#The only thing that reveals about either of them is how alone Zuko is by comparison

[zvtara-was-never-canon]

i'm not a zvtara shipper in any significant way, but sometimes i can't help but see aang as slightly hypocritical. i get that he managed to let go of katara in CoD, but i don't understand how exactly he let go of her but was still super into her in all of s3. what does "you need to let her go" even means? also, i get that he doesn't want to kill ozai at the end of the series, but what about the times he hurt people in ways that would result in deadly injuries? (i don't hold the end of S1 against him since he was being used as vessel by the ocean spirit, i'm mostly talking about the avalanche he caused on the northern air temple episode)

When Aang leaves the Guru, despite knowing he won't master the Avatar State at all if he left at that point, he did it because he literally ahd a vision of Katara being in danger. When he is letting go of his attachment in that season finale, he gives one last glance at Katara, who is in the middle of a battle, because he knows that the only way to truly help her would be to trust that she will be okay and focus on preventing the Fire Nation from winning.

On the episode "The Awakening", when Aang is panicking and wanting to reveal to the world that he is alive and fight the Fire Lord without a plan, he goes alone. On the day of the eclipse, he kisses Katara, but they go their separate ways in the battle, instead of him being close by in case she needs him.

The "learn to let her go" thing has NEVER been about him no longer being allowed to be in love with her, or even a close friend, and it was never a fully black and white issue either - that's why we see IROH, the guy who lost his son because he chose his quest for power over thinking as parent and thus keeping him away from the battlefield, telling Aang that he is right to choose love above everything. Why we have Katara be the one to literally bring Aang back from the dead. Why the Guru himself explicitly uses Aang's love for Katara as a way to make him strong enough to deal with the grief of losing his people, and why he says "Learn to let her go" not "Forget about her" (there's a reason the cliche of all cliche lines is "If you love someone, set them free" - attachment existing, by itself, it's not a bad thing, but holding onto it ALL the time can get toxic).

Hakoda let his children go when left to fight in the war, doesn't mean he no longer cares or shouldn't care. Iroh let Zuko go in book 3 because at that point he had understood that his nephew needed to follow his own path, doesn't mean he no longer cared or shouldn't have cared anymore. Why is Aang the only one being held to an absurd standard of "If you understood that you can't always be with the people you care about because you got other responsibilities besides just being their friend, that means you're supposed to never want them around even when that wouldn't negatively affect anything"?

As for Aang's supposed "fatal victims" - this is a cartoon that operates on cartoon physics. The Omashu slide/mail system on episode 5 should have left the heroes permanently paralyzed from waist/neck down, assuming they didn't full on die because the human body simply can't survive a fall like that. Firebenders don't burn themselves when practically holding the flame they're generating, nor when they literally breathe fire. We've seen some of the bad guys survive falling down from an airship and hitting the ocean, in full armor, and be completely unharmed.

The show had casualties - but it was always highlighted a fatal injury instead of glossing over it. There's a reason the showrunners were surprised fans ever thought there was even the slightest chance Jet had not died. In a world where people survive absurd stuff, the show suddenly changing the tune to go "Actually this one screwed over some people" is the ONE way to know there actually was a death, and these situations are still the exception, not the rule.

"Oh but Nichya, it was an avalanche!" yes, much like the one in Mulan - a cartoon that is famous for going "Ya know what, the bad guys didn't die despite being buried in the snow long enough that all the good guys left, and only after a major plot event." It's almost like animation does that kind of stuff all the time...

You can't apply real world logic/physics to a cartoon, and it's very weird that the fandom only feels like doing so in the explicit attempt to create a reason to hate on Aang because they don't like that a pacifist remained a pacifist.

[sokkastyles]

Galaxy bra1n on Tumblr What do you think about this post? I just happened upon it honestly, and it just... made me squirm tbh. I just don't like it. But I'm not sure how to put it into words, so I'd really like to know your thoughts on it if it's not too much of a bother ofc. I don't mean any offense to the OP too, it's just that this take rubs me the wrong way. Really love your blog!

Yeah lol this take is weird for a few reasons. First of all if you don't mind the ship idk why you care about what is a "good" reason to ship them. Characters can and have been shipped together because they looked at each other once and for no reason at all, and that's perfectly fine because like, who cares?

Second, I am so tired of people blaming Zuko for Azula shooting lightning at Katara. Zuko wasn't goading Azula out of stupidity or pride, he was trying to end the fight quickly without involving anyone else using a move he knew Azula had no defense against that he had used once before against his father, to quickly end a fight without violence. He did not think Azula would go for Katara because that is against the rules - that Azula set, because she challenged Zuko - of an agni kai. You could MAYBE say that Zuko should have anticipated that Azula would cheat, but that's always been their dynamic. Zuko is always too honorable and Azula is always lying and cheating. What has changed is that she's no longer able to manipulate Zuko and is revealed to be the lying cheater that she always was, but that still doesn't mean he could have anticipated her aiming at Katara, who had to be exactly in the right place at the right time.

As far as him "doing the bare minimum"...I mean, I do think he would have done it regardless of who it was who was in danger and his relationship to them, but that's not a reason to diminish what he did, either. It takes incredible fortitude to put yourself in harm's way for another person, and fast reflexes to get there in time. Katara herself is frozen to the spot, which is a natural reaction to danger, but if Zuko had done that or not reacted fast enough or even been slightly off, she or he would have died instantly. So let's not belittle what Zuko did in sacrificing his own life to save someone else in an incredible act of selflessness, compassion, and heroism just because we don't like a ship.

Third, these takes always miss WHY it's seen as a shippy moment. It's not only the culmination of a specific narrative arc between the three of them, the thematic motif of Zuko being positioned between what Azula and Katara represent to him, respectively, the choice between selfishness and selflessness, hate and love, cruelty and forgiveness - which alone are pretty damn good reasons to ship them. But not only that, it's the strong emotions that are created from that act. I don't think Zuko jumped in front of the lightning because he loved her. But you can't help but love someone after that, after giving your whole being to another person in that moment. And Katara does the same thing for Zuko. Sure, you could argue that she would have done it anyway, her morals wouldn't allow her to let him die, but the act itself still remains, with all its meaning, and the emotion behind it.

And the narrative goes out of its way to tell us that this is impossible! That a failure to redirect lightning correctly will result in perma-death. That Katara's powers of healing alone weren't enough to bring someone back from that precipice without spirit water. But they do it anyway. They save each other, through sheer force of will, and they can't not be tied to each other after that.

If that's not a good enough reason to ship, I don't know what is. Which doesn't mean you have to, of course. You are free to not vibe with a ship, regardless of the reasoning behind it. But don't tell me it's not a damned good reason.

[boss-the-goofball]

AU Ask Game

1.) Fire Nation Airbender!Izuku. How does Izuku handle the finding out about the sheer depth of the lying propaganda he has been fed? Specifically, seeing warcrimes the Fire Nation commits firsthand (a la Zuko Alone). Especially if his father was a Fire Nation

2.) Aizuku AU. Is Shirakumo a Soul Reaper, and if so, how’s he handling things? Especially if he ends up around Aizawa and Hizashi.

3.) Homeroom Teacher Nighteye. If Izuku isn’t transferred out of Nighteye’s class and thus decides to join Shiggy, how does that ultimately go? Does anyone in 1-A join him? How does Bakugo react? Does All Might blame Nighteye?

4.) Midoriya Tenko. How does the media react to the revelation of who this universe’s Shigaraki is? Does Endeavor remain a hero, or is he forced to resign in scandal? And where’s Dabi during all of this?

I have to do them all because they're so good

Airbender Izuku AU

In this verse he grew up in the capital and even went to one of the Fire Nation schools, so he was deep in it; especially when it came to the history of the Air Nomad Genocide and that it was Sozin who had no choice but to take out the Air Nation's Armies. So when he discovers his bending and is forced to run away, he is devastated when he realizes just how wrong it was.

Because Izuku was revealed to be an airbender and ran away instead of facing justice for his "crimes" his parents were made to face the crimes in his stead. Hisashi was executed while Inko was sent to a work camp. Whether she survives to the end of the war or not depends, it's very likely that she will be rescued.

Out of everyone in his squad, Bakugou was the one taken completely off-guard. Here they thought Izuku was just a non-bender, destined to remain as a foot soldier while Bakugou would go on to become a general or even an admiral. Now he gets pulled into a team dedicated to hunting Izuku, until he eventually gets recruited by Azula herself when Izuku inevitably joins Team Avatar.

Aang is super excited when he meets Izuku. He talks about everything he can teach. Just because Aang is still, in his mind, twelve doesn't mean he won't use his actual age to declare seniority over his new student. This amuses Katara while Sokka is a little wary, because Izuku did grow up in the heart of the Fire Nation.

Things get extra awkward when Zuko joins the team.

