#The Prisoner of Omashu

[firelordsfirelady]

Destined to be Yin and Yang

I. The Arrangement II. Banishment III. Cookies IV. Outburst V. Ocean and Moon VI. On the Offensive VII. Under Water VIII. Rooftop Heartbreak IX. Flash of Blue X. Breaking Free XI. Covered in Fire XII. Rooftop Tea XIII. Pinky Promises XIV. Paroxysmal of Anger XV. Wonders of Omashu XVI. Prisoner Heist XVII. The List XVIII. Applause XIX. Food Fight XX. Hot Springs XXI. Tap Out XXII. Trail of Smoke XXIII. The Necklace XXIV. Lotus Tile

[umalvie]

it's really interesting to me how you can tell the level of respect azula has for mai, ty lee, and zuko through how she directs them within the confines of the fire nation's expectations of them all.

azula is someone who really values and upholds the fire nation's expectations of conformity, especially in regards to court. she herself plays her part as she's expected to. she plays by the rules her father sets for her, parrots his beliefs, renames omashu "new ozai" for her father, tasks herself with finding the avatar (zuko's fool's errand) and conquering ba sing se (iroh's greatest military failure), and is consequently ultimately hurt and betrayed when her father punishes her despite this by refusing to let her come with him during sozin's comet and giving her a meaningless title to mollify her. to her, playing by the rules that are set out for them within the fire nation, whether spoken or not, is essential, and to not play by them results in punishment. this mindset was already instilled in her before zuko's agni kai, but it was no doubt fully solidified by witnessing her brother pay for his inability to play the role he was assigned as a dutiful son and strong heir.

as a result of this, zuko is the most obvious liability of the fire nation kids in azula's eyes. he has already failed to abide by the rules once and is likely to do so again if she doesn't stop him from doing so. make no mistake, azula does not want zuko to stumble again. she manipulates him into coming home despite his wavering resolve by reminding him of what he could have and what he's always wanted (their father's respect, his honor and birthright restored, the return of a feeling of normalcy/familiarity) because she loves her brother and wants him to play the role he's supposed to successfully. if she didn't love him, she could easily have taken him home as a prisoner like her father wanted her to initially or killed him. i won't even entertain the notion that she brought him home specifically to take the heat if the avatar wasn't really dead; that is a deeply stupid thing for her to do which would result in her judgment and honor being called into serious question as she's the one who vouched that zuko killed the avatar which would be a failure in her role as the dutiful daughter and honorable princess.

so azula appeals to zuko's weaknesses to get him home because she loves him. but she still doesn't respect him because of his prior failings, so she tries to keep him on the straight and narrow within the confines of their roles in the fire nation. she confronts him about visiting their disgraced uncle in prison, tells him his actions could be misconstrued (although she knows exactly how zuko means them; she wants to remind him to play his part or suffer the consequences once more). she shuts him up in war council meetings by speaking over him so that he won't say something that would result in their father punishing him once more. she attempts to prompt him into letting her know if they should be worried about the avatar still, although he doesn't confide in her since he doesn't trust her and instead takes matters into his own hands by hiring combustion man. azula does not threaten to harm zuko herself if he fails in his role; she instead manipulates him with her knowledge of his personality and reminds him of the harm that their father will cause him if he fails.

ty lee is another problem azula thinks she needs to solve. once more, she loves ty lee, but ty lee has shown azula that she is not a reliable person to play her role as she's meant to. azula believes ty lee's failure to be even worse than zuko's, though. zuko said the wrong thing in a war council meeting because he didn't understand the rules; ty lee understood the rules, and she chose to run away anyway. this is not just ty lee being oblivious, but her choosing to intentionally disobey the rules.

so when azula comes to collect ty lee to resume playing her role, azula is initially friendly, perhaps giving ty lee the benefit of the doubt that she might have wised up, but the moment ty lee demonstrates that she is still refusing to play by the rules azula is convinced they all have to play by, azula turns to manipulations and threats of harm to pull ty lee back into line. like with zuko, azula loves ty lee but does not respect her. she knows that ty lee will not play the role society says she must unless azula coerces her into doing so. unlike with zuko, ty lee does not require multiple corrections from azula. the threat of harm once is enough for ty lee to return to her duties. noticeably, ty lee also manipulates azula a lot when she does so, showcasing her awareness of the roles they're all playing and her ability to play with the best of them.

but mai is different from zuko and ty lee. azula both loves and respects mai. yes, azula has to go out of her way to collect mai as well, but mai has moved to omashu with her parents. she never stopped playing her role. azula does not believe mai would ever stop. she respects mai's intelligence in a way she doesn't with zuko and ty lee because mai respects the rules of the game. so azula not only never utilizes threats or manipulation with mai, but she treats mai as almost an equal and allows mai to treat her as an equal. she asks mai to come along with her, and mai agrees. she promotes mai to a position of power above that of her parents, and mai obliges. she says that the trade of bumi for tom-tom is unfair, and mai calls it off. but it's not only when mai plays by the rules of the game that azula respects her and does not threaten or manipulate her to keep her in line. even when mai blatantly disobeys azula's orders, azula allows it. even when mai screams at her during the beach, azula allows it. mai knows that azula will allow it, too. she openly scoffs at the idea of azula lightningbending at her. why? because azula respects mai and her judgment. she sees mai as an equal because mai plays the game as well as azula does, including her moments of rebellion (this is undoubtedly what azula disobeying ozai by bringing zuko home under false pretenses and directly lying to him is, albeit a much higher stake rebellion than mai's refusal to search the sewers).

notably, while azula declares her intent to kill zuko after he commits treason and tells ozai that she lied to him, even when mai and ty lee take the ultimate step out of line with their roles, she doesn't allow them to be executed. i say "allow" here because she's not the fire lord, so it wouldn't be her personal decree to have them executed but rather her father's. they committed high treason. they not only aided and abetted in a prison break and the escape of some of the fire nation's most wanted but physically attacked a member of the royal family and the crown princess at that. this is a crime that's punishable by death, and yet mai and ty lee stay in their cells in boiling rock, seemingly unharmed given mai's unscathed appearance at the end of sozin's comet. ozai would have no reason to not simply execute them, but azula would since she loves them. it's entirely possible, she was on some level holding onto hope that she could coach them back into line again somehow.

but why does she hope to rehabilitate or at least preserve her friends while aiming to kill zuko? it's pretty simple: when zuko failed to play his part he did so in a way that meant azula was punished for having failed in her role as the dutiful daughter and honorable princess because she chose to play a different role that she gained nothing from playing: the role of zuko's sister. so in azula's eyes, zuko went out of his way to not only lapse in his role as the dutiful son and strong heir but to purposefully fail to play the role of her brother in a way he knew would cause her harm. do mai and ty lee also fail to play the roles of her friends while instead revealing their loyalty to someone else entirely when they betray her? yes, but them doing so does not result in ozai's wrath.

[yikes-kachowski]

A piggy back off your last ask! Your AU has me all excited. I'm curious about Zuko and Katara's tenure as monarchs? How did the people receive her as their fire lady?

Also your art is amazing!! Can't wait to see more 🥰❤️

This au is very detailed lol, so if you have questions feel free to ask. Just understand that @shalheretical and I have named lots of places in the atla world.

We’re going to break this into three parts: one on notable events in Zuko’s tenure as Fire Lord; one on Katara’s accomplishments that relate specifically to duties she performed in relation to being the Fire Lady (she did other things outside of it); and a final note on the reception of an outside minority woman as the Fire Lady.

