Title: Shaping Expectations
Author: Jedi Buttercup
Disclaimer: The words are mine; the world is not.
Rating: K+
Notes: 2 x 100 words. Spoilers through A:tLA 3.18 "The Phoenix King".
Building Up
Suki's been as guilty as anyone, she realizes, of treating Aang like just another gifted kid burdened with heavy responsibilities. It's so easy to assume he's just being petulant or flighty when he drags his feet, and prioritize their opinions over his objections.
But he's also the bridge to the Spirit World; capable of things they can't even imagine. He might be young, but he's as much the Avatar as Kiyoshi was. They'll just have to trust him to do his job.
She does hope they find him first, though. He may be the Avatar; but he's also their friend.
Breaking Down
Ozai knows exactly what he's doing when he offers his crown to his daughter.
She's well versed in power and fear; she's a prodigy in the domination of individuals. But the nuances of regal responsibility were among Zuko's interests, not hers. She'll self-destruct, even as his less-malleable child had under different pressures.
He'd made sure neither would ever offer the threat he had to his own father- and now he's on the verge of surmounting the world's throne.
Let Azula try, and prove herself unequal. It will only bind her- and the Fire Nation- to his will with stronger cords.
-x-