesn’t have feelings. It was very clearly mentioned that she didn’t have the best family life, that she was taught to be obedient, quiet, perfect little girl, and it makes complete sense how this affected her later in life. And don’t act like her calling Zuko out over his temper tantrums was abusive. Calling people out on their bullshit is so important, because then, they can better themselves. And just because I said all this doesn’t mean it’s not valid to not be a fan of a character. Sometimes something may not be our cup of tea. But to hate them so much and demonize them, and not even take the effort to think about them in a way that isn’t unclouded by feelings, and not give them any credit where the credit is due is just so tiring to see for me. I could go on and on about this and how some folks just get these (and other ones I didn’t even mention) characters so wrong, but this post is already long enough so I will just leave this here.

#atla #atla meta #katara meta #azula meta #mai meta

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nothing-more-than-hot-leaf-juice · 3 years

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I think my favorite thing abt Zuko is how hard it is to actually hate him once you get to know him. Like idk but he's just trying to hard and he's so soft and you look at him and think "baby 🥺" and that's that. Even when he was the enemy i never really hated him bc like, he never really did anything too bad like?? He didn't burn down the SWT village, and yeah he hit Sokka but not hard bc he got up right after. So idk but he's soft bby and hard to hate and i love that.

Okay I love Zuko as much as anyone but like .... he did some true asshole stuff in this series. Like homeboy burned Kyoshi village

kidnapped Katara and held her hostage to kidnap Aang

paralyzed Katara and Sokka with the shirshu

kidnapped Aang in the North Pole when he was in the spirit world, leaving the oasis temporarily defenseless (indirectly allowing Zhao a window to get in and kill the moon spirit)

while he was usually ethical with his Blue Spirit crimes, I’m gonna say stealing from these two was a dick move

ya know....Ba Sing Se

and then the whole Sent An Assassin After Them thing.....explicitly hiring someone to murder a 12-year-old

Zuko is a lot of things, but “baby” he is not.

Deep down, yeah he is soft, but for the majority of the show he wasn’t. We saw that he cared, that he was hurting, and we understood that all his actions stemmed from just wanting to please the father that hurt him, but he wasn’t a soft baby by any means. His anger stemmed from an understandable place, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t take it out on everyone around him (especially Iroh in season 1). He was selfish. That doesn’t mean he was a bad person, but recognizing that he did awful things and understanding that he hurt people honestly makes his character better because it makes his redemption arc all the more powerful.

The reason why we appreciate Zuko as a character so much is because how much he changes. It’s because he does break from the mentality he was stuck in thinking his value rested in Ozai’s approval, his recognition of the suffering of others not just under his nation’s actions, but because of his actions, and the lengths he went to earn forgiveness.

That’s why his redemption arc works, though. He did do awful things. He did hurt people without caring. He was selfish. He was rude. Just because he was acting that way because of his trauma doesn’t negate the severity of the things he did.

But he did make up for it. He came to regret all of his actions and did the work to make amends. Not only by internally recognizing that he was wrong and saying he was sorry, but actively making efforts to repair some of the damage at every step.

And the reason we do sympathize and root for him is mostly because of his motivations in comparison to other characters, namely Zhao, Azula, and Ozai. (And because he loses, a lot.) There’s a post that explains it better, but Zuko’s motivations were completely rooted in his own self-interests, ultimately rooted in just wanting to appease Ozai. And that we can understand. We can’t really sympathize with Zhao, Long Feng, or Ozai because their motivations are political-- they want to exploit people and systems for their own glory and power. They aren’t seeking acceptance or validation like Zuko, they’re seeking control and domination over those who don’t have power.

But it’s easier to root for Zuko, not because we want him to succeed, but because we want him to change sides. We don’t want him to capture Aang because doing so would validate Ozai, who is objectively awful. We don’t want him to win against the gaang because that’s who we’re rooting for. What we want for him is to change because unlike other villains on the show, he isn’t swept up by an ideology and hasn’t let power go to his head.

And part of that is us wanting for him to change how he acts towards others. In season 1 he’s explicitly rude to Iroh multiple times. He was an asshole to everyone because he was taking out his hurt feelings on the people around him.

The reason we’re rooting for him to change isn’t that he was a sweet person or because he was “soft.” It was because he was the underdog.

Those feelings of crushing failure, inadequacy...that’s relatable. It’s certainly more relatable than other villains doing selfish things and hurting people without caring to gain power or to perpetuate imperialism. Those are feelings people can relate to and that makes us want him to overcome those feelings. We want him to realize that his father was wrong and terrible to him and that capturing Aang isn’t the answer.

We could relate to Zuko even in season 1 because his arc was about the realization of his own self-worth. It was about a kid learning that no one deserves cruelty, even him. That’s something he always knew, but didn’t internalize and apply to the world and himself until he witnessed how the Fire Nation affected the people of the Earth Kingdom.

From season 1, we know that it was cruel and wrong and hope that maybe Zuko will realize it too. Because no one-- no one earns cruelty.

And his actions stemming from his hurt doesn’t mean they didn’t hurt others. He did a lot of awful things in this show. His betrayal of Iroh, him putting his own goals in front of people who needed the Avatar to win the war for them, and putting others in danger for his own goals. Zuko hurt a lot of people but he arguably did the work to fix his mistakes. He helped restore the world his family destroyed and made personal amends with the specific people he hurt, Iroh most importantly. He put his life on the line several times, stood up to his father, and protected the gaang from the people he once stood alongside to hurt them (Combustion Man, Azula). We saw his remorse and it wasn’t rooted in being mad at his father, it was upon gaining perspective on the world and realizing how that also applied to him, both in the recognition of the harm he did and the steps he had to take to make amends and the fac that he didn’t deserve the abuse his father delt him.

We wanted Zuko to break out of his mentality from season 1 not only because we wanted the gaang to succeed, but because we knew that his selfish actions stemmed from hurt and a lack of perspective on the world, both things he comes to understand throughout the series. He’s not Zhao, wanting glory or military ranking for capturing Aang. He’s not Long Feng, wanting control over others to keep his position of power. He’s not Azula, who was successful in a way he never was. And he’s not Ozai, perpetuating suffering because he believes himself to be that important. He’s a kid who was told he wasn’t good enough and was willing to do anything to appease the people who told him that, even if that meant hurting other people.

We root for him because he really just a kid who wants to not feel like a failure and honestly? That’s one of the most relatable motivations I can think of.

#tldr #zuko was kind of a dick #but his motivations were inherently different from other villains and stemmed from a relatable place #which is why we root for him not to suceed but to change #he did send an assassin after a 12 year old so I will not be calling him a soft baby by any means #zuko #atla #avatar the last airbender #hot leaf meta #iroh #his unroyal majesty bitchlord ozai #zhao #long feng #aang #katara #sokka

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nights-legacy · 4 years

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Figure in Red Pt. 2 - Zuko

+ Y/N healed and still in the back of her head thought about the kiss with Zuko. She kept it to herself though out of worry of what the gang would think. It wasn’t until after the solar eclipse that she let it slip who had saved her. They freak only for a second before being attacked by combustion man and Zuko to step in and help.

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Y/N’s POV

Groaning, I slowly sat up and rubbed my sore shoulder. Having taken a huge fall during the invasion, I was trying to take it easy and heal. It was early morning and something in the air woke me up. Something didn’t feel right. Toph was missing.

“Has anyone seen Toph?” I heard Katara ask.

“I haven’t seen her since she stormed off yesterday.” Sokka said. I got up slowly holding my arm and walked towards the others.

“Something doesn’t feel right guys. I think Toph may be in trouble.”

“Nah. I bet she's just exploring the air temple.” Haru waved me off. I turned around walked back towards my cot. I heard running away, figuring it was the three boys.

“Maybe Y/N’s right. Toph may be…” The wall In front of me burst open and rumble fell through. I stumbled back and fell. I saw Toph crawling out from the rumble.

“My feet got burned.” She screamed. Questions flew through the air as we all flocked towards her. Only one person could have done this, Zuko. But I thought he changed. He wouldn’t do this on purpose.

“See? You trusted Zuko, and you got burned. Literally!” Sokka yelled. I sat down next to Toph.

“She did say she scared him. He was acting on instinct. What do you guys do when spooked? Make sure the other person is at a far enough distance that they won’t be hurt by your defense? No. I know there good in him, there has to be. I mean why would he save Aang back then and then save me back…”

“Wait, when did he save you?” Sokka interrupted. I looked up at him surprise, realizing I let it slip he saved me. I mentally slapped myself.

“Back when I got my leg caught in the bear trap. That night when you guys went off to see what was going on and the fire nation soldiers found the clearing.”

“Yes.” Aang crossed his arms.

“Zuko is the one that saved me. He fought off the soldier and got me away from the rest.” I told them,

“Zuko did that?” Aang asked surprised. I nodded. He went to say something else but something caught my attention and I jerked my line of sight away from him. ON a ledge on one of the other buildings was Combustion man.

“Combustion man!” I stood up and pointed. Just as I did, Zuko came out and knock him off balance. Just in time too because a blast went off wild and hit the temple instead of us.

“Stop. I don’t want you hunting the Avatar anymore!” Zuko kept yelling at Combustion man as we ran behind the fountain. Zuko kept trying to discourage the assassin much to everyone’s surprise. The assassin seemed to have enough of the prince.

“Zuko!” I screamed as he was thrown over the edge. I watched in horror before sighing in relief as I saw him grabbed the vine. “Aang, you have to do something.”

“Right.” He took off. I flinched at every blast. I felt Katara grab my bad arm and pull me away.

“Katara! Ow!”

“Sorry!” I ducked behind the wall and Aang appears next to me. He goes back out after a minute. I peeked around the wall and looked around. A dust cloud was blocking part of the scene.

“All right buddy, don't fail me now!” Sokka through his boomerang, getting a bull’s eye in Combustion man’s forehead. We walked out as Combustion man was gone. I saw Zuko climbing back up and ran over to help.

“Here.” I held out my hand. He looked at me surprised before grabbing it. I pulled him up, ignoring the screaming in my shoulder. I groaned as he made it all the way up. “Ow.”

“What’s wrong? Are you hurt?” He asked grabbing me gently.

“Yes, but it’s not from him. I got hurt the day of the eclipse.” I said. I looked up at him and got caught in his eyes. I felt his hand on my injured arm, his thumb rubbing gently.

“I’m sorry.” I smiled and went to reach up to brush his hair out of his face but was interrupted by the gang coming up. We turned to them quick.

“I can't believe I'm saying this, but ... thanks, Zuko.” Aang said. Zuko took a step forward. He gave a speech, speaking from his heart. He looked back at me for encouragement. I set my hand on his shoulder.

“I think you are supposed to be my firebending teacher. When I first tried to learn firebending…” Aang agreed with zuko. He looked for approval from us before letting him stay. As the others walked away, I smiled at Zuko.

“It’s a start.” I told him walking past him. I looked back to see him watching me. “They’ll see in time.”

“See what?” He asked.

“That you truly have changed. Or more like you finally took off the blinders to the truth General Iroh has been telling you.”

“And how do you know that?”

“Because if you didn’t, you wouldn’t have help Aang escape from Zhao. Even if that was meant to be for your own personal gain. You wouldn’t have helped me escape the Fire nation soldiers when I was injured. You wouldn’t have let Appa go and you wouldn’t have just tried to save us from that crazy assassin. You’re good Zuko. They will just have to see in their own time.” I turned and walked away.

Time Skip

I walked through the hallways, wandering. I heard loud footsteps approaching me. I picked up my speed in curiosity. I turned a corner and nearly ran into Katara. She wasn’t paying attention and I spooked her. She made a move for her water pouch but I quickly blocked her hand.

“It’s just me, Katara. Geez.” She relaxed and looked down.

“I’m sorry, Y/N. I was just…” She trailed off looking behind her. I followed her line of sight and saw nothing out of the ordinary. “Did Zuko really save you that day?”