PART I

Immediately after the complete and unconditional surrender of the Fire Nation, all military personnel who are not directly involved in civil administration are recalled back to the Fire Nation—though they must find suitable local replacements and return as soon as possible. The Gaoling Agreement of 101 AG saw the repatriation of 1.3m Fire Nation occupiers from everywhere in the Earth Kingdom but the northwestern Gansai region. Because of this, and a late Azulon policy of Development First, Industry Now, which had 75% of all Fire Nation agriculture halted in favor of industrial development and had most food being imported by way of colonial extraction, the sudden population growth and the fact that they had to move factories and warehouses to start farming again, saw that 53 percent of the Fire Nation was experiencing starvation, and that 16 percent was experiencing acute starvation—5 percent experienced famine. This would be at its worst for the first four years of Zuko’s reign—known as the Rice-Rations Years—but it would only truly stabilize in 110 AG.

A near-complete shutdown of the archipelago’s ports until 103 AG exacerbated this problem. However, this was to prevent, as much as possible, the 3.5m individuals identified as war criminals/accomplices to war crimes from escaping to “safe havens” such as Jinyala, the Si Wong, or Whale Tale Island. No one was allowed to leave the ports without a written order by the Fire Lord. The nascent Earth Kingdom Navy helped patrol Fire Nation waters; these sailors, along with some Kyoshi Warriors, also helped inspect ships leaving Fire Nation docks for potential stowaways. The Earth Navy would stay until 104 AG.

The Boiling Rock was used to hold Tier 1 and 2 war criminals until the Omashu Trials began. After this, the Boiling Rock would be shut down. Non-political Fire Nation prisoners would be moved to more humane prisons; non Fire Nationals would be extradited back to their home nations. Captives—such as Hama, Tyro or the Boulder—were repatriated from the work camps they were imprisoned in.

Shrine consolidation was a Sozin policy of putting all shrines under direct monarchical control and turned over for use of the state religion—Agniyo, the religion of the ethnic majority (Shiboshi) Fire Nationals. Zuko begins a policy of Great Reversal, where these shrines are returned to their traditional stewards. The Intranational Sovereign Rights policies is the parent policy of the Great Reversal. The Fire Nation is home to 98 ethnic minority/indigenous groups (including the Sun Warriors and the Bhanti), with 106 recognized languages and dialects apart from Hokugo (the state language). These are all put under Special Status, where extra government protections and provisions are made to protect traditional Fire Nation diversity. Specifically, local councils are approved to use state funds to protect Status minority religions, languages, ecology/land, food, dance, and arts. The Sun Warriors in particular are given greater autonomy and sovereignty over their ancestral lands.

In 107 AG Zuko made an official declaration to renounce the millenia-old belief that the Liufeng dynasty is in any way divine, or descended from Agni. In apology for these centuries of disrespect towards Mother Agni, a new shrine in the capital of Kazanshi is announced; it is officially completed in 125 AG, and dedicated in 126.

Zaibatsu, vertically integrated business conglomerates, are dissolved; the businesses are put under monarchical control, and their assets are partially used for reparations paid towards the Water Tribes and Earth Kingdom. (Aang turned down reparations outside of help rebuilding Air Temples/shrines, and protections on sacred Air Nomad land, such as areas in Gansai and Whale Tale Island.) Land was seized from landlords and nobles, and sold to their serfs and tenets for extremely cheap prices. This is open to anyway once all serfs and tenant farmers have their share, which leads to some immigration from especially the southern Earth Kingdom.

Starting in 103, all war criminals are prosecuted under Earth Kingdom and Water Tribe officials at Omashu, which only ends in 119 AG, due to the thoroughness of the prosecution. Some critics from the Fire Nation claim that no Fire Nation representatives presented an unfair bias, and Why can’t it be held in the Royal High Courts? Zuko maintains that the Earth Kingdom and the Water Tribe are a lot more merciful than he would be. Note: Iroh volunteered to be tried for the Siege of Ba Sing Se and his March on the Si Wong, even though King Kuei offered him immunity. He was given a postponed sentence of ten years; during this time, he would stay in his tea shop, and most of the money he made would go to helping Go Shi Wai, one of the worst-affected places of the war.

Gansai, later the United Republic, holds the largest number of Fire Nation settlers. This is due to an early Azulon resettlement policy, wherein ethnic minorities in the Fire Nation were resettled in Gansai and away from the imperial core, for Azulon’s All-Shiboshi Empire dream (the officials that ruled them were still Shiboshi, though). There are nearly 4m settlers living there; and since they’ve been outside of the Fire Nation for at least a generation, they are the least willing to move. Gansai was made independent in 115 AG through a referendum that went through every village, town, city, settlement in the region. Many Earth Kingdom citizens still consider this a humiliating capitulation to the Fire Nation, and resent King Kuei for allowing this.

Serfdom and slavery were abolished in the Fire Nation by 105 AG. Looted wealth is confiscated from the noble class, and repatriated to their home countries. The royal coffers do the same. Since the power of the noble class was severely weakened by these moves—and the removal of the zaibatsu system—many enraged nobles would attempt government takeovers—whether through the legals means of an Agni Kai, or through nine different assassination attempts from 105 AG to 127 AG. These, by the way, would only lead to legislation that weakened the noble class even more.

The Fire Nation educational system was technically reformed, though specifically. Zuko was looking to return the institution to its prewar systems, with some amendments. He took a lot of care for educational reforms, because he considered it ground zero for deradicalization policies. Teachers were screened and replaced when necessary; there was a national recall on textbooks, and Zuko commissioned a completely new curriculum. The military education of children from 11 to 16 stayed in place. The national examinations that gave people opportunities to work in government positions were opened up to the merchant and former self classes.

Protections and rights for same-sex couples are restored. Abortion is made legal. Funding goes back to the arts. Overall, Zuko’s policies mark a return to the cultural pursuits from before the war—especially in the arts, education and religion.

PART II

Once again: these are her activities that relate to her acting (somewhat) in capacity to traditional Fire Lady duties. However, a lot of her actions—even when acting as Fire Lady—are outside of traditional royal involvement, which is noteworthy. It should also be noted that she is not a part of the legislative body of the Fire Nation in any capacity, nor is she in any way given any sort of powers of making policies at an official capacity. To me, this doesn’t really matter, because I personally don’t think she’d be incredibly interested in dealing with Fire Nation legislative proceedings anyway, and it’s way more straight forward for her to just tell Zuko what she thinks would be a good idea since he can just enact it immediately. Not that she never influences policies through cooperation with Parliament, just that she normally chooses not to.

She specifically is known for her deep involvement with charity and patronages. She tends to focus on issues involving the homeless, youth, drug addictions, the elderly, environmental protections, illness and minority rights advocacy. It’s due to her nearly weekly visits to hospitals and health clinics across the Fire Nation (and sometimes abroad) that Katara gets very specifically interested in serious and terminal illnesses—the care of their patients, prevention and destigmatization. She’s especially famous for initiating physical contact towards patients with leprosy, to prove that leprosy could not be easily transmitted through casual touch—such as hugs and handholding.

She is president of the Taiyang-jie Childrens’ Clinic in the capital. She is a patroness of the Natural & Geologic Historical Society in Lopyang. She is president of the Royal Academies of Healthcare, Sociology & Philosophy, and Music & Theatre. She is president of the Gojiki Child Association, a charity to care for vulnerable tribal youth. She also works with the National Leprosy Trust, the Fire Nation Centre of Minority Dance and Theatre, and the Imperial Phoenix Hospital.

She was integral to the founding of Taqqittiavak, an international medical association, inspired by witnessing the calamity of war, and how there’s often not enough medics for the wounded, who are often left to suffer and die. She is a patron of the Three Nations’ Doctors League, a similar organization, though Taqqitiavak works in conflict zones, and 3ND in humanitarian crisis zones. She specifically works with them in an anti personnel landmine campaign. Her work directly leads to the signing of the Qiue Treaty to create an international ban on the use of landmines.

