#zutara month part two
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rating every zuko ship (cause that mf is shipped with everyone)
CLICKBAIT!!! this isn’t every zuko ship just the main ones i immediately lied lol. idk if any of these are hot takes or not but please don’t crucify me (might do a part 2 where it’s azula ships)
Jinko - Zuko/Jin
6/10
awwww it’s cute (for what it is)
and what it is was one singular date that was never really mentioned again
i really appreciate how jin is so unperturbed by zuko’s awkward angst and just genuinely likes him
howevvver she’s kinda one dimensional (as she’s only in like an episode) and i just don’t see this going anywhere longterm
less a ship, more a vehicle for zuko’s character development lol
Jetko- Zuko/Jet
3/10
jet being zuko’s first gay encounter is canon in my eyes
don’t ship them however cause i hate jet with the fire of a thousands suns
similar issues to jin as well where their interactions are extremely limited so personally have no clue how this could be a long term thing
Maiko- Zuko/Mai
5/10
i am so impartial on this ship it’s not even funny.
i get that it’s canon. i get that izumi looks suspiciously like mai so it’s endgame. i just don’t see HOW?? it feels as if the writers realised zutara was becoming popular and were like ‘OH SHIT WE GOTTA DEFUSE THIS SITUATION SOMEHOW’
their relationship is basically just mai being a cold asshole and zuko being an angry asshole and there’s no change or development between EITHER OF THEM
however when they’re cute they’re cute !!!!
‘i love zuko more than i fear you’ COLDEST LINE EVER
however again it’s like - you had a crush on him as a kid. he was BANISHED. you dated for like a month as teens. you argued the whole time. he left again- and shortly after you saved him from prison, but then you were imprisoned partly due to his actions. you get back together again, he becomes the ruler of a country, and then you’re surprised it’s isolating him/making him even more of an asshole???
on the other hand we as a society need to admit that zuko is weirdly possessive of her (ig that’s a positive if ur a booktok romance girlie but im not). like if i was mai i wouldn’t put up with that toxic shit either
at the end of the day, i honestly don’t care that they’re canon lol- but i think they’d probably best as a bitchy best friend duo
Zukaang - Zuko/Aang
1/10
not round here partner. not round here
my first issue is the age gap is objectively extremely weird if examined in canon. leaving it at that
i get that this is grumpy x sunshine in a way the other ships aren’t to me- but we’ve only ever seen these two characters interact with each other when there’s (again) A WEIRD AGE GAP
they are bros in the least homosexual way possible
the cherry on top of this situation is: isn’t aang the reincarnation of his great grandpa? isn’t that giving slight, uh, inc*st vibes??? imagine if people shipped korra and jinora isn’t that just WEIRD???
Zuki - Zuko/Suki
8/10
is this my most controversial take ???
i am a sucker for bodyguard x royal family dynamics guys
and the fact that this is girlboss x malewife is even BETTER
suki seems the most competent at handling his pissy ass in a way the other people on this list aren’t
like she’s real. she’s not sugarcoating his situation, BUT SHES COMPASSIONATE !!
i don’t like throuples typically but suzukki is even eliter than this, which removes the whole ‘going against the bro code’ element that arises from them being together
also i feel like if you haven’t read the comics this doesnt make sense At All so please do
-2 points for the lack of tangible reason to ship them lol
Zutara - Zuko/Katara
7.5/10
okay this one makes the most logistical sense to me within canon (solely examined as a zuko ship not overall)
it really seems as if they were gonna make this canon and swerved circa book 2
LIKE CMONNNN OG ENEMIES TO LOVERS WHERE THE GUY ACTUALLY HAS CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT AND ISN’T JUST EVIL? FIRE X WATER? ITS INTRIGUING
something about this makes me uncomfortable though. (despite the age gap which again a little weird)
something about katara potentially becoming the fire lady is so… icky. she’s a waterbender. the fire nation tried to systematically erase her kind. her mother is killed by the fire nation because they think she’s a waterbender. and katara…. what, becomes part of the royal family? it just seems wrong, and like something she wouldn’t be into
also i feel like their arguments would be a little too NUCLEAR. there’s like, a 50% chance of divorce
she deserves a better ending than that is all i’m saying
to paraphrase the hunger games: katara has plenty of fire herself. SHE NEEDS THAT DANDELION IN THE SPRING MAN
(i’m a kataang truther)
Zukka - Zuko/Sokka
9/10
my zuko related otp!!!
bros to lovers guys, where zuko falls first but sokka falls HARDER !!!
ik this will never be canon and im happy with that. i know there’s not even a whisper of romance between them in the show, but i just think it’s c u t e .
sokka (like suki) is very likely to call zuko out on his shit, but less likely to lose his own shit (like katara)
this in my heart of hearts is 10/10 however is still problematic in a similar way to zutara
his mother is killed by the fire nation and he (presumably) becomes consort ?
however though, i would still say it’s not as ruhroh as zutara bc firstly, sokka isn’t a waterbender, and secondly, ‘consort’ is a lot more open to interpretation than i think fire lady is. in my opinion a consort ≠ a fire lady, just like irl a consort ≠ a queen. it kinda means he can still be ambassador to the southern water tribe/a leader of his own people, while just so happening to be married to the fire lord.
overall i can’t help but stan a friends to lover ship cmOn now
#atla#avatar the last airbender#zutara#zukka#maiko#jetko#jinko#zukaang#zuki#zuko#aang#katara#suki#sokka#shipping discourse#shitpost#kataang
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through all of the shadowy corners of me
zutara month, day three: (re)meet ugly/meet cute. @zutaramonth
summary: as katara's plans on the anniversay of her mother's murder fall apart, she ducks into a teashop to wait out the storm and finds herself familiar with the rude tea server she comes face to face with and promptly bursts into tears. because of-fucking-course.
warnings: grief, nightmares, references to kya's murder (and ursa's disappearance, though that is less explicit), and references to ableism wrt facial differences. also, just, some lightly gratuitous swearing, on behalf of katara's no good very bad day. she deserves it.
other notes: title taken from landon piggs’ falling in love at a coffeeteashop. because i am basic in that way.
Katara’s pretty sure the universe is conspiring against her.
First, it was the fucking felt-tip markers being all dried up—damn it Sokka—she needed for the posters for the protest she was supposed to head.
(She tries not to think about how really, first, it was the dream she woke up from, that she wakes up from often, but especially on this day, the dream with fearful eyes and the ominous drip of blood and the feeling of too late too late too late. The dream that is also a memory.)
Someone had to make the posters—because seriously, why was the school shutting down the campus food bank when a third of the student population was food-insecure?— so she missed her first class of the day to get new ones from the closest craft store, over half an hour way with traffic. There was supposed to be a quiz, too, and the professor is notoriously stubborn about absences and make-ups.
And then there was this huge storm, so they couldn’t even have the protest today like they’d planned.
Now, as Katara ducks out of the rain and into the tiny little hole-in-the-wall ambient tea shop—The Jasmine Dragon, the sign had said—which is all warm lighting and soft ringing laughter from the bare few patrons inside, she figures she can at least get a cup of something hot to drink. It’s been a truly horrible day, and she can’t wait to get back home, sleep for ten hours straight, and wipe it from the record of her memory, but right now, this is her one saving grace.
So, when she gets to the second place in line, very patiently waiting as the server at the front snipes at the man in front of her, part of her wants to reel up to confront him. Sure, she knows customer service can be a day-in, day-out nightmare—she didn’t spend her first two semesters waiting tables because it was fun—but really, he could at least try to be a little nicer. The man wasn’t doing anything wrong, as far as she could see.
When she gets to the front, Katara opens her mouth to say—something, she doesn’t know what—and is caught off-guard to find that she recognizes him faintly. With his eyes the color of amber, swoopy, dark hair, and a shiny, painful-looking burn scar set against the left side of his face, on her right—yes, he was a boy who was in Sokka’s class back in high school. And he was a total jerk, barely speaking a word to anyone except to get into arguments, whether with teachers or other kids. She didn’t know him all that well herself, but she’d never liked him from the stories Sokka told or for the way he seemed to bristle at everyone and everything as she watched from a morbidly curious distance.
Zuko. Yes, she remembers him.
“Can I help you?” he asks, his voice almost a snarl when she spends a beat too long taking in his features, though he’s not looking at her, instead glancing down at his scratchpad. “I’m supposed to tell all of the customers we’re out of the oolong,” he adds in a rough voice, without looking up.
Katara wants to rage, wants to scream, why does he think he gets to treat people like that, god, at least have the decency to look me in the eye and treat me like a person when you’re being a dick—but instead, she bursts into tears.
Very loud, messy tears. It’s been a long day.
And, well. He certainly looks up then.
“Um,” Zuko says in lieu of an actual reaction, his right eye wide. His expression has softened considerably, his mouth shaped in surprise, his browline furrowed. “We have jasmine?” he tries.
Well, she thinks as he stands there stiffly, the perfect image of a deer in headlights, before reaching over the counter to push the napkin dispenser toward her, this is humiliating.
At least it’s not terribly busy in here. There’s no one standing beside her, and she only feels one or two worried glances from the tables, the shop mostly empty.
“Sorry,” Katara says through her tears. “God, I’m sorry. I just—I’m having awful day,” she says, motioning to her face as a way of explanation before yanking a napkin out from the dispenser to dry her face.
Zuko’s lip curls in what she thinks might be sympathy.
“Me, too,” he admits on a sigh. “Sorry. What can I get for you?”
“Um,” she says, shaking her head and smiling through still teary eyes. God. “A cup of jasmine tea would actually be nice.”
“Sure.”
She pays quickly and tries to ignore his eyes as they follow her over to the tiny round table she chooses in the corner. One cup, she thinks. She’ll drink one cup of tea and be out of here quicker than even the lightning flaring outside, before anyone can say anything about it, and then head back to her apartment and think through every turn in life that got her there, sobbing in line at a tea shop as a mean boy she knew from high school tried not to call her on it.
But he has other plans, because when he brings her order to her, he doesn’t just leave like he’s supposed to, standing there for several awkward moments that feel as though they’re spanning lifetimes.