Aizuku AU

Yes, Shirakumo is a Soul Reaper here. It's actually funny, he technically became a Soul Reaper far faster than an ordinary Plus as it only took him about a year after his death to become a Soul Reaper. It was his drive to protect those he cares about, the ones he bound his Chain of Fate to, that allowed him to become one when his chain inevitably broke.

Ironically, Shirakumo was actually brought into the Fifth Division of the Gotei 13, under Captain Hirako Shinji. He hopes to one day master Hollowification and become a Visored like his Captain.

For a few years he was actually handling things pretty well. Even got the chance to go down in secret to see how his old friends were doing, though he sometimes regrets dying the way he did with how Aizawa handled it. Sometimes he curses at his old (boy)friend for being unnecessarily harsh on his students.

Unfortunately whenever he's in the Living World, he feels a tug on his soul. This is how he found out what happened to his body, and he is not happy with this at all. Unfortunately, he is not allowed to attack those of the Living World, only Hollows.

However, he soon finds a loophole on what to do with All for One~

Homeroom Teacher Nighteye AU; Bad Ending Edition

It goes absolutely horribly, for all except Tomura and Izuku.

All Might definitely blames Nighteye, but he also blames himself. In this verse, he would have regretted not fighting to get Nighteye out of UA sooner. He regrets not communicating with his successor better, regrets not seeing the signs. In a twist of fate, All Might himself decides to leave UA completely to find his student and either bring him to a better school...or join him.

Bakugou physically attacked Nighteye. For most of his time he held himself back because he figured Izuku would have found a way to brush off Nighteye's words, or that someone would step in. He knew it wouldn't be appropriate if he himself stepped in, because of his complicated history with Izuku. He doesn't care if he gets expelled for punching out a teacher, the bastard had it coming.

Kirishima, Mina, Kaminari, Momo, and Tokoyami all follow Izuku. At that point, after seeing first-hand how horrible Nighteye could be, they lost all faith in UA and vowed to help Izuku in whatever way they can.

Just like in the planned ending for the actual fic, Nighteye gets fired and Tomura gets his hands on him. On the bright side- Tomura does not get the AfO Quirk because Izuku flat out says "Hey, this seems like a bad idea."

Midoriya Tenko

The media are appalled, to the point where they demand Endeavor resign. They don't care what everyone else says, this man drove his own child into villainy!

Dabi is in complete shock at that dramatic reveal. He did not know who Shigaraki really was, and now that he knows who it is...he actually does a fucking heel-face-turn and joins the Heroes because "Surely this means Dad will know his mistake and want me back!"

Endeavor stays a Hero, though he is on thin ice with the public. It's to the point where he only appears to take down villains and doesn't bother with interacting with anyone else. He even buys a small apartment for himself so people will quit going to his house to harass his family.

Tenko and Izuku both come to Endeavor's defense, hoping to remind the people of his actions as a Hero and how his personal life should not impact his work. Especially with all the lives he has saved, and all the ways he helped them both.

All for One is very pleased with how this reveal went down, even while stuck in Tartarus.

[sunmoonjune]

opening up notes bc i already know this is gonna be another chapter that serves and i need to keyboard smash all my feels

can i just start off by saying yun tapping bug's language or yun holding bug's hand or anything related to his hands has me reeling bc ive recently developed such a huge thing for them it's embarrassing aslfkdgsajg like they're so pretty it's illegal also apparently his hands are 21cm ??? like ??? my hands are probably the size of his palm someone hold me pls

im melting bug used to be so alert during her sleep she would subconsciously be waiting in fear of danger and she would rarely ever leave her good eye covered bUT NOw she's subconsciously reaching for physical contact and comfort from the boys AND THEN YOU'RE TELLING ME SHE'S ALSO COMPLETELY TRUSTING JONGHO TO PROTECT HER WHILE SHES ASLEEP OGM MY HERART

intermission to tell you just how much i love each and every single interaction that you put into each chapter bc they are such simple moments and actions that could easily be skipped over when thinking about the grand scheme of the plot but you always manage to highlight their significance in bug's journey of healing. ltm is the epitome of it's the little things in life ❤️

seeing bug curled on the floor next to san's bed was so cute but also so bittersweet. i think ateez need a new cavern where the whole floor is just bed so they can all be close and have cute puppy piles. also PLEASE HAHA not bug going 🥵🥵 seeing hongjoong's forearm muscles 💪💪 honestly though,,, same

my lack of vocab cannot express the amount of feels i got from bug finally giving captain his name symbol bc it's not even just 'hongjoong' but 'MY hongjoong' and it encompasses so many meanings like home and their heartbeats brb im ugly crying

Briefly, there’s a startling realization that they don’t change for you either. -> 👏WE👏LOVE👏CHARACTER👏DEVELOPMENT👏AND👏SELF👏LOVE 👏 i love the parallels revealed between hongjoong's and bug's past because hopefully bug can start to realise that she is also capable of displaying the scar on her face without worrying and finding love in this little family just like hongjoong has

woosan peering over the edge of the bed to look at bug and hongjoong only serves to reiterate my point that they need a nine-person mattress stat. and the way they giggled together like kids i swear they're the cutest

also my tag doesn't work idk why but it's okay bc i check your posts more religiously than i wake up for work so jks on tumblr 😎

AHHHH I LVOE YOU SO MUCH <333

the way my heart goes !!#!$!$! whenever I get a long ask after a new chapter is posted xD I love them SO MUCH <33

ok but yunho's hands are SO pretty,, I definitely have liked more than one TikTok of his hands so you're not alone xD

bug trusting jongho to guard her in her sleep <333 she really was sleeping for quite a bit of this chapter xD but that's okay, she needed it :'))

intermission to tell you that I love you SO MUCH <33 I'm so glad you guys don't mind the slow pacing with these little interactions! they might be considered filler in some stories but the slow progression is really important to me in this story :"D

also ateez should definitely just make a cave with just mattresses on the floor for one big bed xD they def need the cuddling space :}}

(and SAME bug, I too am weak for joong's forearm muscles xD)

MY hongjoong <333 crying screaming throwing up they love each other SO MUCH,, and joong's name symbol does indeed have the word for 'home' in it :") I was wondering if anyone would pick that up hehe >:D

also bug 🤝 hongjoong 🤝 zuko 🤝 having shitty father figures HAHA,, but yes bug's growing so much :")) finally beginning to realize that she is not her past and she can grow into her own person with ateez <3

woosan giggling like teenagers with crushes made me so happy I swear xD yeosang was done with their shit and just wanted to sleep HAHA

also I'm not quite sure why your tag doesn't show up :(( I've been poking around on tumblr but sometimes blog's just don't pop up when I try to tag them D: I hope I can get it sorted out tho! I'm glad that you were able to find the new chapter without it tho <3

[infinitefandomimagines]

Scarred - Zuko x Reader

WARNINGS: ARGUING, BURN SCARS, ANGST

-

REQUEST: zuko x reader where the reader is the last one to forgive zuko at the western air temple bc he accidentally hurt her in the crystal catacombs and than zuko goes to her tent, begging for forgiveness and she shows him the scar he gave her and it’s super fluffy:33

-

"Y/N. . . what do you say?" All eyes landed on you, waiting for your response to Aang's question. However, there was only one pair of eyes in particular you glared back at; and if looks could kill, the recently renounced Fire Nation prince in front of you would've surely met his demise right then. But Zuko knew how to hold himself in front of those who wanted to intimidate him. If there was anything his father taught him, it was that much.

Despite your fiery stare and previous threats from the first time he pleaded for forgiveness that you'd "knock him on his ass" if he ever came near you again, he kept his composure. There was no doubt in his mind you'd stay true to that warning, which is why he made sure to keep enough distance between the two of you.

There was a hopeful gleam in his eyes, so far Aang, Sokka, Katara, and Toph had agreed to let him join the team, albeit some more hesitantly than others. If everyone else found it in their hearts to forgive and forget, surely you could as well. Wrong.

"No."

You saw the last bit of hope fizzle from his eyes as defeat weighed down on him, causing his shoulders to sink and his head to drop. "I know you don't trust me, I don't blame you. I've done horrible things, hurt you and your friends-"

"You can't even begin to imagine the amount of pain you've caused me!" Your words held a venomous sting, yet your tone was strained, calm almost.

"Y/N," Katara stepped up behind you, her voice was soft. You could barely feel the hand she'd placed on your left shoulder, thick and itchy bandages blocking her attempt at comfort. "I don't like it either, but Aang needs to learn fire bending."

"I really believe he's changed, give him a chance to-"

You cut Aang off, finally breaking your gaze from Zuko to face the young monk. "He's already had too many chances!"

No one could admit that you were wrong, not even Zuko. Because every time he'd faught against your little group of rag-tag heroes, you'd given him a chance. Even while the rest of team avatar faught the exiled prince, you never threw a single blow that wasn't defensive or to save your friends. Instead, you'd offer him a chance to join the right side. Of course, he never accepted, but you saw the benefits of your kindness when he'd began to show a sense of mercy against you. There was something in your head telling you he was more than just a villain.