She makes regular lengthy visits to the Ruzuro-yeiji Hospital in Kemkami, where she specifically helps in the care and comfort for patients who are seriously or terminally ill—something royalty had never done before. She is a patronesses to the Imrani Cancer Fund, an international charity dedicated to cancer research.

She is the founder of Tunnganiq, an association dedicated to research and care for mental disabilities, especially those acquired in war or in accidents. She regularly supports efforts in the advancement of mental healthcare, institutional reform, and the stigmatization of all psychotic and neurotic disorders. She (and Toph) opened the Centre for Disability and the Arts in Republic City.

She is the patron of the Fire Nation branch of the Nutaraq Appeal, an international organization dedicated to helping pregnant women and new mothers in need around the world.

Katara (and Sokka) launch the International Child Bereavement charity, which seeks to support the children of: military families, children orphaned by war and conflict, children of suicide victims and children of the terminally ill. She and Sokka are also patrons of the Southern Water Tribe Cultural Center in Republic City.

She supports the Laiyi Fund, which is a parent fund to several smaller charity organizations that give accommodations and social assistance to the homeless, and campaigns to destigmatize homelessness worldwide. In general, Katara is very vocal and active in her support of homeless populations, and to end the conception of homelessness being a moral failing in the Fire Nation, especially by regularly working with the homeless directly, without any official means of protection. She supports the Just Homes Initiative in the United Republic, which seeks to “just house them” with no strings attached.

She was awarded the Freedom of Omashu Award, the highest honor in the Southern Earth Kingdom for her humanitarian efforts—as well as the Ba Sing Se Citizens’ Award and being awarded a gold medal in a healthcare conference in Piriyakheri.

PART III

To be honest, her marriage to Zuko really wasn’t a huge deal to most peasants in the Fire Nation—they were so far removed from royal life, that who the current Fire Lord is hardly mattered, let alone who the Fire Lady is. The middle class, especially in major cities like Kazanshi, Kenkami, Lopyang and Kimosaki, and the noble class (especially, much to her embarrassment, Mai’s family, the Keohsos—where the brides for the Fire Lord are traditionally found) were the most vocal in their disapproval of the idea of there being a foreign bride. What if the Fire Lord abandons them (a population that’s starving and struggling) for the South Pole? What if she roadblocks courtly promotions only to Water Tribe immigrants that will surely be used to replace the ethnic Fire Nation population? What if their heir is a waterbender, of all things? Most ire was reserved for Zuko, either way. The Fire Lady is hardly a consideration, at this point in time—the role is prestigious solely because she is the wife of the Fire Lord, who actually matters. Katara is who gives the position prestige and reverence beyond that, through her compassion, altruism and humanitarian efforts, which kind of gave the role of Fire Lady an entirely new role in greater Fire Nation society, outside of just running the household and being the head of the royal family, which doesn’t really affect regular citizens.

Besides, nobles who didn’t know better than to keep it to themselves were pretty readily dismissed from the court and removed from the Caldera—a hugely humiliating experience.

Their wedding is a big deal. Some agitators try to say that they’re wedding, in 106, is a flagrant extravagance when the whole nation is suffering—this is still more of an attack on Zuko, than Katara. The wedding, though a big royal wedding, is mostly used to help lighten the air for the population—it’s an excuse to be off of work for a week, to have fun celebrations, to be with family, to keep up with royal fashion, etc. It’s a reprivement.

Katara becomes somewhat of a fashion icon—not the biggest, by far, but especially her jewelry, accessories and hairstyles take the country by storm. It’s big enough that she’s able to auction off her old clothing and her own beadwork projects for thousands, which she would then donate to places she felt needed the most help. She alone is responsible for making smiling—especially smiling with your teeth—popular in the Fire Nation.

A lot of people really idealized her as a mother, with the way she was regularly seen walking her kids to and from school, and around the capital. She would participate in parent-student events in school, and was known to very rarely use nannies. Unlike other Fire Nation noblewomen, she never once used a nursemaid. She very regularly took her kids on holidays to the Southern Water Tribe. Non-racists in the Fire Nation really admire her dedication and loyalty to her origins and native land/practices. Racists thought she would teach her kids to look down on the Fire Nation and only care for the preservation of her homeland and culture.

A lot of people—especially older, more traditional folks—also thought she acted unbecomingly for a Fire Lady. She dresses casually in deels when not working in an official capacity, regularly goes off to do things without following royal protocol, smiles and waves to crowds and in photos. A lot of people criticize her speeches as being emotional and, occasionally, even hysterical. Her willingness to act outside of capacity and to do things that should be beneath her—in public—was especially condemned.

But overall, she’s been pretty popular from the beginning, and definitely went down as at least one of the most beloved Fire Ladies in history. If not the most.

[ultfreakme]

Can people just, stop freaking out over the Zuko and Sokka Omashu prison break???? I think they put it in there, like a bunch of other scenes(Secret Tunnel) in here because of fear of not being renewed and to appeal to fans. Like Netflix is clearly pushing the queerbait, and I for one, am THRIVING. Just have fun like it was hilarious watching these two idiots pretend to be EK soldiers and bicker every 5 seconds. What happened to camp!?!?!

[zukosdualdao]

as many criticisms i have of mai as a character, i really disagree with the idea that her “just letting” azula stop the trade for tom tom shows that she doesn’t care about him or that she’s not afraid of azula. i actually find this to be the moment i feel the most sympathy for mai in the entire series.

don’t get me wrong—i don’t think she originally joined azula out of fear; i think she was more or less being honest when she said she would do anything to get out of omashu because she was bored.

but when azula halts the exchange and compromises tom tom’s safety, something shifts. the music becomes really tense. mai’s expression doesn’t change, but she takes a beat too long to answer, she looks to where sokka is holding tom tom, and then she agrees with azula anyway.

it wasn’t enough for azula for mai to join her because she wanted to—azula wanted mai to join her on her terms and to know that she held all the cards, that she could decide a trade for mai’s brother wasn’t worth giving up bumi as a prisoner and mai couldn’t say anything about it without risking treason.

and this is the moment i think is supposed to show that mai now understands the danger she actually is in, similar to the close-up of ty lee’s face at the circus as azula insists the net be set on fire and wild animals set loose.

ty lee says no originally, but then tries to protect herself by backtracking and claiming it’s the universe who wants her to join the mission. mai protects herself by never saying no at all, displaying a mask of apathy, and (though this is conjecture) maybe even hoping if she shows enough loyalty by not disagreeing, azula will reward her by changing her mind and help her get her brother back later.

[hello-nichya-here]

Hello, whats your opinion on this as a mai fan

I think this person is either misremembering the show or deliberately mischaracterizing what Mai, because what they're claiming she revealed on The Beach is the COMPLETE OPPOSITE of what she actually said.

She doesn't say "My parents used me as a pawn in their game to get close to royals" or "My parents never wanted me to learn anything about combat." She tells us that her parents will let her do whatever she likes - as long as she BEHAVES. As long as she's invisible. Out of sight, out of mind. They don't care what she does, as long as it doesn't affect them, as long as she's quiet. And that's what she says in an attempt to DOWNPLAY how bad her relationship with them actually is and how it affected her emotionally.

When Mai is complaining that she doesn't like Omashu because there's nothing for her to do, her mom doesn't try to talk to her about activities that could keep her busy/entertained, or show any concern about how she's adapting to moving to a whole new country, to a city where she doesn't know anyone. Instead, she ignores her daughter's attempts to talk about her feelings by reminding her that this is important for her father. There's no attempt to make this situation benefitial for her as well, it's all about how she needs to be grateful that someone else is happy about it.

Yes, when Tom-Tom is "kidnaped", they won't stop panicking, and are overjoyed when he's brought back safely. But there's not a word on them being concerned over Mai's well-being when she's leaving in a potentially dangerous mission. They don't show up to congratulate her at any point after she helps the Fire Nation conquer Ba Sing Se, even though that is a legendary feat. Favoritism much?