Yeah. The universe is definitely conspiring against her.
“So… you’re… good now?”
Katara stares at him blankly for a moment, feeling her jaw grow a little slack.
“Are you… checking on me?”
A beat. “I’m just very committed to customer service,” Zuko deadpans, and Katara can’t help but laugh.
“Right,” she says. “Yeah. I’m… good. Thank you.” He nods—just once, a rigid jerk of his head—and starts to turn on his heel to leave.
But for some reason, she suddenly doesn’t want that. He’s being… almost kind of sweet, and it’s so incongruous with the memory she has of him that it kindles a new kind of curiosity. “We went to school together, you know,” she says quickly, before he can fully turn around. He pauses in his tracks. “You probably don’t remember, but—”
“I remember you,” Zuko says before she can even finish. She frowns, intrigued. “You always wore your hair up in a braid and those loops. And once, even though we barely knew each other,” he adds with the faint traces of a smile, “you told off that kid when he was… uh…” The smile fades.
Katara remembers suddenly. It was an overcast day, not unlike the way this one had started, and Zuko had been sitting alone in the courtyard, not bothering anyone (for once) as Katara made her way to lunch when she saw some other kid go up to him to start needling him, saying horrible things about his scar. Very loudly.
Katara hadn’t liked that, so she’d marched right over and told the kid so. Also very loudly.
She’s pretty sure that’s the only time she and Zuko even tangentially interacted, and even then, they hadn’t spoken any actual words to each other. Everything else she knew about him came from stories and distant observation.
“When he was being a dick,” she finishes for him.
“Yeah,” Zuko says. Peering through his eyelashes, he adds more quietly, “I’ve always remembered that.”
“Really?”
A shrug of his shoulders. “You didn’t have to do that, but you did anyway.”
“I don’t like cruel people.” He nods, hands in his pockets, eyes suddenly downcast and looking almost a little ashamed. It makes her sort of sad. “Do you have time to sit?” Katara asks suddenly.
He looks surprised as he glances back at up her. “What?”
“I mean, I know you’re working, so don’t worry about it if not,” she adds in a hurry, tripping over he words. “I just thought maybe…”
“My shift’s actually over,” he answers, and suddenly, there’s a soft, sort-of-shy smile playing on his lips. “I—I could sit.”
He pulls the chair out and sits while Katara sips at her tea. It really is quite good.
“This is almost making up for the rest of my day,” she laughs, and his face scrunches up, maybe almost amused.
But then, the expression morphs. “Why was your day so bad, Katara?”
She’s surprised to find he ever knew her name, let alone remembers it now. He really is full of surprises.
She could tell him the simple version, the actual events without the why she was taking it so hard, without divulging what it was really about… but, well…
He seems sincere enough in asking, at any rate.
“I just… I lost my mother when I was really young,” she begins to explain, feeling sort of choked-up and tight in her chest again, but no tears threaten to fall right now.
“I’m sorry,” he says softly, and she looks up to meet his gaze, swimming with undeniable sympathy. “That’s something we have in common.”
She looks at him for a long moment, surprised. This is something they share, then. Something they can understand about each other. “I’m sorry, too. It’s awful. And… today is the anniversary. I usually just try to keep busy, but…”
“But everything went wrong?”
Katara hums.
“That’s the fucking worst,” he says bluntly, and Katara laughs then. He has very little tact, it seems, but also, yeah. It is. And it’s nice for someone to be able to… just say it. To feel it with her.
“It is the fucking worst,” she agrees. “But… I really am doing better now.”
“I’m glad,” he says, but he frowns, staring down at his hands, which are splayed on the table. “I really shouldn’t keep you from your day."
“I mean… the rest of my plans for the day have sort of fallen apart, and I should probably wait out the rain anyway, so I might, uh,” she says, feeling suddenly shy and hesitant. “I might stick around for a while. Get one more of these,” she nods down to her cup, warm and solid in her hands. “You know.” She takes another sip.
His smile glints, but it’s soft, too, definitely as shy as she feels. “I could do with a cup.”
Katara’s own smile grows wider.
The kindly older man who runs the shop—Zuko's uncle, Katara learns quickly—brings them out another round of jasmine, two cups this time, and Zuko slowly raises his in a cheers motions motion, a little awkward and a lot funny.
“To awful days?” he says with a raise of his brow.
“And to perfect storms,” she adds in agreement, laughter bubbling in her chest.
They clink their teacups together.
#zutaramonth2024#zutara#zutara month#my fic#me internally: idk how i feel about writing a modern au i don't feel like i can get into their headspaces the right way#also me: writes almost 2000 words about it#atla#zuko#katara#trigger: grief.#trigger: nightmares.#trigger: murder.#jic#trigger: ableism.
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do you have any zutara or atla fic recs?
Oh yes! I have plenty!
Fluffy fics
Questions & Answers by @gemgirl28
Kya and Lu Ten learn about the Hundred Years War, and Kya has a lot of questions for her Father about his role in the war.
Or
The Steambabies learn the origin of Zuko's scar.
A Month of Sundays by ok_boomerang
Fire Lord Zuko is desperately trying, and continuously failing, to successfully propose to Ambassador Katara. She's oblivious; everyone else is entertained. Meanwhile, Zuko is giving weekly Sunday speeches to the Fire Nation in an effort to help his people feel closer to their government.
This effort was not supposed to include telling the entire Fire Nation about his plans for a future with Katara before even she knew about them. But it's fine! They promised not to tell!
Even Dragons Need Hugs by EKWolf2020
Zuko is missing his wife while off for business. While she is gone, he can't help but feel prickly and clearly misses having her near him.
Fire Dance by HomeAgainRose
Zuko goes with the gang following the events of Crossroads of Destiny. This is what happens when they're first in the Fire Nation and Aang ends up at the Fire Nation School.
Katara wasn't exactly prepared for the feelings that come out.
little rays of starlight by JasmineTeaLatte
Izumi had been a mere babe during her first and only trip to the Southern Water Tribe, back before Druk had even joined their family or the twins were even born. She remembered freezing white snow flurries and huddling in her father’s arms for warmth, but little else...
Or, the Fire Lord and his wife take their infant daughter out on a trip to see the Southern Lights during the crown princess' first visit to the Southern Water Tribe.
Takes place in the timeline of "The Phoenix and the Dragon" but can be read as a standalone.
vitamin z by thetasteoflies
Katara has a cold and there's only one person in the world she wants to see.
Angst/More Mature Fics
Incendiary by Anon
Bizarrely, the first thing Katara felt was a wave of relief.
Zuko. Not Ozai. They just wanted her to marry Prince Zuko.
And then the horror of it washed over her, cold and harsh and insistent; an iron grip on her heart.
Past the World's Horizon by Mauve_Avenger / @the-badger-mole
When Katara finds herself with an unwanted secret admirer, she and Zuko end up on a frightening adventure.
The Scourge of the Mo Ce Sea by ajstyling
She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen and with one look at her face he understood the truth of her words. She would kill him and not lose a minute of sleep.
i'm still here by owedbetter
"You see me."
And somehow, that makes all the difference.
thicker than water by akaiiko
Zuko tries to pick up the pieces of Katara.
AUs/Slice of Life fics
The Worst Prisoner series by @emletish-fish
What if Sokka was there during the events of the Blue Spirit? What if he accidentally kidnapped Zuko? It's not a poor life choice of it's an accodent, right?
The Prince of the Fire Nation by HarrisonHolmes2014
Zuko was raised in the Fire Nation royal family alongside his sister Azula. He has never known any life outside the palace, his family, or his homeland. But when two slaves claim that he is their brother, Zuko must face a destiny he never asked for.
The Fire and the Flood by @badlucksav
Katara has lived in the same town with the same people her whole life, and since the death of her mother, she feels like her life has been on hold. But then she meets Zuko, an intriguing stranger, and everything changes.
what you want is what i want by zelzenik
Katara isn't alone. She has Bumi and Kya. The three of them are family.
Zuko isn't alone either. He has Izumi. The two of them are family.
But maybe... just maybe, they can all be family together.
It Runs In The Family by Anon
Katara and Zuko were a lot of things. War heroes. Master benders. Fire Lord and Fire Lady. Their favorite occupation? Parents. They'd managed to find each other again and had children, who are part of a brand new world and mixed nations family. While isn't exactly easy, as shown through a repeating series parent teacher conferences.
Or basically, steambaby shenanigans because they have Sokka as their uncle and how could they not be wreaking havoc?
Shameless Self Plugs
They have stolen the heart inside you; but this does not define you series
At a young age, Katara is taken to the Fire Nation as the first candidate in an experiment to assimilate the 'savages' instead of wiping them out. She grows up alongside the Royal Family before eventually escaping. Years later, an oddly familiar Fire Nation solider shows up at her village looking for the Avatar.
Kintsugi series
Kintsugi is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery by mending the areas of breakage with gold. It treats breakage and repair as part of the history of an object, rather than something to disguise.
Zuko is tortured by Ozai after helping Katara and Aang escape Ba Sing Se.
Head Above Water
While running away from home after the Agni Kai, Zuko befriends a curious mermaid. He later learns how protective merfolk are.
Dead Hearts
Ozai is a mass serial killer who forces Zuko to lure his victims to him. It’s the same drill for as long as Zuko could remember until his father sets eyes on the new girl who just moved from the Southern Water Tribe.
Let beauty come out of ashes
Zuko is done with Spirit tales. Everyone knew worthless nobodies like him didn’t receive happy endings. He wasn’t even allowed to go to the ball to see his love, a veiled waterbender he met in the woods, in person. Zuko lost all hope until a mysterious dragon helped him with a bit of magic.
Always With Me
While moving away from the only home she’d ever known, Katara finds herself spirited away to a strange in between realm. There, she struggles to ink out a living with the help of a mysterious masked boy who promised to get her home.
Are There Still Beautiful Things?
Katara befriends a lonely boy and they spend the summer together until he suddenly moves away. She doesn't learn the dark truth about why he left until years later.
