imagine bato knows kya is in love with hakoda and has his little angelica moment.

he convinces himself that it's for her happiness, they're good for each other and overall a better pairing. when in reality he didn't think he deserved hakoda.

he was scared of how people would look at them, at hakoda. he told himself hakoda needed someone he'd look good with, and that was kya. he deserved that much at least.

that wasn't the only thing bato thought hakoda deserved that he couldn't give him. hakoda wanted a family and bato just couldn't give him that.

Why Bato doesn't get a parent name

- They weren't a throuple until the kids were children, by then he was very established as Bato

- He was away working a lot when the kids were young so he didn't feel he had the right to ask for a parent name

- Bato was horrified by the idea of being called dad because he was Too Young And Beautiful and by the time he realised he actually would like to be called dad it was too late

- autistic zuko/adhd sokka (i’m on the spectrum and i’d have to do some more research about writing adhd characters but i think there should be more fics with neurodivergent zukka)

- trans zuko (i’m not trans but i’d be sure to research & read about trans experiences & write about zuko being trans respectfully)

- zuko abolishes the fire nation monarchy and moves to the south pole as an ambassador and to be with his friends and with sokka, who’s working as an engineer and co-chief-in-training in the southern water tribe

- !!!!chief-in-training katara!!!! she and sokka split the role so that sokka can do his engineering work & train in the arts and katara can dedicate some of her time to traveling with aang (this co-chief thing also results in plenty of sibling snipery and banter)

- homoerotic sparring practice

- nerd4nerd zukka

- sokka with chronic pain from his leg injury

- plenty of southern water tribe worldbuilding

- it would contain very little conflict/no actually dangerous stakes for characters & relationships because i like writing fluff, if anything it’d be low-stakes drama

- it would probably be mostly one-shots too but in a series, i’m not much one for longfics since im a writing major which takes most of my creative energy and i write fics mostly for fun

- zukka pranks and fun

- white lotus member and cultural liaison to the southern water tribe sokka

- plenty of vacations and the gaang healing from cptsd/the effects of growing up in war

- writer/poet zuko

- katara and zuko sleepovers (they’re like “me and the bestie<3” but they actually are just besties)

- katara loving zuko and sokka but kind of hating zukka at first because she doesn’t want to think about her brother and her best friend kissing (among other things)

- perhaps some love letters?

- reparations and decolonization from the fire nation with the help of zuko

- zuko righting his nation’s wrongs while also not shouldering the burden all alone and getting to heal as well

- zukka sneaking around like teenagers in love

- bakoda (ft. trans bato), mailee, and possibly pianjeong and maybe yueki (i’d have to figure out how to fit it into the canon universe) would certainly make appearances as well, along with the rest of the gaang

- sokka and katara’s family loving zuko and considering him family too

- disgustingly in love zukka

- zuko’s complete and utter inability to lie

- sokka and aang’s brotherhood

- sailing trips and campfires and life in the southern water tribe

- zuko’s little sister kiyi visiting!!

- sokka’s grandpa energy and pai sho mastery

- druk... but in the southern water tribe

- hawky

- jin’s return ft. song

- human heat pack zuko

- southern water tribe kids and communal family!

- sokka’s eternal battle against the spirits

- zuko crying out of happiness when the fire nation trade ships come and he can eat fire flakes again

- zuko and aang competing to be the best sons-in-law

- zuko and sokka’s debilitatingly intense baby fever

- baby izumi in the southern water tribe later on!!! baby izumi & southern water tribe culture!!!

- healthy, supportive relationships and friendships filled with compassion and kindness

Bato !! Is gay !! (And he's trans !!)

Just realized no wonder the fire nation was unstoppable...their plots to take over the world were run by gays and lesbians! Like Azula conquered Ba Sing Se. Duh she brought her ladies with her, and the lady loving trio was unstoppable. Sozin started the war after being rejected by Roku. You have heard of a woman scorned...but dear spirits! This gay man scorned set fourth a world domination plot. Have you watched Super Drags...similar plot with a homophobic but gay dictator.

Also, the good gays were pretty radical (people use that term anymore? or is my age showing? ...Whatever Rocket Power woohoo!) Zuko the rainbow flying flag king of the flaming nation (literal his flames are rainbow, and I love it.) Jeong Jeong probably can make rainbow flames too for he life partner Piandao.