In book 3, literally the only adults we see in her home are servants, and considering one needs an airship to go to the island where the boiling rock is, it's pretty safe to say her uncle can't be dropping by too often. They let their 15-year-old daughter live in a different country, without any adult acting as her guardian - that's how much they don't care about her.

And speaking of her uncle, yes, he is doing a good job of being an attentive family member (is aware of her situation with Zuko, immediately lets her out of prison the second he knows he can get away with it) - but using that to claim "Thefore her family life is fine" is absurd because, again, that's her UNCLE, not her parents. By that logic, Zuko shouldn't be complaining about his family either, after all he has Iroh and somehow that is supposed to cancel out being raised by freaking Ozai, riiiiiiight?

And speaking of Zuko, there's a reason why, in a finale where everyone is being reunited with their family and friends, even when the travel time doesn't make any goddamn sense, Mai's happy ending involves a heartwarming reuining with him, and he's delighted to see her - but there's still nothing about her parents. Their daughter was sent to prison for life, then her boyfriend became Fire Lord giving them THE perfect chance to come rescue her, and they STILL are nowhere to be found.

For fuck's sake, AZULA showed more love for Mai than her parents did. Girl was clearly happy to see her again, and even gave her a "hug" that wasn't that touchy because Mai doesn't like it. In "The Lost Adventures" we find out that she was also the one who pushed for her and Zuko to get together (though that also ties into her knowing that was the only way to make Zuko come home despite his guilt over what he did to Iroh). Even on The Beach, she's the one who first connects the dots and realizes that Mai is always so aloof because she's used to being told to shut up when she says something inconvenient.

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying her parents had no political ambitions (the Yang comics leaning into that was one of the few good things about his writting). Obviously they were happy that their daughter was best friends with the princess and dating the heir to the throne, and I'm sure Mai didn't appreciate being treated more as asset than as a daughter.

But her complaint was not about that. It was about how her parents are simply not part of her life at all. She's an outsider looking in. She can stand next to them and do as she's told, or she can leave. What she can't do is actually engage with them, mean anything to them, expect anything from them, rely on them at all.

Mai's parents are neglectful to a degree that, in the real world, could potentially have them lose custody of her because she consistently has to turn to literally anyone else instead of them whenever she needs anything.

Is it really any wonder she had a soft-spot for Zuko, aka the boy that is always disregarded by his father, to the point of literally being kicked out of his home, and is actually openly pissed off about it and will let everyone know it?

[natlacentral]

Avatar: The Last Airbender Season 2 Officially Kicks Off Production

The war against the Fire Nation is far from over. Back in March, Netflix announced that Avatar: The Last Airbender has been renewed for Seasons 2 and 3, which will conclude this epic story. Now that process commences: production has begun on Season 2 — and Toph has been cast.

“We’re looking forward to working with all of our actors again and digging into the deeper, more complicated relationships that develop as their journey continues in Season 2,” executive producers Christine Boylan and Jabbar Raisani tell Tudum. “We are going to show the real-world versions of iconic scenes from the original, and explore some of the stories that the animation didn’t. Mainly — we’re looking forward to seeing our gang all together again.”

Keep reading below to find out everything you need to know about the second season of Avatar: The Last Airbender.

What is Avatar: The Last Airbender Season 2 about?

The EPs are keeping details about Season 2 close to the vest, but they did tease that we will see more of the Earth Kingdom. 

“There’s no war in Ba Sing Se,” they explain, referencing a line from the original animated series. “For the Gaang, fans can expect more brilliant plans from Sokka [Ian Ousley], even more masterful bending from Katara [Kiawentiio], Appa and Momo to be as fluffy as ever, and Aang [Gordon Cormier] to learn a new bending form (or two).”

In general, Raisani and Boylan are excited about building on the strong foundation of Season 1. “We’re going to challenge our characters with more complex and nuanced obstacles as they navigate a more tactile world,” they continue. say Boylan and Raisani. “Just as the animated series matured and progressed, the live- action will also take these characters and worlds and grow them.” 

But with a new season comes the opportunity for fresh faces.

What new characters will be introduced in Season 2?

At Netflix’s Geeked Week 2024, it was announced that Miya Cech will join the cast as Toph, a master earthbender.

What happened in Avatar: The Last Airbender Season 1?

A live-action reimagining of the acclaimed Nickelodeon animated series, Avatar: The Last Airbender follows Aang, a young boy who’s the titular Avatar –– which means he’s the only one capable of mastering all four elements (air, water, fire, and earth). In Season 1, Aang wakes up after a 100-year slumber to discover he’s the only surviving Aairbender. The world is being threatened by the imperialistic Fire Nation, which wiped out every other airbender and is working to subjugate the Earth Kingdom and Water Tribes. With the help of his newfound friends Katara, a waterbender, and her brother Sokka, Aang sets off on a journey to restore balance to this fractured world. 

Aang and his companions achieve a Pyrrhic victory in the Season 1 finale. Sure, they were able to stop the Fire Nation — led by Prince Zuko (Dallas Liu), his uncle Iroh (Paul Sun-Hyung Lee), and Commander Zhao (Ken Leung) — from destroying the Northern Water Tribe, but it was merely a distraction from the larger war. Miles away, Zuko’s sister, Princess Azula (Elizabeth Yu), conquered Omashu, one of the two Earth Kingdom cities that had managed to stave off the Fire Nation until now, and took King Bumi (Utkarsh Ambudkar) prisoner. As if that wasn’t devastating enough, a mid-credit scene reveals that Sozin’s Comet, a rare cosmic event, is on the horizon, which can’t mean anything good for our heroes.

“I thought it was really clever of the writers to end Season 1 in that way, because you want to get a sense that the universe of the show is expanding with every season,” Daniel Dae Kim, who plays Zuko and Azula’s ruthless father, Fire Lord Ozai, told Tudum in February. “And they really did a good job of that with that cliff-hanger and also created a sense of urgency and time.” 

“Always leave the audience wanting more,” Lee added. “I just had chills seeing Lizzy as Azula. You’ve got King Bumi in shackles, and it’s just like, ‘Oh, there’s so many cliff-hangers.’ I was like, ‘Oh, I want to shoot Season 2, 3 right now.’ ” 

Thankfully, he’s getting his wish. 

Keep checking back here for more information about what’s to come for the Aang gang. In the meantime, you can watch the cast’s adorable audition tapes below. 

[simplyfandomish]

Imagine you’re an Earthbender

Simplyfandomish Masterlist

word count: 779 warnings: None! Named Reader?? But it’s for plot purposes🤐🤐

note: this will possibly become a very short series because I love ATLA but don’t got the time nor enters to make a full story😅 so definitely expect more parts to come!!👀👀

Aang was ecstatic to be reunited with his old childhood best friend. Of course, he was! Bumi was quite literally one of the four things that connected Aang to his previous life before being consumed by an iceberg 112 years ago; Next to Appa, Momo, and his airbending of course. 

Tears collected in both of their eyes as Aang and Bumi wrapped their arms tight around one another - Finally reunited after a century. Bumi knew all those years of chugging down onion-banana juice every morning was a genius idea! 

However, the happy moment was interrupted when an Omashu guard rushed into the throne room. “Your Highness!” 

Bumi and Aang parted from their embrace. “Yes, yes, what is it?” Bumi asked. 

The guard seemed hesitant, “We finally received news on the whereabouts of Princess Serenity.”

“ ‘Princess’?? You had kids??” Aang was both surprised and stunned. Bumim never really seemed like the family man type. Sokka and Katara were surprised that such a crazy man was even able to reproduce! They wondered if his lineage was just as kooky as he was. 

“I did, but Serenity is not my granddaughter by blood. We kind of… adopted each other a while back.” Bumi’s voice grew soft as he spoke of Serenity. His eyes hardened slightly, “Where is she?”