“Yes, he did.” I cocked my head. “Why?”

“It just seems out of character for him.”

“Katara, put yourself in his shoes. He was thrown out of his home by his own father. The only way he was ever taught to cope with situations like that was with anger. He has been on a journey just like the rest of us. His has just been a lot trivial and misleading. His only source of true help was Iroh. Don’t put the blame for his actions on him. If anyone deserves the blame for that, it’s Ozai.”

“Hmm.” She didn’t say anything before walking away. I shrugged and continued my walk.

“Did you mean that?” I jumped and turned quickly, swing my leg out in a high kick. I was blocked and the person caught my leg mid fall. I saw a figure in red standing there.

“Zuko…Don’t do that.” I said holding my chest. He chuckled before setting my leg down. “What did you ask?”

“I asked, did you mean it? What you said to katara?” he asked.

“Of course I did.”

“Wow, um.” He looked down and rubbed the back of his neck. “No one’s ever stood up for me like that before. Outside of my Uncle anyway.”

“That’s because you haven’t had the right company. Hopefully, we can change your experience in that department.” I said before turning to walk away. A gentle grasp on my arm stopped me. I felt my heart skip a beat.

“Don’t go.” He whispered. He wasn’t looking at me and I saw the red dusted across his cheeks. I reached up and used two fingers to lift his head. I cocked my head to the side in silent question. “I, um. I…”

“Zuko, you can talk to me.” I took a step forward.

“Okay. Um…I Have admired you since the first day I saw you. I didn’t plan to kiss you that day but I couldn’t help myself. You sat there, so beautiful, I had too. I haven’t stopped thinking about you since then and…” he kept rambling. I thought my heart was going to beat out of my chest.

“Zuko.” I tried to get his attention but he kept going. I gave a soft chuckle before grabbing him by the neck and pulling him down into a kiss. I could feel his surprise before he kissed me back hard. I backed up into the door frame.

“I think I love you.” He finished as we pulled away. I looked up at him in awe. His arms were holding tightly onto my waist with his chest pressed against mine.

“I love you too, Zuko.” I brushed my fingertips across the back of his neck. He shivered and smiled. He set his forehead on mine. I moved my arm a little and flinched. He pulled back slightly and looked down as my arm.

“How did you get hurt?”

“AS the sun came back, I fell back over the edge, trying to avoid a fire blast. I caught myself on a ledge but it injured my arm from the impact.” He gently rubbed my shoulder.

“I’m sorry. I wish my great grandfather never started this war.” He frowned and closed his eyes. I smiled small and reached up to touch his face, just under his scar. He tensed for only a second before relaxing, nuzzling my hand.

“Don’t hold the burden of his mistakes on your shoulders. It was not your doing.” I gave him a small kiss. He opened his eyes and looked at me.

“Stay with me tonight?” He asked softly. “I don’t know if I can be alone. Not anymore.”

“I’ll always be here, when you need me. Just let me go get my bed roll.” He nodded. I pulled away. His hands followed, reluctant to let go. I walked quickly to the courtyard. Everyone sat around the fire. I quietly walked over and grabbed my bed roll and bag before turning around.

“Where are you going?” Sokka asked. I saw a skeptical, curious look.

“Well, since all of you are being blind skeptics, sorry Toph, and won’t let our new team member be involved, I am going to spend time with him.” I sassed before walking away.

“Do you think that’s safe or smart?” Sokka asked. I stopped. As I turned, I saw Aang hit Sokka in the arm.

“I trust him. More than any of you do. I see Zuko, not the son of Firelord Ozai.” I walked away without another word. When I returned to Zuko, he was lying on his rolls, arm behind his head and leg propped up.

“I suppose they gave you a hard time to spending time with me?” He asked before opening his eyes and looking at me.

“Only a little. They didn’t say much after a logically told them off.” I spread out my roll next to him before plopping down on my stomach.

“You know, I bet you could challenge my Uncle in wisdom and logic.” He turned toward me on his side.

“Really?” He nodded before yawning. “Let’s get some rest. You’re going to need some energy if you’re going to start training Aang tomorrow.”

“Is he really been that hesitant to learn firebending?” I nodded, pushing up on my elbows. “Hm. Hopefully I can help him move past that. Goodnight Y/N.”

“Goodnight, Zuko.” We both laid down. I rested my head on my arms, looking at him. I smiled thinking about how the boy that helped me that day is now lying next to me. He fell asleep quickly. “goodnight, my Figure in Red.”

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jaceyneedsabetterusername · 4 years

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Can’t Get Rid Of Me (Part 2 to Can’t Lose You)

Pairings: Zuko x Reader

Summary: Part 2 to Can’t Lose You. Y/N has finally found her long lost love but now it’s their responsibility to ensure the end of the Hundred Years War and to bring a new era of peace.

Warnings: Violence

Word Count: 5600

A/N: There are definitely parts of this that are word-for-word from the show and I do not take any creative credit for those. I strictly take credit for what is my writing. But like... I’m actually kind of proud of this particular two-part series thing I happened to write. It was an idea I had for a while and, while I never planned on writing a second part, I’m glad you guys encouraged me to because I actually like how it turned out (and if you’re a writer, you understand how hard it can be to feel like your work is any good). Thank you all for the support <3

___________________________________

Joining the avatar’s group was easier than you’d expected but from seeing the hodge-podge group of people, you figured that they had a habit of picking people up as they went along. For the few days you were at Zuko’s old vacation home on Ember Island before leaving, you’d trained with Zuko and Aang, working with the two boys to develop your firebending as much as possible before the battle. That was before Aang disappeared at least and you all went off searching for him, stumbling upon the Order of the White Lotus instead.

“Are you alright?” You asked Zuko, coming to kneel beside him as he sat outside of Iroh’s tent.

He shook his head, “My uncle hates me. I know it. He loved and supported me in every way he could, and I still turned against him. How can I even face him?” Though you didn’t see much of who he’d become first hand, Zuko had embarrassingly confessed his mistakes over the years to you, especially those concerning the incident with his uncle.

“If there is anyone who understands what you’ve gone through and why you would do what you did, it’s your uncle. I don’t think he could ever hate you Zuko.” You remembered the way Iroh used to treat Zuko, especially after Lu Ten was killed, and you knew in your soul that there was nothing Zuko could do to make Iroh truly hate him.

Zuko glanced over at you with wide eyes, like he was on the brink of tears from just remembering the disappointment in his uncle’s eyes, “But you didn’t see the way he looked at me when I made my decision to rejoin my father.”

“People are allowed to make mistakes, Zuko. You made your choice then but look at the choices you’re making now. Even if he was disappointed months ago, I think he would be so proud to see what you’re doing now. He loves you more than anything.” Your hand reached out to stroke down his bicep comfortingly.

He took a deep breath before pressing himself up to stand, “I sure hope you’re right.”

You spent the night in a tent with Suki, allowing Zuko to have his time to fix things with his uncle. If he needed to talk to you, he knew where to find you. But he didn’t come until morning so you knew it must have gone really well or really poorly.

The next morning, you found yourself sitting alongside the rest of the group, a bowl of porridge in your hands, the only food you’d eaten in two days and it tasted delicious. Iroh was sitting amongst you all, listening to Zuko as he tried to convince his uncle to come with you all to defeat Ozai, “You can beat him and we’ll be there to help!” Zuko explained passionately.

“Even if I did defeat Ozai, and I don’t know that I could, it would be the wrong way to end a war. History will see it as just more senseless violence, a brother killing a brother to grab power. The only way for this to end peacefully is for the Avatar to defeat the Firelord.” Iroh countered and it was clear from the way he spoke that his decision on the matter was final. He would not kill his brother.

This conversation felt wrong to you. Even though Ozai was a terrible man, and you’d seen years of his horrors first hand, it still felt wrong for some reason to be sitting with his son and brother while they conversed about who should get to kill him. But if it was difficult for you to hear, you couldn’t imagine how difficult of a decision it was for them, but mostly for Zuko, which made you so proud of him. He had come so far from that scared little boy, desperate for his father’s love and approval. Zuko had traveled to the ends of the Earth for his father, literally, but was now finding the strength to put everything behind him for the greater good of humanity and, for once, himself.

Iroh had a very valid point in wanting to avoid direct conflict with his brother. From an outsider’s perspective, the battle would have looked simply like a murder for political gain. You could tell from the look on Zuko’s face that he knew as well. “And then… then would you come and take your rightful place on the throne?” He asked, nearly begged.

His uncle looked away, “No, someone new must take the throne- an idealist with a pure heart and unquestionable honor. It has to be you, Prince Zuko.”

Everyone inaudibly gasped at the suggestion. Everyone had a feeling that Zuko would have a large role to play in rebuilding the Fire Nation but nobody had guessed that it would be as Firelord. Zuko looked the most shaken of all, “Unquestionable honor?” He questioned his uncles decision, every regret he had plastered in his eyes, “But I’ve made so many mistakes.”

“Yes, you have,” Iroh began bluntly, “You have suffered and struggled but you have always followed your own path. You restored your own honor and only you can restore the honor of the Fire Nation.”

Zuko’s wide eyes flicked from Iroh to you, trying to accept the reality of what this delegation meant. “I agree with your uncle, Zuko. I don’t think the Fire Nation could be rebuilt better by anyone else.” You encouraged, nodding your head sincerely. What you wanted to do was hold his hand and try to give him whatever power, courage, and confidence you had to offer but you resisted, only offering the small but very heartfelt gesture.

“I’ll try, Uncle.”

A plan was soon devised as to how you would all plan an attack. Iroh and the rest of the White Lotus would reclaim Ba Sing Se. You, Zuko, and Katara would return to the palace to fight Azula and reclaim the throne as soon as Ozai fell. Suki, Toph, and Sokka would all take down the air ships.

Before long, you were about to climb up onto Appa’s saddle beside Katara and Zuko, where he already sat with the reins grasped firmly in his hands. Just as you reached to begin your ascent up the large creature you’d quickly fallen in love with, Iroh’s hand gripped your shoulder, “Y/N.”

You stopped and turned back towards the man you’d come to see as family yourself, “Yes?”

“Azula is strong. Please, keep my nephew safe. Don’t let him get himself killed.” It pained you to hear Iroh say those words, knowing that they held so much more fear than they sounded. The truth was, Iroh didn’t think he could take losing Zuko like he lost Lu Ten.

You swallowed hard, honestly scared to make such a big promise because you knew that truthfully, anything could happen, and the possibility of any of you not returning was very large. But looking into Iroh’s desperate amber eyes, you couldn’t say anything other than, “I will. You stay safe out there, Uncle.” He smiled a little at the endearing term, something that he hadn’t heard you call him in many years, but loved nonetheless because it made him feel like he had children to love.

“May we meet again, Y/N.” He pulled you into a tight hug, bringing your body close to his. An overwhelming surge of emotion coursed through you as you told yourself that this could very well be the last time you ever saw anyone.

“May we meet again.” Your jaw clenched in a desperate attempt to keep your composure and not dwell on the what-if’s, no matter how valid they were.

The ride over wasn’t too unbearably long but it was spent mostly in silence, everyone too lost in contemplation about the upcoming events to find the energy to say much. You’d never done anything this large in your life. You’d been a servant for the first fifteen years of your life and then a runaway turned bead maker for the last few. The closest thing to combat you’d experienced was training with Zuko and the one time you almost lost control with Azula. None of that could prepare you for the agonizing silence before the storm.

“Hey, are you okay?” Katara asked you.

“Hm?” You perked up, shaking yourself out of your thoughts, “Yeah, I’m fine. Just nervous, I s’pose.”

Your chin rested on your knees as you stared down at the ground hundreds of feet below. The distance down didn’t bother you as much as the feeling of impending doom. “I have to believe that we’ll win,” Katara began softly, “And I know I haven’t known you long but, from what I’ve seen, you’re a very strong bender.”