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Union
Zutara Week 2023: Day 3
Read it on AO3 | @zutaraweek
Everyone seems to know that Zuko and Katara plan to get married someday. The only question left is when they'll finally get around to it.
For what feels like the dozenth time in a row, Zuko checks his own pocket. In his thick polar leopard fur parka, even a set of solid gold hair beads and combs is small enough, light enough to feel insubstantial. Still, he is aware of its presence. Almost too aware of it at times.
“I’m surprised the two of you haven’t gotten this all settled before now.” There is a familiar look in Hakoda’s eyes, the same one that Uncle gives him every time the subject of marriage comes up. A look of curiosity and impatience that usually comes just before another casual inquiry about when Zuko plans to marry Katara. But Hakoda isn’t quite as pushy as Uncle. “I wouldn’t have blamed you if you’d decided to elope before you made it back to the South Pole.”
Zuko offers a sheepish shrug. “Apparently that’s not the proper way to do things. I’ve thought about it every day for months now, and I doubt Katara would have minded, but I don’t need to make her life any more difficult by proposing the wrong way.”
“And what about my life?” Kanna thumps her walking stick against the floor. “I’m not getting any younger here. If you two don’t hurry up, I’ll never get to meet my great-grandchildren.”
Hakoda frowns. “Mother.”
“It’s a fact of life, dear. We can’t all be King Bumi and live as many centuries as we please.”
“I’m going to ask her,” Zuko says. “Before we go north again, I swear.” His pulse quickens at the sound of his own admission, and he checks his pocket for reassurance. The engagement gift itself is as close to perfect as he can ever hope, but he’s less sure about his ability to actually propose. “I’m not sure about kids yet, but you’ll at least know if she wants to marry me before we leave.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t worry about that part.” Kanna waves a knobby hand at him. “I’ve known my granddaughter long enough to know the look she gets in her eyes when she’s made up her mind. She’s decided what she’s going to say. And frankly, I don’t think she would have dragged you all the way down here if it was no.”
Though Zuko’s heart still races, he manages a smile before Katara bursts into the house, cheeks flushed with cold, and hair glistening with ice crystals at its tips.
“There you are,” Kanna says. “We were just talking about you, weren’t we, boys?”
Zuko feels his face flush, and Katara looks from him to Kanna and back again. “Well, that’s always reassuring. Thanks, Gran-Gran.” Before there can be any further response, Katara grabs his hand and pulls back toward the door again. “I think we’re going to leave before you fill my boyfriend’s head with any more embarrassing stories.”
He makes no effort to resist, and before he knows it, Katara has led him out into the snow and halfway down the street toward the burgeoning waterbending academy.
“So how bad is it?” she asks, looping her mittened hands around his arm. “Did they tell you about the time when I froze all my dad’s underwear to the side of the council hut because he wouldn’t let me keep an otter penguin in our tent?”
His eyebrow creeps ever so slightly upward. “You did?”
“Okay, I’m going to take that as a no, and also as a sign that I need to stop giving away my secrets.” Still walking, she buries her face in his arm. “Stop me the next time I try to embarrass myself, okay?”
A snort bursts out of him. “I would, but I know for a fact that Uncle tells you so much worse about me every chance he gets. Even Sokka is too busy to tell me any embarrassing stories about you most of the time.”
“I’d really like to keep it that way.” They make it only a step or two farther before her mood seems to lighten again, and she pulls just far enough back to steer him around a corner. “Maybe you can come with me to watch waterbending lessons tomorrow instead of spending the whole morning alone with Dad and Gran-Gran.”
He certainly isn’t opposed to the idea. Any excuse to spend more time with her is always welcome, even if all that entails is sitting quiet at the sidelines while Katara guides a group of noisy, energetic children through their waterbending forms.
He agrees, and as Katara leads him past the bending academy, pointing out all the practice space and sparring areas, he checks his pocket one more time. The combs and beads still rest there, exactly where they should be, and Zuko lets out a long, slow breath. Two opposing impulses battle inside his chest—on the one hand, he’s been waiting to find the right moment, the perfect moment for weeks now. If she’s going to remember this for the rest of their lives, the least he can do is propose to her properly.
But on the other hand, his patience with himself is running thin, and the brilliant warmth of her enthusiasm strains his resolve to its breaking point. If he doesn’t ask her soon, he might well lose his mind.
So when their winding path takes them to the far side of the village, he can hardly bring himself to stop alongside her.
“Oh, spirits, we should probably go back before you freeze out here.”
“What?” Though his face tingles a bit when a breeze passes by, though he’s certain that his cheeks are crimson from the chill, he doesn’t feel cold. Not enough to turn back, at least. “No, I’m fine. It isn’t that cold.”
Katara raises an eyebrow.
“It isn’t,” he insists. “I was just—thinking.”
“About what?”
Under the intensity of her gaze, his mouth goes dry, and it takes all his will to keep from checking his pocket again. Instead, he nods toward the path leading out of the village. “I was thinking that there’s probably a great view from the hill over there. Especially around sunset.”
Her lips twitch into a crooked smile, and the grip on his hand tightens ever so slightly. “You do realize that the sun isn’t really going to set for a few more days, right? If you want to wait out there until sunset, you really will freeze.”
“In that case, I guess I can settle for half an hour. But I think you’re underestimating my ability to keep myself warm.”
“I could never. You’re the one who keeps my feet warm every night.” She bumps him lightly with her hip before starting up the path. “But you might be underestimating the South Pole’s wind.”
It’s all that Zuko can do to keep his composure as they make their way up the sloping path. But he waits, and when they reach the crest of the hill, Katara stretches before turning a brilliant smile back on him.
“Okay, I’ll admit it. Freezing or not, this view is worth it.”
Though Zuko has trouble focusing on the landscape, he can’t help but agree with her. The afternoon sun paints shining bronze streaks through her hair, and her eyes shine as bright as he’s ever seen them before.
He grasps her hand before she can go any further. “Katara—I wanted to ask you something.” His heart sits in the back of his throat. Despite her family’s confidence, despite his own suspicion that Katara will say yes, he can’t seem to push the worry away.
“Oh?” She looks up, and her gaze pierces him.
Silently, he thanks the spirits that it’s cold enough to keep his mittens on so that Katara won’t know how much his palms are sweating. He fumbles in his pocket until at last his fingers close around the little box of combs and beads. “Being with you has been one of the best things that’s ever happened to me. Every day that we’re together, you mean more to me, and now—” He succeeds in extracting the box from his pocket and fumbles to turn it right side up.
Before he can finish, Katara lets out a squeak of surprised excitement and claps her hands to her mouth. “Yes. Yes, of course I will.”
Zuko blinks, and a surprising amount of tension leaves his chest and shoulders all at once. “You—you realize I haven’t finished the question yet. Right?”
“Oh! Right, I knew that.” She makes an apparent effort at bringing her expression back under control, then motions for him to continue. “Go on.”
Despite his best effort at solemnity, a smile breaks across his face. “I’m not sure I can remember what I wanted to say anymore. I swear I had this all planned out yesterday.” Looking down, he clears his throat and slides open the richly engraved lid so that she can see the beads and the combs lying in neat rows inside their case. “But I love you, Katara. And even if I can’t remember the right words, I would be honored if you would marry me.”
This time, Katara isn’t content to merely smile at him. This time, she springs forward and throws her arms around his neck. “Yes. Of course I’ll marry you.”
Zuko laughs, and as his arms close tight around her waist, the world seems to slow.
Right now, with Katara in his arms and the future opening up around them, all the urgency in the world is gone.
#zutara#zutara fanfiction#zutara week#zutaraweek#zutara week 2023#zutaraweek2023#Union#soopersara's scribbles
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Taken - Zutara - Part 13
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Katara found her life shifting to fit a new routine. Zuko would come to the South Pole every two to three months. While Katara healed the injured soldiers, Zuko and Iroh met with her father and Bato, and the Earth Kingdom supplies were traded for the few things they had an overflow of.
She realized that some of the supplies from the Earth Kingdom were metals forged into spear heads and arrow tips. Hunts became easier, with more deadly equipment able to fell wild tiger moose and arctic caribou in only a few shots, rather than a slow trailing hunt. For once, they had enough to breath.
Its in the evening, as they feast and celebrate, Zuko tells Katara about his travels. Sokka hovers each night, supposedly still wary of the prince, but Katara has a feeling he just wants to hear about the rest of the world too. Zuko had traveled a fair amount, but was restricted to Fire Nation friendly ports, while also avoiding selling the Southern goods at towns controlled by the Fire Nation. Mostly, he got around it by traveling further inland from Fire Nation ports that wouldn't look to closely at his cargo.
Zuko had been to a small town called Gaipon, where he had sold some lamp oil in exchange for some berry wine and a few crafted spear heads. In a somewhat large city called Goa Ling, he and the soldiers had donned Earth Kingdom disguises, selling the rest of the lamp oil and the crate of arctic crab that the nobles in the area went crazy for. Kyoshi Island was closer to the South, but isolated and rarely went off the island, so they took an interest in anything Zuko had left over on his way back, once they deemed him not a threat.
Before Katara knew it, it had been nearly a year and a half since she had returned home. She vaguely realized that she had missed Zuko's 14th birthday, and that his 15th was close. She mused the thought aloud at dinner one night, and her parents seemed intrigued.
The next time Zuko returned, she met up with him to find the Fire Nation Prince stumbling out of a tent, traditional Southern Water Tribe blue covering him. His face was bright red, his hair redone in a version of a Southern Warriors wolf tail. He seemed embarrassed as he shifted around, hands fisted in gloves at his sides.
"Sorry Katara," her father said as he came out of the tent, a firm hand placed on the back of Zuko's neck, the way she'd seen him do to Sokka when her brother wasn't to keen on following orders. "But Prince Zuko will be spending the day with us."
Before she could get any answers, her father was leading a grumbling firebender to the village wall, joining with Bato and a pair of boys that had just turned fourteen. She wondered what could possibly be going on, and went to Iroh for answers. Of course, the man was good at keeping secrets, and somehow pulled her into a game of Pai Sho. They played for hours, Katara's mind drifting to what her father and Bato could possibly be doing, only for Iroh or soldiers to distract her.