But that mindset changed when you and the gang faught against him and his sister in the crystal catacombs. When Aang almost died. When he chose the Fire Nation's side. When he'd made sure to leave you a permanent reminder of that day.

After a few moments of tense silence, you let out an impatience scoff. "Leave, Zuko. I gave you my answer, the least you can do is respect it."

Reluctantly, he nodded, mumbling out an apology before turning on his heels. He only got in a few steps before Aang interjected.

"Zuko, stop."

He did, glancing over his shoulder, ready to hear what Aang had to say.

"I'm sorry, Y/N, but Zuko is staying. I need need to learn fire bending and he's my only option. I really believe he's changed for the better."

"You don't have to forgive him, but Aang's right, we need him," Sokka added in, to which Toph agreed.

You took in their words, it was obvious they weren't up for debate. You hated that they were right, you all did need Zuko, no matter your current opinion on him.

"Fine," you sighed, looking at Zuko, who was now standing awkwardly with his hands behind his back. "But stay away from me."

Over the next few days, Zuko had somehow managed to gain the complete and utter trust of everyone, even Katara. Everyone except you. Then again, you hadn't had your "life changing field trip with Zuko" that made everyone seemingly forget about everything he'd ever done to them. Field trip or not, earning your trust wasn't going to be that easy. You didn't care how many times he made everybody tea and told cringey jokes.

"Where did you learn to make so many different types of tea?" Aang inquired, causing everyone to look at Zuko, wanting to hear his answer.

Zuko returned to his seat around the fire between Toph and Aang, finally finished handing out small cups of tea. "My uncle, it's his favorite thing to make, he even owned a tea shop at one point."

"You mean the one you betrayed," you deadpanned coldly. You flicked your eyes up from the warm cup of tea in your hands to Zuko, wanting to see his reaction.

His smile faultered, and katara shot a disapproving look at you. For a second you felt guilty, maybe that was too far. He looked genuinely hurt by your comment, but soon another emotion took over his features. You could see it in the way he clenched his jaw and sat up straighter.

"Yeah. That one." His tone was one of poorly restrained bitterness, you'd definitely struck a nerve.

You hummed in response, refusing to break eye contact with him, like you were challenging him to say something equally as cold, but he didn't take the bait. Instead, he took a deep breath, just like his uncle taught him.

"I don't get it," He asked, frustrated and fed up with your snarky comments and side eyes. "Everyone else trusts me, why can't you?"

"You really have to ask?"

Katara could feel the tension and awkwardness of the impending argument hanging over everyone. This wasn't the time nor place to be having this conversation.

"I think now would be a good time for another healing session," she interjected, giving you a look that informed you she wasn't exactly asking. With a frustrated huff, you stood up and made your way to your tent, not even waiting for Katara to follow.

You plopped down onto your sleeping bag, sitting with your left side towards the opening.

Katara was there in a few minutes, holding a medium sized bowl of water in her hands. She gently set it down on the ground, taking a seat on your sleeping bag as well, facing your left side.

You tugged your left sleeve down so you could free it. With your shoulder now exposed, she carefully removed the bandages that covered your shoulder and the side of your neck, revealing the red and scarred skin hidden underneath.

"How does it look?" You asked, attempting to ignore the itchy feeling of the fresh air hitting your wound.

"It's healing, slowly" she answered as she conjured the water from the bowl and molded it with her hands. She purified the liquid, causing it it glow. Slowly, she lowered it until the cool water molded over your injured skin. You clenched your teeth and whimpered at the sudden sting the contact made, but then Katara started making circular motions with her hands, beginning the healing process. The stinging pain soon morphed into a comforting cold and relieving sensation.

Katara had done this for you and Aang multiple times since the gang escaped from that wretched crystal catacomb. As much progress as your skin had made in healing, you couldn't seem to wipe the painful memories of how you'd recieved such a wound from your mind. You could remember the events so vividly it was as if they'd happened yesterday.

You were stalling, Zuko and Azula knew that, yet they didn't seem to mind. If anything, Azula enjoyed watching you struggle to give your friends more time. You needed to stall them long enough for Aang to fully enter the avatar state, that's all.

"Come on, Zuko, you know what needs to be done!" Azula coaxed.

"No! You still have a chance Zuko, you can still make this right!" You could see the conflict rising in him as you and Azula tugged at his morals.

There was a moment, a single second where his emotions betrayed him, where you could see how badly he wanted to go with you and the gang. But it was gone just as fast as it came.

"I will kill the avatar and restore my honor, as well as my rightful place beside my father!" He launched into action, sending overpowering blows your way.

He kept you distracted and unable to help your friends long enough for Azula to strike down Aang. Your head snapped towards Katara's screams and you saw him laying there, completely unconscious.

You were distracted, and Zuko impulsively took advantage, sending a blast of orange and red flames towards you.

In all honesty, he expected you to dodge it, you always did without fail. But this time you were too distracted, too concerned with Aang, and he caught you completely off guard. You didn't even realize you were being attacked until the flames painfully scorched your skin.

You let out a horrifying scream as you crumbled to your knees, your shaky hand hovering over your left shoulder as you tried to control your instinct to grab it, knowing it would only hurt worse. You clenched your teeth together, biting back tears as you whipped your head around go see Zuko.

He looked shocked, remorseful even, but that didn't stop anger from edging its way into your glare.

You shuddered at the memory and tried to shake it from your head completely.

"You're all done," Katara said, maneuvering the water back into the bowl. A dull ache returned to your wound, but it felt significantly better than before.

"Thanks, Katara," you mumbled.

"Do you need help rewrapping the bandages?"

You shook your head, preferring to be alone and do the difficult task by yourself. Katara seemed to understand, because she didn't push the issue like she usually would. Instead, she left you with a few words.

"What you said was too far tonight, you should really apologize to Zuko, he is trying you know?"

She didn't wait for a response, not that you planned on giving much of one anyway, but soon you were alone, relishing in the peaceful silence.

But your silence didn't last long, just a few minutes after Katara left there was a whispering voice just outside your tent. It was unmistakable who'd come to visit you, and with great reluctance did you let him in.

"What do you want?" you asked, annoyance filling your voice. You refused to make eye contact with the boy, opting to stare at the mess of tangled bandages in your hands.

Your question was met with silence, that only seemed to worsen your mood. Really? He invades your tent just to ignore your one question? This guy was just unbelievable!

You could feel yourself loosing your temperature once again. "I said, what do you-" Your head snapped up at Zuko, ready to tell him off. But you froze when you saw his gaze, and how it held your figure. His jaw was slack, and his eyes swam as tears pooled at his lash-line. But his eyes never met yours. No, his focus was completely on the uncovered scar that graced your left side.

Your shoulder had taken most of the impact, just shy of being completely colored with a dull red scar. But the wound didn't stop there, covering a decent portion of your shoulder blade. The red marking also stretched up in a jagged stripe, narrowing to a point on the side of your neck, just barely marking your cheek.

You hated how you shuddered under his gaze, and had to look away. Your fingers moving faster as your tried to unravel the tangled bandage. You wanted to cover the burned area as soon as possible.

"I- I did that." It wasn't a question. He spoke purely in matter-of-fact statements, he knew exactly where you'd received your mark from.

"Yeah." You said sharply, picking up the bandage and moving to re-wrap the large wound.

"I . . . I am so sorry-"

"You've said."

Re-wrapping the affected area was proving to be more difficult than you'd thought, especially in your heightened state or frustration. Usually Katara did this part, and you were starting to regret sending her away.

"Please, let me help you," Zuko pleaded, reaching a shaky hand out to grasp at the bandage in your grip. You immediately flinched away from him, the sudden movement sending a sharp pain through your left side.

"Stay away from me!" You bit at him.

Zuko immediately pulled his hand back from you, as if he'd burned you unintentionally for a second time. "I'm sorry," he impulsively spilled out.

"Would you stop saying that? Stop apologizing, nothing is going to make me- ow!" Your own pain cut your sentence short, the sharp pain returning, sending another shock wave up your side at your frustrated movements.

"I'm so- just, please, let me help you and then I'll leave you alone, I promise."

You took a moment to think about the offer, and as much as you didn't want his help, the promise for him to leave is what enticed you to agree. So reluctantly, you handed him the bandages and positioned yourself closer to him, allowing Zuko to access your wound and wrap it with ease.

With slow movements, Zuko began wrapping the burned area. His touch was suprisingly gentle, even more so than Katara's, something you hadn't thought possible. But even with his feather-like touch, your skin still twitched as his fingers and the bandages made contact with the more sensitive areas. Zuko muttered out small apologies each time you flinched, despite your earlier message to stop that. Though the skin had begun the early stages of scarring, it was still sensitive.

"Uh, d-did I ever tell you how I got my scar?" Zuko asked suddenly, not even bothering to look up from his task. You knew what he was doing, he'd been doing things like that since he got here, trying to make small talk with you to cover up the awkward tension. You usually never entertained it, but for some reason tonight you felt intrigued by his question.

