You had been Zuko’s advisor since the very beginning of his reign as Fire Lord.
For the first few years, you were his anchor, keeping him from losing his mind entirely under the crushing weight of the responsibility that had fallen upon him.
Your advice was quiet, never drowning out his own thoughts and feelings. You never told him that doing things a certain way would be "better." Zuko used to be irritable and short-tempered, and now, looking back, he wondered how you had ever put up with him at all.
As the years went by, his requests for you to stay behind after council meetings stopped being strictly about business.
Zuko, now stately and wiser, didn't really need an advisor anymore, yet here you were. His questions could be personal, but never to the point where you'd slap his face and call him a jerk. Zuko sensed that boundary perfectly. You would have to be a fool not to realize that the Fire Lord was flirting with you. But etiquette forbade you from responding just as openly, so you did nothing but smile.
You personally oversaw the shipping logs and merchants' reports, even though it wasn't your job. Zuko knew you did it because of the massive budget deficit that had formed during the second year of his reign, but everything was fine now. Better than fine, actually. The nation was thriving.
However, that didn’t stop you from burying yourself in work in your study until late at night, and Zuko absolutely hated it.
On one such evening, he walked into your room without knocking. You turned your head toward him and blinked slowly.
"Come now, Lady Advisor, it's bedtime."
You could have told him how inappropriate he was being, but all that escaped your mouth was a soft mumble. Zuko chuckled and scooped you up in his arms as if you weighed nothing at all.
After that, any desire to protest completely vanished.
There were no inappropriate touches; he simply carried you to your chambers, tucked you into bed, and snuffed out the candle on the wall.
You hated to admit it, but you hadn't wanted him to leave.
It became a ritual of sorts: Zuko would come in, pick you up, carry you to bed, and leave. Nothing more. But one evening, just as he had bundled you up in the blankets, you propped yourself up slightly on your elbows and stared at him.
"Why all of this, my Lord?"
*Who else would do it, if not me?*
Instead of answering, Zuko took a couple of steps toward you and sat on the edge of the bed.
Perhaps the way his lips quickly found yours was only natural.
After that night, Zuko carried you exclusively to *his* quarters and from then on, you worked at his desk whenever he wasn't using it.
You had always thought that Zuko would burn, but in reality, it was a little different. Zuko warmed you. He would find your freezing hands at night and warm them.
His hair, soft and much longer than yours, gave you no peace. When he returned, you would hover awkwardly near him, hairbrush in hand. Zuko would take a deep breath and sit on the edge of the bed, letting you do whatever you pleased.
You would gently remove his hairpins, brush through the strands, and let the locks slide through your fingers, sometimes weaving golden ribbons into his hair. Zuko leaned into your touch, and you were absolutely certain he was purring.
Ty Lee: “You know, Azula and I met you’re dad once. After the day of black sun.”
Katara: “Yeah and again when he escaped.”
Ty Lee: “I’ll be honest with you. I once thought your brother was cute but when I met your dad...woof...he’s straight up hot!”
Katara: “Excuse me?”
Ty Lee: “No disrespect but I can’t deny that he’s like a god among humanity. He keeps a straight brave face, and the way he told off Ozai was like (blushes, swoons and flaps her hand at her face like a fan)”
Katara: (face palms and groans) “This can’t be happening!”
Azula: “Eh, he’s ok I guess. With him being a very strong warrior. Facial structures sharper than a dagger. Eyes as crystal-like and blue as the ocean. His torso being so firm and muscular...(bites her left bottom lip but quickly shakes her head) I’m sorry what was I talking about?”
Katara: “Shut up! Shut up!”
Azula: “Hey now, no need to get nasty. I’m just sayin, your mother must have been one lucky gal. I’m actually quite jealous-”
So Toph can detect lies by following people’s heartbeats, right? And in canon, and in pretty much all the fanfics I’ve read, this is treated as a near-infallible ability (with the notable exception of being able to tell when Azula is lying because she’s just so good at it). It’s a great plot device.
But.
If someone’s heartbeat picks up because of what they’re saying, it’s because they are nervous about saying it. And that could be as much because what they are saying is important to them as because they think they could be caught in a lie.
What I’m saying is, what Toph is detecting should be less whether or not the person is lying than whether or not they fear being disbelieved.
Are there any fics out there where Toph erroneously declares that someone is lying, when in fact they are completely sincere, about something very important, but have much reason to believe that what they are saying will be rejected?
As the anticipation for the Live Action ATLA series grows (and maybe trepidation too) questions, theories, and predictions are in abundance. Today, I explore what we could see in the live action, and what, in all honesty, I hope will be in it.