There it was, you realized. The reason you were so anxious. “I’ve never actually used it against anyone but Zuko, and even that was only for training purposes. I have never actually had to fight anyone, let alone Azula. I just… I don’t want to let everyone down.”

“That’s a lot of pressure to put on yourself. We’re all in this together, win or lose.” She reassured. Your eyes flickered up to look at Zuko, whose back was turned to you and Katara while he flew Appa. Katara noticed the movement and was about to move to take over flying Appa so Zuko could talk with you but just as she went to go, a bright light streaked overhead.

All three of you craned your necks to watch the infamous comet streak across the sky, casting an orange glow over everything. “Sozin’s comet…” You breathed out, the celestial object actually much more beautiful than you’d ever imagine but so much more daunting as well.

Zuko looked back to see your eyes trained on the comet and he felt like he was falling in love with you all over again. Your eyes sparkled with determination and courage in the light of the comet, your hair blew wildly around your face in the wind. You looked like the strongest most beautiful woman he’d ever laid eyes on and he couldn’t wait to kick his sister’s ass and restore the Fire Nation with you.

When the palace was in sight, Azula’s coronation was already underway. You smirked a little at the twinge of satisfaction that nobody had actually attended the coronation aside from the few people that were required to be there. Clearly, Azula was far from the preferred Fire Lord.

“We have to stop this now!” Zuko called back to you and Katara just before he landed Appa right in the middle of the courtyard.

You weren’t sure what exactly was being said when you landed but judging by the scowl on Azula’s face, she was unhappy about it. Before Appa could even touch the ground, Zuko was jumping down onto the ground, “Sorry, but you’re not going to become Firelord today. I am.”

He stood there solidly, unyielding. You and Katara too jumped down to stand beside him. Azula began to laugh hysterically, “You’re hilarious!”

“And you’re going down.” Katara threatened.

You stood to the other side of Zuko, staring down the girl who had been the cause of your torment for over a decade. When you locked eyes with her, she scoffed, “And what? You’re going to beat me with some Water Tribe peasant and a servant? You really are pathetic, Zuzu.”

Gosh, how you were so ready to just destroy her. But none of you moved, waiting for Zuko’s call. In the end, this really was his fight.

When Azula noticed that there was no reaction to her insult, an evil smirk spread across her face, “Wait. You want to be Firelord? Fine, let’s settle this,” She suggested, appearing more composed than she had since you’d arrived, which was almost scarier than seeing her look psychotic, “Just you and me, brother - the fight that was always meant to be. Agni Kai!”

No, this was bad.

“You’re on.” Zuko accepted the challenge, much to your chagrin.

You shot a look at Zuko, wondering why on Earth he’d be falling into her trap like this, “She’s trying to separate us!” You hissed at him, “She knows she can’t take us all so she’s testing you.”

He didn’t look at you, though. He just stared straight ahead, locking eyes with his sister who stared hard and sadistically at him. “I know, but I can take her this time.” His eyes narrowed and Azula’s lip turned upwards in a sick smile.

“Even you admitted to your uncle that you’d need help defeating her!” Katara insisted, desperately trying to talk him out of the Agni Kai. Even though she wasn’t Fire Nation, she knew how serious an Agni Kai was to your culture and that it wasn’t something to be taken lightly.

Zuko looked as if he was analyzing his younger sister, “There’s something off about her. I can’t explain it, but she’s slipping. And this way, no one else has to get hurt.” He turned to you and you could almost see the fear in his eyes. Not fear for his own life but for yours and Katara’s.

You wanted to stop him, wanted to talk some sense into your boyfriend. All you could think about was that promise you made to Iroh. Please, keep my nephew safe. Don’t let him get himself killed. Allowing him to fight alone felt like a direct breach of that promise that you’d had every intention of keeping but something in you told you to let him fight her. “Don’t get hurt.” You gave into his plan, hoping, praying, wishing on everything that you were making the right decision.

Within a few minutes, you and Katara were standing off to the side of the large outdoor space, watching as Zuko breathed deep, centering himself before the duel. You found yourself almost shaking, the memories of what happened at the last Agni Kai you’d attended flooding your memory. It was as if your vision was flashing from thirteen year old Zuko, begging his father for forgiveness, to now, where he was kneeling away from his sister. Only this time, you knew he wouldn’t be granted the same mercy his father had given him. At least then he got away with his life. With Azula, you knew he wouldn’t be so lucky if he fell short.

Katara was tense herself but could practically feel the air stiffen around you. She glanced over to see your eyes almost glazed over, stuck in a memory she’d never see. The rise and fall of your chest had also stopped with your breathing. “He’s going to be alright.” Katara reassured you, gently grabbing your hand, “He has to be.”

You looked down at where your hands were joined and squeezed, eyes returning to hers with a small half-hearted smile, just enough to show that you at least partially believed her. With a deep, calming breath, you swallowed the lump in your throat and raised your head high.

Both siblings came to stand up, shedding the cloaks that were slung over their shoulders. “I’m sorry it has to end this way, brother.” Azula apologized insincerely.

“No, you’re not.” Zuko’s eyes narrowed, already in a starting stance.

And just like that, waves of red and blue painted the sky. Roaring flames shot from both Zuko and Azula’s hands, almost deafeningly so. Zuko’s bending was more passionate and stronger than you’d ever seen it before. Azula, on the other hand, seemed less refined and sloppier than her highness had ever allowed herself to be in the past but that did not mean that her bending was any less effective. There was so much rage and power behind both of their strikes.

You watched Zuko’s moves intensely, mentally trying to tell him what to do, what move might be best, even though you knew that he was a far more well-trained bender than you were. But that was when you noticed that his forms were different than what he’d taught you all those years ago. His stance was wider and he looked more locked in place, like he was a boulder that refused to be moved, when he literally split a powerful flame that Azula sent his way in half. It was something you’d never seen any fire bender do before. In fact, he sort of looked like Toph…

In a small gap between Azula’s onslaught of attack, Zuko took the offense, his arms moving smoothly and gracefully, expelling a stream of fire that almost could have resembled the way water benders shoot water. Your eyes widened. These were not traditional fire bending moves. Could he be using earth and water bending techniques to fire bend?

As the flames settled in a small pause, you and Katara noticed that the buildings of the palace were all aflame, slowly burning to the ground in an orange glow. It was a short lived breath of silence though because Zuko interrupted it with a sudden blast of flames at Azula that nearly knocked her off her feet. She managed to catch herself with a jet of blue flames that projected her off the ground and towards her brother. It went on like this, shot after shot in the most heated, equally matched Agni Kai you’d ever seen.

Suddenly, Zuko dropped to his hands and swung his legs around his body, sending whips of flames at his sister. “Isn’t that airbending?” You asked Katara, though your eyes never left the scene before you. The flame landed and sent Azula flying into the ground with a thud, rolling at least fifteen feet before she came to a stop.

“I didn’t know you could use other bending techniques for a different element.” Katara too was entranced by Zuko’s conglomerated, unpredictable moves. It would have been beautiful to see fire used in such a way if it weren’t for the fact that you were all in the midst of a life-or-death situation.

Azula slowly stood up, her eyes crazed beneath her choppy bangs.

“No lightning?” Zuko taunted, “What? Afraid I’ll redirect it?”

Dammit, Zuko, you cursed mentally, This is not the time to show off.

Azula stood, pressing her weight off her knees, “Oh, I’ll show you lightning!” With that, she began her windup. With two fingers, she directed lightning in electric blue streams around her body. Zuko prepared for the strike, stance strong, hands ready to catch it.

What nobody expected though, was the bright blue bolt being sent at you. It was almost too late by the time you noticed it happening. In a split second, Zuko watched in horror as the lightning blew right past him towards you, your E/C eyes wide with shock. “No!” He screamed, running to jump in front but it was too late.

The lightning bolt streaked past before it could hit him, coming right for you.

The world almost seemed to stop for a moment while at the same time, your entire life flashed by in a second. Your parents playing with you as a child, you and Zuko feeding the turtle ducks just over those gates, Azula burning you, moving in with the kind old lady on Ember Island, and finding Zuko again. But then memories that you didn’t yet make began to reel through your mind in a flash. You and Zuko were together, hand in hand, before an altar. Was that a wedding? Things flashed so quickly you couldn’t see the details. Then came one of the two of you in a room with a bald man with an arrow on his head. He could only be Aang but he was too old and beside him sat Zuko with longer hair; he looked at least ten years older. You seemed to be part of a serious conversation with them. Then, finally, one of you with a swaddled baby sleeping in your arms and Zuko beside you.

Something told you that this was not your time.

Just before the bolt could hit you, you clenched your eyes shut and looked away, sticking out two fingers directly at the lethal electricity coming right at you. With a crack, it came into contact with your digits and coursed through your arm. You brought your arm down to your stomach, or as close to it as you could manage in the heat of the moment, and just held the power there. You had no idea what you were doing. You’d never redirected lightning in your life. Hell, you’d never even seen it done. But in that series of flashbacks, a memory of Iroh telling you and Zuko a story as children about a time he had to redirect lightning during a raid of a city. Zuko had excitedly begged him to show the two of you how he did it and, while he didn’t actually redirect lightning before your eyes, he showed you both the movement for it.

In the few seconds you held the lightning within you, you felt powerful and exhilarated. Your hair blew in the storm in and around your body. You had no idea what it was like to feel so strong but you also had never felt so volatile, like the smallest mistake, the slighted breath, could cause a catastrophe.

Just as Iroh had shown you all those years ago, you brought the fingers of your opposite hand to your stomach and shot out the energy at the ground, tiles shattering where it finally struck.

“Y/N!” Zuko cried out, running over to your body as it crumbled to the ground. You panted hard, trying to catch yourself on your hands and knees but your elbows buckled when you did and you fell face first onto the stone tiles. “Y/N?! Y/N, are you okay?!” He yelled, trying to roll your body over to cradle it in his lap but before he could, Azula sent another blast right next to her brother, purposefully not hitting him. Zuko flinched, shielding your body with his from the shrapnel.

She laughed maniacally, body swinging wildly, “Oh, Zuzu! Looks like your precious little girlfriend picked up a few tricks! Color me impressed.”

Azula assaulted the two of you with another barrage of attacks. Zuko again went to use his body to shield yours but Katara jumped in the way, shooting a powerful stream of water into Azula’s arm to move the lightning. Katara took over the battle for the time being while Zuko held you tight.

“Y/N?” He asked again, eyes wide with worry, almost tearing up, “Please, say something. I can’t lose you!” Those same desperate words that seemed to have haunted your relationship came back around.

He held your face, stroking your hair out of the way. Your eyes rolled back in your head as you struggled to open your eyes. “I’m-I’m alright. You can’t get rid of me that easily.” You insisted with a weak laugh before flinching, pushing your arms behind you to push yourself back up.

“When did you learn to do that?” He asked in shock, helping you sit up.

A loud yell came from Katara as she sent attack after attack of water at Azula. You finally managed to open your eyes enough to see Katara successfully holding off Azula. “Go, help her. I’m fine.” You told Zuko, flinching as you allowed yourself to be helped to an upright position. He looked at you with hesitation in his eyes. You grabbed his collar and pulled him close to you, “Zuko, I’m serious. There are bigger problems.”

With a reluctant nod, he stood up and shot fire at her even more intensely than before, now fueled by rage at her dishonorable attack on you. You were aware of what was going on but for a few seconds you felt disconnected from it. You were still shocked that you managed to redirect the lightning, though not perfectly, of course, otherwise you wouldn’t have collapsed. Your body felt like it was buzzing but no longer with power, more so an emptiness where power once was. And beyond that, a dull burning ache ran through your arms and through your stomach, along the path the lightning ran through.

But, beyond that, you felt relatively okay and, for right now, that had to be enough. With some effort, you managed to push yourself to your feet, strength quickly coming back to your muscles as the temporary that shock rendered them useless for a few minutes faded away.

