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#sweatergate

Summary:

Katara wakes up with a splitting headache, wrapped in a sweater that is most definitely not hers, and with zero recollection of the previous night. Fortunately—unfortunately?—her phone remembers a lot, lot more.

Or, Katara gets drunk, meets a golden-eyed man, forgets the night, and then finds a video on her phone which brings back memories and sets off a desperate search across all of social media.

[Social Media AU. Includes video clip(s), audio clip(s), pictures, and lots of HTML/CSS behind the scenes.]

Chapter 1: sapphire

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Art by: pineapple-frenzy

 

 

1:01
Saturday, 1 June
Alarm
Snoozed for 10 minutes

Alarm
Snoozed for 20 minutes

Alarm
Snoozed for 25 minutes

Shirshu
[Yesterday 11:57 pm]
Your trip from Crystal Catacombs to the Middle Ring is complete. Please pay your driver in cash.
Shirshu
[Today 12:34 am]
Thank you for choosing Shirshu Cabs! Please rate our services on the app.


 

👁👄👁

Today 1:04 PM
Um hi??
Can someone please explain to me why I’m wearing a red sweater that most definitely does not belong to me??
Toph 👿
look who the cat dragged in
Suki 💅
You’re alive
And that comes as a surprise why exactly?
Suki 💅

Is that...?
Suki 💅
Yes
I have more
This can't be real
Toph 👿
oh you wish
Shut up
But I still don’t understand the sweater?
Toph 👿
are you still wearing it
Yes?
Toph 👿
*cackles in 100 yuan richer*
What?
Toph 👿
i am going to be rich sugar queen
...you are literally the richest person in the world
Toph 👿
the money that my parents stole with their grimy capitalist hands does not count
Wow
Fair enough
Suki 💅
We had a bet running
I can tell
Toph 👿
do you like the sweater
What kind of a question is that?
Toph 👿
yes or no
Yes, I guess?
It smells nice
And is really soft
And it’s from my favorite brand
Did I buy this last night?
Toph 👿
can you hear the sound of someone cackling
Wow, that’s helpful
Toph 👿
i am fully aware
...
Suki 💅
How much do you remember from last night?
Almost nothing?
Everything blanks out from the cactus juice
Suki 💅
Makes sense
You should sit down for a bit
Toph 👿
bold of you to assume she has gotten out of bed
...
Toph 👿
100 yuan says i’m right
Do you have to bet on everything?
Toph 👿
tell me i am wrong
Shut up
Suki?
Suki 💅
So, you basically disappeared for almost an hour last night
Wait, what??
Toph 👿
i see the double question marks are heavy in the house today
What does disappeared even mean?
Suki 💅
It means we couldn’t find you for some time
And when we did you were wearing this sweater
That makes... zero sense??
Toph 👿
the double question marks really are pretty
Suki 💅
Yeah, it didn’t make an awful lot of sense to us either
But then you started talking
Toph 👿
*screaming
What??
Toph 👿
strike three
I AM IGNORING YOU TOPH
Suki 💅
You said, and I quote you on this
“He is my soulmate.”
...waht
*what
Suki 💅
Yep
Why?
Toph 👿
is that a real question
it’s because you were convinced whichever loser you met on your cactus juice high is the one or whatever
BUT WHY
Suki 💅
That’s the part we never got
I’m going to go back to sleep for a few more hours
And hope that when I wake up, none of this is real
Toph 👿
please
you’re just going to stare at the ceiling in existential dread
Who asked you??

 

how to get back drunk memories
how to come back from drunk texting
how to bring back a drunk person
how to get back to normal after getting drunk
how to regain drunk memories

 

Sokka 🤢

Today 1:32 PM
Sokka

Today 1:42 PM


😒😒😒

Did you talk to Suki yet?

About what?

About last night

...no

Did you get into trouble?

Because if you did I’m grounding you for 6 months 😤

What’s next?

No ice cream for a month?



Actually, no ice cream for a year

Shut up



Can you please talk like a human being?

Harsh 💔

I don’t remember a thing from last night

Which is maddening

Because I could have literally done anything??

Did you find blood on your clothes?

Why would you even say that?