When they finally returned, Zuko was wide eyed and laughing, as if shocked by his own delight. He and the two other boys were dragging a large Arctic caribou behind them. Across each brow was a mark of the tribe. When Katara got close enough, she saw the mark of the trusted painted across Zuko's brow.
"You took him hunting?" Katara snapped at her father. "And ice dodging? Dad! That's so dangerous! Zuko didn't grow up in the South! He could have been seriously hurt!"
"It's fine," her father said, placing a hand on her shoulder to stop her. He turned, and Katara followed his gaze to where more of the older boys were gathering around Zuko, laughing as they seemed to share stories of ice dodging and first hunts. "Zuko has earned a place in the tribe. He has done us a great service, returning you, and helped us still since then." He paused. "He has become someone the tribe can rely on."
Katara watched her friend as a young warrior, a boy who had joined the warrior ranks two years ago, gave Zuko a joking shove. Zuko, despite his momentary scowl, shoved back in a similar manner, setting the warrior into howls of laughter. For the first time in what seemed like years, Zuko seemed almost at ease.
When he looked at her, he smiled, lifting his hand in an awkward wave. She lifted her own hand to do the same, only for someone to say something to Zuko that got his face flaming red and start wrestling in the snow. It quickly devolved into a free for all, all in good fun.
Katara watched on, wishing that Zuko would stay, let himself be happy here in the tribe, where he felt free enough to laugh so openly. But she knew, come morning, he would be off once again, chasing a ghost.
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Returning to Tumblr solely because I'm back on my Zutara shit. That moment in the catacombs was such a perfect setup, let me break it down.
Zuko being the one to reach out first
At this point, Zuko had been moving towards a more positive lifestyle and it shows in his reaction. Even though he is frustrated when Katara yells at him, he doesn't lash out or use his firebending. Season one Zuko wouldn't have been able to do this, look at that growth. Instead, he apologizes to her and attempts to connect with her by bringing up his mother as well.
Up until this point, the only people that Katara could talk to about the Fire Nation taken away her mother were other victims of the Fire Nation. On top of that, Zuko has been chasing down Aang for a hot minute. Who would've thought that the son of the Fire Lord also experienced the pain of losing his mother? Would've been able to understand that pain and loss? Would've been able to bond with her through that?
Katara offering to heal him with the water from the Spirit Oasis
Once again, I don't think people realize how impactful this is. This is water from the Spirit Oasis. She literally says that she has been saving it for something important. And as we all know, she only had enough for one use which ended up being healing Aang. But Katara offered to heal ZUKO'S scar with it. On top of that, let's look back.
Katara apologizes to him for yelling and feels comfortable enough with him to tell him that whenever she thought of the enemy, she thought of him. Mind you, she's using past tense. Clearly, after the two of them managed to open up to each other, she started to see him as the person he is and not just the enemy. And Zuko feels comfortable enough to tell her how he views the scar Ozai gave him and his recent revelations. These two have been on opposite sides for months, but it only took a few minutes or hours at most, for them to reach this level of comfortability with each other. Don't think so?
Zuko lets Katara touch the scar
Zuko has been very self-conscious of his scar whenever someone brought it up or drew attention to it. So for him to allow Katara to get close enough and place her hand on the physical representation of his trauma and pain just shows how safe he feels with her in this moment. And not just him, but for Katara to feel safe enough to even get that close to him without worrying if he was going to lash out and she would have to put him in his place. Do y'all not see the material? They trusted each other in this moment.
Of course, we get cut off by Aang and Iron pulling up which leads to the next point.
The looks
When Katara and Aang hug, Zuko glares at Aang. Now, it is highly possible that this is because a part of him still feels the need to catch the Avatar, but coming after that scene, doesn't it read like jealousy?
And as Katara leaves, she looks back at Zuko who is looking away with a sad expression. In that moment, in those catacombs, she felt something. As Katara will tell Zuko before their field trip, she trusted him. It's the emotional intimacy for me.
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A Phantom's Choice
zutara month, day eight: Actors AU @zutaramonth.
Summary: Katara and Zuko intend to take down the notorious crime lord Ozai, but Katara faces last minute doubts on the night of their plan.
Pairing: Katara x Zuko
Warning: allusion to violence at the end
Word count: 413
Author's Note: Major shoutout to @geothewriter for beta-ing/editing this and for suggesting I do this. YOU DA BOMB, GEO! 💣💣💜
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“Zuko, I don’t know if I can do this.” Her voice quivered.
He paused his machinations and turned to her. His gaze softened when he saw her eyes wide with fear and uncertainty. In two strides he was by her side. “Katara,” his hands envelop hers, “You can do this. I’ve watched you practice. I’ve coached you. You know this part like the back of your hand. I know you can do this.” His encouragement was met with silence.
“Hey,” he lifted her chin with his finger, “You are the bravest and most talented person I've ever met. This is just another performance.”
“But it’s not.” Her voice was quiet.
“They don’t know that.” His voice adopted a serious but gentle tone. “Katara, we’ve worked hard for this. Tonight, we finally get justice. Justice for all of Ozai’s victims, not just us.”
Her eyes met his, fear replaced with resolve. “For everyone.”
“There’s my girl.” He smiled and put his hands on her shoulders. “Dazzle them.” A fleeting silence held her attention, “Dazzle them like always and leave the rest to us.”
“Curtain in 5!” The stage manager shouted.
She cupped the unmasked side of his face. “Be safe.”
He put his hand atop hers “I promise.”
Katara gave him a quick kiss and her lips lingered a moment before pulling away. She squeezed his hand and left her dressing room. For a split second, he wanted to call her back and keep her from anything that might happen. He pushed down the wild impulse. Katara was capable. She would be safe.
The audience tonight was filled with the creme de la creme of society, business executives, high-profile lawyers, and politicians; every one of them was either a past or current client of Ozai. A year ago, Zuko would have been elated that his production made it this far. Now, however, everything felt like a sticky slimy web; his play was merely another fly in the spider’s trap. Tonight the web would be torn asunder and the spider destroyed.
As the second act began, Zuko was in the lobby checking that every exit door was locked. With the last door secured he rushed backstage and signaled Sokka. The room turned pitch dark. Surprised gasps morphed into panic as the sinners swarmed the doors to no avail. Trapped creams filled the theater. He closed his eyes for a moment and relished the sonata of guilty cries. The spider’s web would claim no more innocents.
#zutara month#zutara#actor au#mango writes#phantom of the opera inspired AU#zutara au#poto#actors au
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4 and 18. I like that this one could be going in either direction lol
Couple #4: Zutara
Prompt #18: “Do you ever shut up?”
From this prompt game!
~~~~~~~
Two years after the war ends, the ambassadors and rulers of the nations gather in the Earth Kingdom to discuss progress in rebuilding.
“Chief Hakoda, what does the Southern Water Tribe require to rebuild?” The emissary from the Earth Kindgom enquired, still visibly confused that the Chief brought his two young children to the meeting. Sokka was almost 18 now, but that meant nothing to a room of grumpy old men. Although, none of them dared to minimize what those Water Tribe children had done for the world.
The emissary thought to himself that he shouldn’t think much of it considering the Fire Lord barely just reached 18 himself a few weeks ago. Said emissary had been very diligent in voicing his opinion this entire meeting. He considered it his duty to place the people of the Earth Kingdom in the highest priority considering how large their population was compared to the others. Because of the Earth Kingdom’s size it also had sustained the most damage during the war, and he only thought it fair that he have a substantial stake in the rebuilding allocations.
It was a long, dreary process that would probably take decades more, but luckily everyone in that board room was dedicated to making things go as smoothly as possible- at least for the most part. It’s sometimes hard to be civil when your people are hurting, but you must remember that others are hurting as well.
Chief Hakoda nodded to his daughter at his left. She straightened her back along with her scroll before standing to address the room. It was obvious to anyone in the room that this particular question was her area of expertise. Well…almost anyone.
“Thank you ambassador, the Southern Water Tribe is making real strides towards establishing a thriving independent economy again, but-“
“Excuse me, but shouldn’t your father be handing this discussion girl?” That same Earth Kingdom man spat the last word like a curse. “Sit down”
Now, it is worth noting that this man would not have been so bold had he not been so absorbed in himself that he did not take note of the Fire Lord slowly losing his composure with every word he spoke. It was not until Zuko himself stood that the green-clad man realized his mistake.
“Do you ever shut up?” Zuko looked as poised as his portrait but his words were laced with an unmissable venom.
“Lord Zuko I-“
“Enough, how dare you speak to her that way?”
The man tried to open his mouth once more but was quickly silenced.
“Do not interrupt me. I do believe you have advocated the needs of your people quite thoroughly. Would you agree?” The man nodded in agreement with Zukos statement
“Good, now sit down. And let her speak,” The young Fire Lord then turned to the Water Tribe emissary. “I apologize ambassador Katara, please. Continue” Zuko returned to the floor as if nothing happened, and sipped his tea contentedly.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
An hour after the meeting ended Zuko was reviewing his notes. His robes were abandoned on the floor and he sat hunched over his candle lit desk in only a pair of black trousers, his hair pulled half up with a wooden pin.
He was just about to abandon the seemingly endless scrolls in lieu of maybe getting a good nights rest for once when his door slammed open.
“What the hell was that about?!” Katara stormed into his room, nearly tripping over the layers of fabric strewn across the wooden floor.
Zuko jumped to his feet, startled. “What are you talking about?” The look of genuine confusion on his face almost gave Katara pause- almost.
“In there! With that Earth Kingdom emissary! You know, I don’t need you to fight my battles for me, I can defend myself just fine! Might I remind you that I held my own against much worse months before you even cut that stupid ponytail off!?”
“Katara I’m sorry I was just trying to-“
“I don’t want to hear it! You completely undermined me!” She was pacing about the room now, Zuko was sure she hadn’t even glanced in his directed since starting her rant, he began to look around frantically for a shirt to throw on to no avail. “They have to learn that I am my own person and I don’t need some man to defend me”
Finally, she sat on the edge on his bed and placed her face in her hands.