When you stood, you saw how destroyed everything was. Buildings burned, stone tiles were blown up all over, leaving holes in the ground, and now there were waves of ice. Azula appeared to be struggling against both Katara and Zuko but she also seemed not to mind, still plastering that insane smile on her face.

The three of them had made their way under the canopy off to the side of the main open area. Azula was on the roof, stalking Zuko and Katara who stood underneath. Everyone was silent and you could see Katara and Zuko silently devising a plan but little did they know, Azula jumped down, gripping the canopy to launch herself into a flip. Before she could land or fire, though, you shot a stream of flames at her back, knocking her forward and rolling onto her face.

Her eyes were aflame with rage when she stood up, “It’s about time you learned your place, little servant girl. I spared your life several times but you won’t get that kindness again.”

“I’m not afraid of you anymore, Azula.” You moved to take a strong stance, arms out and ready to deflect any attack she sent your way.

Her amber eyes narrowed beneath her dark jagged hair, “You should be.” With a loud scream, she sent another strike of lightning at you, sure that you couldn’t handle another one since you barely managed to survive the first.

But how wrong she was.

Already predicting an attack of some kind, it was easy to change your hand position and you caught the lightning with your fingertips, brought it down through your stomach, and breathed in for a second - a second that seemed to last forever. It was all coursing through your body again: the power, the volatility, the anger, the fear.

Nobody else could see exactly what was happening. A storm of blue currents blew your hair around your face, covering it from view, and the lightning itself distorted the view of what was happening. Zuko and Katara watched in terror, worried that maybe you weren’t able to catch it and it hit you.

Little did they all know, you had caught it and avoided your heart successfully and now, all there was to do was redirect it. Taking a deep breath, you honed all of your attention on the lightning in your control, forcing as much energy into it as you could, before shooting your fingertips directly at Azula, the lightning coming at her with more force than she’d shot at you.

She tried to move to dodge it but before she could, Katara sent a slick of ice onto the ground just below her feet, sending her slipping instead of jumping like she’d intended. The lightning struck the princess with a loud crack and she fell onto the ground, lying on the cold white ice she’d slipped on.

This time, you felt… alright. You didn’t hurt anywhere or collapse. Instead, you ran towards Zuko and Katara who knelt over Azula’s motionless body. “Is she… D-did I kill her?” You asked, honestly unsure what exactly you wanted the answer to be. For years, you’d told yourself that you’d kill her one day if you ever got the chance but now that took that chance, you weren’t sure if you wanted somebody’s life on your conscience, even if it really might have been for the betterment of the world that she was gone.

Zuko reached down to feel for a pulse and shook his head, “No, she’s alive, but just barely.”

Another wave of confliction coursed through you but, surprisingly, a big portion of it was relief. “What should we do with her then?” You knelt down beside Katara and finally inspected Azula. She was barely conscious, her eyes kept rolling back in her head, but that maniacal smile was finally blasted off her face. Her hair was a mess, just barely held back in the tie anymore. A large portion of her pants were missing, burned away just at the thigh to reveal a massive welting red branch-like wound on her pale skin. That must have been why she was able to survive the hit.

“She needs help,” Zuko sighed, almost sounding like he was at war with himself in this decision, “Something’s telling me this is more than her just being a terrible person. She’ll be moved to the asylum offshore to get the help she needs. And to keep her from hurting anyone else.” His voice got tense at those last words.

Katara moved water from the ground and used it to heal Azula’s leg as much as she could. “Just for now, I was thinking we could keep her in ice? I don’t know what else to do.” She rubbed her legs awkwardly.

Glancing to your right, you saw chains hanging on a pillar and moved to grab them. “Here,” You said, beginning to chain her hands and feet together, her limp limbs moving easily, “Just so when we melt the ice, we still have some leverage.”

“Good idea.” Zuko stood up, watching as you looped the last bit of chain securely in a knot. When it was all good and secure, Zuko gave Katara a small nod and she gracefully created an encasing of ice around Azula.

This whole situation felt strange. The accumulation of a hundred years of war was climaxing right at this moment and you, Zuko, and Katara had all just successfully completed your part of that victory. What felt odd though was standing over Azula, the girl who had tortured you for years, and discussing her fate, which literally was in your hands.

“We did it.” Zuko finally sighed out, breaking the silence, “We actually did it.”

“Now we just have to hope Aang beats Ozai.” Katara rubbed her arms, nervous that the ultimate outcome of all of this wasn’t entirely in just your hands.

* Two days later *

Zuko stood in the hallway of the palace, the walls open and overlooking the surrounding city. He leaned against the half-wall, breathing in the fresh air deeply. His clothes that he’d been wearing for much longer than he’d like to admit while on exile had now been exchanged for the robes of a Firelord. “You clean up nice.” You giggled, coming into the wide hallway.

He turned around to see you walking towards him looking more radiant than ever. Your clothes that you had been wearing when you battled Azula had been quite badly destroyed, ripped and stained with soot and debris. Now, you wore a long dark deep red tunic dress that tied with a slightly lighter band around your waist. It had gold along the inner seams and leading up to the high, traditional collar that was around your neck. The bottom had an ornate design sewn in with amber threads at the bottom.

“Wow…” Zuko breathed out, “Y-You too.” He managed to stammer.

Heat rose in your face, “Thank you.” You finished closing the gap between the two of you, coming wrap your arms around his waist, “Are you okay?”

Zuko bit his lip before half-nodding, half-shaking his head, “I just can’t believe this is happening. Ever since I was little, I was sure my father would find a way to pass along the throne to Azula. I never thought I’d actually be Firelord. But now that I’m about to become Firelord, I guess I’m just scared of making mistakes.”

Your hand came up to his bicep as you pulled him in closer, “Hey, you are going to be the best Firelord in at least a hundred years. You just managed to end a century-long war and I know you have amazing dreams for rebuilding the world.”

“I didn’t end the war alone.” He tried to refute but you just smiled warmly.

“And you won’t have to do all the work to rebuild the nation alone either. We are all here to help you - me, Aang, Sokka, Katara, and Toph.” You reached up to touch his cheek gently and he leaned into your soft palm, savoring the touch. It was the first time he’d ever allowed anyone to touch his scar but with you, he felt safe and secure.

Zuko’s eyes slid closed for just a moment and he brought his hand up to cover yours, holding your hand against his face before pulling it away, intertwining his fingers with yours, “Have I ever told you how much I love you? How much I’ve always loved you?”

A sweet chuckle left your lips like music, “I think you’ve mentioned it a few times. Have I ever told you how much I love you? And how amazing you are? How amazing you will be?”

The two of you stood like that for a while, just holding each other and staring at each other, beyond grateful that the universe allowed you to find each other again. Words could not express the pride and love you felt for this man, despite all of his flaws and mistakes. Zuko only wished he could put into words how grateful he was for your love and support, how much he loved you and wanted to protect you (not that you needed it).

“Nephew, it is time for your coronation.” Iroh chimed in gently, peeking at the two of you from around the corner.

You looked back and gave him an acknowledging smile. “Thank you, Uncle.” Zuko smiled politely at Iroh, who was waiting at the door to escort you to the front of the crowd.

You knew you had to watch the coronation from the ground with the rest of the Gaang but you didn’t mind. You only hoped that Zuko could feel the support from you and the rest of the group radiating from the crowd.

“You are going to be amazing, Firelord.” You touched his face one last time, pulling him down for a gentle kiss.

He smiled against your lips. “I can’t wait to build the new world with you.”

__________________________

Taglist:

(Sorry if this is messed up, I suck at taglists)

@oddlypointlessescapes

@eridanuswave

@egm09

#can't lose you #zuko #zuko fanfic #zuko imagine #zuko x reader #atla #Avatar The Last Airbender #atla fics #atla fanfics #atla imagines #fire nation #can't get rid of me

145 notes · View notes

atomicpeache · 3 years

Note

19, 15 and 10 for the Zutara asks :)

10. Do you have any other A:TLA ships?

Sukka is a very close second to Zutara, i love them so much!

I also really like Mailee, I just feel like they would be so cute together, and more recently I've started shipping Taang. They just work so well together and balance each other out so well.

I also love Yuetara! Oh and Bakoda. Those dads have my whole entire heart.

15. What do you think would have happened if Katara and Zuko hadn’t been interrupted in the Catacombs?

Hmmm... this is tricky. I think if they'd been there together for a couple more hours, Katara would've ended up healing him eventually (or trying), but it would've taken some time to get to that point.

I think Zuko would initially have agreed to it, and then he would've hesitated and stopped her. He is still very conflicted about his scar and whether he deserved it or not, and, by extension, whether he still wants or deserves his father's love and approval. That is, after all, why he ends up betraying her in canon.

So he hesitates, as she's about to start the process, and turns away. She gently presses him and asks him what's wrong. And he sees the look of genuine concern and patience on her face, and he's shocked at the amount of support his enemy is showing him. So he talks. He tells her a little about how he got his scar, no details, but gives her the gist. He tells her about his banishment, and his quest to hunt the avatar, and the whole time he's thinking, "why the hell am i telling her all this? I don't even know her." And Katara listens and empathizes as she did with Jet, and Haru, and Aang, and all the others, and she is horrified on his behalf.

She tells him, "it's not your fault."

And he looks at her like she's lost it because "what do you mean it's not my fault, i did horrible things to you and your friends."

And so she clarifies, "it's not your fault for getting that scar. No 13 year old boy should have to go through that."

And they sit in silence for a long time. Zuko ponders what she has said, compares it with all of iroh's comforting and supportive words over the years, and then contrasting them with ozai's words, with azula's. Katara sits in her own thoughts, trying to reconcile the zuko sitting before her with the spoiled prince she's fought countless times, and she can hardly believe they're the same person.

Finally, zuko concedes. So katara takes the spirit water out of its vial and she tries to heal him.

Nothing happens. The special properties of the spirit water have been used up, but zuko's scar is still there. When he realizes this, he jerks away from her and sits down.

"I'm sorry, Zuko."

"It doesn't matter," he snaps back, a hint of his old self, but it's half-hearted. "It was a stupid idea anyway." He falls silent, glaring at the ground, cursing himself inwardly.

Katara understands that he doesn't want to talk anymore. She doesn't really know what she would say anyway. She sits down on the other side of the cave, and stares at the vial of spirit water, wondering if she's just made a huge mistake.

There's a long stretch of silence again.

And then, "Thank you, Katara."

Katara just smiles.

When Iroh and Aang find them later, they are still sitting on opposite sides of the cave, but they are facing each other.

And when Zuko comes to his crossroads of destiny, he can't bring himself to betray Katara, or his uncle, the way he does in canon. When Iroh talks to him after Katara leaves with Aang, and before Azula arrives, Zuko remembers what Katara said, about how it wasn't his fault. So even though he still doesn't quite believe it, when Azula shows up with her offer to bring him back to their father as a hero, he can't quite bring himself to believe that either. He cannot prove to himself, beyond a reasonable doubt, that his father will accept him, now that even his (former?)enemy has expressed concern for his situation.

So he chooses his uncle, and helps the Gaang.

I have way more thoughts on this but this is already way too long than it ever needed to be, so i apologize lol.

TL;DR Zuko would have agreed to being healed, it wouldn't have worked, but he still would have switched sides, to some extent.

19. What do you think would have happened if A:TLA got a Book 4?

Part of me thinks it would've just been the plot of the comics, like the Promise and the Search, but with the Ehaszs in the writer's room it probably would've looked a little different.

For example, the characters would've been... in character. We would've gotten to see Zuko struggle with becoming Fire Lord and stabilizing the country, and a lot of that would've involved him struggling with the baggage of his ancestors, and his own issues with not wanting to become like his father, but i think that, unlike in the comics, the Gaang would've helped support him. I'm not even going to get into what they did to Katara in the comics... i pretend i do not see.

I've heard rumours that, had a fourth season occurred, Aang would've found a community of descendents of Air Nomads in the Fire Nation. I have no idea how much truth there is to this notion, but I'm just gonna roll with it.