“She’s been captured by a Fire Nation fleet near a mining village by the Mo Ce Sea shoreline.” 

Aang and Katara gasped; Sokka gritted his teeth. 

“How long ago?”

“Just this morning. An Earth Kingdom scout heard some Fire Nation soldiers boasting about ‘hunting the last Lion Turtle’. We believe she’s been transported to the Mo Ce Sea prison rig under the control of Warden Takei.”

Bumi stroked his long white beard in thought. “Hmm. I’ve heard Warden Takei is one of the more ruthless wardens of the lot.”

“What should we do, Your Highness?” The guard asked again.

“We can go and rescue her!” Aang proclaimed. 

Bumi smiled and rested a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “I appreciate your efforts, Aang, but I have faith in my granddaughter.” He began to erupt into laughter, “Besides I feel bad for those Fire Nation weasels! They have to deal with her!” He snorted so hard his nose hurt. 

Aang, Sokka, Katara, and even the guard shared concerned and confused looks. 

“But Your Highness, this is Omahu’s Regent we’re talking about.” The guard tried to explain. Bui cut him off, “And I taught her everything she knows. Of course, I’m worried for her, but she’s a smart girl. She’ll escape from underneath their noses as she did the other seven times.” He shrugged, beaming at Serenity’s impressive track record. 

“ ‘Seven times’?!” The Gaang gasped. 

“Yes, yes, she’s trying to break an old friend’s record of escaping thirteen times! Ambitious my granddaughter is!” Bumi chuckled and snorted again. 

The Gaang and the guard didn’t seem too convinced…

“I can not wait to send the news to Fire Lord Ozai that I have captured the Last Mighty Lion Turtle!” Warden Takei’s grin fell into a snarl, “What a stupid name that is! And to think she’s just a young girl!” The warden cackled, his laughter echoing throughout the prison rig’s metal structure.

Serenity smirked as she stared up at the air duct above her. 

As soon as she was escorted onto the prison rig in the middle of the Mo Ce Sea, she was thrown into solitary confinement deep in the belly of the large metal monstrosity. She was dressed in bland red prison garb instead of her usual bright green and gold wide-sleeved blouses and loose pants and her hair was down, flat, boring without its loops and hair accessories. 

Taunted by the warden and the guards that she had no way to escape, that her days of resisting Fire Nation rule were finished, and that she was to be shipped off to the Fire Lord’s Palace within two days time when the next shipment of supplies came in.  

Serenity stayed quiet through the tauntings. She was used to it and even grew annoyed; She had heard the same spiel from several other wardens, the same taunts and jeers from other guards, and had been promised seven times that she would be meeting Fire Lord Ozai. 

Serenity snickered as she plopped down on the cold prison floor and stretched her legs. “After seven times, you think they’d learn that they can’t contain me~” She chuckled, and a small snort came from her crinkled nose. “And eight is my lucky number!”

At least the Fire Nation was kind enough to leave her necklace and bracelets alone... 

[blluespirit]

atla fics i want to write but in a future investigative journalist kinda way/vibe; some potential ideas:

The Boiling Rock idea 1: a journalist goes to the Boiling Rock Prison, now at the centre of controversy as reports come to light for the first time detailing the horrific abuse endured by prisoners during the war.

The Boiling Rock idea 2: a journalist investigates the rumours that Fire Lord Zuko and Ambassador Sokka broke in, and out of the Fire Nation's most notorious prison, expecting it not to come to fruition, and instead, uncovering one of the most insane stories of the year.

Pentapox: a journalist investigates a mysterious outbreak of the so-called "pentapox" disease that broke out towards the end of the war in the then Fire Nation-occupied city of Omashu, in which a highly documented disease resulted in the release of dozens of Earth Kingdom citizens from the city to stop the spread, despite there being no record of any similar disease then or since.

Azulon, Ursa and Ozai: a journalist decides to take the plunge and investigate the suspicious and frankly disturbing timeline of events that lead to Fire Lord Ozai taking the throne. Through a series of harrowing interviews with previous servants, political experts and even a special interview with the Fire Lord himself, they learn their suspicions of murder and violence were tame compared to the truth.

Ba Sing Se's missing women: a journalist delves into the bizarre series of disappearances of Ba Sing Se women in the final decade of the war and the state secrets that surround it (i.e., all the women the Dai Li brainwashed were people, and there's no way there wasn't some scary as fuck rumours about the Dai Li kidnapping women and then seeing them again, except they no longer have any idea who their loved ones are)

The Blue Spirit: A journalist looks into the bizarre crimes of a masked vigilante who robbed both the rich and the poor, freed the Avatar, and ended their story in the Ba Sing Se catacombs. The story leaves everyone with a lot of questions, and very few answers.

The Boy in the Iceberg: a journalist decides to delve into the truth of what happened to Avatar Aang in between the time he went missing and 100 years later. Through incredible exclusive interviews with Chief Katara and Ambassador Sokka, they learn about the events that led to Aang being discovered, and what it meant to leave their home behind to save the world.

The Freedom Fighters: A journalist and their journey tracking down one of the most well-known resistance groups in the later half of the war as they learn the fate of it's leader and the terrible cost of war on the children that were pushed into fighting.

[splosh-crime]

Death of the Moon AU

Zhao successfully kills the Moon Spirit Tui and incapacitates Yue before she can fix it.

The tides and weather are so thrown out of balance that ATLA becomes an almost fully-submerged planet, with only the tallest mountain peaks remaining as islands; most notably, the Air Temples, Omashu, & Crazy Herbalist Greenhouse.

Yue is both waterbending and the Avatar Cycle’s only chance to return. Until then, the return of the moon is the Gaang’s new mission.

Northern Water Tribe is one of the first communities submerged due to being the coastal city and epicenter of La’s grief. La wishes to protect Tui’s corpse under his waves.

The majority of Fire Nation territory, including the capital (Caldera City), is completely submerged. What remains of the Fire Nation’s citizens lives on rare mountainous colonies, the navy, mercantile fleet, fishing industry ships, and the elite’s literal showboats.

Fire Navy ships undergo catastrophic amounts of bad luck, so many sinking that it may be a curse from La. Civilians are encouraged to join merchant and fishing ships instead.

The Herbalist’s Greenhouse, Gaoling, and Eastern & Southern Air Temples are the planet’s main sources of food besides aquatic life.

Refugees learn quickly to survive off fishing and farming aquatic plants, learning from Water Tribe members and Coastal City residents.

The Northern Air Temple’s tech-enhanced citizens remain free as always, their gliders becoming an even more valuable transportation method with so little ground to walk on. To be safe, they gain a focus on naval technologies, building the whale submarines early and spreading their borders with floating docks.

Toph is warned of the incoming disaster by the spiritually connected Badgermoles. She, along with her fellow Earth Rumble Competitors are able to raise Gaoling and part of its surrounding forest high enough to create a mountainous island before the floods arrive. Tall enough for even the Badgermoles to remain underground.

Sokka fails to contain his smugness when his sister asks for boomerang lessons to supplement her waterbending.

Ba Sing Se, Eclipse Invasion, and Boiling Rock Prison Break storylines are either postponed or erased since all those places are underwater.

If you are inspired enough to write or draw this, please tag me! I’d love to see your work!

[mysticwolfshadows]

Taken - Zutara - Part 27

First / Previous / Next / Masterpost

Sokka raged at her for nearly an hour for her recklessness when they finally got back to their room. Zuko seethed, glaring and huffing, while Aang tried to calm them down. Katara really wasn't sorry. They got everything they wanted.

"But they're still going to kill Zhao," Aang whined.

"Zhao is a fool," Zuko countered. "If he had succeeded, the world would have suffered. Fire Nation included."