"No." You answered shortly, trying your best not to show your growing interest. You'd always been curious about the scar.

"My father gave it to me," he stated, oddly calmly. It was almost mindless the way he told the story as he continued to carefully wrap up your injury. Like the memory had become second nature to tell.

"Oh," you whispered out softly, your mind buzzing with a million different ways to respond to him, yet none of them felt right.

"I spoke out of turn during a meeting, over a general. They wanted to sacrifice an entire division of fire nation soldiers to gain the advantage. But I-," He swallowed thickly. ". . . I thought that was wrong so I spoke up."

You nodded ever so slightly, letting out a soft hum, showing that you were still listening and waiting for him to continue. At this point Zuko had finished wrapping the bandages around your burn, allowing you to turn your body to face him fully.

"My father was furious with my disrepect towards the general. He said that the dispute would need to be resolved with an agni kai, and I accepted. And when the day came I thought I'd be fighting the general I interrupted, but then my father walked out, my agni kai was to be against him."

With each word you felt your heart grow heavier and ache for the boy you swore you hated. You were beginning to question whether you genuinely hated him or if what you truly felt was left over betrayal and anger.

"How old were you?" You finally asked the question that had been bouncing around your head since he began the story.

"Thirteen, not long before I was banished."

You felt yourself boil with anger, but for once it wasn't directed towards the boy in front of you. No, you were furious with the Fire Lord. Who could do that to someone? To a child. Zuko must not have noticed the way your jaw clenched and your fists tightened into balls, because he continued the story as if he hadn't just made your heart drop into your stomach with his answer.

"I didn't want to fight my father, I couldn't. But he took my refusal as another sign of disrespect. I begged for his forgiveness, but he wouldn't hear it. He claimed that I would learn my lesson through suffering. He raised his hand just in front of my face and then he-"

His voice caught in his throat with a crack as he visibly grimaced from the sheer memory of the event. Instinctively, you reached out for his hand, placing yours over top of his much larger one. Now it was his turn to flinch at the sudden contact.

"Zuko, it's okay, you don't have to tell me this, I understand-"

"No! I do! I need you to understand that I never meant to hurt you! I need you to know that the last thing I wanted was for you to feel the same pain I did. After what my father did, I never wanted to inflict that on anyone. I knew that pain and yet I still hurt you . . . the one person who actually believed I could change!"

His hands flew into the air as his frustrated yells of regret were lost to the silent night. He then exasperatedly brought his arms back down and dropped his head into the palms of his hands. His body shook as he took in deep breaths, trying his best not to shed any tears. He was just so frustrated with himself.

"I thought you would dodge it," His muffled whimpers poured out. "You always dodged it."

It was then that you realized how cold you'd been to the boy. You were so caught up in your own hurt and anger, only concerned with making him feel as horrible as you had with your hurtful words. Not once had you considered that he was already kicking himself ten times harder for the pain he'd caused you. He really hadn't meant to hurt you.

And that's when you did something unexpected. In an impulsive attempt to comfort him, you threw your arms around his neck, pulling him in to a hug. His breath hitched, obviously shocked by the gesture, his body going stiff.

"I understand now, I forgive you, Zuko."

At those seven words he melted into your embrace, returning it as he wrapped his arms around your figure. His chin now rested on top of your good shoulder, as he was being extra cautious as to not press on your burns.

"And I'm sorry, for what I said about you and your uncle. He'd be proud of you."

His grip on you tighten, mumbling out a 'thank you,' in the process, finally feeling as though he could fully begin healing from all the wrong he'd done.

-

TAGLIST: @theepartygetsmewetter  

[wingsfreedom]

"The Storm" and "Zuko Alone" flashbacks: the questionability of Zuko and Iroh's narration on Azula

It's no secret that the worst we've seen of Azula was in "The Storm" and "Zuko Alone" flashbacks -- not the worst exactly when it comes to her actions but the worst in how the narrative frames her.

First I have to clarify that I don't necessarily hate the flashbacks or how Azula was portrayed in them, just think that they're kind of suspicious.

The narrative in these episodes was keen into understanding Zuko's background and more importantly generating sympathy for Zuko as much as possible. It was self-narrated by Zuko himself and Iroh who's very sympathetic with Zuko.

Let's think out-of-the-box for a moment, while Azula's no angel and Zuko's sympathetic, the way she's framed in their narrated flashbacks was a bit odd (for the lack of better word) compared to how Azula often portrayed in presence, especially when you pair it with how Zuko and Iroh avoid placing direct or too much blame on Ozai, because Zuko wants to please him most and because Iroh has regrets about not being there for his brother (at his younger years according to Legacy at least).

There was a memory bias factor when it comes to Iroh and Zuko's narration of Azula in "Zuko Alone" and "The Storm" flashbacks because again these flashbacks were fully or mostly narrated by them:

For Iroh's theorized bias in The Storm flashbacks: this discussion and this post go in detail about the questionability of his narrative by the factors Azula looks older than Zuko in the very same flashback despite being the younger sibling, how Iroh had his eyes fixed on Zuko-Ozai Agni Kai then closed his eyes and by his own word "looked away" during the burning scene, which shows that he can't possibly see Azula’s real reaction but assumed it. On the other hand, his bias can't be more obvious when he resents Azula for being the "favorite" and considers her an obstacle for Zuko (to throne and Ozai's attention) in Fire Nation Legacy book.

As for Zuko's memory bias: he only says "azula always lies" whenever Azula reveal cruel things their father would do to him (like killing him because of Azulon's punishment in "Zuko Alone" or imprison/kill him again in "The Avatar State" because Ozai regarded Zuko as a traitor and a failure). We also saw in Zuko's messed-up nightmare about the blue and red dragons; where it implied that Zuko deep down might even blame Azula for Ursa's disappearance (likely because she came in his room with the bad news) despite, again, it was Ozai's ambition/power-hunger which eventually led Ursa to murder Fire Lord Azulon and suffers the consequence of treason/regicide (a.k.a banishment by Ozai's word during Zuko's confrontation with him in "The Day of Black Sun"). But due to Zuko's lack of perspective and how he doesn't want to believe his father wants to harm him, he either blames himself or his sister Azula for his life misfortunes, the sibling whom he has a severe competition with and suffers a massive inferiority-complex around (which lead him to develop a lot of negative feelings about her even when she's not necessarily behave badly towards him).

I also like to call attention to the fact that no body in the Fire Nation hates Azula or has a very negative view on her (which is something ATLA lore confirms) except Zuko and Iroh.

So consider Azula a scapegoat of some sort because of Iroh and Zuko's complicated feelings with Ozai. Though Zuko's case is more understandable, imo.

[dreamteamspace]

They really went there huh

/rp (good lord I rly hyperfixated on this essay huh)

torture tw, abuse tw, manipulation tw, gaslighting tw

So the Dream SMP built a character, once maybe morally gray, who slipped straight into villany with little to no desire to change, and willing to cause a LOT of pain to get his way. Despite this, he doesn’t question what he does enough to stop, justifying his actions with a good intent that doesn’t come close to justifying what he’s done.

C!Dream is unremorseful of what he’s done, he’s quite literally manipulated and gaslit (like actually, not in the way everyone keeps throwing the word around) c!Tommy, almost drove him to take his last life- like, jesus christ. That’s not even to mention blowing up L’Manburg three times, encouraging c!Wilbur, wanting the discs JUST to have power over c!Tommy, etc.

SO, he gets thrown in a box for it so he doesn’t hurt anybody anymore, making his own hubris his downfall (narrative consequence my beloved). This leads us to a good finale - the bad guy, the person who’s caused objectively the most pain and destruction, is now unable to do so anymore, taken down by the person whom he tried to weaken. It is also revealed he was planning on blackmailing and threatening pretty much everyone, but now everyone gets their stuff back.

Good, right?

Especially for the finale, yeah! The message of the finale is good, c!Tommy manages to escape his abuser with nothing more but his clothes on his back and fights his way back to c!Tubbo and his home.

He doesn’t let his trauma (which is still very present!) let him become a terrible person (arguably the way that c!Dream DID let his frustrations make him a terrible person, c!Tommy, despite bearing quite a heavy weight, recognizes when he begins to turn that way and actively works against it).

It shows that while alone, c!Tubbo and c!Tommy were outfought by Dream, but because c!Tommy went the length to ask for help (which he didn’t even really seem to be relying on actually showing up), he wins! It truly is a good message.

C!Tommy escapes his abuser and manipulator, refuses and fights his trauma to not become someone he doesn’t want to be, and defeats his abuser by asking for help and receiving it, even more than he thought he’d get. He refuses to play c!Dream’s “game”, refuses till the very last moment to let c!Tubbo die, to surrender and say goodbye to him.

So, great! Good finale! C!Dream The Villain is boxed like a fish in a prison of, quite literally, his own making. It sent a good message to people. C!Tommy wasn’t expected to forgive him and did, in fact, axe him down twice, causing c!Dream to finally fall from his high horse.