So because Aang and Zuko are deutarogonists of the story, I'm imagining that, along with their mutual efforts to balance the world as Fire Lord and Avatar, Zuko's search for his mother and Aang's search for the remnants of his people would be tied together as the main sort of overarching plot of the season.

There are so many interesting things to be done with this: Aang would have to properly face the trauma of the genocide of the Air Nomads, without the tight deadline of the Comet as a distraction; Zuko would be grappling with his fear of becoming like his father, while being piled on with the stress of being the leader of a divided and wartorn country, while also desperate to find out what happened to his mother; I feel like a lot of the "filler" episodes would be about Aang and the gaang dealing with on-the-ground type rebuilding and peacemaking.

As for the rest of the gaang (and this has been pulled straight out of my ass - it's just stuff I would want to happen tbh): Katara and Sokka would go back to the SWT and fight against the NWT's heavy influence on the rebuilding efforts; Toph would put off going back to her parents for as long as possible until she can't anymore; Suki would get a backstory!!!!!!!! And it would be kickass.

Finally, the canon ships would (hopefully) get more development. Katara would have agency in her own love story, and she and Aang would actually talk about their feelings and what a relationship really means! Mai and Zuko would probably still fight a lot tbh. They still don't really understand each other at the end of season 3, and they would have to grapple with that.

Suki and Sokka are just chilling though. They would probably continue being healthy and communicative. Yknow, like they are in canon. Although, i do think there is some potential for conflict left over from EIP, of Sokka still deeply wounded from Yue's sacrifice, and having to properly heal from that. Actually, while he's at it, there are a couple of other things he could do with properly processing...

Okayyy i'm gonna stop it there because I've rambled for far too long already. If anyone's read all the way to this point, thank you so much. I probably wouldn't have lmao

And thank you so much for the ask @phatprog !! I had wayy too much fun writing this in case you hadn't noticed 😭 i just needed an excuse to rant for a bit

#zutara #zutara asks #anti maiko #anti kataang #tagging those for safety #long post #not me tempted to write an entire 20 episode long season of a cartoon that ended 12 years ago #i don't have time for this

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notasiren21 · 3 years

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I was having a debate with a Kataang shipper, and eventually we came to differing viewpoints on emotional im/maturity that the two years could do between Kataang and Zutara.

And then, how their lives impacted them in terms of growth and maturing too.

And then I came to the realization of this (and sorry, this is long):

There’s this paved pathway Aang had that Zuko never did, just some pointless goal that was meant to forever keep him exiled and with only an uncle to watch him as he lived in anger and regret

Idk, to me, Aang had this destiny that he had to focus on and get to, a part of him matured for it, but he desperately clung to his freedom, which in turn, stifled his emotional maturity. In a way, it’s like Sokka, but even Sokka had what Aang never seemed to acquire in a sense.

Zuko was robbed of that by ozai, Zuko believed in being good and was naturally a good person by heart (as expressed in scenes with his mother, comparisons with Azula, etc) and he tried to save the lives of several by speaking out against the sacrifice of new troops just to win something.

His mother had left them (essentially him as Azula came to distance herself and become more like her father), he wore the weight of realization that Azula was considered superior against him, he bore the crippling thought that he was going to have to spend his life trying to earn his father’s approval, he lived the weight of his father snatching the role of Fire lord from his uncle, the knowledge that it was wrong as he heard Azula talk ill of iroh and ozai bash him to earn the title, and then how he was expendable to his father.

Aang lived among people who he loved and in turn, loved or adored him back, and tragically, he lost his friends to his role as the avatar, but he always had Bumi and the some of the monks (especially one) and Appa.

Zuko had a scar that engraved the idea that he was nothing but a failure, damaged him into thinking his ideals and morals were wrong when they were what was needed, that he shouldn’t have been born and was lucky enough to even be alive in a sense.

Zuko lost his briefly earned pathway to be the next Fire lord. He was sent on a destination to find the avatar who wasn’t considered a last saving grace or sliver of hope, to never be found again.

To a degree? He knew it was in vain to search for him, but he had nothing else to do but try.

Because not finding him secured his role as a failure, it let him lose to Azula, it didn’t really avenge his uncle, it didn’t secure his right to live if he was basically exiled.

And to another degree, he knew his father abandoned him. But that meant he would have to settle in the knowledge that both his parents left him orphaned in a sense.

He operated under the care, guidance and love of his uncle. The only support in his life. The only one who truly cared for him enough to stay by his side.

He was surrounded by soldiers on ship who didn’t respect him. He was mocked everywhere he went as much as he was feared (something he didn’t want to begin with before the Agni Kai), and he had no home.

I feel like that, especially occurring at the age of 13 I believe, more than forced a few aspects of him to grow up and mature. Enough to acknowledge when he was in the wrong without someone telling him, enough to know when to fix his mistakes or make up for them, enough to realize who was really there for them and who he could be vulnerable with.

To some level, I think he and Katara were on the same wavelength because she witnessed her mother die to save her, she had a huge responsibility in her tribe, she was of an important figure of birth and considered royal, she was practically playing mother to several, and the last water bender to live in the tribe but wasn’t allowed to really brush up on it.

Being with Aang and Sokka, then eventually toph, I think it also aged her to the point where the gap between her and Zuko in ages didn’t matter, it was like it taxed them both enough that they both had what the other was missing.

My mother and I had this debate that I think can apply to this:

“What’s worse, to wake up after being cryogenically frozen after 200 years and see the world new/different but you still be the same as before?

Or wake up after like x amount of years from a coma, and have your childhood robbed from you because you’ve aged and everyone else around you has and moved on?”

We eventually settled on, well they both suck, but seeing the reality of what your life once was is especially crippling. And we settled on the coma one

To me, Aang was just cryogenically frozen.

The world he knew died and a new one began in a sense. Everyone he knew and cared for was dead. His temple was gone and his people.

But he didn’t really have to see reminders of it because it was just history and the past. It was essential, beyond the storyline, for him to be frozen for so long because he didn’t have his old life to look back on and hinder him, all he could do was press forwards because he can’t go back and regret if nothing is there. Seeing the temple? It’s like a relic now, not what he once knew. It’s not as he left it. It’s something else now standing in its place. It’s just now, what is.

Beyond the whole weird avatar mojo stuff, he’s living with no reminders. It’s kinda more, benefiting in a sense? He can move on, he doesn’t have guilt to face him everyday.

Zuko, he was the coma scenario.

He lived his life thinking good of the world and people, and then it’s like what life was really like was revealed to him. And then he just got hit by a truck out of nowhere (consider the metaphorical coma inducing truck an Agni Kai with his father) and everything just kinda, paused for a long while.

Mother is gone, father disowned him, sister couldn’t care less if he was dead like dear daddy, and there’s kinda no point now?

He’s living in this rage induced haze that he’s sorta, disconnected from who he once was. He’s broken and suspended in time of heart ache and self loathing.

Iroh is standing by his bedside and talking to his unconscious state, and the words are going in, but there’s no point because he can’t take them in and process them.

He’s shut down.

And then, it’s like meeting Katara in the cave, it sorta wakes him up for a second, grants a miracle and shows him there’s something outside of the pitch black he’s been seeing for so long.

And then the past comes back in the form of Azula, and false promises and the offering of restoration to what once was now takes over and he falls back unconscious and no one can get through to him again.

Eventually, when the realization hits that he can’t go back, he wakes up

But Zuko now lives with seeing his past everywhere around him. He’s got the knowledge that he’s aged and he needs to accept it and adapt.

He lives with the constant reminders because they’re still fresh, they didn’t go away, and they’re crippling as ever.

That’s why I believe that in a way, Zuko aged and matured enough to be capable of Katara’s affections and love more than Aang. That he could be her equal. Because he’s living with reminders, while Aang is living in an air of ignorance and bliss to a sense because it’s just history, everything has aged or been rebuilt that it’s not the same world he once knew. He’s got a new lease on life

And Zuko has some physical therapy to do. He’s got muscles he needs to strengthen just to walk again in the form of finding his true good nature and being the future Fire lord his people needs. Being the son that wants to take down his father and sister.

Zuko is still young, he still has room to grow and learn more, but Katara has kinda already established herself in a sense and aged more than she should have playing mother and voice of reason at times, even if she has more to learn too.

And I think they’re on almost equal wavelengths to better understand each other and be a supportive life partner together.

#zutara #zuko x katara #Zuko #Katara #Fire bender #water bender #water bender katara #master fire bender zuko #fire bender zuko #master water bender katara #Atla #avatar #avatar last airbender #avatar the last airbender #Aang #meta #comparison #Zuko vs Aang #analysis

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ibelieveindragons141 · 4 years

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Break my Heart and Sew it Back Together Again

Sokka x reader and friend!Zuko x reader

Summary: You join team avatar in Ba Sing Se after helping them destroy the drill. You start dating Sokka. But he doesn’t know that you are a fire bender.

Word count: 1200

“Dinner, my lady?” Sokka bowed dramatically, holding out a hand and making you giggle.

You took it. “Of course, my good sir. How very kind of you to offer.” He kissed your cheek lightly, you blushed.

Katara, Toph, and Aang all simultaneously groaned. You and Sokka had been dating for a few weeks since you helped them defeat Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee. You had hit it off immediately with the sarcastic and confident, but sweet boy: And he took an instant liking to you: a cinnamon roll who would kill you without hesitation. The two of you had been practically inseparable since.

“Hey,” Sokka out his hands up in mock-surrender. “Don’t get mad at me because I’m actually happy here. You guys could be going off and making friends and stuff too, but you’re not. You’re just sulking around here all day.”

“That’s not true! I go places.” Katara defended herself.

“Like where?” Toph asked.

“Like... the market!”

“Katara,” Aang said, “Don’t you kind of have to go there? For food and stuff.”

“Aang!”

“Sorry, sorry.” The young avatar looked very sheepish. It was so painfully obvious how big of a crush he had on the water bender.

Sokka wrapped an arm around your waist and led you to the door. “Come on, y/n. I know a great place for tea.”

Once you were seated, your boyfriend insisted on going to get you flowers, and ran out. The server came over to take your order.

“Hi there, Lee here. How can I help you.”

Your head shot up. “Zuko?”

His eyes widened. “Y/n?”

“What are you doing here?” You hissed.

“I’m with my uncle, we’re refuges here now. My father doesn’t want me back.” He looked away. A pang went through your chest, you knew how much his father’s approval meant to him.

“Oh no.” You said, remembering that Sokka would be back at any moment. “You need to go and get anyone else to cover you.”

“Why?”

“Sokka is coming back and if he sees you he’ll probably try to kill you. He doesn’t know you like I do, Zuko. You’re the closest thing I have to a brother.”

His eyes softened. “I’ll hide in the back. But-Wait, y/n, does he know you’re a fire bender?”

You hung your head. “No,” you said quietly, “If he knew, he would hate me.”

“I understand. People’s hatred of the fire nation, of us, runs deep.”

You nodded.

“But I think you should tell him.”

“What? Why?”

He sighed. “Because I’ve learned a lot of things recently, and the importance of honestly is one of them.”

You snorted, “you sound like uncle Iroh.”

He laughed, “I think that’s a good thing.”

“It is,” you agreed. “Send him my love, and tell him I miss him.”

He nodded. “Of course. Good luck, y/n.” He said, pressing a quick, brotherly kiss to your forehead. He took a step away then stopped and turned. “And by the way, I’ve always thought of you as a sister.”

You smiled at his back as he walked away. Moments later, Sokka walked in with a bunch of bright flowers in one hand.

“Oh Sokka, these are lovely! Thank you.”

“Anything for you.” He pressed a quick, but meaningful, kiss to your lips. “Have you ordered yet?”

“No,” you shook your head, “I was too indecisive.”

“You always are,” he sighed and snatched the menu from you.

The tea was divine, as was to be expected from Iroh, but you unfortunately had to hide you adoration for it to deter Sokka from wanting to return.

“So, what did you think?” He asked on your walk back.