Katara nodded. "Now, are you coming with us or do we need to drop you off with Uncle?"

He blinked. "I... I thought I was coming with you...?"

"You probably know the Earth Kingdom better than we do," Sokka sighed. "So it would be helpful. Aang, do you know where we're going?"

"Omashu. I want Bumi to be my earthbending master."

Zuko blinked. "Oh. Yeah, no. I don't... You can't go to Omashu. The city was taken a few weeks ago. They're calling it New Ozai."

"What?!" Aang stared, horrified. "No! You have to be lying! What happened to Bumi?!"

Zuko looked at Aang, frowning. "If you're talking about King Bumi, he willingly surrendered. As far as I know, he's being held prisoner in the city. But it's too dangerous to go there. We'll need to figure something else out."

"But Bumi is the best earthbender there is! He has to teach me!"

Zuko frowned. "I haven't seen this Bumi, but I have seen others. In Gao Ling, my crew found this... underground earthbending tournament. There was this girl there, going by 'the Blind Bandit'. They say she's blind, but she's the champion. They say she's one of the best earthbenders in existence. I only saw her briefly, when I was dragging my crew out, but I would believe it."

"Thats pretty far," Katara muses. "Farthar than Omashu at least. It will take a few weeks just to make it that far. Even with Appa."

"Then we should get moving."

Aang was silent as they finished packing, clearly having trouble processing what happened to his friend. They needed to leave quickly, though. Katara wasn't even going to worry about getting extra bedrolls. They had a spare Zuko could use anyway.

Aang went to tell Chief Arnook they were taking off sooner than expected, while Katara went to tell the soldiers the news. There were afraid of going to the south, but Zuko was able to convince them it was for the best. The Southern Tribe was good to their Fire Nation friends. As long as they did their best to help, Katara's mother and grandmother would make sure they lived comfortably.

As Katara and Zuko went to Appa, they found Yue standing awkwardly with Sokka. The white haired princess turned, and came up to Katara.

"I have something for you," Yue said, holding out a glass vial pendent. "Its water, from the oasis. After centuries of Tui and La living there, the water has been embued with special healing properties." She paused, looking at the vial. "I don't want to think that anything would happen to any of you, but..."

Nodding, Katara took the vial. "I understand. Thank you, Yue."

The princess bowed, and Katara returned it. Then, she and Zuko joined Sokka on Appa. Her brother was slouched, clearly upset, but she didn't know what to say. So she sat with Zuko, pulling out their map to discuss where to go first, while waiting for Aang. She pointed out Jeong Jeong's camp, which Zuko apparently hadn't known about. There was a chance it was gone, since Zhao had been bragging about some kind of recent win. Zuko hadn't really been paying attention, since he didn't care about Zhao's grand standing.

Neither of them really had to worry about that now, though.

Aang came back looking haunted. Apparently, they had been announcing Zhao's crimes to the tribe, along with his punishment. The Admiral had been shouting and screaming, but not for his life. Till the end, even as they dragged him away, Zhao seethed anger and hatred.

"Spiritually isn't practiced as much in the Fire Nation anymore," Zuko said, as they took off. "But Agni, the sun spirit... Supposedly, Agni watches us and when we die, decides where we go based on if we brought glory to the Fire Nation? I never really understood. But if thats right, I know Agni would agree that his end was deserved."

"How can you say that?" Aang hissed, hands tight on the reins. "He's your countryman. Was..."

Katara reached a hand put, placing it on Aang's shoulder. "The individual nations have the right to serve justice when someone breaks their laws. You gave your point of view, and thats what matters. Its good that you didn't try to force them to follow your rules."

Aang slouched, defeated. "I just don't think its right for someone to decide another has to die..."

Katara glanced at Sokka and Zuko. Both were looking as nervous as she felt. She, Sokka, and Zuko all knew Ozai had to 'go down', as they had been saying. Did Aang not realize that likely meant killing the man?

First / Previous / Next / Masterpost

[principledstarfish]

Headcanon: In his younger years, Prince Iroh led an unsuccessful siege of Omashu which led to his capture. He was held prisoner (in the good chamber, as the bad one had yet to be refurbished) in King Bumi's palace for months - and regularly had tea and played pai sho with him. They had long conversations about philosophy, history, and quite a lot more (the King of Omashu was fond of testing out new jokes on the prince.) Afterwards, when they held a prisoner exchange, Firelord Azulon paid handsomely to secure his release. A courier then caught up with him a few miles outside the city - bearing a gift from King Bumi. Iroh opened it curiously - and was even more curious at it's contents. Why would King Bumi give him a white lotus tile?

[breyito]

@zukaangweek

Day 5: Captured/Safe

Everything is Lost AU

As the Fire Palace scrambles to get the rumours of treason whithin the Royal Family in regards of the Avatar's escape under wraps; Aang and his friends ride Appa to the only place that feels safe at the moment: the Southern Air Temple. The mood is sombre; and they are all shaken up. Aang and Toph are barely put together, both feeling the acute loss of Zuko and forced to face the grim reality that the other boy might not see another sunrise.

Meanwhile, Zuko convalesces in the Infirmary. The angry red burn is stark against his skin, due to all the blood he had already lost to arrow wounds before Ozai's attack. The Fire Lord has ordered him to be cuffed to the bed. Lu Ten sits besides him, ruffled, worried, in shock and incandescently furious. Just this evening they were celebrating the Day of the Dark Sun in Crescent Island, like they have done every time for as long as he can remember.

Zuko had taken ill these past few days and so his abscense had been excused. To think it was all for this... just how badly had that bastard of a man ensnared his baby cousin? Lu Ten knew that Azula's idea had been an awful mistake. Zuko is too sensitive to be exposed to that level of violence every single day. He's always been eager to compete, but never to hurt. Of course such soft and kind soul would begin to care for the prisoner that was his responsability.

To think that filthy nomad took advantage of that care to transform it into infatuation (love, as Zuko had said, like he has any idea of what love is, besides what his plays portray) and then twisted it into this devotion Zuko feels for him... How far had he gone, to win Zuko's heart? He's just a boy, which such a tender heart...They've known each other for a few short months, and still. Still. Zuko feels so much for that man...

And said devotion is what made Ozai snap and punish him in such a savage way. If Lu Ten could bear to separate himself from Zuko's side, he would be dismembering that arrogant bastard himself. Attempts on his life were nothing, but trying to kill Zuko? The sheer audacity makes his blood boil.

His baby cousin's journey to health will be long and arduous. His freedom will be strictly reduced and he will be monitored at all hours. Father will take a long time to forgive him. But he will. The Fire Lord has only ever truly loved three people: his wife, his son...and his 'grandson'. Anyone else and they would be dead already. But Father has always been different with Zuko. And they had time. After all...

The North has been under siege for almost a year. By the time Sozin's Comet arrives, their rebuilt walls will melt all the way and their starved warriors will be easy enough to go through to kill the Royal Family. (He hopes the rumours of their warrior Princess are actually true, and she presents a challenge. If not for him then at least for Azula. Maybe they'll let her remain as Consort to the new Governor. After all, it's important to keep the succession line, even if they previous ruling family are mostly just non-benders.)

Omashu has managed to keep themselves isolated and relatively secured, but now that Ozai had fled there their information well will run dry. The mad king might have discovered how to bend metal, but lava? Lava is a whole different game. Sinking the whole city into molten rock is such a brilliant idea.

And the Avatar? Well, he's sure to fly to where he feels like is secure. High ground. One Temple is already occupied, so three options remain.

Hunting him down again shall be fun.

Sorry it took me so long, I just got incredibly stuck on Lu Ten! And his relationship with Zuko (I may or may not have made 10 different versions of their joint moodboard....) Anyways, tomorrow I'll be posting those ones. And let's just say that Lu Ten is...*fans herself*

Anyways, more backstory:

-In this AU, Ozai almost missed his firstborn's birth because he was too busy 'hunting the Avatar' (and failing, again). He spent about 8 months away, so...