Most media would stop at this point, say the villain is now defeated and never show them again, or have them come back another one or two seasons later, escaped and seemingly unharmed and worse than ever.

Alternatively, there’s a throwaway line, (or, in good media, a genuine, reasonable backstory, complete with remorse and bad role models and complicated situations), that allows the villain to be redeemed.

In GOOD redemption arcs (See: Zuko from avatar tbh), the villain was already never quite as heartless, or stressed their good intent, or felt remorse for what they felt they “had to do”. Then, ideally, the villain takes a looooong time adjusting their habits, regretting their actions and changing until they’re considered redeemed.

Not on the Dream SMP, though.

They don’t stop at c!Dream’s defeat.

He doesn’t dissapear off-screen and is never spoken of again. His life continues on, everyone’s does, just like it would in reality. He doesn’t magically want to become a better person, far from it. So no redemption. But he doesn’t dissapear, either.

They go on to, slowly, stress how awful the conditions in Pandora’s Vault are. c!Bad says c!Dream should be imprisoned, but at least at slightly better conditions. We’re in very VERY morally gray territorry here. Nobody says c!Dream is a good person, of course not, but even c!Bad - who knows Dream was planning on keeping c!Skeppy in a cage to control him with - goes, “yeah, he should stay boxed, but does he really need to like... suffer suffer?”

Still, c!Dream seems to be kindof inconsistent in his behavior. Is he faking his pain? Is he not? His actions don’t fully make sense for either take. He acts differently to each person, but at the same time some things he does don’t make sense if he were just fishing for pity.

Then c!Sam admits to trying (and thinking he succeeded) to “break Dream’s will”, to quite literally starving him for weeks.

Okay, so now we’re a step further. C!Dream is now suffering even more, although already boxed and unable to hurt anyone. Pandora’s Vault is one thing, but now c!Sam just seems to be out for revenge and nothing more. Instead of spending his time with c!Tommy, he spends his time pickaxing(?) c!Dream.

C!Sam isn’t an angel, and we should all know that by now. He does what he thinks is right, but he’s deeper than that, all characters on the DSMP are.

He cares deeply for the Badlands, and would always choose them above anybody else. He’s a capitalist. He built the prison because it would benefit the Badlands resource-wise, despite knowing Dream would probably use it on his enemies, and it was no secret that ALL members of L’Manburg, especially c!Tommy, are his enemies. C!Sam, undoubtedly, knew that. He still built it.

Arguably, he didn’t know about c!Dream’s attachment obsession at the time, but the point still stands.

People have already latched onto the untold story happening between c!Dream and c!Sam, and frankly, we barely know enough about it. Does c!Sam torture him regularly? Do they talk? Does c!Dream try to verbally fight back? CAN he fight back? We don’t know! We’ve gotten proof for both, between c!Sam saying that c!Dream is terrifying even in prison and c!Dream going silent to go on strike. We don’t have enough of an idea how bad or how good it truly is.

So the people who prefer to humanize c!Dream and explore morality imagine c!Sam to downright torture him, people that prefer to see c!Dream as nothing but evil due to his actions imagine prison on the DSMP to not be equivalent to real life prison, and thus nowhere near as torturous as people are making it out to be.

Now all that is thrown out the window as c!Quackity quite literally tortures him.

So now the internet is faced with a question that, judging by some of the impulsive reactions *cough cough* celebrating torture *cough*, it didn’t turn out to be ready for.

Tell me.

How far do we go?

C!Dream hurt a LOT of people. He did a lot of things that caused irreparable damage. Now what? Do we torture him forever? Why? Because he deserves it? How do we determine that without comparing one kind of pain to another?

It’s custom and kindof generally respectful not to compare people’s pain too accurately, because different things vary greatly in severity depending on the person that experiences them.

At what point do we say he’s suffered enough without comparing exile to the prison?

And if we DO compare, does that even make the question easier to answer?

And if he’s never suffered enough ever, killing them would be a mercy...

At what point has a person done enough damage that they “deserve” to die? What if someone only did half of the things c!Dream did. But if c!Dream gets infinite punishment, and half of infinity is still infinity, do they ALSO deserve endless suffering?

Do you think every person that did something you can’t emphasize with deserves to suffer for eternity and die?

I’m not saying we SHOULD emphasize with c!Dream. He did things we cannot justify, that NOTHING can justify. He did things that were, by their nature, unjustified.

I’m also not saying anybody should forgive him. I think it’s a GOOD thing that c!Tommy doesn’t want nor is narratively pushed to forgive c!Dream.

But c!Dream doesn’t need c!Tommy’s forgiveness to be... a person.

There’s a saying that I’m sure you know, that goes “I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy.”, because there’s things you wouldn’t want any human being to experience. Not because you like them, not cause you think they’re right, but because they’re human.

And perhaps this is my personal opinion, but I don’t think c!Dream being a bad person justifies dehumanizing him, because then we get into an area where someone needs to meet criteria just to be human.

-

I met someone once, whom, because of outside circumstances I knew I probably wouldn’t meet again. We’d been getting along just fine for people who just met, and were both getting into an interesting discussion about morality. They kept insisting upon something I kept refuting, so they said they needed to get something off their chest.

They proceeded to tell me that they had, years ago, while a teen, manipulated someone in a relationship, pushed boundaries and tried to convince them to do things they didn’t really want to do to get what they wanted.

They cried, while telling me, too terrified to tell anybody they know, terrified nobody would ever speak to them again, insanely regretful of their actions. They didn’t know whether to go back and apologize or just stay as far away as humanly possible, didn’t know which one the right thing to do is.

It had been years, by then, and I talked them through it. I said that what they did was bad, and there’s no going around that. But I also said what I saw, which is someone who would never do something like that ever again. I saw a human being. Someone who regrets a mistake they did and now, after enough time has passed, would do anything to make it undone.

Someone who is too terrified to be close to anybody in fear that they would do it again. I don’t remember if they already went to therapy or not, but it was definitly on the table, or in the near future.

They asked me how I could possibly even keep talking to them after they told me all that. They implied they felt like some kind of monster despite literally chocking back tears, firmly convinced they don’t deserve to be close to anybody in their life ever again.

I never swerved from the fact that what they did was wrong, and harmful. But I also told them they’re human. The universe isn’t keeping score. They want to be a better person now, and they were never going to learn how if they never let themselves be close to anybody.

I told them to seek therapy, and to slowly, carefully, try. Assured them that the fact that they regret it so strongly will at least help them in not falling back into the same pattern, and if they do, they can learn to recognize that.

They thanked me after the conversation, genuinely, especially for the fact that I didn’t sugarcoat what happened, because I know otherwise it would’ve felt like I was lying, like I was just sparing their feelings. I wasn’t. I was thinking about how to make sure they get to live without hurting anybody.

As per the circumstances, we didn’t speak again after that, which we knew basicly from the very start.

-

I still think about that conversation a lot.

Do you think they should’ve been locked up for life after it happened, instead?

Do you think this real human being, that I spoke to, that took years to realize their mistake - and never would have realized it if they hadn’t had the time to, if they’d been killed right afterwards - deserves to suffer forever?

Let me tell you something, from someone who’s been in more than one abusive situation: People that hurt you are human.

That doesn’t mean you have to forgive them. That doesn’t mean you have to like them. That doesn’t mean you have to make an effort to understand them. That doesn’t mean you need to go anywhere near them ever again.

You can hate them. You can be angry at them. You can (and should) go as far away from them as possible, and/or defend yourself.

But that doesn’t mean you have to dehumanize them.

You’re allowed to hate and dislike people that are human, because you’re human, especially if they hurt you. That’s how life is.

And to go back to my original point - c!Quackity torturing c!Dream is not something that should be celebrated.

There’s a difference between necessary measures (locking c!Dream up so he doesn’t hurt anyone), and torturing people for fun.

It’s not right. It’s never going to be right, and do not justify literal torture on human beings, and do not make someone lower-than-human to justify torturing them.

Taking revenge on someone for what they did tenfold is romanticized, I know, but I promise you it’s not actually as cool as it sounds.

[seyaryminamoto]

Do you think canon Zuko has any understanding of the idea of duty? That he, especially given that he aspires to political power, should act like his status as Prince gives him certain responsibilities? That doing what's best for the for Fire Nation or the world might require him to do things which make him unhappy or uncomfortable or require him to make grave personal sacrifices? Does he even understand duty as a concept?

Oof. Complicated questions, thus, this sat in my inbox for a veeeery long time.

I honestly, seriously, genuinely... don't think Zuko truly understood, at any point in canon, what it really meant to be a leader. I know many of us (and I think you, too?) don't particularly like the comics, but in my opinion, The Promise did a surprisingly decent job at highlighting several problems left in the wake of the end of the war, and perhaps unintentionally, this is one of the problems: upon becoming Fire Lord, Zuko is remarkably erratic, unsure of his choices, even seeking advice from his FATHER, of all people, because he has no idea what he's doing.