“I didn’t do it because you’re a woman, I did it because I am the Fire Lord and you are an emissary and friend to me. I would not let someone disrespect you. I would have done the same if it was Sokka. I was looking for an opportunity to tell him to shut up hours before, you just gave me a perfect opportunity. I guess I should be thanking you for that.” At that moment, Zuko noted a red silk scarf on the edge of his desk, he quickly pulled it over his shoulders to cover his chest and stomach.
Katara finally raised her head, and looked as if she was about to speak for a moment. She closed her mouth and cocked her head to the side quizzically. She then let out a laugh.
“So, do you just casually wear silk scarves around your room?” Zuko blushed.
“No, I-“
“Oh come on Zuko, it’s just me,” She strode over to him and gave one end of it a sharp tug, causing it to fall freely to the ground. She gave a satisfied smirk at the slightly embarrassed look on Zukos face. Katara was just about to leave, happy with the verbal berating and light embarrassment she had just filed out when her eyes drifted slightly south.
Her gaze landed on a dark twisted scar taking up a monopoly on Zukos skin. The large burst where his ribs met arcing out down his stomach and across his chest in thin lines. Azulas lightning.
Lightning that had been meant for her.
Zuko sucked in a sharp breath, barely moving. It wasn’t until then that Katara noticed that she had placed her hand upon it. Before she could process what she was saying she asked.
“Did you keep seeing the healers like I told you to?”
“I-Uh, of course I did” Zukos blush reached his neck that time.
“So no then. At least let me help while I’m here. Lie down,” If there was one thing Zuko knew at this point, it was that there was never any use fighting Katara. So he obliged as she collected the bowl of rose water left on the night stand.
“You haven’t been treating it so this might hurt a little,”
“It’s okay, I’m used to it” It was Zukos turn to speak without thinking, but he didn’t need to explain. They had all felt their fair share of pain over the last few years. His companion simply nodded and hummed lightly as the water began to glow.
“Agni have mercy” Zuko found himself murmuring. That hurt way more than he thought it would. Okay, no more skipped healers appointments. He felt like he was going to pass out at any second. Suddenly, the glowing stopped.
“Woah, woah, hey. Are you okay? All the color just drained from your face” Zukos next words were entirely incoherent, no better than if he had way too much fire whiskey. “Okay, that’s enough for you.” Katara then soaked a cloth and cooled it with her bending before placing it across his forehead. “There, you’re gonna be just fine.”
Zukos entire world was spinning, but then again- it tended to do that whenever Katara came around. He forced his eyelids open to look at her. There was so much worry and care painted across her face, and his head was too foggy. He said something, but neither of them had any idea what, so he tried once more.
“I love you, Katara”
The last thing he saw was her shocked expression, a dusting of pink across her dark complexion, before darkness claimed him.
#eeekkkk#I hope you enjoy#thanks for the ask!#send me asks#prompt game#ship game#one shots#zutara#post war zutara#I don’t ship them but I had fun writing this#how dare you request zutara on my Zukka blog#I’m jk#I had fun with this#please come again#xoxo#avatar incorrect quotes#avatar the last airbender#sokka#zuko#Hakoda#chief hakoda
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Random plot bunny that hopped into my head today:
In the first year or so of Zuko's banishment, his ship is in Southern Water Tribe waters when there's a terrible winter storm, which drives them inland to the Southern Water Tribe settlement. Thanks to the weather conditions, the Fire Nation crew and the Southern Water Tribe are forced to cohabitate for (weeks? months??) until the ship is able to leave.
Neither side wants anything to do with the other at first, but the Fire Nation crew knows nothing about survival in such conditions, and they have resources and a bunch of physically capable adults that the SWT needs, so (with a lot of diplomatic work on Iroh's part) they make a workable agreement.
Long story short, Zuko and his crew learn respect for the people of the Southern Water Tribe, and the SWT gets to see the positive side of the Fire Nation for the first time in nigh unto a hundred years. It doesn't necessarily result in Zuko giving up his hunt or the crew deserting the war right away, but it could. At the very least, it's the beginning of a relationship between the two groups that has a long-term influence on how both of them interact with each other.
Obviously, because i'm me, this also results in Zuko and Katara beginning a friendship that eventually leads to love.
Anyway, i might try to write this someday, but for the time being i figured i'd toss it into the Zutara tag and see if anyone else wanted to make something of it.
#zutara#zuko x katara#zuko#katara#avatar the last airbender#a:tla#avatar: the last airbender#s: eight#how many ways to tag the same thing#a rare original post#fanfic#plot bunny
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I saw this post and it upset and offended me so much. I'd like to hear what you think about this. In fact, the zk claims that the offensive portrayal of Katara in the FN play at the meta level correctly conveys her feelings and her personality in the show. she has no feelings for Aang, and Aang is not sure that she will ever fall in love with him, at the same time, "Katara" in the play says that she felt attracted to Zuko immediately after he captured her, and at the meta-level this is "the correct interpretation of Katara's feelings in the show". In addition, it proves that Zutara is a feminist ship, because "Katara" in the play talks about her feelings for Zuko and dominates their relationship.
https://www.tumblr.com/sokkastyles/723285064748859392/thinking-again-about-how-katara-is-portrayed-in
*throws up* Note to self: do not read Zutara nonsense after a meal. It does not go well.
Yes, Katara IS offended by how she's being shown in that play. But what bothers her is not "Oh she's being shown as a damsel in distress that needs Aang to save her." What bothers her is how the Fire Nation - you know, the nation that killed her mother, destroyed her village, had her dad leave to fight in the war, and has been trying to kill her and her friends for months now - is mocking her for daring to have hope. Treating her like a stupid, overly emotional bimbo people should laugh at. Throwing her coping mechanism of"I haven't lost hope" back in her face and making it look ridiculous.
It's REALLY weird Zutarians just HAVE to make everything about this fake love triangle they created in their heads. Katara's anger here is not because of Aang or Zuko - it's about how SHE is being treated, how this play is insulting HER, how SHE is being treated as unimportant, stupid and desperate when she knows damn well that NONE OF IT IS TRUE!
For fuck's sake, the whole joke of how Kataang is shown in the play is that it is treated as UNIMPORTANT! How it is treated as a completely platonic bond between two dumbasses that will inevitably be destroyed by the Fire Nation.
When AANG lets this nonsense get to his head and ask Katara if it's true that she only ever saw him as a little brother, Katara says "I didn't say that, an actor said that" making it very clear that even though she is mad, she is not taking this seriously. She doesn't believe the writers of this play have any understanding of who she is or what she wants.
And let's talk about the part this person conveniently left out: when they see their characters shown as being romantically involved, both Zuko and Katara are REAAAAALLY uncomfortable.
Why is Katara's clear objection to the way she's being shown only ever taken into account when it is vaguelly connected to Kataang, but NEVER when it shows her full on revulsion at the thought of being with Zuko?
Not to mention, Kataang and Zutara were not the only Katara ships brought up: we also see Katara's crush on Jet, and how she is ALSO not happy with how it was shown in that play, because it assumes that his "bad boy" persona is what drew her to him, when that was actually what led to their falling out. She liked the charming, sweet, charismatic guy that wanted to save people from the evil imperialist nation, not the two-faced asshole that attacks innocents as a means to an end and manipulates everyone.
That's the whole point of the Ember Island Players: we are given one little nugget of truth, followed by COMPLETELY incorrect nonsense.
Katara is hopeful and emotional, but that is the STRENGTH of her character, not the weakness. She likes Aang's company because he is this cheerful person that makes life less sad, instead of seeing it as a childlike trait of someone she thinks of her little brother. She accepted Zuko into the friend group and is bonding with him, but it has nothing to do with attraction - surely not any attraction that could have happen while he was HUNTING HER AND FRIENDS DOWN AND TRYING TO TAKE AWAY THE WORLD'S LAST HOPE FOR PEACE, something she said, to his face, made him a horrible person.
And gotta love how Zutarians think that "Katara is taking the lead in the zutara subplot of the play but in nothing else" in anyway mirrors the actual show. That's the result of ignoring a character's choices the second you disagree with them.
Before Katara even knows Aang is the Avatar and before he is aware of the war that he will be forced to put a stop to, they are already talking about going to the North Pole - not so HE can learn waterbending, but so KATARA can do it. And even after Aang realizes he'll need a waterbending master, he says "We can learn it together."
And they do. And while at first Aang is better at it than her, the writers realized that they'd have more potential for Katara's character if she was a prodigy, thus they allowed her to master it fast enough to become Aang's sifu.
In Cave Of Two Lovers, SHE takes the innitiative to kiss him. Through the entire arc of Appa being gone, she is the one trying to emotionally connect with Aang, while he is being distant - and it concludes with him saying SHE gives HIM hope.
During The Headband, Katara is visibly upset when some other girls are getting all of Aang's attention - something we had already seen in Warriors Of Kyoshi - and they then have that SUPER romantic dance.
On the day of the invasion, Aang kisses her, and while she was not expecting it, she does not look upset like she would be in Ember Island a few episodes later. In fact, that episode ends with her basically cuddlying up Aang to cheer him up after their plan fails - once again, even though he was trying to keep his distance, aka Katara is taking the lead here.
When Zuko joins the Gaang, all the others are okay with it, at least to some degree and Katara is NOT happy about it, and makes sure to let him know that if Aang gets hurt because of him again, she will end him once and for all. This is 100% Katara's choice, and she's making it very clear that she LOVES Aang (and I'm talking both romantic AND platonic love, even if she only recognizes one of them at that point).
In both The Southern Raiders AND Ember Island Players, we see what happens when she and Aang disagree on what she should do: she does what she thinks is right anyway, even if she cares for Aang. She thought getting revenge was what she needed, so she tried that (before changing his mind, in a parallel to Aang trying to deliberately trigger the Avatar State in season two, against Katara's advice). She felt she needed more time to figure out how she felt about Aang, and when he tried to speed things up, and she did NOT react well, and this time he is the one to realize he was wrong.