-There have always been rumours about Zuko being either Iroh's or Lu Ten's (since he was 14-15 at the time). The preferential treatment from both of them just feeds the flames.

-(Is either one of them his blood father? No clue! I can't decide, lmao. Still, their relationships with Zuko are very different than with anyone else. Lu Ten's especially adores Zuko. Has and will kill again for him.)

-Ozai absolutely loathes this. If he could have, he would have killed Zuko the minute Azula made sparks. (He never knew if he believed those rumours, and never confronted either of them. He did confront Ursa, and she denied it, obviously. But after the letters of her previous lover...)

-They are both completely aware of said rumours, whereas Zuko isn't. Neither one knows whether the other one slept with Ursa. Neither one asks, they just play a mental game with each other to see which one caves in and aks first.

-Zuko is kept prisoner about 1,5 years. Piandao is still part of the White Lotus (he just faked an injury to retire and went to work as a spy inside the Palace) so he helps him escape when the time is right.

-He finds the Freedom Fighters on the way to where Aang is. He gets along brilliantly with them (since they left the village and are roaming vigilantees).

-In this one, Zuko wears the Blue Spirit Mask when he fights, but as he travels he wears a weimao with a black veil, since his scar is very noticeable.

-Oh, Bumi is the Grand Lotus. Desperate times need desperate meassures.

-Lu Ten and Zuko both train with Piandao. Zuko is trained more in stealth, since he's not the Heir. He manages to make fire dance with his swords. Lu Ten manages to use his sword as a lightning rod and direct his lightning to very specific targets.

-(Yes, Azula does still master the blue flame.)

-Ursa didn't dissapear, she was killed, along with Azulon, by one of Ozai's plots. (I debated a lot whether to keep her or not, but decided not to. Zuko needs some trauma lol)

-Bumi managed to track down some descendants from the Air Nomads, and has kept them hidden and tried to train them. After his escape, Aang takes over and, although they are so few, he's not alone anymore.

-Aang notices that, since he couldn't have weapons with his hands free, and Zuko was allowed shaved him once a month; now he can't do it without thinking about him and missing his shivering inducing touch. Zuko always finished with a kiss to his arrow. He sees him everywhere, even in this place where he's never been.

-Yue became a warrior when in the first full blown attack on the city, a squad managed to get in to try and assassinate the Chief. She pulled with all her will when she saw her father about to be killed and ice spikes came from under them, killing the six soldiers inmediately. She refused to be kept away after that, and most of the women agreed that they needed to be able to fight too. She has a reputation for slashing through whole ships on the full moons.

-Toph only managed to compete (and win, of course) in one Earth Rumble before Gaoling was taken by the Fire Nation. It was all very civil, luckily, but anything that had to do with earthbending was forbidden. She hated the fact that just as she learned what she was missing, it got taken away.

-They were introduced by Lu Ten when she was 10 and Zuko was 14. She and Zuko got along because she noticed to softly he moved around, and how trained he seemed to her senses despite never fighting. So she started throwing rocks at him until he responded (Zuko was horrified for a whole minute while she made her eyes watery, but then bursted out laughing.) They secretly train together ever since.

-Zuko was a nervous wreck when he asked her if she would want to leave and help him with Aang's escape. She made him sweat a little but then told him she'd noticed his coming and goings weeks ago.

-They went to many stealth missions masking them as 'dates', to map the most secure route for their escape.

ALSO. This is important since it won't leave my brain alone

AU OF THE AU: Zuko dies in Lu Ten's arms in the escape. Lu Ten goes on the warpath to absolutely destroy the Avatar and the rest of his group.

[zukosdualdao]

I’m pretty sure Ozai told Azula to capture Aang if she ever came across him, don’t forget, Aang is public enemy #1 of the fire nation

while it’s possible this is true, it’s not straight-up canon because we know the original task he set for her was capturing zuko and iroh, and we don’t see him mention the avatar to azula at all when he’s giving her orders at the end of book one.

when she comes across aang in “return to omashu”, to my recollection, she doesn’t say anything about her father’s orders, only that it’s her “lucky day”. so, while it’s possible ozai could have given her this order, to me, it seems more likely that she decided to pursue aang of her own accord, because she knew her father would approve, even though it arguably interferes with the original mission she was given (as azula spends a lot more time focused on the avatar and taking ba sing se after that point). it doesn’t contradict canon, but neither is it confirmed, and personally, i see azula going after aang of her own accord as pretty consistent with the rest of her behavior.

to your point, i don’t think ozai would mind that she starts pursuing capturing the avatar, because he is an enemy to the state and probably their biggest threat. but i think that has less to do with what orders he gave her and more to do with the fact that he’s willing to look past her disobeying/being creative eith her execution of his orders if what she’s doing proves useful to him.

we see multiple times through the series that azula seems to feel so assured of her position as ozai’s golden child that she feels comfortable interpreting his orders in a way that fits her own agenda—or even deviating from them altogether. probably the biggest example of this is when she chooses to manipulate zuko into fighting on her side and brings him home, but not as a prisoner. she ultimately decides zuko is more useful as an ally, and later, as someone who can take the fall for her if aang turns out to be alive. and the thing is, ozai lets her.

her sense of security would ultimately prove to be false, but it isn’t based on nothing. he’s comfortable letting her interpret orders in a certain way or deviate a plan to her benefit as long as she’s still proving useful, and it ultimate serves him. the point at which this stops is when he discovers azula lied about zuko killing the avatar, something she does entirely for her own benefit, not something that serves ozai at all, and he starts to see her as a threat.

[sokkastyles]

Hi, I really like your blog and your metas; they're so well-worded. One of my favorite ones is this one, talking about Zuko and his privileges vs how he's victimized by the Fire Nation. I have one question, though. Do you think that Mai, also, in the Boiling Rock Prison arc, treated Zuko as a race traitor? Her reunion with Zuko and some things that she said rubbed me the wrong way. And if you could, would you mind expanding a little bit on how Zuko is treated as a race traitor by Fire Nation characters?

Zuko is actually treated as a potential race traitor from the beginning of the series, even when he's loyal to the Fire Nation and desperate to restore his honor according to their values. We see this as early as episode three in book one. And I believe that in the meta you mention, I also spoke about how that's tied in with his abuse, both on a political and personal level.

Because the thing about fascism (and yeah, we could argue whether the Fire Nation is truly a fascist nation because the writers used a conglomeration of tropes and real world influences for their fantasy world, but they definitely draw on fascist imagery heavily for their Fire Nation influences, so it still is present in the narrative) is that it's dehumanizing, and everyone is a potential traitor to the regime. It's where the idea of "thought crime" comes from.

We see this as early as the third episode of the series, when Zuko encounters Zhao, who treats him like a potential enemy even before learning that Zuko has been keeping the Avatar's discovery from him. Some of this is Zuko's backstory. Zhao looks down on Zuko because he knows the story of his disgrace and banishment, and this is used both to downgrade Zuko and to keep him loyal to the regime. It's similar to how Ozai treated him, both giving him a sense of what he is "owed," the greatness he can hope to achieve by remaining loyal, while also feeding the idea that he has to constantly make up for his own shortcomings. It's an entirely manipulative social order, like a cult but on a wider scale.

Under that system, questioning the regime gets you labeled as a potential traitor. Even though Zuko was acting in advance of the regime by keeping the secret of the Avatar's return so that he can capture Aang himself, he acted as an individual, and that's dangerous to the group think.

As for Mai, we see her act similarly towards Zuko from the moment they are together in book three. Her reaction to hearing him voice his concerns about going back home is to sarcastically tell him that he should not be worrying. On some level, I think Mai's emotionally closed-off personality is part of the reason she can't handle Zuko's uncomfortable emotional reaction. But she's also a product of the same regime, where questioning things is frowned upon.