You shrugged. “It was aright, nothing special.”

“Oh.” He frowned. “I thought you’d like it.”

“I did!” You were quick to reassure him. “It’s just that I preferred that place nearer to the place.”

He brightened immediately. “Tomorrow we’ll go there. And we don’t have to go back to this place ever again.” He declared.

You forced a laugh and agreed with him.

That night, you felt guilt settle like a stone in your stomach as you rested on Sokka’s chest. You didn’t feel like you deserved such a wonderful man loving you, especially since if he knew who you really were, he’d hate you. You (painfully) resolved to tell him the next day.

The next morning, you gathered the courage to approach him. “Hey, Sokka, do you have a minute?”

He was attempting to draw Appa and Momo in the early morning sun when you walked in, and upon hearing your voice, looked up. “Of course. What’s wrong?”

“I need to tell you something.”

He looked concerned. “You can tell me anything.” He crossed the room to take your hands in his. “What’s up?”

You took a deep breath and said, “I’mafirebender.”

He blinked. “What?”

“I’m a fire bender.”

He dropped your hands and scrambled back. “N-no. You can’t be.”

There were tears in your eyes now. “Sokka, I wanted to tell you, but I was so afraid of how you’d react that I-“

“You can’t be. You’re- you’re good! And fire benders are bad.”

“Not all of us!” You insisted, your heart breaking. “I’m not. I was using my fire bending to fight Azula on the day with the drill. I’m not spying on you or, or in league with the royal family I swear to you, Sokka. I love you so much.” Tears we’re streaming down both of your faces now. It was the first time either of you had said “I love you.”

“You, you love me?” He whispered.

“Yes.” Your voice cracked.

“And I understand if you hate me and never want to see me again. I- mmph!” Sokka pulled you into a deep kiss. When you broke apart he said, “I love you, too. Fire bender or not.”

Your heart slowly began to heal and put itself back together again.

“Really?” You whispered.

He looked you dead in the eyes and responded, “Really.”

A sob escaped you and you fell into his chest, relief flooding through you.

He held you until you calmed down, then suggested you tell the others. It would be one of the most emotional days of your lives, but also one of the best.

You snuck out that night to see Zuko and Iroh. You drank tea, laughed, and caught up with each other as quickly as you could before returning back to team avatar with a full heart. You snuck into your room and curled up next to Sokka, who had made you promise to show him some cool fire bending tricks tomorrow. You smiled as he sleepily pressed a kiss into your hair and tightened his arms around you.

“Goodnight, Sokka.”

“Night, y/n.”

A/n: There is a severe shortage of Sokka x reader fics out there!! All mistakes are my own sleep deprived fault, so I’m sorry 😂 Feel free to pop in and say hi if you’re feeling bored, or send me a request! It would be much appreciated :)

#sokka x reader #x reader #atla sokka #prince zuko #azula avatar #ty lee atla #mai atla #katara #aang #avatar toph #fire nation #firebending #uncle iroh #atla iroh #ba sing se #avatar the last airbender #cuddling #teatime

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lostinmagic · 4 years

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Zuko’s Growth

For having a TINY bit of empathy, for daring to say that his father’s plan was too harsh, young Zuko is forced to battle his father but refuses to fight his own kin, pleading that he didn’t mean to show disrespect (tears streaming down his face). Not fighting was an act of strength, but his father viewed it as shameful and weak. And for this Zuko is burned and permanently scarred, by his own father, a man who’s supposed to love him. And then he’s exiled unless he can find and capture the Avatar— which is a lost mission, a hopeless cause. Until Aang wakes up.

So what does Zuko do?

He stamps his empathy down.

He tries to bury all the good parts of him given to him by his mother. He buries that spark under anger, bitterness, resentment, and hostility. From the beginning of season one he is fighting a war with himself— but we barely see it because the internal conflict comes out as rage and hatred. It’s hard to live a life fueled only by hate and it takes its toll on Zuko, making him short-tempered and belligerent (which we know isn’t the real Zuko— The only thing that’s twisting him into “evil” is his chase of the avatar. If you take that away he’s just a teen who’s been abused and raised to believe the wrong things. His anger and frustration and short temper come from what he’s been through and constantly being at war with himself, but when he unlearns that and changes, they turn into more docile versions of themselves. He still has a sharp tongue but it’s more bark than bite. And he shows a willingness to learn and listen from the gaang rather than lose his patience at the drop of a hat).

Iroh sees this struggle in Zuko and he does his utmost to keep that spark in him alive and bring it back out. He never loses hope for Zuko, but Zuko is too far gone at the time to really realize what his uncle is trying to do for him. Zuko is bent on regaining his honor, forcing his way back into his old life, when in reality he doesn’t fit there anymore (and he eventually sees this after all his travels; that he’s changed too much). His only destiny, future, is that set by his father and he can see no further.

But change begins when he experiences kindness by strangers. When he sees the destruction the Fire Nation has brought to innocent people. When he saves Aang as the blue spirit and wonders about Aang asking if they would have been friends. When he lives in the Earth kingdom happily with his uncle in the tea shop, learning what a quiet and normal life feels like. When he meets Katara and reaches out first, when she almost heals him. When he frees Appa, and the battle for good over evil resurfaces (it’s the first time his internal struggle spills over into his waking life, especially that we as viewers get to see; I mean- he physically falls ill, showing us how this battle has taken a toll on him all these years)

But his thoughts of home have forever tormented him. He needs to see with his own eyes what the reality of being back home would be like. So he pushes away Iroh, fighting against his Uncle and everyone else, joining his sister, whom he doesn’t really trust. He needs to come to terms with the fact that at the end of season two, he made the utmost wrong choice. He has to face all that- feel the anger at himself for his choices (the beach scene), for his past, for the course his life has taken. Zuko back in the fire nation is Zuko wrestling with his destiny. Wrestling with realizing that he can make a new life, a new path, a new destiny for himself. And it doesn’t have to involve the Fire Nation.

And then he does it, he finds that moment in facing his father where he shakes off the chains of his abuse and childhood trauma and forges his own destiny. He realizes that his honor is not dependent upon his father’s approval. He rebukes his father for the abuse he put him through and claims Iroh as his true father. Fast forwarding a little—when he and Iroh meet again, and Zuko breaks downs, that’s the ultimate moment of healing for him. Because he expects, as a result of his betrayal, to be hated, to be punished, to be outcast because that’s what his father did to him. Old Zuko would have likely left and not even entered the tent, because it wouldn’t be worth getting hurt again. But this time, he goes in. He needs to say sorry. Because besides his mother, (whom he thinks is dead) he has never had anyone else care for him. And that’s what Iroh offers him, forgiveness and unconditional acceptance. And it heals a huge hole in Zuko’s heart.

Part of Zuko’s continual healing is with Aang and everyone. When he comes to them, truly ready to fight alongside them, no one believes him (naturally) because of his past. He shows growth when Katara drenches him with water and shoves him backwards because he doesn’t react. That’s huge for Zuko. Before, he likely would have immediately became angry and fed up at trying to convince the group he was good and would have said something like “fine! I thought I would help, but I’m out!” or he would have fought back, doing something irrationally. But he doesn’t. He stays, on his knees. He’s learned that anger and stubbornness won’t get him anywhere, and he won’t go away or stop trying to get them to trust him.

Additionally, when Zuko accompanies Aang, Sokka, and Katara on individual quests, he learns not only how to work with them, but also to respect all three of them. He lets Sokka take the lead and plan the missions, he doesn’t judge Katara for wanting revenge, and he stands side by side with Aang to learn about the true source of fire power. His growth isn’t shown merely by words, but is backed up by action. This is crucial.

More symbolism comes when his fire power is all of the sudden too weak. Because he’s only been taught to use hate and anger as fuel. And his rage and hate burned and burned before because of his past and all he had been through. But now, that’s gone and he doesn’t want to build upon that again! So he journeys with Aang and learns that at its heart, fire is energy, and is life giving. So he shifts and welcomes that in, and his power is larger and stronger than ever before (evidenced by when he duels his sister in the finale).

And lastly, the end. When he sees Mai alive and well, and on his side, he never looks more at peace. For the first time in his life he has true family and true friends. He belongs. He has made peace with his past and his mistakes and looks to build a future as Fire Lord to correct the past and bring life to the four nations. He has finally found his purpose —one that he defined and created and the peace and joy radiating off his face in the end says it all.

#atla #avatar #avatar the last airbender #zuko #ive been writing this for weeks now- had to get it all down #aang #sokka #katara #zuko growth #fire nation #iroh #uncle iroh #the best character arc #best redemption story #zuko’s growth #fire lord zuko

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moonsp1r1t · 4 years

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8 Tips for writing an effective redemption arc (featuring Zuko and Catra!)

1. Consider what kind of redemption arc you want your character to go through

Generally speaking, there are two different kinds of redemption arcs your villain can go through; sacrifice arcs and temptation arcs. I will describe both of these, but ideally your character will have pieces from each in order to create a nice, well rounded arc.

A sacrificial redemption arc is pretty easy; towards the end of your story, game, or other writing, your character goes through something of a “waking up.” They realize that what they thought of events or their surroundings is wrong, or realize that what they thought they want isn’t really what they want OR need. Another way they could go about this is by realizing that through their ambition (or other motivation) things had gotten too far. For example, throughout She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, Catra’s goals have surrounded getting the things she feels like she has been deprived of her whole life; within the first season, this involves getting power over her abusive mother figure, Shadow Weaver. She then continues her climb for power within the Horde, but in the final season as she sits in a space ship and watches her home planet burn, she realizes that her push for power has gone too far and sacrifices herself for one of the main protagonists so that she could escape. It is essential that characters have a chance have a moment of realization in which they not only realize they’ve been evil or cruel, but also that they need to make amends in one way or another.

Temptation arcs are when villains waiver between good and evil throughout much of the story. They waver between good and evil, typically committing both acts that are beneficial to the protagonist(s) and against them before eventually permanently sticking with the side of good. This form of redemption arc involves lots of internal conflict within the villain. The second half of Book Two in Avatar: The Last Airbender is an excellent example, with Uncle Iroh really pushing Zuko to consider what HE wants and thinks his destiny should be rather than the destiny that Fire Lord Ozai had put upon him. Zuko constantly grapples with this and does both good and bad things that affect Team Avatar, such as freeing Appa underneath Lake Laogai and siding with Azula during The Crossroads of Destiny. An arc in which a character solely moves upwards or downwards is not that interesting. In order to tell a more powerful story that keeps the audience engaged, there has to be some variation- after all, if it’s all going one way, it’s predictable, and no one cares to see what could happen next.

2. Establish why your villain is evil in a way that makes them sympathetic

Villains who are evil for the sake of being evil are boring. They need to have a reason to be evil and to be motivated towards evil especially if they’re going to eventually turn towards the side of good. If a character is good and they’re just with the bad guys for no reason, their switch over to the side of good is ineffective and boring in a “why didn’t they just do that in the first place” sort of way.

When writing an effective redemption arc, your audience needs to be sympathetic towards them in one way or another. For both Catra and Zuko, one of the ways that the writers made the audience sympathetic towards them is through their abusive parental figures in Shadow Weaver and Fire Lord Ozai. The reasons that Zuko and Catra do the things that they do in opposition to the protagonists is because of the actions of their abusers.

Zuko is going against Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Toph for much of the series is because he has been lead to believe that the only way to gain the love and approval of his father is by capturing the Avatar. Catra, however, takes a different approach; while she craves the feeling of being loved and belonging, she has been put into a powerless position by Shadow Weaver enough times that she desperately wants power over her and works to climb through the ranks of the Horde in order to do so. A major part of their redemption arcs is when Zuko realizes he doesn’t need the love of his father and Catra realizes that her ambition has put her entire planet in danger of being razed by the dictator of the rest of the known universe.

Rising up against an abusive parent or an otherwise tragic backstory doesn’t have to be the only way to make a character sympathetic, however. There are lots of ways to make a character sympathetic.

