I’m Gonna Be Real, I Think The Writers Simply Didn’t Want To Give Azula A Good Ending Or A Good Relationship

she was so real for this

jegulily are nerds. huge, giant, nerds. but in very different ways.

lily is a nerd in the sense she spends most of her time in the library, planning her career and studying for classes, obsessing over fictional books, playing chess, reading lord of the rings a million times, practices potion making for fun and likes to make the same potion over and over, gets excited over quidditch stats and making types of plays but finds watching the actual game boring

regulus is a nerd in the sense he obsesses over classical music and relentlessly learns compositions, secretly loves classic romance books and uses them to work out how to socialise, spends all his time studying or on independent projects usually related to something in one of his classes, was ojce given a cigarette and his first thought was to dissect it open

james is a nerd in the sense he obsessively watched star wars over and over and then brought every piece of merch he could find, always gets top marks in everything, willingly reads extremely high level transfiguration books for fun all the time, spends all day working out quidditch stats, and had a map making phase as a kid (which he still has)

ok here me out even more. as an avid zukka shipper lemme put this in here. toph: just chilling and vibing (she just wants her parents off her back) so she does not give a shit. zuko and sokka are like 'fighting' over her but it becomes too competitive at one point that they just start randomly dating. they dont know its happening and no one else except toph realises because, again, shes just vibing. suki and mai DO eventually realise and partake in the chaos by dating each other. suki still stays as 'team zuko' though, just cause she thinks its fun. MEANWHILE zuko and sokka still havent realised whats going on because yes they are smart but theyre also dumbasses. the earth king joined in on the bidding wars with hakoda and ursa but because hes a neutral party he bids for toph to not get with either zuko or sokka. aang's in the corner on the verhe of a mental breakdown trying to keep everything under control. agni himself shows up in zukos dreams telling him to 'beat that water tribe kid otherwise tui and la would tease him for all eternity'. reminder that zuko's still trying to run the nation. aang eventually uses his avatar powers to trap zuko sokka and toph in the spirit world until they figure it out. king kuei of the earth kingdom wins the bet

ok hear me out - when Zuko and Toph got to like 21 and 17 respectively they started being each other’s dates to fancy events they had to attend

Which of course the newly emerging media was taking to like fish to water, publishing all sorts of rumours and musings about whether the Fire Lord and heir to the Beifong fortune were being matched (which definitely would be an advantageous one)

And naturally Zuko and Toph both love it. Zuko because his advisors aren’t badgering him about marriage (whilst he continues to pine after Mai), and Toph because her parents think she’s months away from being the Fire Lady and so aren’t trying to set her up with suitors. So they basically encourage it, always walking into parties arm in arm, both looking hot af, playing up to the crowd

But the rest of the gaang (namely Aang, Katara and Sokka) HATE it because Zuko and Toph won’t actually admit they’re faking it. So even though they all keeping rolling their eyes and saying “we know you’re just messing with us” internally each one of them is like “zuko and toph afksrgkhjrh!!!!!”

Sokka keeps trying to get Toph away from Zuko because he’s like “no you’re too old this is inappropriate” and so is always trying to drag her away and interrupt dances but this just leads to the media thinking that the fire lord and the next chief of the southern water tribe are fighting over the same girl and they LOVE it

Aang is getting really cheesed off because every time he tries to do a press conference he keeps getting asked if he’s Team Zuko or Team Sokka

Suki 100% is living for the chaos

Katara proudly shows off her Team Sokka shirt in the clinic odd days

Zuko: here, I got this for you

*drops ice cream on Sokka’s shirt*

Sokka: nice, ice cream *lifts shirt, eats it off his shirt*

Zuko: *stares at Sokka’s abs*

i can explain why zutara DOES NOT work because of maths. all anyone ever talks about is how they have so many parallels. fire/water, banished/respected, painted lady/blue spirit etc. "nono that only makes them a better couple" guys parallel lines never meet. they dont intersect. AKA THEY ARENT TOGETHER. AND LIKE IF WE WERE TO COMPARE ZUTATA TO ZUKKA YOU CAN SEE ZUKKAS BETTER

older brothers, prodigy sisters - similarities

fire/water, bender/non bender - differences

its a healthy balance smh

Discoveries (That I Panic About)

Hakoda stood at the front of the ship, gripping the railings to see if he could see the Fire Nation and where his children were.

He had been very busy, slowly but surely rebuilding the Southern Water Tribe with Malina. But now he had time to visit.

As he traveled to the Fire Nation, where his children were, he wondered what the announcement they had mentioned in their letters was. 

Katara had only spoke of it briefly, talking more about the young Avatar Aang, but she did say that it might surprise him, and it would be good for Water Tribe and Fire Nation relations.

Sokka was more enthusiastic, stating what Katara had said, but also that he was so pleased with the proposal that he agreed immediately. Aang, the Avatar, was apparently also excited for the announcement. Even Toph Beifong, who was all the way in the Earth Kingdom and busy with her metal bending school, had traveled to the Fire Nation.