Think of the way Zhao and Azula react to Zuko. Both mention his banishment, Zhao to emphasize his dishonor, and Azula to imply that he's become "uncivilized" due to living in exile for three years. Mai expresses similar prejudices towards people living outside the Fire Nation in her comments on the people of Omashu and the comic that takes place before the beginning of book three where she criticizes the food in Ba Sing Se, in front of Zuko who has actually been living there while in exile. So I think Mai is, on one level, very uninterested in any aspect of Zuko's life outside of the Fire Nation, and may subconsciously look down on Zuko because of it, the way she looks down on the people of the earth kingdom that Zuko has lived among, the way she looks down on servants (which Zuko is shown to be uncomfortable with).

Another part goes back to what I said about not questioning the regime. Zuko expressing doubts about going home challenges the very idea of Fire Nation superiority. Mai can't understand why Zuko wouldn't want to go home or why he would have doubts.

On another level, though, expressing doubt is literally dangerous, and Mai knows what happened to Zuko the first time he openly questioned the regime. On some level, she might associate Zuko worrying with him not being safe. The reality is that he is not safe either way, which is exactly why he should be worrying.

So Mai probably had those thoughts about Zuko even before he outright became a traitor. This is actually one of the ways fascism encourages people to turn against each other. If nobody is an individual, then individuals cannot be trusted.

All this is backdrop to Mai outright telling Zuko that he's betraying his country in "The Boiling Rock." And in between Zuko leaving and their reunion, there was also a propaganda play publicized that portrayed Zuko as not only a political traitor, but his romantic interest in Katara in the play is used to make him look like a joke, using racist tropes like the pale skinned man being "dominated" by a seductive, aggressive dark-skinned woman, and deferring to a man (Aang) who is considered to be from a "lesser" race. The gay jokes about Aang and Zuko are also typical of that sort of attempt to paint someone considered a race traitor as sexually deviant.

(You know what would be interesting to think about? If Mai saw that play. Did it fuel her feelings that Zuko had betrayed her, personally?)

What I think is actually pretty surprising is Zuko's ability to distinguish that no, I'm not betraying my country, I'm saving it, which is what he tells Mai. That idea doesn't seem to have originated anywhere else. Zuko could have just washed his hands of the Fire Nation altogether and embraced an identity as an expat, but he doesn't. Because he's always been someone who cared about his country.

[the-vast-corner-of-the-galaxy]

KW 2024- Day 5: Disguise

Hi, I am really sick right now, which is why I am posting this on Sunday.

This is not my best piece, but enjoy, I guess.

Day 5 of Kataang Week 2024 hosted by @kataang-week

Prompt: Day 5: Disguise - Friday, August 2nd

Chapter Summary: Bonzu Pippinpaddleopsicopolis III and his granddaughter June are back. 

Word count: 1 K

(This happens after the events of the Hundred Year War. I haven’t read the comics yet, so this is all just made up)

It has been 1 year since Zuko has been crowned Fire Lord, and although his rule has been successful, just a few months ago, terrorist attacks have been happening all across the Fire Nation by an unknown group. Investigations had been done on them, and it has been revealed that the terrorist group had a few of Ozai’s followers. They were trying to overthrow Zuko somehow, and wanted to bring back Ozai. Unfortunately, the Royal Guard of the Fire Lord hasn’t 

gotten any useful information successfully, so Zuko decided to call Aang and Katara for help. 

“I haven’t put this on in a long time,” Aang pointed to the white hay beard he was holding. It was the old beard that Aang had used to sneak into Omashu as Bonzu Pippinpaddleopsicopolis III. 

“Well, we don’t really have a choice if we want to get useful information out of this group,” Katara told him, trying to sound reassuring. “Besides, we’ve already faked our identities many times when we first met.”

Aang put on the beard and he was basically unrecognizable. He really was Bonzu Pippinpaddleopsicopolis III, just taller… and more muscular. 

“It’s way too obvious that I abm clearly not an old man,” Aang said with some frustration in his voice. 

“Not if you put these on,” a voice came from behind them. It was Zuko, who was holding some Fire Nation clothing. “I found these in the palace, and they’ll probably fit you. Hopefully it will make it look like you ARE an old man.”

Aang put the clothes over his robes, and Zuko was right, they didn’t make him look so young. Originally, Bonzu Pippinpaddleopsicopolis wore Air Nation clothing, but now that he had to pretend to be a Fire Nation citizen once more, he had to change looks.

“I think you’re good to go,” Katara said. “I will go put on my outfit now.” Katara went to another room in the palace to put on the outfit she used to infiltrate into the Fire Nation during the war. It was a dark red tank top with wide fire nation pants and slippers. She took out her hair accessories and tied her hair in a half ponytail tied with a bun. When she came out, Aang couldn’t believe how pretty she looked. 

“How do I look?” Katara asked Aang. He was absoultely struck by how good red looked on Katara. It was like the first time she wore the same clothing back when they infiltrated the Fire Nation. 

“You look… beautiful,” Aang managed, blushing intensely. Katara laughed and pecked his cheek, which only made the blushing more intense. 

“We should get going,” Katara reminded Aang. The two of them left the Royal Palace and headed to the outskirts of the Capital, where the meetings happened. They took place in an abandoned shack north of the palace, and was filled old furniture.

Today, there was going to be a meeting pen to more people, so Aang and Katara easily sneaked in and camouflaged among the crowd of people. 

“We will soon free Ozai out of prison, and we are going to overthrow Fire Lord Zuko once and for all!” one of the leaders said at the end of his speech. 

“We will make the Fire Nation great again!” screamed one of the people in the audience. 

“Any further questions?” asked the person giving the speech. Aang, (actually Bonzu Pippinpaddleopsicopolis) raised a hand, and the crowd turned over to the “old man”.

“How exactly will you break Ozai out of jail?” asked Aang with a muffled accent. 

“Easy, we wil have a group of guards who are with us take him out of his cell,” replied the leader. “Why?”

“There are rumours that Ozai cannot end anymore, young man,” Aang replied, sarcastically.

“We think they are fake!” replied the leader.

“Forgive my grandfather, he just likes debates,” Katara chimed in. “But, going with that question, what if the rumors turn out to be true? What will you do?”

“They can’t seriously be true,” replied the leader. “He is completely fine and still powerful! We will nourish him to health and he will  be fit to rule again. After he takes the throne, we will execute Zuko and exterminate ALL who oppos his rule.”

“What if you go to war?” asked Aang, with his muffled voice.

“The Fire Nation Army will follow Ozai no matter what, since they still want him, and we will force those opponents to fight,” responded another leader.

“How will you do that?” asked Aang sarcastically. “Cause those gaurds are stubborn!”

“Like this,” the leader conjued a ball of fire and threw it to Aang, but he dodged it quickly, and the leader accidentally burned another person. This caused a fight to emerge from among followers, and Aang began to fire bend to fight his attackers, and Katara did the same. They quickly took out all of the people in the group, and then the Royal Guard came in to detain them. The mission was successful, and all of their secret information was revealed. 

“We did a pretty good job,” Katara told Aang. “Especially with these disguises.”

“Yeah, we did,” said Aang, still talking with Bonzu’s voice, “Not bad for being the Pippinpaddleopsicopolis.”

“I think it’s time you take this off now,” Katara said, removing the hay beard from Aang’s face, revealing all of his features. 

“I like seeing your handsome face,” Katara smirked, making Aang blush.

“Stop!” Aang said teasingly, blushing, but it only made Katara kiss him all over his face, which made him even gigglier.

“We need to report to Zuko soon,” Katara mentioned. Aang nodded, and they walked hand in hand away from the crime scene with internal satisfaction.