Book 4: Air, the Missing Element

Aang and Katara

I had many iterations of my drafts on how I want to handle this dynamic. Since this is a Zutara fanfic, I planned to just have Katara continue putting off any commitment to Aang. But where are the stakes? The intrigue?

I also want to make an example of these characters to the audience of what an unhealthy relationship looks like. So let's have Katara reluctantly give into her supposed destiny and agree to be Aang's girlfriend for the first half of the 4th season with an ultimatum break-up in episode 11.

I want Aang to not be a good partner but it's all unintentional. They are kids navigating the new world of romance so there's bound to be uneven terrain, misunderstandings, and a learning curve. I need Aang to be experiencing limerence when he is with Katara, write in examples of obsession and intense infatuation. In season 2, he puts Katara above his duties as the Avatar, resulting in him being killed while in the Avatar State and consequently resurrected by Katara. Because of this, Aang will be unable to go into the Avatar State at all and have ended the after cycle. When Katara finds out she was the indirect cause of this, she would be riddled with guilt even though it's not her fault.

I also need Aang's title as Avatar to be a hurdle in their relationship. Aang would continue to be flocked by many Avatar fan girls in their travels and Aang gets a big head over it. Katara would feel uneasy by how some of the fan girls treat her and Aang would shrug off her worries. Katara would end up bottling up her feelings in order not to hurt Aang's feelings like she did in The Waterbending Scroll.

Closer to the end of the season, Aang must have the radical idea of no longer being the Avatar in order to be with Katara. This action would have dire consequences that would lead into the season finale. This would be a cautionary tale of how intense infatuation and obsession can be destructive.

Mai and Zuko

As I mentioned before, I need stakes and intrigue so these two will date but break-up by the end of episode 3.

In my 1st draft, I thought of having Mai having tokophobia, meaning she has a fear of pregnancy, thus deems herself as unworthy to continue the royal lineage. But that just felt like a too mature of a topic considering the all ages rating of my fanfic.

My 2nd draft was to amplify Mai's toxic traits but that'd be doing her character a disservice.

The 3rd draft had her become jealous of Zuko spending time with Katara but I don't see Mai as the jealous type.

The other day, I revisited my 1st draft with a new lens. How about she finds out that she and Zuko have been in an arranged engagement since they were children? Mai has serious internal turmoil, questioning whether she truly wants to be with Zuko or if it was all just a manipulation of their elders to push the two together. She questions her autonomy and whether or not she has any true freedom. Since Mai is the type to bottle things up, she'd pull away from Zuko until it gets to a boiling point and she ends the relationship as the start to her rebellious character arc.

Sokka, Suki, Yue and Ty Lee

In my original draft, I wanted there to be a temporary break up between Sokka and Suki. I felt like I hit a brick wall on where to take it or even how to accomplish it for that matter.

Sokka, now with his leg amputated due to his combat injury, has to rediscover what it means to be a man with a disability. Katara would try to heal him but the qi channels have been completely severed, making it impossible to save his leg without Spirit Water. Suki would be an ever supportive partner but Sokka wouldn't want to trouble her with his issues. His arc would include growing to share his emotions that he has long suppressed. Sokka is still not yet over the loss of Yue which would be a tension between him and Suki.

To help with distracting himself, Sokka would enroll at the prestigious Caldera Prep School and bury himself in his studies and inventions. At the same time, Ty Lee would enroll in the same school, Legally Blonde style. Sokka and Ty Lee would become only platonic friends and classmates, supporting each other in their pursuits.

When Ty Lee hears that Sokka has never treated Suki on a date, she advises him on how to show his affections to Suki.

She treats him on a shopping spree for a new outfit. Suki would grow weary, uneasy about how much time Sokka is spending with Ty Lee. She'd have her suspicions until the night of the surprise date and her worries would melt away.

But there is still a barrier between Sokka and Suki, that being his unresolved trauma of losing Yue. The Moon Spirit herself will make a reappearance, revealing that she's been watching him from afar. Yue would've thought it was for the best that she didn't make contact with Sokka to help him move on. After a conversation, Sokka reaches a sense of closure. Before Yue departs, she tells Sokka that if he ever needs her, she'll always be there.