You could have been involved in an act of crime, young lady

I don’t know why I texted you

Bye

Alright relax

How can I help you on this fine, fine day?

How do you bring back memories from a cactus juice trip?

OOHHHH

You chose my favorite poison

😏😏😏

There is nothing to creepy-smirk about

Can you help me or not?>?

Sweet naive sister, no one gets high on cactus juice to remember things

Cactus juice is about deliverance, from pain and from shame

Wow

Not only are you really useless, you’re also still really shitty at poetry

🥺🥺🥺

I can’t anymore

Bye

But cactus juice is the quenchiest!

 

k
@seablob · 3m


HELLO WORLD?? WHAT DO I DO???


2                                                    2


s 💋
@onlyfans · 2m


replying to @seablob

You do realize there’s just me and @rockbottom following you here, right?


1                                                    


scambot
@rockbottom · 2m


replying to @seablob

weren't you supposed to sleep or whatever


1                                                    

 

chances of meeting your soulmate
chances of meeting your soulmate when drunk
chances of meeting your soulmate in high school
chances of meeting your soulmate in college
chances of meeting your soulmate again

 

👁👄👁

Today 3:12 PM
Did I really say I met my soulmate?
Today 3:23 PM
Suki 💅
Wow, you’re still thinking about that?
Obviously
I have some stranger’s sweater on me
Suki 💅
...you’re still wearing the sweater?
It’s comfortable so yeah?
Toph 👿
sure
whatever floats your boat i guess
I just need to know who I met last night
Suki 💅
Why are you so bothered about this?
Because just because
Toph 👿
cute
now you actually don't make sense
Did I say anything more?
Suki 💅
Um you kept saying something about golden eyes
Toph 👿
*molten honey dripping sunlight eyes
Wow, I said that?
Toph 👿
yeah you seemed pretty smitten
almost made me want to barf
😒😒😒
I really need to know who it was
Toph 👿
tweet about it
the internet is great for stupidity
What is wrong with you?!
Suki 💅
Toph’s right, you know
And then what?
Never be employed in my life because I was stupid enough to tweet about some random person I met in some random bar in Ba Sing Se??
Toph 👿
create a fake account if you’re so worried
and anyway people on the internet have the memory of a goldfish
Suki 💅
All solid points
All horrible ideas
Suki 💅
What else can you do?
Do a social media deep dive of people with molten honey dripping sunlight eyes?
Toph 👿
...who wear red sweaters from bosco
ngl that’s going to narrow down your search because no one wears that brand lmao
You’re not helping
Toph 👿
i helped with the tweet idea
you chose stupidity
I’m going to stalk the club’s Instagram page

 

crystal-catacombs 367 likes
crystal-catacombs Always glowing.

 

👁👄👁

Today 3:51 PM
There’s nothing
Suki 💅
I don’t know how to tell you this
But the odds were always very low?
I know
Toph 👿
go to the bird app
write some sentences
and let the internet do its own shit
What can I even tweet??
It’s not like I remember anything
Toph 👿
heya losers of ba sing se, if you were hanging out at the hell hole that is crystal catacombs and lost your red sweater, dm me
easy
It sounds very rash to me
Suki 💅
So, what do you want to do?
I don’t know
Probably take a shower and sulk on the bird app?
Toph 👿
that’s the worst plan ever
What else do people do on the weekends?
Also, please don’t reply if you see my tweets
Toph 👿
duly not noted

 

k
@seablob · 3m


this is all so weird because this has never happened to me and it’s so sus of the universe to have it happen on a night that could actually be important??


2                                                    

 

k
@seablob · 2m


also who says molten honey sunlight dripping eyes? surely not me. it sounds so out of character, spirits.


2                                                    1


scambot
@rockbottom · 1m


replying to @seablob

pls tweet about how nice the sweater smells


1                                                    1


k
@seablob · 1m


replying to @rockbottom

don't. reply. to. my. tweets. :))))))


1                                                    1

 

is it possible to hallucinate while drunk
is it possible to hallucinate your soulmate
is it possible to hallucinate from lack of sleep
is it possible to hallucinate a person
is it bad to hallucinate

 

crystal-catacombs 367 likes
crystal-catacombs Our favorite color is purple. What's yours?