3. Give the audience a reason to root for the villain too

If you’re planning to give a character a redemption arc, it’s necessary to make it so that they root for them from time to time. That way it will ensure that the audience doesn’t hate them when the time comes for them to join the protagonists on the side of good. If they don’t like them, even if the redemption arc is well written, it will seem forced in a certain way. This is usually accomplished by the presence of another villain.

For example, while Zuko is certainly the most prominent villain of Book One of ATLA, Admiral Zhao is arguably the main antagonist of the season. Fire Lord Ozai hadn’t even been introduced officially yet (besides being mentioned) so as the man that had the goal of destroying the Northern Water Tribe by killing the Moon Spirit. He repeatedly attacked Team Avatar throughout the season, with much higher firepower, more brutality, and lack of regard for civilians. Zuko, however, while he had similar goals in regards to capturing Aang, was much more “reasonable” when it came to other things, such as keeping his promise to leave the Southern Water Tribe alone if Aang agreed to go with him in the second episode. We also see Zhao being cruel to Zuko in multiple instances, even getting into fights. Because Zhao is more brutal and is motivated by greed over honor, the scenes in which Zhao and Zuko are fighting, the audience is rooting for Zuko.

Similarly, at the end of the first season of She-Ra, Catra fights against Shadow Weaver; in the scenes in which they portray the two of them interacting previously, Shadow Weaver is cruel to Catra, constantly scolding and threatening her. Despite both Shadow Weaver and Catra being Adora’s enemy throughout the series, in this fight the audience is genuinely rooting for Catra in this fight because until that point, Shadow Weaver has been the more cruel and abusive villain.

4. Keep up with them even when they’re not in direct contact with the protagonists

This may seem obvious, but if you’re going to give a character a redemption arc you and the audience need to keep up with them even when they’re not interacting with the main protagonists. It will not only allow the audience to see the progression, but it will also keep the audience from being confused when they show up suddenly on their side. It’s perfectly reasonable (and expected) for the protagonists to be confused, but the audience shouldn’t share that same confusion (unless you’re planning on having the villain’s redemption arc be described in flash backs or have them explain it in a long monologue).

For Catra, there are many episodes when we see her without Adora, Glimmer, or Bow, instead just being with Scorpia, Hordak, and Entrapta. This way we are able to keep up with her when she’s not fighting with the Rebellion, allowing us more insight into her thoughts, feelings, and relationships. We are able to see her drive people away in her desire for power, not realizing that she is looking for acceptance all along.

Likewise, Zuko in the beginning of Book Three doesn’t interact with Team Avatar; instead he is in the Fire Nation Royal Palace, with anything he could ever want, realizing that he is still unhappy. It would have made no sense from the perspective of the audience if the last time they saw Zuko was when he betrayed Team Avatar and his uncle in Ba Sing Se and then he just showed up after the Day of Black Sun and offered to teach Aang firebending.

5. Introduce a good influence

The villain needs something or someone that can help them inspire change within. It isn’t just enough to vow to stop committing evil and then all is swell; they need to genuinely learn from their mistakes and commit to change within. This catalyst can be something they haven’t previously encountered (giving them a new perspective) or something else that pulls on their heartstrings. Either way it’s something that needs to get their attention.

Zuko would not have been able to change as much as he did throughout his redemption arc if it weren’t for Iroh. Iroh is a great influence on Zuko, constantly encouraging him to think for himself and make his own decisions. Iroh wanted Zuko to be able to decide for himself what his destiny is instead of just fulfilling the destiny that Ozai had put upon him. Zuko also was able to gain perspective when he and Iroh are disguised as refugees, seeing that the citizens of the Earth Kingdom are not only real people, but also that they are afraid and hurt by the Fire Nation instead of like the propaganda that the Fire Nation is bringing greatness to the world.

For Catra, in a certain way, one of the final catalysts to her finally joining the side of good is Queen Glimmer. When they are both trapped on Horde Prime’s ship together, Catra realizes that she is the one that has brought him and his galactic empire to Etheria, which he has every intention of using as a weapon against the rest of the universe. She feels alone and isolated and the only person she can talk to about it from her own planet, who has also contributed to the arrival of Horde Prime in her own way, although she is being treated as a prisoner. Glimmer begs Catra to help her and, upon realizing the destruction she has wrought and all the bad things she has done, Catra does help her and states that she wants to do one good thing in her life. Catra knows that she has done awful things in her life but this is one of the first times that she is able to really admit to herself and others that she knows that much of what she is doing is wrong.

6. The reactions of others

If your character has been an antagonist for a long time, it makes absolutely no sense that your other protagonists would accept them. It takes a long time to earn people’s trust so even if a character does something dramatic like self-sacrifice many characters should be suspicious of them. It’s unrealistic to expect everyone to be buddy-buddy immediately.

After Catra sacrifices herself so that Glimmer could escape, Glimmer and Adora want to rescue her, but the others were quite skeptical, with Nettossa and Frosta actually attacking Catra until Adora vouched for her. Similarly for Zuko, he had to prove himself to the original trio by helping Aang learn an ancient technique of firebending, helping Sokka rescue Suki and his father, and helping Katara find the man that murdered her mother. Trust is not easily given, so if your ex-villain has been going against your protagonists for several seasons, trust is not going to just be given to them so easily. There’s bound to be a lot of distrust from those who have known them in the past, but some are going to struggle with that doubt more than others. It’s important to actually consider your characters’ personalities and rationale and stay true to how they would actually think, along with the logic behind their decisions, in regards to your ex-villain’s redemption.

It can also be helpful to add in some jokes made by the ex-villain or at their expense in order to alleviate tension or show that they’re starting to get along better with the other protagonists (ex: “That’s rough buddy” or “I can’t believe the whole time you were trying to kill us you had the cutest sneeze of all time!”)

7. Realizing they’re in the wrong should not be the climax of their arc

Your character realizing that they’re wrong should not be the final step of their redemption arc; in fact, realizing they’re in the wrong should be among the first steps of their redemption. The redemption arc isn’t about realizing that they’ve been the bad guy all along and that’s... it. There’s a certain level of atonement that needs to be done in order to be redeemed. At the very least the character needs to realize why they’ve been wrong after realizing that they’re wrong.

After Zuko realizes that he is wrong for trying to capture Aang and that the Fire Nation is wrong for prolonging this war, he takes steps to make things right. He confronts his abusive father, leaves his home voluntarily, and helps to train Aang in firebending among other things, eventually allowing them to defeat the Fire Lord. Zuko even apologizes to the entire group for his prior misdeeds.

Catra also has to work for her redemption. She realizes that she’s in the wrong, but even afterwards she persists because she believes that staying with the Horde is the best way that she can get back at the people who have hurt her, namely Shadow Weaver (for her abuse towards her) and Adora (for leaving her behind to join the Rebellion). It isn’t until she is captured by Horde Prime that she makes the decision to atone for what she has done by rescuing Glimmer and sending her back to Adora. Even after Catra is rescued, she is still making efforts to be better than she was before, saying that she’s working on controlling her anger.

8. Sometimes it’s not meant to happen

Sometimes characters can’t be redeemed. Genocidal dictators, fascists, and abusive family members are generally figures that should not be redeemed. Imagine the main evil antagonist of one of your favorite book series, television shows, movies, or video games announcing he/she/they have seen the light, apologizes for everything they’ve done, paying for funerals, reaching out to the families of those they harmed or killed in an effort to make amends or at least. They’ve promised to seek out religion and take up crocheting instead of killing and go to therapy.

It’s just not realistic. It’s a good thing to want to believe that there’s good in everyone and that everyone can be redeemed, but sometimes they just can’t. For some people, it’s not possible to come back to the side of good, especially if they don’t want to. Being good is a conscious choice that people have to make and sometimes people and characters will stick with being bad.

Not just anyone can have a redemption arc, which is why for the characters that are able to go through redemption arcs, it’s something fantastic when done right. Don’t try to force characters who can’t be redeemed to go through redemption arcs and save it for the characters that deserve it.

Have fun!

8 Character creation tips

8 Relatable character tips

#writing #she-ra #ATLA

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sarshattack · 4 years

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Azula’s Playlist

Okay, so. I made a playlist for Azula like a lot of other people because we all do appreciate playlists made for our favorite characters. But for some reason (I’m obsessed with here) I decided to make a commentary of why I did chose these songs and this specific order. In other words, I’m writing another essay about Azula.. It’s a playlist on her during the series but also how I imagined her redemption arc.

So. Here’s the link to the playlist if y’all are interested: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6O0OEgwoKTSVXYiij13uMO

And I’ll put under the cut the abbreviated version of my commentary (I’m not done writing the whole thing yet but if you want, I’ll post it when it’s finished.)

Before hand, I’d like to excuse myself for my poor english. It’s not my first language and even tho I’m comfortable with it, it’s highly possible that I made dumb mistakes or stuff like that. So don’t be too harsh... Also, I’m note sure if I have to specify this but it will be full of spoilers so be aware of it if you’re not up to date.

So now that we’re good... Here we go !

1. Queendom - Vinida

Azula as we see her at the start of season two. Confident, savage, ready to take on the world. She's close to her notion of perfection. She's not afraid of losing because she never did. She's Ozai's perfect soldier and she's really proud of this title. She uses everyone around her because that what she does the best. She loves messing with other people's minds.

2. Army of Me – Björk

Azula during all the Ba Sing Se arc. She won’t retreat, she’s not afraid of anything crossing her path. She still thinks that she's the best and it's true. She is.

3. Nightmare – Halsey

Back at the Fire Nation’s palace. She’s got to do some reflection about herself but she loves it. Kinda Ember Island, too. She’s a little more vulnerable, she starts to act more… Human.

4. Everybody Wants To Rule The World – Lorde

Towards the end of season 3, she fully believes in Ozai’s supremacy. They will conquer the world together. They will rule together. She’s not afraid of anything once again. How could she be when she’s with Ozai? She doesn’t have to fear anything but his judgment.

5. Warriors – 2WEI, Edda Hayes

Now, a little flashback on her early days. When se was still a little girl. Well, a few moments before she started to be Ozai's weapon. When she discovered what she had to do to bee praised by him. It's also about how she felt that it was him and her against the world.

6. Survivor – 2WEI, Edda Hayes

After Ty Lee and Mai's betrayal. She's once again alone. But it'.s okay or so she tells herself. She was always alone. And she's still the best.

7. Castle – Halsey

Azula is alone at the Fire Nation's palace. Ozai named her heir. It's now her palace. She's the rightful Fire Lord. But she starts to being more and more paranoid.

8. Dynasty – Rina Sawayama

Right before the Last Agni Kai, Azula's losing herself. She's alone, she can't keep her act up. This is the song of her downfall. But even in that state, she tries to stay the same, to please Ozai. She's afraid to disappoint him. It's also the song of her last fight.

9. Daddy Lessons – Beyoncé

As she fights her last battle, as she tries to stay up to Ozai's expectations, she thinks about him. About the tales he told her. Even when she knows that everything has been ruined, she stays his girl, his best soldier. She knows he never loved her but she decides to lie to herself. She has to. Or else she'll lose everything she ever had.

10. Medusa (acoustic) – Kailee Morgue

Here, Medusa is Katara. Even if it's Zuko who defeated her, Azula was alone and they were two. She lost. For the first time of her life or so. She doesn’t know what to do anymore. Medusa can also be the memory or the ghost of Ursa. Or Mai. In the end, they all are women who prefered her brother over her.

11. It Happened Quiet – AURORA

This one is more about Zuko's perspective. How he saw his sister fall. He tried to help her but he couldn't do it. Not yet, at least. After the last Agni Kai, he's visiting her at the hospital. He's watching over her as she sleeps. He's taking care of her. He's afraid to lose her, too. He wants to protect his little sister.