And, finally, in the last episode, with the war over and Katara's only concern now being "be happy with the people she cares about" she could see things more clearly, and when SHE was ready, she kissed Aang, officially starting their romance.
But since none of it involves Zuko, zutarians pretend it did not happen, otherwise it'd completely ruin their facade of "feminist ship" that TOTALLY only ships Zutara because it is SUPPOSEDLY the only dynamic in which she has any agency - when in reality, what they're saying is "Katara's choices only matter when I agree with them. If I don't, she needs to shut the fuck up."
Just good old misogyny from the fakest of all fake progressists of the fandom, everyone.
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Heya! Me again! XD I might need some writing advice.
First of all, I'm trying to get back to writing something, but I want to write an ATLA AU retelling where the characters are older and it's Zutara/Sukka/and Taang-based! :) Problem is, I have like 23 unfinished stories on AO3(four more on FF.Net), and I don't want to like, make another story to add it onto the pile, but...well, in your expertise (I mean, I hear that you write really well), should I just focus on the ones I've written now?
Secondly, how do I get back in the groove of writing? I feel like when I get myself going back to it, it just makes my head feel heavy or something, or I'm just tired. ^^; I don't know, maybe I'm writing too much. I just got other stories to update that I haven't for a while and I want to like...not let everybody wait for the next update on those stories, and...well, I just need some advice on procrastination, I guess. ^^;
I hope I'm making sense. I want to write, but I can't seem to get it going. Maybe I'm distracted too much. What do you do when this happens? What should I do? :O
(Also, no worries about the crossovers! I have two one-shot fics of ATLA, but they're both Taang-centric. ^^; They also have Zutara and Sukka in them, but they're only minor. XD I also did some Taang Week stories that I did in 2020. :) Either way, if you don't do crossovers, there are those to read! :D )
I will definitely check them out!
When I can. Because I've got like... four papers to edit for these people in college that are too lazy to edit their own. That's okay, I get paid for it.
And then there is my current fic I'm obsessed (it's unhealthy, I know) with and then I have to start planning for ZKBB...
Please have mercy on me.
I'm also pretty hungry for Chicken Shawarma for some reason and I really need some ice cream. And chocolate. Lots of chocolate.
@omegansamurai *edited because I am a dingus*
I totally missed the middle part of this ask. I apologize for that... I feel like such an idiot for missing that.
So, a neat little trick I like to do is a word avalanche. It helps get the thoughts going and keeps you on track. You just start with one word, and then you find the words, emotions, or senses that go with that word. It helps with creating scenes and prompts, you name it. I've been doing it for years, and sometimes, it ends up being a whole outline for an epic adventure.
If you have the opposite problem of too many projects at once, cut back on the stories that you feel aren't cutting it. Don't try to force something if you get stuck. Let it sit. Think about it while working on another project. Then go back. I like to keep a journal of all my thoughts that randomly pop up when I'm having a difficult time with a story. I write down those thoughts so I can go back to them later. Most of the time, especially with some of my original works, I get really stuck, and they sit for months. With fan fiction, it can be years before I go back to them. But when I do decide to pick them back up again, I have a journal with everything written down on where I wanted to go with it.
Prompts are also a good thing to practice getting better at introspective and character analysis if you are having issues with that. Putting characters in sticky situations tends to develop them more.
Also, it's totally okay to let go of stories you don't feel connected to anymore. You can always go back to them later on if you ever get the drive for it.
But rule number one is always do what you can make the time for. Overwhelming yourself will cause burnout. One idea at a time. Develop it, write it down. Make it work. But don't try to do too much at one time.
Again, I'm sorry for totally missing the point of your ask... I think I had just finished up that chapter and was posting on both my phone and computer.
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Alright I have decided that ALTA is my current hyperfixation after seeing so many videos on TikTok and Twitter (will NEVER call it X). Therefore, I drafted an entire timeline for the show with aged-up characters and Zutara endgame. Without further ado here is my idea:
Zuko – 16 (original) => 18/22
Sokka – 15 (original) => 17/21
Katara – 14 (original) => 16/20
Aang – 12 (original) => 14/18
Toph – 12 (original) => 14/18,
Suki – 15 (original) => 17/21
Azula – 14 (original) => 16/20
Winter Solstice (1st half of S1) – characters two years older
Same start as the show, Aang is told of Sozins Comet by Roku, of the power it holds and the destruction it left the last time it was over the world.
Norther Water Tribe (2nd half of S1)
This might take a little longer than in the show mainly bc the group stays in the NWT longer; they stay closer to eight months allowing Katara to surpass Pakku in waterbending (misogyny is still there). Sokka also is able to flex his brain muslces a bit more in military tactics by being part of the planning of dealing with the FN and how the NWT is gonna help (he gets them to send benders to where their father might be). Princess Yue still becomes the moon spirit…she in fact helps out Katara and Aang later on in the series. Zuko and Iroh have the same storylines happening, however, they might have a small head start being fugitives within the Earth Kingdom, Zuko starts some of his journey as the trio is still in the NWT.
Timeline is a year.
Earthbender Teacher (1st half of S2) – characters three years older (takes place over six months)
Same concept as the show, might have prolonged the moves around the Earth Kingdom closer six months. Think of them spending a few weeks in each location that they can with the added benefit of Azula/Ty Lee/Mai hunting them down. During the Anti-Avatar Day doesn’t get solved in a day but over a few weeks, the villagers are mad and they wish to be assholes. Plus they chase our Sokka and Katara after they arrest Aang, this forces the siblings to have a heart-to-heart about what they are doing. Once they get Aang back, they continue on like normal and meet Toph who is still the Blind Bandit, she is 13 when they meet. The talk with her family is a bit more uptight and formal, think nobility that thinks they are royalty and not just rich merchants (add an additional month onto this). Still run into Zuko/Iroh/Azula and have the BEST scene ever. Appa being taken still happens, Katara has to stop Aang in the Avatar State…the solar eclipse they discover takes place in a year.
Journey to Ba Sing Se (2nd half of S2) – takes place over eight months
Glaring difference is that Toph discovers Iroh and Zuko in the Lower Ring with their tea shop. She is unsure about what to do until Iroh sits down with her for some tea and explains things to her. From there everything else happens at a much slower pace, the King will still not see them, the Dai Li are still an evil organization, Azula still takes over Ba Sing Se, Zuko still betrays Katara in the catacombs, Aang is still killed, and Iroh is still taken prisoner.
Timeline is a year.
Road to Invasion (1st half of S3) – take places over a year
Aang is out for five months after being shot with lightning, the group hides in with the FN population. Katara becomes the Painted Lady, however, none of the group learns of her activities and she maintains the persona well after. She runs into the Blue Spirit along their stint across the FN. Zuko was brought back as a hero and then sent on a tour of some of the colonies closest to the FN where he maintains his Blue Spirit persona. Tour isn’t super long but during that time he learns this isn’t what he wants, Mai also is understanding and leaves with Ty Lee during the Day of the Black Sun arc. He also knows the Avatar is still alive (boy isn’t that stupid but he is still angsty). Katara still learns bloodbending, she is more harden in this version and she promises Aang not to do it anymore BUT she also takes a moment to think things over at night.
Sozin’s Comet (2nd half of S3) – takes place over a year
Same start to this arc. Zuko isn’t as awkward, but he still has trouble explaining what he means (boy is GUILTY). Katara still threatens to kill him. Instead of Combustion Man, FN soldiers find them bc Ozai told them to trail Zuko when he left to kill him. He saves the Gaang and starts to become his teacher. Boiling Rock happens bc of course it does but it takes place over an entire month, only this time Azula doesn’t have Mai and Ty Lee with her, she just had soldiers to help catch them. Zuko starts to see his sister slipping a bit (we still getting the Angi Kai though, Azula will just be a little more unstable). Southern Raiders happens and Katara kills the man bc he wasn’t that weak and defenseless as the show made it. Ember Island takes place over six months. Aang leaves soon after the Ember Island Players, for the first time (give it two weeks where he starts to work through his emotional intelligence). Aang with leave again, a month before the Comet which will have everything happen as it should. Ozai defeated, Azula defeated, Ba Sing Se reclaimed.
Timeline is two years.
Total timeline is four years.
Fifth Peace Summit – takes place over three weeks
Zuko – Fire Lord, 27
Sokka – Future Cheif of Southern Water Tribe, 26
Katara – Master Waterbender, Mater Healer, Ambassador for the Southern Water Tribe, 25
Suki – Head of Fire Lord Zuko’s Security Detail, Kyoshi Warrior Captain, 26
Toph – Beifong heiress, Master Earthbender, Master Metalbender, Creator of Beifong Metalbending Academy, 23
Aang – Avatar, Peacekeeper, Ambassador for the Air Nomads, 23
Azula – Fire Nation Princess, 25
Ursa – Fire Lady, age unknown
Iroh – Retired General, Fire Nation Councilman, Tea Shop Owner, age unknown
Zuko and Katara had a moment at Ember Island but once the war ended, they decided to work on their nations, to help bring about peace. They have not seen each other besides at the summits for the last four years, during the first year Katara stayed at the palace for six months healing Zuko’s new scar but left soon after to go back to the SWT to bridge the gap between the NWT. They have spoken via letters, spoke about their frustrations, dreams, and desires that they have for the new world. Their unspoken desire for each other has not faltered over the years and in fact was flamed via their written correspondence. While no one knew about their moment on Ember Island, their friends and family were not blind to what was going on between them.
#avatar the last airbender#katara#avatar aang#sokka#toph beifong#suki atla#zutara#fanfic#I have no idea where I did this#yet here we are
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A Zutara prompt, can be modern AU or not:
"Aang assumed she'd wait for him. Katara had no idea she was supposed to wait."
So, this was a bit longer than I meant it to be, but...oh well 🤷🏾♀️
After the war ended, Katara went home with her father and brother, full of ideas and visions for what their Tribe could be now that they could focus on more than survival. She and Aang parted with the same promise to write as they had made to all of their friends, and that was that. Katara had been...not exactly hurt, but confused when Aang wrote to her once a month, then once every month, sporadically whenever the thought crossed his mind. In the end, she'd chalked it up to a crush that fizzled out once distance had come between them, and she'd taken it in stride.