In the most favorable possible view of Iroh, he taught Zuko to be a better person. I don't entirely adscribe to this belief, but fine, let's concede that he did, or else this answer would never end: not just because you're a good person, however, are you guaranteed to be a good leader. Zuko, as we both know, is far from the best person in the world, and he is prone to making impulsive, emotional mistakes that can cause harm and trouble, and typically, Zuko doesn't face the consequences of most his actions, or the narrative just pins the blame on someone else. When we see this sort of behavior in a real-life politician, the immediate reaction we would have is "this guy is awful at his job", and sadly, I find myself thinking that quite often when it comes to Zuko's canon tenure as Fire Lord.

So... what is Zuko's concept of duty? Going by his pursuit of Aang in the first two seasons, duty is a task given to him by someone whose approval he seeks (in this case, Ozai) and he must pull it off, no matter what, to gain said approval. By Book 3, this logic still applies fairly easily to how Zuko acts over Iroh: I've highlighted in the past that the main motivation for Zuko's redemption is Iroh, doing right by Iroh, making amends to Iroh, regretting how he treated Iroh. He points that out explicitly in Ember Island Players, he does it as well indirectly by bringing up Iroh first of all, when confronting Ozai: this is his main priority. Ergo... I'd honestly say it's safe to judge that this is what Zuko regards as duty, as what he has to do. Iroh wants him to be Fire Lord? That's exactly what he becomes. The difficulties and complications in this particular line of work are taken for granted, and so, we have an outcome that was remarkably well depicted in The Promise, despite that comic's many glaring flaws: Zuko gets swept back and forth, twisted left and right by all the pressures and responsibilities, because he has no idea what he's doing as Fire Lord, and no idea/experience in how to be a real leader.

As far as I can tell, the core of the matter is that nobody really seems to have taken Zuko all that seriously as future Fire Lord. Ozai, evidently, wasn't training Zuko to be his personal heir. Ozai himself is a questionable source of information regarding learning what it means to be Fire Lord, considering he, as well, wasn't raised to take that role, just as he didn't raise Zuko for it. Yet Iroh didn't exactly teach Zuko how to lead anyone either, as far as I can tell: his lessons were meant to be of a more personal nature, and even then, Zuko had lots of trouble accepting most of them. Iroh's firebending lessons to Zuko were typically stunted in the basics because he was hot-headed and rash about getting to the intense and interesting stuff...

So: neither Ozai nor Iroh gave Zuko actual responsibilities. Ozai gave him a punishment Zuko was trying to endure however possible, a punishment he wanted to prove himself unworthy of by finding the Avatar and "regaining his honor". Then, Iroh punished Zuko as well by giving him the cold shoulder in Book 3, then he escaped and Zuko did everything he did, after betraying Ozai, to prove himself worthy of Iroh's kindness once again. It's not actual duty, the way it is in Azula's case: no doubt, Azula wants Ozai's approval too, but she has the madman's trust when it comes to finding her brother and uncle, to taking down the Avatar, and to conquering Ba Sing Se, as far as anyone can tell. I do doubt Ozai gave her all these missions at once, but he gave her the resources through which she pulled off ALL of them: she had the firebending procession, she had a ship, she had a train-tank, she had mounts... Zuko had a rundown ship that looked like a 1:10 scale version of every other ship in the harbor back in the very third episode: he was being punished. In contrast, Azula is entrusted with a mission, with LEADERSHIP, while Zuko has no visible, tangible, objective experience with the latter (consider how Azula steals the Dai Li's loyalty from under Long Feng: when did we see Zuko pulling off something like this? Even with Jet, Zuko was more of an associate to the Freedom Fighters, and Jet was still the leader).

I've always thought Zuko wasn't prepared to be Fire Lord, and the main reasons are the ones you indirectly point out through this ask: Zuko doesn't seem to treat the throne as a responsibility, but as his right. I won't get tired of pointing out that this was NOT Zuko's birthright, he was NOT born thinking he'd be Fire Lord: he was born to the second branch in the Fire Nation family. We literally SEE the day in which Lu Ten's death is revealed to him. According to somewhat official sources? He's ELEVEN in Zuko Alone's flashbacks. I, personally, think he looks a little younger than that, but I think that's the official wikia age, no idea where they got that info but that's what it says. Meaning...

Zuko, objectively, only had been crown prince for FIVE YEARS.

Zuko was NOT raised, not by his mother, not by his father, with the belief that the throne would one day be his (Ursa is gone before Ozai is crowned and Ozai clearly wanted Azula for the job rather than Zuko).

And yet, when you backtrack to the show? It seriously looks like that was the case. He clings to the throne in Books 1 and 2 as though he had no other purpose in life, as though this was everything that was promised to him (in contrast, Azula only ever indicates wanting the throne in Sozin's Comet: Part One). Even when he's an outlaw, discarded and cast out, he STILL talks about the throne, as though most his identity were built upon the notion that he must become Fire Lord: why? How come? Within five years, he's crafted his entire existence around being the heir to the throne? That's... a bit weird.

And a bit wishful, too. Which is why I commend that the comics show him struggling as Fire Lord, if anything they should've had him struggling MORE than that, because Zuko is simply NOT prepared for these responsibilities. He never gave any indication, any sign, of seeing it as such. He sees it as his right, his birthRIGHT. Why? Why more people don't ponder how utterly strange this behavior is, beats me. But it really does bother me that Zuko built his entire existence around being Fire Lord in a very similar way to how Korra built her own about being the Avatar. I have very little praise to give LOK in general, but the premise of Korra learning she was a person, a human, and not just the Avatar felt like the perfect parallel to Aang's story, where he was very much anchored in his humility and belief that he was just "one kid", and his rejection of his duties as the Avatar was meant to change gradually as he learned to accept himself as he was. Korra, however, never fully hit the mark with this subject, in my personal opinion... much as Zuko doesn't hit the mark either, since the show's only direct attempt to "deconstrue" Zuko's clinging to the throne happens in one dialogue, and his attachment to the idea is built up again, right afterwards:

Zuko: And then ... then you would come and take your rightful place on the throne? Iroh: No. Someone new must take the throne. An idealist with a pure heart and unquestionable honor. It has to be you, Prince Zuko. Zuko: Unquestionable honor? But I've made so many mistakes. Iroh: Yes, you have. You've struggled; you've suffered, but you have always followed your own path. You restored your own honor, and only you can restore the honor of the Fire Nation. Zuko: I'll try, Uncle.

And there we have it. The only point in the show (that I can remember) where Zuko seemed to not feel worthy of the throne and questioned he should be the one sitting on it (RIGHTFULLY!), buuuuuuuut he goes right back to wanting it, right afterwards, based on how this single exchange was enough for him to be 100% determined to take down his sister, merely a few lines later.

As for his willingness to make personal sacrifices... some might say he was outright willing to die for Katara in the finale -- though I'll point out he was trying to redirect the lightning anyway, didn't do it as well as he should have, but he wasn't exactly, consciously, trying to DIE for her... --, some might say that he left Mai behind in the FIre Nation, and that as well was a sacrifice... but was it? We don't see him missing her, or suffering about her fate, at any point in time after SHE sacrifices herself for him in the Boiling Rock (my biggest gripe over this particular canon couple is this, tbh). I feel like the show generally presents Zuko's situation as somewhat... self-sacrificial? Especially in Books 1 and 2, and yet that's really not the case: it isn't Zuko himself who makes the choice of traveling to find Aang, it's a punishment inflicted upon him.

This particular view upon his circumstances makes it so Zuko is never responsible for... well, any of his choices? It's always someone else's fault, therefore, whatever he suffers through, there's always someone he can (and usually does) resent for it. Therefore... I can't genuinely think of anything Zuko sacrificed in order to come as far as he did. He was forced to let go of things by his father, typically, by Zhao as well, maybe, but even then, it's not like we saw that he has a super healthy and happy relationship with, I don't know, Earth Kingdom people (his only meaningful positive EK bond was with Jin, which went nowhere and goes forgotten after a single mini episode)? The Palace staff? The commoners of the Fire Nation (they just treat him like a hero and he seems awkward and distant about it anyway, like he can really just do without their worship)? He doesn't have other friends beyond Azula's own friends... thus, he doesn't sacrifice anything that really matters. And in a sense, some people might say he doesn't have to sacrifice anything at all: he already went through so much strife and struggle that why would he need to sacrifice anything else? But the thing is... you DO have to learn to make such sacrifices if you're going to be a good king.