So really, this declaration would be phenomenal, and would cause an entire chapter to be made in the history books.

But there was one specific letter out of the eyebrow-raising three that had surprised him immensely.

It was from Firelord Zuko.

Zuko, the poor boy, had sounded very anxious and desperate to please in his letter. He promised that he wasn’t forcing anyone do anything, and that he and Sokka had both agreed this would be the best route, and that he was very hopeful that Hakoda would be accepting of their decision.

And while Hakoda had to admit that he was a bit skeptical of how good this choice was, considering they were just children ruling over an entire nation, he did trust Zuko enough to not have any doubts that all parties had consented to this choice.

Suddenly there was yelling, shaking him out of his thoughts and alerting Hakoda that they were close to the Fire Nation now.

When they finally arrived, the entire Water Tribe was in for a slight shock as a massive furry bison flew in and roared. Of course they had seen the animal before, but perhaps not this close. Avatar Aang immediately leapt off his beast, apologizing profusely to the surprised warriors.

“I didn’t mean to scare you!’ He blabbered. “It’s just Appa trying to greet you! I’m so, so, so sorry! It won’t happen again!”

Hakoda gave him an amused smile, placing his hand on the young boy’s shoulder. “It’s quite alright, Aang.”

“Dad!” 

Hakoda just had barely enough time to see a blurr of blue and brown before he was engulfed in a massive hug, almost knocking him off balance. He grinned warmly. “Katara! Oh, look at you! You’ve certainly grown.”

She beamed. “Oh, Dad, the preparations are amazing! You have to see it.”

“That sounds wonderful, Katara,” Hakoda said, “But I was wondering where your brother was?” 

Katara smiled, albeit a bit mischeiviously. “Oh, he’s in the palace. He’s busy with preparations and stressing over every detail on this very, very special day.”

Hakoda frowned a bit. “Are you sure he’s okay? I don’t want him overworking himself.”

Katara shakes her head. “Don’t worry, Dad. With Zuko there, Sokka won’t even overwork an hour.”

Hakoda nodded, a bit hesitantly. “Well, if you say so.”

And then Katara and Aang started dragging him along, insisting that they can’t be late. Hakoda shot a confused and pleading glance towards Bato, who just shook his head and smiled.

Traitor.

*

“Katara! Oh, hey, Twinkle Toes,” Toph said. “And Hakoda.” She added, a bit like an afterthought.

Katara smiled at the younger girl. “Hey, Toph!” She replied, Aang following suit. “Do you know where Sokka is?”

Toph snorted. “He’s with Zuko, as per usual.” She responded, sounding incredibly exasperated. Hakoda assumed that his son and the Firelord were good friends.

Katara nodded. “That’s good. Come on, Dad!”

The dragging started up once more, with Toph following, but thankfully this time it was much shorter. They stopped in front of two massive bronze doors, accented with shining gold. It looked like a door for royalty, and it also looked very similar to the entrance of the Fire Lady’s room described in Sokka’s letters. Hakoda couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. “Why is Sokka in the Firelord’s room?”

Katara and Aang exchanged glances. They both smiled knowingly, as if Hakoda had said something a bit stupid and was being oblivious. He was mildly insulted by that.

“Oh, that’s not Zuko’s room! It’s Sokka’s.” Aang said casually, as if the knowledge that his son was living in a room made for royalty was inconsequential.

Katara pushed the doors open, revealing Sokka sitting at a desk, with Zuko beside him, incredibly close and having an arm around his son’s shoulders.

“Oi, Snoozles!” Toph yelled, and the two boys jumped apart. Sokka and Zuko both twisted their heads to face all four of them, their eyes blown ridiculously wide.

When Sokka saw Hakoda, his eyes grew even wider, something that had seemed impossible to Hakoda. “Dad!” Sokka exclaimed, and ran over. Sokka tackled him in a hug, which Hakoda was quick to reciprocate.

Hakoda laughed a little. “Look at you, Sokka!” He said. “You’ve grown into a fine young warrior.”

Sokka beamed with pride at the praise. Zuko looked on at them and smiled.

And this was when Hakoda discovered something very important.

He looked down.

And he saw…

A blue choker.

On his son’s neck.

Shocked, Hakoda shoved him away, confused.

Sokka looked hurt, while the others stared at him, mildly flabbergasted.

“You– you have,” Hakoda stutters through his words, “Since when? Who?”

Sokka looks confused at first, and Hakoda wants to shake him, begging for answers like a hungry, desperate man demanding apples from a tree. Thank Tui and La, Sokka understands. His face flushes right down to the roots of his hair and he glances at his sister desperately. “You didn’t tell him?!”

She shrugged, much to innocently. “It’s you who has the necklace. You tell him.”

“But– but… Ugh!” Sokka groaned.

“Sokka,” Hakoda said, very, very slowly. “When did this happen? And with who?”

Sokka paled, and swallowed. Then swallowed again. He looked like he needed a drink. And, admittedly, Hakoda did too.