She still wrote to him, as she wrote to Toph, and Zuko, and Suki, when she wasn't in the Southern Tribe visiting Sokka and helping to rebuilt. Unlike Aang, Katara stayed consistent in her correspondences. Her friends were certain of receiving letters from her at least twice a month, whether she heard back from them or not. She missed them all horribly, when she wasn't busy helping plan the curriculum for the school she had helped build, or studying Southern style bending from the scrolls Zuko and Suki had helped her recover, or debating new domestic policy with her father and the Council of Elders. She kept busy after the war, but even so, she couldn't make herself busy enough not to miss her friends. Even Aang, with all his fickleness.
She finally got the chance to see her friends together again a year and a half after the war, when they came to the South Pole to celebrate the opening of the Hama School of Waterbending and Cultural Studies, Katara's own personal project. Toph arrived with Zuko on an ostentatious yacht bearing a painting of her holding a massive boulder over her head. Suki by this point more or less lived in the Southern Water Tribe for half the year, and was planning her marriage to Sokka. The only one missing was Aang. He had sent her a letter that apologized for his absence, but the lack of vegetarian options would make it hard for him to stay more than a day or two (Katara had made sure her grandmother would have options for him, but never mind), and he had been invited to Ba Sing Se by King Kuei. And besides, he wasn't sure he should support a school named in honor of Hama. Didn't Katara remember what she had done? That, Katara surmised, was the end of all romantic feelings towards her from his end.
She and Zuko got close on this visit. Closer, rather. He alone of all Katara's friends was as consistent a pen pal as she was. Their friendship had remained close since the end of the war. But this trip. This trip brought out something else. Zuko had always been handsome, but there was something about him in glow of the Spirit Lights and dressed in fur. Or maybe it was the way he was humble and respectful as the men of Katara's tribe taught him how to use a hunting spear. Maybe it was her grandmother's mulled punch that opened her eyes and made her brave. Whatever it was, when she kissed Zuko that first time, it felt natural. Easy.
Katara kept writing consistently to all of her friends, but now her letters to Zuko went out every other day instead of every other week, and he matched her envelope for envelope. He'd even surprised her by showing up for the Winter Solstice celebration. Soon, though, romance by correspondence wasn't enough. In the second year after the war ended, Chief Hakoda approached his daughter with a proposition. The Southern Watertribe had been invited to send an ambassador to the Fire Nation, and he and the Council of Elders wanted to nominate Katara. She accepted immediately. The school was left in capable hands, and Katara prepared for her journey to the Fire Nation. She told all of her friends, of course. Sokka and Suki would accompany her and help her get settled. Toph would also go and cause as much trouble as she could. Aang wrote at the last minute and promised to be there to greet her with Zuko.
It hadn't occurred to Katara until she got his letter, but she realized she hadn't seen Aang in nearly two years. Their duties had made it difficult. Hers had kept her mostly in the Southern Pole and his had kept him away. It would be nice to see him again, she thought, and to laugh about the romance that never was. She had also written to Zuko and told him she thought it was time to tell their friends what they surely already knew. It was going to be wonderful to see all her friends together again.
Katara, Sokka and Suki arrived early in the morning. Zuko had met them at the docks in a dark cloak and an unmarked carriage. He sat beside Katara and held her hand, studiously ignoring the knowing, teasing looks from their companions. After all, they hadn't been hiding their relationship, they just hadn't come out in the open with it yet. Miraculously, Sokka and Suki kept quiet (Katara suspected it was largely Suki's doing). There would be plenty of time for them to gloat and tease at dinner later that day.
It wasn't until that afternoon, when Aang and Toph arrived on Appa, that Katara realized that a terrible miscommunication had happened. Aang somersaulted off of the saddle and swept a surprised Katara up into an exuberant hug. She thankfully had the presence of mind to stop him before he kissed her.
"What are you doing?" She laughed nervously and pulled out of his arms. Aang's face twisted up in confusion.
"Kissing my girlfriend?" he replied. A stunned silence settled over the group. Katara glanced back at Zuko with wide bewildered eyes and shook her head quickly.
"Aang," she said slowly. "I've hardly heard from you in two years. We...we aren't dating."
"What are you talking about?" Aang laughed, but his brow was drawn. "Of course we are." Katara shook her head.
"No...Aang, we aren't. I wrote you that I didn't think we could work by letter, and you agreed."
"No," Aang said. "I told you that I'd always love you and we could keep trying."
"And then I told you I just wanted to be friends and I didn't hear from you again for six months," Katara said, rolling her eyes.
"But you're in the Fire Nation, now!" Aang said. "We can see each other now." Katara shook her head harder.
"We weren't going to say anything until dinner, but Zuko and I are dating," Katara told him. "It...it's pretty serious." Zuko came to stand beside her, and Aang looked at them, dumbfounded. His mouth moved but he couldn't form words. Katara's face flushed with embarrassment for them both.
"I thought," Aang finally managed to say. 'I thought you were waiting for me."
"I'm sorry, Aang," she said. "But I thought we were on the same page about us. I thought you'd moved on, too."
#atla#zutara#anti kataang#ask the badger mole#writing promts#would you call this#anti aang#?#i guess it kind of is
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Lol at your Zutara anon. I keep seeing people say they’re going to remove Kataang when all they’ve done is take away the parts of Kataang that didn’t age well and highlighted the parts of Kataang that people typically do like. Rather than having a crush on her at the very beginning, he develops a small crush on her at the end after he’s gotten to know her as a person. And as much as I love Cave of Two Lovers, does Katara and Aang not deserve their first kiss to be something they both have agency in, rather than being forced to kiss under pressure (even if they wanted to)?
The way I interpret Albert Kim’s words, even though he might not personally be a fan of the ship, he does seem to make a commitment to developing it in a way that suites live action. It would’ve been so easy for them to give in and make Zutara canon. But all of the creative liberties that they took for Katara’s and Aang’s characters (like removing her motherly traits or making him more responsible from the get go) is to help translate Kataang into live action.
Agreed. I think the time frame in live action is much shorter as well, instead of what felt like a month or more in the OG. So Aang won't immediately be able to even think of romance when he's greiving and feeling the pressure of being Avatar. Same for Katara who's a lot less responsible here, I think, like she's more reckless and playful but also less angry and she's allowed to be a kid.
And yeah, first Kataang kiss(almost kiss? I thought the light went out and cave crystals came on a second before they could kiss so they didn't) being consensual would be better.
Albert Kim seems so far, to try his best to keep things as canon as possible. Introducing Zutara would cause the worst kind of backlash because Kataang fans are gonna be the majority especially with casual viewers. Kataang also carries a lot of thematic significance to the show.
In the live action, he's her way to effectively fighting the Fire Nation, her first access to waterbending which is a lot more personal to Katara's emotions in here. He showed her the world! (I have a feeling in this version, Katara is the first to develop a little bit of a crush or just general interest in that romantic direction). For Aang, she's the first person to reach out to him, comfort him, reach out when he's feeling desperately alone, his new family.
anyways yeah i wish people would learn to separate canon from fanon. I think with how long-lasting the kataang v zutara war has been, people seem to think zutara is an actual option when it isn't....and never was. It might sound harsh but that can be said for Zukka, MaiLee, TyZula Katoph, Zukki, etc too 🤷.
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Taken - Zutara - Part 15
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Zuko had known Hakoda was going to leave the Tribe the second time he was in the South. When Zuko had agreed to help the Tribe that next morning, for Katara's sake, Hakoda had started asking subtle probing questions about the war effort.
It hadn't taken much thought to figure out why. Eventually, Zuko asked when he planned to leave, and Hakoda had confessed he needed to know if Zuko could be trusted to protect the tribe in his absence. To do so would be to betray the Fire Nation, and while Zuko may be banished, he is still their prince. Hakoda, taking his silence as hesitation, asked that he take his time to think, and give an answer another time he returned. For Zuko, it was a simple weighing of loyalty: his father or Katara.
Katara would always win.
Zuko had known, when Katara had run out, waving her arms to say goodbye, that he would do anything for her. And what was best for her was for the war to end and his father removed from the throne. And for that, they needed every fighter they could in the war. Including the Southern Warriors.
He continued his search for the Avatar, mostly to keep up appearances, eyeing his crew as they visited the Southern Air Temple. They found plenty of old Fire Nation war equipment, but the propaganda, how the Air Nomads had amassed a great army, was clearly false. He heard two of the soldiers whispering, asking where their weapons were. And Zuko had confessed his doubts in the Fire Nations glory.
His uncle, in turn, explained how they crew had come into Zuko's service.
While the crew had been a bit clumsy in formalities from the beginning, they had eased more under Katara's care. They had hollered back to her, and teased Zuko for the blush that they seemed to imagine on his face whenever they brought her up. But when his uncle had told them why they were assigned to Zuko's ship, they became so fiercely loyal to him. They would help in any way they could.
So, when they had returned to the South, the soldiers distracted Katara for Zuko, so he could meet with Hakoda. Without hesitation, Zuko had agreed. He would give Hakoda all the information he had access to, any information he gained. With each meeting, Hakoda and Bato were able to build a better plan. They knew what islands to avoid, what ports to go to to join with the Earth Kingdom Army. The Southern Warriors were thin, but they were sailors, and the Earth Kingdom had no real naval power.
At that last meeting, Zuko had entered the hut, found Bato holding back snickers and holding a stack of Southern clothes. Hakoda had explained he would be gone by morning, the Warriors sailing off at midnight. The women would stay behind with anyone under fourteen. Zuko had nodded, about to move the conversation, but Hakoda had grinned, and said there was one last thing he needed from Zuko before he could leave.
While Hakoda and Bato stripped Zuko down, wrestling him into Southern parka and tugging his hair into a warriors pony tail, his uncle stood by the entrance and pretended he wasn't laughing. When Zuko stumbled out of the tent, Katara was there to witness his humiliation. He felt ridiculous. He bet he looked ridiculous.