So often, people who devote themselves to their jobs have to consciously neglect their families, to name one thing: Zuko neglects Mai and she explodes at him for it in The Promise, then he just tries to get her back at all costs in Smoke & Shadow, with no thoughts given to the fact that maybe he isn't ready to juggle both a relationship and the throne, that maybe Mai could be happier with someone other than him, someone who can give her the attention and relationship she's looking for... THOSE are the sacrifices I'd be referring to, personally, sacrifices where his happiness and peace of mind have to be set aside for the sake of something much more important than himself, and I expect that's the kind of sacrifices you're referring to, too. I seriously don't think he's ready to make them, and with the comics as reference, there's seriously no evidence to suggest he's prepared to accept these burdens that come with the heavy mantle of leadership and ruling. I've never seen any signs of him being ready for it, myself. Maybe I need to reexamine the show and see if maybe I'm missing something... but I don't really think I am.

The worst part, for me, is that Zuko isn't even doing the bulk of the things he's doing in pursuit of genuine happiness: he's doing it over a sense of destiny. He never stops to reason with that destiny, to wonder if maybe he doesn't need to be Fire Lord, if maybe he could have a life beyond that role. Book 2 veeeery briefly suggests he MIGHT be on his way to questioning that destiny, but as I've said before, I don't see the sense in Zuko's big change of heart after the Appa incident considering we don't really understand what he's learned, other than how to be the perfect nephew for Iroh, apparently. Zuko never really is happy, as he says in the show: his happiest moments are with Mai and they're only like a 25% of his relationship with her, everything else is a mess (and his relationship with her isn't exactly the core of his character, either). So, the way I see it... Zuko is even worse off than it looks at first glance. He's out to fulfill a destiny he has never stopped to reason with, a destiny he's 100% sure is his, despite he has only been on that path, objectively, for five years? Despite he wasn't raised all along under the belief that this was what he was supposed to be? If given a chance to be genuinely happy, what on earth would he even do? A lot of the growth I gave him in Gladiator was based on that particular question: is the throne really what Zuko needs to be happy? It doesn't look like it, even in canon. If it's not... then it's not happiness he seeks, it's some sort of sense of assurance that he's doing the right thing, according to the figure of authority he follows at a set point in time: by Book 3, said authority is Iroh, and Iroh wants him on the throne. His motivation, as far as I can see it, is as simple as that.

Long story short... I don't think Zuko really has a strong grasp on many concepts that he absolutely should have reasoned with and worked out in order to become Fire Lord. In a sense, he's way too young for the role he's given, for the heavy burdens he has to deal with, and I'll NEVER see the sense in not having Iroh taking the throne (beyond how "poetic" the creators and writers found it to crown Zuko to finish his story, of course), at least for a short time, before Zuko can be ready. This is exactly why I wrote things that way in my oneshot where Azula takes Zuko's role, more or less: Iroh serves as regent while Azula prepares for taking the full role of Fire Lord when she's ready. I love her, she's awesome, I absolutely adore her character... but I don't think an Azula who was sidelined and sent on a long voyage with her uncle for YEARS could possibly be ready for the responsibilities of being Fire Lord right away.

Meanwhile? Iroh was given leadership of military missions enough times that he became a general in the Fire Nation forces. By all evidence, he was Fire Lord Azulon's pampered and spoiled son, whom he DID prepare for the duties of a Fire Lord for as long as Iroh was born: Iroh literally had fifty-ish years of preparation, as far as I can tell? How is he NOT the better suited person to take the throne, if just temporarily, while his nephew learns what it really means to rule by watching him, or by maybe learning leadership by managing smaller duties first, a specific town or city, and then putting his knowledge to good use by becoming Fire Lord properly?

Eh... because it wouldn't be an epic enough finale for the show, I suppose. That's the only answer I can find for this particular question.

So... yeah. That got long :'D but in short... I don't think Zuko has a strong grasp on responsibility and duty, let alone on the burdens inherent to these concepts. Yet more reasons why his character's arc can't hit all the marks it should, imo, to make it as great as the whole fandom is already convinced it is.

[firelxdykatara]

I would actually be really genuinely interested to read your defence of Makorra. I’ve never really been partial to any of the TLOK ships but I know that one gets a lot of hate (even though I don’t see anything wrong with people shipping it) and I’m just curious to see your take.

I've been sitting on this a bit, because it's been a while since I actually sat down and thought about what it is I love so much about Makorra--the fire/water and slap-slap-kiss/BST energy aside--and it reminded me that I actually rewatched the first three episodes of LoK not that long ago (which is when I had my revelation about Equalist Asami, and how I think that the Equalist Mako and Korra fight in episode three was originally meant to be Asami's true introduction to the show, to be revealed when it became clear she and her father were Equalists), because of this meta by @devildogdemon on episode three that reminded me just how much those early episodes made me love Makorra well before the love triangle crashed onto the scene and everything went tits up.

I've spoken before about how what I really loved about Makorra was the potential:

I personally loved Makorra, but I loved it for what it could have been, not what it wound it actually being in the show–but that’s because the love triangle was sloppy as hell and poorly handled, and it took the place of actual bonding for the krew and development of their individual friendships.

This still holds true, and I think the foundations were all very well laid out in the meta that I linked above.

When Mako and Korra had time alone together, and were in a stressful situation, they worked incredibly well together, despite the way their personalities--Mako a bit staid and stoic, used to shoving down his emotions so that he could be the parent his little brother needed and, as a result, never learning how to process how he felt in a healthy manner, while Korra spent her whole life among adults and as a result never really learned how to just be a kid, or how to relate to others her own age, so she is brash and reckless and does what she thinks is necessary because she's never been around people who had to ask permission before they just Did Things and hey, she's the avatar, shouldn't she be the one everyone is looking to for leadership???--tended to clash, especially early on.

They slid almost effortlessly into the Battle Couple trope when it came time to fight--to try and get Bolin back, and to protect one another--and those scenes in Book 1 feel a lot like Zuko and Katara training together at the end of book 3, covering each other's blind spots and accomodating for each other's weaknesses. This is also, incidentally, the episode where Korra winds up wearing Mako's scarf--the one memento he has from his parents, who were killed when he was a child. Sound familiar?

-insert image of katara's necklace around zuko's wrist here-

And before anyone gets on me about the parallels, I'm not saying that Makorra is the same as Zutara (although if you told me that Bryke intended it to be, I'd believe it--either because they thought they were finally giving the shippers what they wanted or, more likely, they wanted to show why they believed zk would never work), but the parallels do exist, and it's largely because Mako occupies the same position within the krew that Katara does within the gaang. They also have the BST and the banter more than any other relationship in the krew, so of course they're going to wind up paralleled to the relationship in the gaang that had the most narrative tension. They are still, at the end of the day, very different relationships, because Mako and Korra are very different people than Zuko and Katara.

But I'm just saying, the symbolism of one half of the pair wearing the other's only physical link to their dead parents........it's there. I didn't make this up.

They also, again like zutara, have this moment of emotional closeness and vulnerability early in the book--in episode 3, where Mako reveals to Korra what happened to his parents and why he had history with the triads, which casts some light on why he acted the way he did in the very first episode (I've seen people getting on Mako's ass about how 'mean' he was to Korra, but like, a) he was very calm about it, and b) how else would you expect someone who lived hand to mouth on the street for an entire decade to react to someone claiming they had 'nothing' in the same breath as admitting that they'd never had to want for anything in their entire life?), and allows them to become closer emotionally--as friends and potentially more, given the explicitly romantic framing of the interaction and several others throughout the episode.

Ultimately, what initially drew me in to Makorra was that slap-slap-kiss/Belligerent Sexual Tension they had in the beginning of book 1, but what really makes me think of what they could have been is the way their relationship developed in episode 3 and the groundwork that was laid for a slow-burn there, rather than Korra deciding she was in love with him just in time for Asami to crash into the scene and nab him first.

(Incidentally, had Asami been an Equalist like she was originally supposed to, this could all have been part of a larger plot and Korra could have slowly come to realize what Mako meant to her while examining the things she felt when she saw him with Asami--meanwhile, all of their relationships could have been given room to breathe and grow, especially if Bolin's puppy crush on Korra were dropped, and Mako and Korra clashing over Korra's suspicions of Asami wouldn't have been quite so ugly if both of them were proven just a little bit right. And then allow for that betrayal to shake the foundations of the krew before Asami works her way back into their good graces, and Mako and Korra don't get together until they've navigated the fallout from that and discovered how much they really mean to each other.)

Uh... yeah, I rambled for days, hopefully I answered your question adequately! I just. I really love Mako, and I really love what he and Korra could have been to each other, and I really love who Korra could have become if the show let her actually grow organically instead of giving her Character Development Through Brutal Torture, and all of that has I guess kind of sunk into a ball of how the show would look if Makorra were done better to me lol.

[shinidamachu]

I haven't watched anything after ATLA, but I was shocked to find out that Zuko and Mai don't work out. What are your thoughts? Do you think the writers could have gone in a different direction or was it for the best?

I gotta be honest, you're not missing out much by not engaging with the extras. I only watched Legend of Korra and I don't really remember Mai even being mentioned on it.