“I– I,” He stammered. “It just happened, like, last week! It’s very, very recent news, Dad, I promise!”

“And who…” Hakoda started gesticulating wildly, “Was it that nice girl from Kyoshi? Suki?”

Sokka choked. “Dad, Dad, no! Spirits, no, we broke up! We’re just friends!”

“But then…” Hakoda’s gaze shifted towards the Firelord. There was a high blush on his cheeks. Hakoda looks back at Sokka’s necklace. There’s a Fire Nation symbol inscribed on the purple stone hanging from the blue collar. “You– you– Zuko??”

Sokka grimaced and nodded. “Dad,” He said, gesturing to Zuko, “Meet your future son-in-law.”

And Hakoda faints.

*

When Hakoda came back to himself, he finds he is in the palace’s infirmary.

He also finds his children and their group looking over him anxiously.

Instantly, Hakoda finds himself wrapped in another hug.

“Kids?” He said lowly.

“Glad you’re awake, Dad.” Katara said, smiling.

Zuko stepped forward, a little awkwardly because his Firelord garb was so heavy on him. He bowed. “Um, hello, Hakoda, sir,” He said. “I– I know I didn’t exactly make a, uh, good first impression as your future son-in-law–”

Hakoda stopped him when he took his hand. Maybe he should be against this. Maybe he should shout at Sokka, tell him to break it off, because this was the Firelord, and the Firelord was the leader of a nation that took so much from him. 

But he couldn’t.

He couldn’t because a leader is not responsible for his nation’s past mistakes, they are responsible to fix them.

He couldn’t, because when he looked at the Firelord, all he could see was a young, terrified boy named Zuko. A young boy who grew up to fast, and was forced to save the world, a heavy burden on his shoulders.

“It’s quite alright,” He said honestly, “I was… ah, very… shocked?”

Toph snorted. “Seems like an understatement.” Hakoda ignored her.

“But, I must assure you,” He continued, “I approve of this. You were right, Katara, in the fact that this might strengthen Water Tribe and Fire Nation relations, but I can also see how close you and Zuko are, Sokka.”

Sokka looked like he was going to cry, and he hugged Hakoda even tighter than before. “Thank you, Dad,” He whispered. “Thank you.”

And so, is really any surprise that Hakoda cries during the announcement?

He is just so, so proud.

*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&

zuko: sokka, sokka, did u notice the color of the necklace???

sokka: ofc why?

zuko: its purple bc us yk?? fire nation and water tribe??

sokka: oh my god you're so cheesy ily

also why when i try to write this super light-hearted fic it just turns out to be a lil angsty does anyone else experience that????

also zuko is a bloody simp change my mind

biblically accurate gaang dynamics

maybe 13 sleepness nights and then you can write songs about it lol. i would hc reg as trans in aus but def not canon and i think my main issue (one of them) with jegulus is canon jegulus because it just wouldnt work honestly

james will forever choose sirius above everyone except his parents (maybe). i think james like 'list' of people who are important to him is like:

sirius

parents

lily (if jily exists)

remus and peter

mcgonnagall

regulus (he would still have trust issues tbh)

lily (if jily doesnt exist because theyre soulmates either platonic or romantic)

marlene

others

*SPECIFICALLY IN CANON*

i think sirius and regulus' relationship is similar to lily and petunias, just more extreme.

pls no one come for me on this but i feel like james is just so white boy coded. like he exudes british white boy energy. he just. i respect all those who hc him as poc but hes like (in my brain) the definition of a white boy. like in my head him and lily are the most annoyingly cute white straight couple that everyone still loves. anyways thanks for coming to my ted talk.

Is Toph the only character in the Avatar gang and series to have a last name?

She is the only gaang member to have an explicitly mentioned last name, to my knowledge. However I think last names are more common in the atlaverse than most people assume.

Most aliases the Gaang use have surnames (the fire family and the Pippinpaddleopsicopolis family). I also don't think it's an "only rich people have surnames" type of thing, since Hiroshi Sato and Varrick both came from humble beginnings. Zhu Li also has a surname. Jargala Omo, a criminal, also has a surname.

I could imagine Aang and the Water Tribe siblings not having surnames not using their potential surnames since their names carry no weight in the Earth Kingdom. Also Aang's entire culture got wiped out, his full legal identification probably doesn't matter that much anymore. Similarly, Suki comes from a rather isolated village. Unlike Toph where her family line directly influences the plot several times. As for Zuko, I can see his family line having a surname but being widely known by their royal titles, as we don't always refer to for example irl british royalty by their surnames.

I have a few headcanons for Mako and Bolin's surname because I needed it for a wip I'm writing. My assumption is that they hadn't gone by their family's last name in a long time and may not fully identify with it, ergo them not introducing themselves with it.

Asami's family name is important due to their wealth and resources and, similairly to Toph, her family name is a big part of the plot.

Korra's the goddamn Avatar, so who gives a fuck abot last names here, she's pretty damn recognisable.