But then Hakoda was taking him away for ice dodging, putting him with the two boys that had turned fourteen in the past month. Zuko, knowing Sokka was supposed to turn fourteen soon, had asked Bato if the Southern Prince had already done his ice dodging, and Bato had side stepped the question. So they were leaving before Sokka could join the warrior ranks.
He had been placed on the jib for their ice dodging trial. The more sure of the other two was put as lead, with the last put on the sail. Hakoda explained that the leader must be sure in his decisions, and must speak each order with wisdom. While battling winds in dangerous waters, whoever manned the sail must be brave and true. And without a steady hand on the jib, they would all go down, so the crew must trust Zuko to keep firm.
They had barely started when they came across their first problem. Despite his confidence, the boy taking lead fumbled his commands, their boat began to get a bit to close to a few icebergs. The boy at the sail had panicked, his grip loosening on the main line. The two were afraid, fearing they would fail, fearing that Zuko couldn't be trusted. When they were on a clear course to scrape along one iceberg, Zuko planted his feet, holding the jib rope with a single, firm hand, and had sent a fire ball to thin as much as he could. They managed to skim by, and Zuko had snapped at them to get it together.
They managed to pull through, though barely. The two boys had managed to get it together enough in the end to earn their marks, but Hakoda was beaming when he painted the mark of the trusted on Zuko's forehead. Then the two warriors announced a hunt to celebrate. Zuko had been worried, the hunt going by in a blur.
In the end, they took down an arctic caribou, Hakoda and Bato whooping with the two other boys. Then, Hakoda had clapped him on the back, beaming. "Good job, son!"
His heart lurched, surprised by the pure and true pride in the mans voice. Zuko couldn't help by beam all the way back to the village, dragging the caribou with the other two. Katara had been furious, but she soon settled and celebrated with them. Zuko was welcomed by all in the tribe, though with some hesitation. Even if the tribe did not trust him fully, he was considered one of them now.
As the celebration waned, Katara had bid Zuko goodnight, promising to see him off in the morning. Guilt rose in his throat, unable to sleep. as he knew Katara wouldn't be saying goodbye to him. He waited, watching warriors slowly ease back out of their homes. As children slept on, husbands said goodbye to their wives, sons farewell to their mothers. He watched Hakoda clutch Kya tightly, before leading the warriors towards their boats.
Zuko watched them as they sailed into the night.
Come morning, Zuko still hadn't slept. He had his crew count food stores, so the cook could figure out how long it would last the tribe. They would need to be back before the food ran out, just in case, so he could help Sokka hunt.
When Katara came out, he couldn't dare look at her. His blood was roaring in his ears as she spoke, her words nothing but a buzz. Finally, she had snapped, using her bending to grab at the snow behind him and pelt him in her rage. She was gone by the time he stood, her brother not to far behind.
Everyone was watching him. Zuko took a breath.
"I know that not everyone trusts us," he said, his voice carrying over the quiet. "I know that my homeland has done terrible things, and that you may not want us here, but Hakoda asked that I help anyway I can. We will increase our visits, making sure that your food stores stay up. If you wish, I have men who have volunteered to stay behind, to help with hunting, fishing, or anything you need. They'll be at your disposal."
They continued to stare, so Zuko pressed on. "The point is, we're here to help. We're here to do as you need. So please, allow us to help as Hakoda asked us to."
A slow murmur rose from the tribe, mothers and sisters and daughters looking to one another for answers. Eventually, Katara's grandmother, the high elder of their council, stepped forward.
"Young man, you have done so much for us. It would not be right to ask for more. But you are as much of this tribe as Katara, myself, or any of us. Zuko the Trusted. You have earned that. So I ask that you contribute, as we all must, in these trying times."
She bowed her head, and plenty of the village followed her lead. Zuko returned it. They all began to gather around him, a plan slowly coming to shape. They would need two men, at least, to help Sokka. The younger boy had been on plenty of hunts, and would be able to direct two men, no matter how inept. With some help, the cook was able to figure out that the tribe should have enough stored to last a bit over a month and a half. Just in case, Zuko would plan to return within a month.
The village became a flurry of it's usual motion, with the added chaos of his crew preparing to leave two of their rank behind. It was during this flurry that Katara returned.
"How can I help?"
It was like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He could breath. He could stand tall. He could make it through this.
Even if it meant giving up on ever going home.
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(Deciding if I should put this as anonymous or show my avatar...I just don't want anyone coming after me when I ask or say this stuff. They're just questions and I like to hear your answers...ah, screw it, I'm just gonna show my avatar. XP )
I got two questions and one opinion. Here's my opinion: I hate how they made Aang in Korra. People say that he was a bad dad, and I feel like he was written that way on the show, which wasn't intentional, but it looked like it was...by the creators themselves. It would seem the creators are in denial of how they made Aang, cause he's their fave character or something. Don't get me wrong, I like Aang too, but...the creators are really unaware of how they made him into a bad dad in Korra. ^^;
Now for the two questions:
Let's just agree that ATLA is the superior show, and Korra is...eh. Now, Kataang happened on that show, which is fine. HOWEVER, do you think if Taang happened, the events in Korra would've been a WHOLE LOT different and maybe a whole lot...better? Cause Aang's kids' Bumi and Kya in Korra felt unwanted by him in a way and Katara would've said something(which I honest-to-goodness think the whole Kataang hooking up 3 months later after the war in ATLA thing is poor writing. Like let us SEE what happened after that!), whereas Toph would've been like "Twinkles, no, get your priorities straight." And honestly, the Aang WE know would cherish those kids either way, it wouldn't matter if they weren't airbenders. I guess what I'm saying is, do you think Aang and Toph would've been the most awesome and take-in-charge power couple ever and that it would affect the story in Korra in general? Think deeply on that.
Do you think Kataang was necessary for the story of ATLA? I mean, I'm kind of being honest, I don't think anything would've changed if it wasn't included. However, I honestly do believe that Taang would've changed and affected Korra a lot more, whereas people would say Zutara would've affected ATLA. Course, I'm a big Taang fan, and I like Zutara a bit, but I'm mostly Team Taang. XD I just also think it would've made sense for Aang to not be so hooked up on Katara and actually start finding other girls attractive(cough, like Toph, cough) as he grows. It's just...I feel like the whole last part of ATLA was just bad writing. ^^; What are your thoughts?
Wow, first of all, thanks for taking the time to write to me! i really appreciate it ( ͡👁️ ͜ʖ ͡👁️)
Regarding your opinion, I COMPLETELY AGREE. I get that Aang only had Gyatso as a father figure until he was 12 y/o, so he's a bit screwed on that front, but I am CONVINCED that what they did with his paternity was an aberration. I mean yes, surely he had to be absent due to his duties as the avatar, but I REFUSE to believe that he would have taken ONLY to Tenzin on a trip to learn the customs of the air nomads. If there is something that ATLA made clear to us, it is that no matter what nationality you come from, Aang is always going to want to make you smile and show you the fun that can be had, so yes, it doesn't make ANY SENSE to me that he wouldn't have brought to ALL their children to their trips. On the other hand, even though it might have happened a few times (because Aang is a bit of a dork pff lmao), Katara would have NEVER let that happend. Aang would have noticed and would have done ANYTHING to make up for the lost time with his two other children, so yeah, totally agree with you there.
I got excited so I'll try to be more brief with the questions ( ͡눈 ﹏ ͡눈)
Well, there are several comics after the Hundred Years War that more or less show Katara and Aang's relationship (and I'm not going to lie to you, even though I love Taang, Kataang are such a cuties).
And regarding Taang as parents, I once read a post from @stitch1830 in response to something similar, and I couldn't agree more. More than opposites, both complement each other perfectly, and I think that in the same way that they do it romantically, they would also do it as parents. Toph, grounding expert that she is, would have been stern if she had noticed that Aang had preferential treatment with any of their children. Similarly, we know the flaws in Toph's motherhood, and I feel like Aang would have managed to balance the excessive freedom she gave her daughters, giving them more structure to their lives and a respect for traditions. On the other hand, I'm VERY SURE Toph was terrified growing up of her daughters being alone (of course, she's too stubborn to even show it), I guess afraid that she might be a terrible mother like her parents were to her. No doubt Aang would have calmed all those worries. AAGH I LOVE THEM SO MUCH (╥︣﹏᷅╥)
2. While Kataang wasn't necessary (it certainly wouldn't have affected the plot too much if it hadn't happened), I think it was a natural fit between the two. Extremely stressed and full of traumas from the war, Katara was the safe, maternal and familiar place that he needed so much, while for Katara, Aang was the hope to cling to, the calm she needed from all the anger contained by the war with the fire nation. Let's say that both of them were attracted to each other for those reasons, because they needed each other.
But you're right, for me, the love that Aang felt for Katara was something platonic, something that had to pass as his first love, after all, she was the first girl he met and who technically saved him from the iceberg. As you say, it would have been much more interesting if both of them grew up to realize that they were each other's support in times of war, and eventually broke up to meet other people (i mean, they met at 12 y/o and 14 y/o, and you say they were together ever since for the rest of their lives? I don't think it's realistic. I guess Aang's world travels and Katara's desire to work in the southern tribe would have also driven them apart over time.
My Taang headcanon is that their relationship started because, first, Aang has to continue to travel the world for his avatar duties, and on the other hand, because Toph hates being stuck in one place, loves freedom, and traveling the world is what connected her the most with it when they were at war. That way she would have joined his travels and little by little they would have begun to fall in love. It would have been entertaining to watch Aang and Toph go through the conflict of realizing that they find each other attractive. (Aang like: "Since when is my sifu so cute? If I fall in love with her she'll kick my ass!, Toph by her side would have been like: "Me? In love with twinkle toes? That skinny? (who is no longer so skinny cofcof) i prefer to be dead before!)
Yeah, I said I was going to keep it short- but FUCK, I really wanted to be able to express everything I was thinking. Thanks again for asking! I'll always be on the lookout and ready to continue talking about a thousand years of Taang and why I think they work so well, cheers!
#taang#taang week#taang week 2022#toph and aang#toph beifong#aang#avatar aang#zutara#i fukin love them
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