 

k
@seablob · 3m


i think it’s time to search my gallery for all the saved dessert videos to deal with all this sorrow and misery


2                                                    1


s 💋
@onlyfans · 2m


replying to @seablob

If I had a yuan for every time you were overdramatic, I'd be richer than @rockbottom's parents


1                                                    1


scambot
@rockbottom · 2m


replying to @onlyfans

probably not


1                                                    

 

how fast can a human heart beat
how fast can a human heart beat before it explodes
how fast can a human heart go
how fast can a human heart pump
how fast can a human heart rate go

 

breathing exercise
breathing exercise to slow down heart ratet
breathing problems
breathing rate
breathing machine

 

👁👄👁

Today 6:12 PM
UM
HELLO???
IS ANYONE HEREE?????
Today 6:31 PM
Suki 💅
Ssup
OH THANJK TUI AND LA
Suki 💅
What’s happening?
I FOUND SMOETHING ON MY PHNONE
Suki 💅
...okay
VIDEOS????
Toph 👿
why are the multiple question marks back again
and what videos
OF LASY NIGHT I THINK???
Suki 💅
...okay
Of who or what?
I THINK MY SOUPMITE??
Toph 👿
your soup mite indeed
Suki 💅
🥣🐛
*SOULMATE FFS
Suki 💅
I’m confused
Why do you have these videos?
Toph 👿
^^^
Suki 💅
Can you send them to us?
NO
Suki 💅
Why?
People from the Fire Nation have golden eyes??
Suki 💅
Not necessarily
Toph 👿
but mostly yes
They also haev lots of Z’s in their names???
Toph 👿
ya
that jerk from caldera who’s now in jail and tried to run my parents to the ground is called ozai
Suki 💅
...why are you asking, Katara?
I’ll explain in a bit
What other Z-ish nmaes do you know?
Toph 👿
ffs type like a decent human being
my screen reader unfortunately isn’t having a breakdown along with you
Srry
*sorry
Suki 💅
Do you want names that start with Z or names with Z in them?
That start with Z
Toph 👿
azulon
THat doesn't start with Z??
Toph 👿
zhao
No
What are these names??
Toph 👿
people who went to jail with ozai
....
Suki 💅
Alright, what the hell is even happening here?
Brb

 

fire nation names
fire nation names with z
fire nation national anthem
fire nation national anthem tune
fire nation navy

 

👁👄👁

Today 7:12 PM
Suki 💅
Hello??
Will you please tell us what’s happening?
Today 7:16 PM
I’m afraid my plan failed
Toph 👿
explain
This is so weird
I don’t even know what to say
Suki 💅
????
I found two videos on my phone
They are from last night
But I don’t remember taking them
Toph 👿
duh
I’m fairly sure I did NOT take them
Toph 👿
what’s there in the videos
It’s dark
Completely dark
And they are only a few seconds long
There's a phone ringing in one and I am saying something
Something with Z
And there’s someone who’s calling me by my name in another
Suki 💅
Excuse me?
Toph 👿
send them here
Hold on