12. Never Ending – Rihanna

Azula woke up. She stays alone but highly guarded at all times. Since Aang take away her bending, momentarily, she doesn't feel like herself anymore. And every time she's force to watch a mirror, she sees Ursa or Ozai. She's overmedicated because doctors and nurses don't know how to treat her. She has nightmares every night. But the worst part is that she starts to feel things she never had before. The fear in her heart is gone. The anger not yet. The ghost in the mirror is herself. But she doesn't know that. Not yet, once again. She refuses to see her brother.

13. Praying – Kesha

After a while, her request to see Ozai has been approved. But she started to realize he wasn't the man she thought he was. This song is for him and for Ursa. She's still so mad at her mother for abandoning her and she stars to feel anger toward her father, too. That's a letter for them. She wants to become more than what they made her. And she wants to show them that she's better than them.

14. Guilty – MARINA

The overmedication is starting to make her lost her connection to reality. One day Zuko visits her and she's so drugged she can't refuse. She still has nightmares. But is it really nightmares or only memories? When Zuko tells her that people want her to pay for what she's done, she plead guilty. For everything. But she laughs, too. She says all of this with a mad eye. She's not herself anymore.

15. Icicles – The Scary Jokes

It's been months. Zuko is now officially Fire Lord and peace has been restored. But Azula's still locked up in a mental health facility where all the doctors do is giving her too much medication. And when she's not drugged, she finds everything ecstatic. Her vision of the world is distorted. She's always alone except for the nurses appointed to take care of her. But they're afraid of her. And they hate her for what she did. They're not professional at all. Once a month, Zuko tries to visit her. But he's always here when she's drugged. And all she does is speaking nonsense. Her paranoia is peaking. Her state is pitiful.

16. Headcase – Kailee Morgue, Hayley Kiyoko

Zuko got her out. He put her in a nice home on Ember Island. Not far from the house where they went when they were kids. She's still supervised all the time by nurses and guards, but they've been personally chosen by the Fire Lord to keep his beloved sister. Azula hates it. She keeps everything inside. She refuses to speak to psychiatrists and doctors. But, slowly, she starts to grow fond of one guard. She didn't recognize her at first. But it's Suki. She still acts as if she hates her but she can't hide that she loves her company. And Suki, even if she decided to stay professional, doesn't hate her guard duty that much anymore.

17. A Pearl – Mitski

After a year or so, Azula starts to do some self-reflection. After spending more time with Suki, learning how to manage how the feelings she has and how to cope with her traumas, she realizes she's a victim of abuse. But she's also conscious of some of the bad things she did. The war, her traumas, still lives inside of her. And she doesn't know what to do with it. She's afraid again. But, this time, it's not about other people. It's about herself. She's afraid that she'll never be able to change. That she'll never deserve Suki and her kindness, her understanding and her help. She decides to take a step in Zuko's direction after months of silence.

18. Shine – Birdy

Once again, it's a song from Zuko's perspective. The rain is a metaphor for the love he has for his sister. He wants to help her get better. He does his best to make the right things for her. He doesn't quite understand what she's going through. And he can't fully take care of her because he has his own traumas to deal with. But they can share pieces of what they had together. They talk about good memories. He wants her to have the Ember Island family house. He tells her she can move in anytime. And he'll lighten the guards on the property. He tells her she can become anyone. He will always help her.

19. She Was – Camille

Time has passed. This one is from Suki's perspective. She's living with Azula on Ember Island and gave temporarily the lead of the Kyoshi Warriors to Ty Lee. Azula is getting better. She's making arts because it helps her to communicate all the things she can't say out loud. She still has a long way to go but she's trying her best. This is a love song. Suki will always be there for Azula. She.'ll help her. She'll teach her how to be a better person. And she'll escort her everywhere on the road of recovery.

20. this is me trying – Taylor Swift

This is the last song. Azula's confession. She knows she'll never be the best like before. But she also knows she wasn't the best version of herself. She regrets what she did and learn every day to be a better version of herself. For the people around her, for the ones she hurt and for herself. This song is for Zuko and Ty Lee, the two victims of most of her abuse. This is a song for Suki, who helped her get better. This is a song for Aang, Katara and Sokka. For Toph. But this is also a song for Iroh. She still wants to prove him he did her wrong by never caring about her as much as he cared about Zuko. And this is also a song for Ursa. To show her the woman she became even thought she let her down. But she doesn't hold any grudge anymore. She's a new version of herself. A version she can love, fully. She still have regrets, she still have troubles every day. But mostly, she's learning. She's always been a perfect student.

If you read all of this, I’d like to thank you. If you want a more in-depth and refined version, I’m working on that. Sorry if some parts are messy and/or poorly written. Hope you liked it :p

#azula #atla #avatar the last airbender #azula's redemption arc #playlist #redemption arc #long post #text #mine #azuki #suki #zuko #fuck ozai all my homies hate ozai #and ursa too #let me know what you think of my playlist!!

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grumpyzutara · 7 years

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The Path of Least Resistance

Most soulmate AUs in the ATLA universe have all been done, I just hope you enjoy this unoriginal take. Part 1 of 4 for the Soulmate Series.

(1) (2) (3) (4)

It was a searing pain unlike anything Katara ever knew. She bolted up from her sleeping roll in the family hut, screaming. Her family quickly woke up to find her curled in on herself. When her mother unwrapped her, they gasped at the burn that had formed on her face. Fresh and colored, they expected to smell burnt flesh but oddly didn't.

This was how her family knew she had a soulmate somewhere in the world.

Not everyone was born with a soulmate. It was debatable whether having a soulmate was a good thing or not, when you took on every wound the other had. The older couples enjoyed knowing that they would die together, but the young kids always had trouble coming to terms with the process.

Katara thought she didn't have a soulmate. In over 10 years, she hadn't obtained anything that wasn't of her own doing. There might have been a few bruises or small cuts that she didn't remember, but they were easy to dismiss.

This was not easy to dismiss. It wasn't even easy to stomach. The raw pain – what could be happening to the other person then? What situation were they in?

They slipped Katara a sedative and she started to dose off, that or pass out from the pain.

"We need to find her soulmate, they need to be protected too." Kya said while wrapped in Hakoda's arms. "Let's say they're an Earth Kingdom boy and the Fire Nation just attacked his town. Or even a Northern Water Tribe girl who got too close to the fire out of negligence. But what if it was something worse...I can't help but think it is something worse."

Hakoda rubbed her shoulders, "But where would we start? The colonies? It could be a kid in the Fire Nation for all we know. All we can do right now is care for Katara."

"I had really hoped that she had lucked out and didn't have a soulmate like Sokka. I know they say it's not linked to being a bender, but I think it must. We both fell in love on our own. No destiny but our own." Kya sighed, sinking back into his warmth, wishing for a simpler time. The war was closer to their doorstep every summer and now Katara was the last waterbender of the whole tribe.

"Yes, I'm thankful that you found me. And whoever is her soulmate will probably be just as thankful when Katara finds them."

Katara's family helped her recovery, but a scar lasted on her face. Her left eyesight wasn't as good as her right and her left eyebrow was completely gone. The only good thing about the scar was that she didn't have to think about looking good for a future suitor; her soulmate would have the matching scar. What a pair they would look like.

But then a series of events changed everything. The Fire Nation attacked, killing her mother. She found the Avatar in the ice. She felt this urge to leave the Southern Water Tribe.

So Katara left the only place she had ever lived.

Sokka and Aang were chatting on top of Appa when something in the corner of her good eye caught her attention.

"Is that a Fire Nation ship?" She asked, moving to get a better angle.

"Ya, and it looks like it's headed toward the village. We need to turn back, now!" Sokka yelled, clamoring for the reins in Aang's hands.

"They'll be looking for me. What should I do?"

Katara evaluated the situation. She couldn't resist the urge pulling her away from home. It was telling her to run, sprint, swim, anything to get toward their destination faster. It wasn't hard to convince Aang to make an airbending display, taunting whoever was searching them to follow but they outpaced the ship easily.

When they made landfall in the Air Nomad Islands, Katara figured the draw of the horizon would settled down, but if anything it was stronger. This is how it was for weeks. They traveled through all sorts of lands and islands, meeting hundreds of new faces – none with scars like hers and a constant drive to something in the distance. Though they never caught wind of who was following them, word kept making it to them that a Fire Nation ship was in the distance, following their path.

It was a weird type of pull. It would be like taking 5 steps forward and 1 step right, only to turn and go 12 steps in the other direction. She couldn't get a handle on where she needed to be. It wasn't a specific location.

Now a year after leaving the Southern Water Tribe, months after the victory in the Northern Water Tribe, after seeing Ba Sing Se fall, Katara no longer felt the pull. She almost sat down on the packed dirt floor of the Western Air Temple, she didn't want to move a muscle. So she waited.

The banished Fire Prince Zuko had a different handle on this whole soulmate business, he liked to call it. He wasn't sure that it was real. If it was he felt extremely sorry for the person who had to endure his burn with him. At least he had a warning before the burn. Then he had to ignore the subtle desire in the pit of his stomach to drop everything and search for his soulmate.

But the search for the Avatar was more important.

Some days, he wondered if the Avatar was his soulmate. The clues to where the Avatar was and the need to chase someone aligned more often than not. It would be an ironic twist of fate. But none of the whispers of Aang's name mentioned a scar, only a bald head and arrow tattoos.

He chased both the Avatar and his soulmate all over the globe, always missing the group by a day. He gave up for a time in the Earth Kingdom, went where his Uncle wanted instead. But he had an epiphany in Ba Sing Se. If his soulmate was working with the Avatar, would he join or keep with his mission of capturing the Avatar?

There was only one way to find out. This time, focusing on where he was pulled, he found the group in a few days. It was tricky figuring out how to get under the cliff and once he reached the main level he didn't know what to do. His entrance sure caught everyone's attention though.

"Hi, uh, Zuko here. I've kind of been following you guys?" He shuffled his feet, feeling awkward until his eyes locked on a girl with a familiar scar.

"You!" Shouted everyone. Katara was shocked to see someone with a matching scar, to finally see her soulmate. Sokka was upset that the rumors were true and the Fire Nation Prince following them was also Katara's soulmate. Most others were just upset to see that he had found them at last.

"Alright, everyone quiet down. What's all the hollering about?" A small girl stomped her foot, shaking the whole temple.

After hashing out motives and future goals as a team, Katara and Zuko sat alone on the edge of the floor, looking out at the canyon. What was there to say? It was obvious that they were supposed to be soulmates, but it's not something you can just jump into.

"I thought you hated us. Our group. Our mission to stop your father." Katara said in a hushed tone.

Zuko didn't look at her when he replied. "At first, I did. I wanted to end everything you wanted to achieve...but I didn't realize it was you. Then I – well, in the years since you got your burn, how did you think I got mine? What are your guesses?"

"Sometimes I would think it was a careless mistake. Other times you had been tortured. I could never figure it out." She slid over, bumping her thigh with his. "Want to tell me the truth?"

"My father," he started to say, falling short on his words. "When I was young, all I ever wanted was my father's approval. But then I said the wrong thing at the wrong time and it went down from there...In the Fire Nation we have duals for our honor called Agni Kai. And I had to go up against my father who decided a just punishment was to burn me instead.” Zuko couldn’t stop the flinch when Katara's hand softly touched his scar. He noticed that she was touching her face as well. Their physical connection.

“It’s weird. They feel so similar, but because I can’t feel my hand, it’s off.”

Zuko's hand slid under hers, feeling her burn for the first time. She was right. Familiar but different. That’s what Katara was. They had felt the same physical incidents that had shaped their lives, but had taken two very different paths.

“Do you think we can make this work?” his voice was quiet and unsure, he felt so bare before her.

“Yes Zuko, I think we can make this work.” She leaned up and kissed his burn before getting up. “Now, let’s see how good you are in sparing. I’ve heard quite a few rumors.”

Zuko popped up, “The same goes for tales of the last Waterbender from the South.”

#soulmate series #zutara #my writing #technically part of #zutara week 2017 #just a month late

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