So that's me
And this

I think that's him
In fact, I'm sure
Suki 💅
...
Toph 👿
this feels like a moment straight out of a hideous romcom
Romcoms aren’t hideous
Toph 👿
oh nose i left you my sweater and a video on your phone and now you must find me and give me the kiss of life
Suki 💅
FYI you just said nose
Like, face nose, breathing nose, smelling nose
Toph 👿
ugh whoever invented voice to text is worth shit
always screws with my humor
😑😑😑
Can we please focus?
Toph 👿
what choice do we have
Do you think he shot them?
Toph 👿
who knows
how else do videos come to exist
Suki 💅
You butt-video
Please don't talk like Sokka
Suki 💅
It’s like a butt-dial
I got that much
Suki 💅
What are you going to do about this?
I don't know?
Toph 👿
post the video with his voice online
and write some nonsense about how you’re certain this is the one
Suki 💅
The love of your life
Toph 👿
your soup mite
You are both horrible friends
Toph 👿
i’m serious rn katara
i’m even calling you katara ffs
This isn’t funny
Toph 👿
no one said it is
Suki 💅
Do you really want to find this person?
Yes, I think?
Suki 💅
Are you sure?
No
I'm obviously not sure
Suki 💅
This could be a serial killer for all we know
Please stop hanging out with Sokka
Suki 💅
Meh
I guess I’m just intrigued?
Why would I say some random person I met is my soulmate?
Toph 👿
um because you were drunk
how is this even a real question
Why would I have his sweater?
Suki 💅
Maybe because it’s evidence from a crime scene that your soup mite actually wanted to get rid of
Please cut off all ties with Sokka
Suki 💅
🙄🙄🙄
I just want to know what happened
Suki 💅
That’s fair, I suppose
Will you laugh at me if I tell you something?
Suki 💅
No
Toph 👿
yes
(I am ignoring Toph)
So, when I was 14, I met a fortune-teller
Toph 👿
i have heard enough
(I am still ignoring you)
And then this fortune-teller told me that I was going to meet my soulmate when I least expected it
Toph 👿
that is so incredibly vague
it can apply to literally every situation
Suki 💅
I mean, I do kind of agree with Toph
I think I need to know who this person is
Suki 💅
Okay
That sounds doable
Toph 👿
just tweet
why is this even an issue
What if I go to Crystal Catacombs and ask for the guest list to find people whose names start with Z who were there last night?
Suki 💅
Uh, I don’t think that’s such a good idea
Toph 👿
no shit
nobody’s going to give you that list
They could give it to you?
Toph 👿
i’m a beifong
not the dai li
So, what do I do?
Toph 👿
for the last fucking time
just tweet
upload the video for all i care
That’s so stupid
Suki 💅
You know, the video will probably add more authenticity to your story
Plus, people are more likely to play a video than read words
Toph 👿
all good points
I don’t know
I’m so iffy about the video
Toph 👿
i’ll post it if you’re too chicken to do so
I AM NOT CHICKEN
I’m trying to think a little logically about this
Toph 👿
a fake account solves everything
MY NAME’S IN THE VIDEO
Suki 💅
There are other Kataras
No one will ever know it was you
This feels like a bad idea
Toph 👿
you said you want to find out
I do
Spirits
Screw this
What's the worst that could happen?
Toph 👿
objectively speaking a lot
Suki 💅
Shut up, Toph
Okay
Suki 💅
...okay what?
I’m going to create another account
Toph 👿
fantastic
write something sappy with the video
oh i know
i could retweet from the beifongs verified account
that would positively piss off my parents
Suki 💅
And would also give it the boost it need
That’s really smart
Okay, off I go
Toph 👿
attagirl

 

looking for the red sweater guy
@sapphire · 10m


I wouldn’t normally do something like this but I think this situation is somewhat an exception. I was at Crystal Catacombs in Ba Sing Se last night and I met someone who I think could be special?

The catch is I never caught this certain someone’s name so this is my only chance at finding him. So, if you were in a red sweater last night and if you gave it to a girl in blue and if your name starts with Z and if you hear your voice when you play this video, could you please DM me? Maybe?

My friends tell me I said you were quite possibly my soulmate so I think I really want to meet you.


4                          2                          1

 

 

Art by: thecelestial-art

Notes:

Hello!

I hope you liked the start to this shenanigans-filled story that has been on my mind for far too many months now! It was an absolute joy to write this and to collaborate with some of the nicest, most talented people in this fandom: supernovahaz [Tumblr] and sanasnacks [Tumblr | Instagram], my fantastic betas who not only edited the whole thing but constantly gave me A++ ideas, and pineapple-frenzy [Tumblr] and thecelestial-art [Tumblr | Twitter], my insanely talented artists who made me sob with their lovely art. I cannot even imagine what it would have been to write this without their help and support.

Also, I'll be honest— my primary motivation for writing this fic was to hear Zuko say Katara in one of my own works. It's just... the way Dante Basco says her name? There's nothing quite like it in the world.

This fic is going to have 4 more parts (which are all written) and should update every 4-5 days till it's complete! Thank you so much for reading! I really hope we could bring a smile to your faces with all the hijinks at play. 💜