They did give Zuko a daughter, though. Her name is Izumi. And even though they never explicitly revealed the mother to be Mai (or what was made of her), I just assumed she was the mother due to the remarkable resemblance:

Now, I haven't read the comics (nor will I ever), so if you're actually refering to them, my knowledge is very limited. But it is my understanding, from the metas I've read about them, that Zuko and Mai break up and make up, as it was their modus operandi in ATLA.

Mai not being around in LOK doesn't necessarily mean she's dead or that they broke up for good. The fate of their relationship was purposefully left open and they do end up together at the end of ATLA, so what happens after doesn't really matter since not everybody takes the comics or LOK as canon, anyway.

Now, since you asked for my opinion... I wasn’t shocked to find out about how they were portraying Maiko in the comics at all. First, because Bryke suck at writing romance. Second, because from the interactions in ATLA, this was more or less what I imagined their relationship would play out and that’s why I never shipped them.

MAIKO CRITICISM UNDER THE CUT!

The writers should have gone in a different direction, but in the ATLA finale. I love Zuko. And I love Mai. But I don’t like them as a couple because I think they are not fitted for each other. And I’m not just saying that because I’m a Zutara shipper, let’s get this out of the way right here, right now.

I’m saying this because I would rather they had ended up alone than together. Not only them, but Aang and Katara as well. They were all so young I feel like there wouldn’t be any harm for the story if no couples were canonized. 

Especially because, again: Bryke suck at writing love stories (with the notable exceptions being Yukka and Sukka) and romance was actually the less compelling part of ATLA.

More than that, if Zuko and Mai had to end up with a love interest, it shouldn’t have been each other because Maiko is actually a disservice to their characters. In some aspects, it keeps Mai from growing and it regresses Zuko's development.

You see, their relationship always struck me as something they would eventually grow out of. Don’t get me wrong, I have no doubt they really cared about each other. But the narrative went out of its way to show us that the years they spent apart changed their dynamic fundamentally.

Mai and (especially) Zuko aren’t the same people they were when they first met. And when they finally reunited, no real effort was made to learn who was this new person in fron of them. He tried to open up, but she shut him down. 

Instead of reconnecting, of deepening the relationship, they insisted on jumping head first into dating and picked things up where they left off, desperatelly trying to cling to what they knew and forcing two pieces of a different puzzle to click. Of course it wouldn’t work.

The person Zuko became needed someone passionate by his side. Someone he could open up to and confide in. Someone with the same sense of honor, of justice. Someone who understood him and his actions, who got how important it is for him to take the throne and right the wrongs of his country. Someone he could count on to help him get there. I guess we can all agree that this doesn’t sound like Mai.

The person Mai became needed someone who would focus on her and her needs for once. Someone who would have made her a priority. Someone who could actually see past her poker face. Someone who would take her away from the boring royal stuff she hates so much. I guess we can all agree that this doesn’t sound like Zuko, either.

When he took off to join the Gaang, he left the life style he had always known behind because it didn’t fit who he was anymore. He can’t go back from that. And this includes Mai. She is the personification of that life. And as much as they liked each other, being together just doesn’t make sense anymore. Especially because becoming Fire Lady inevitably traps her in the life she was trying to get away from. It’s one of the worst endings they could have given to these characters.

And the way it was executed? Even worse. They reconciled without as much as a conversation about what happened: his “betrayal”, the end of the war, what it means for their relationship, if their feelings were still the same. In fact, apparently Zuko kind of... completely forgot she was in prison and made no move to get her out because he had been too busy fighting Azula and taking lightning to the chest for Katara.

Mai isn’t even a part of the apotheosis of his arc. He got where he needed to be and she wasn’t one of the characters who activelly help him get there. This is very symbolic. And the apotheosis of her arc? Was saving him from Azula, but she didn’t did it because she understood his reasons and wanted to be supportive. She did it because he is the guy she likes. Which is fine, but not enough to “award” her with Zuko. There were feelings there, but they were never on the same page.

“Mai Alone,” is what she deserved. To travel the world on her own. A different place every day. Never the same, always moving. Maybe that way she would have seen the things Zuko did. Maybe this way she would have understood. And after tasting freedom, she would have realized she would have never want to be confined to palace walls ever again. Not for Zuko, not for anybody.

She would have been much happier as the first woman in the White Lotus or as a Bounty Hunter. A spy who, after seeing what the Fire Nation did to the world, finally found her calling by working on the shadows to make sure nothing will break the peace the Avatar and the Fire Lord managed to achieve.

And Zuko deserved the family he always wanted, with a partner who would not only put up with the political duties, but would have been thrilled to do so. Katara seems like the obvious choice here, but even Jin would have been a better fit.

Sometimes things aren’t meant to be and that’s okay. Zuko and Mai work better as friends.

[pearlsephoni]

This Crazy Youth, Chapter 2: The Chase

Can also be read on AO3!

Rating: T (for language)

Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender

Pairing: Zutara (Zuko/Katara), background one-sided Aang/Katara and Toph/Sokka

Characters: The Gaang (Zuko, Katara, Aang, Sokka, Toph Beifong)

Word Count: 5,015

Summary: Zuko is unofficially welcomed into the group as chaos ensues with their arrival at the base of Mount Mahendra. 

A/N: Thank you once again to @thebansheeandherboy for beta-reading and editing this, and to @south-asian-zutara for organizing Zutara Dhamaka 2021! 

They arrived at the base of the mountain early the next day. A chorus of relieved sighs rose from the group when Joo Lee revealed that they had rooms ready for them at the local inn, and they wouldn’t begin the hike until the following morning. 

“Thank the spirits,” Sokka groaned as he, Zuko, and Aang filed into their room. “I’m not gonna be conscious for the next 24 hours.” 

“I thought you wanted to try the food-”

“24 hours!!” he declared over Aang’s timid words. And with that, he flung himself onto his bed and was out within seconds. 

The silence in the room was broken by his snores as Zuko and Aang stared at each other. It was the first time they had been alone, and Zuko now realized that he had no idea how to talk to a young airbender. Who also happened to be the Avatar. 

“So, um—”

“Katara mentioned—oh.”

“Ah.”

They lapsed in silence again, before Zuko sheepishly gestured for Aang to go first. 

“Katara told us that you’re a, uh…” Aang looked over his shoulder to confirm the door was closed. “You’re a firebender?” 

“She didn’t waste any time, did she?” Zuko sighed. “I am, but…no one’s supposed to know. I swear I won’t tell anyone you’re the Avatar, so please…please don’t tell anyone about my bending.” 

Aang’s eyes grew wide. “I won’t tell! None of us will! You can trust us, and you seem pretty trustworthy yourself! But, um…” The uncertainty that flitted across his face looked strange. It didn’t look right on someone with such a charming, bubbly demeanor. “Well, you’ve probably heard about…the Fire Nation searching for me?” 

“I have.” 

“Then you can probably guess that finding a firebending master has been…difficult.” 

“I can imagine.” 

“But now we’ve met you! And we already know we can trust each other with our secrets! So—”

“Hold on,” Zuko stammered, his hands flying up as though he could physically hold back Aang’s suggestion. “I’m not a firebending master.” 

“You don’t have to be! I just need a teacher, someone who can help me get started, y’know?” 

“I…I…” 

“You can think about it. I know you didn’t come on this trip to train someone in firebending. But maybe when I master waterbending and earthbending, I can come back to Ba Sing Se and find you!” 

The uncertainty was gone, replaced by an eager gleam in those grey eyes and bright smile. He was looking at him as though Zuko held all the answers to his questions. Zuko couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen such faith directed at him, and it made his refusal die in his throat. 

How could he tell Aang that the next time he was in Ba Sing Se, Zuko and his family would likely be long gone? How could he explain that he was working to master firebending for the same reason Aang likely was: to face his father and remove him from the throne of the Fire Lord? 

He couldn’t. He couldn’t do it. But he couldn’t think of a lie, either. He could only stare at Aang, lips parted around words that couldn’t seem to form in his mind. 

The next thing he knew, the door to their room was being slammed open, revealing a grinning Toph. “Wake up, sleepyheads!” 

Katara appeared behind her, already looking a little tired by her blustering energy. “They’re not sleeping—” 

“Sokka is!” Toph barreled between Zuko and Aang and threw herself on top of Sokka, forcing a groan from the boy. “Wake up, sleepyhead!” 

“24 hours…” 

“What?” 

“He said he was going to be unconscious for 24 hours,” Aang explained with a grin, his attention thankfully diverted from Zuko. 

“24 hours?!” Just like that, Katara’s exasperation at Toph was redirected at Sokka as she stalked to the side of his bed, hands on her hips. “We made it to the home of Avatar Kali, and you want to sleep? For 24 hours?!” 

“I’m tired, Kat.” 

“You slept on the train!”

“It’s not the same!” 

“Sokka, I’m going to strangle you!” 

“Good, then I’ll get some rest.” 

Katara looked up at the others with a look of defeat on her face. “Well...are you guys ready to head out?” 

Zuko opened his mouth to respond, but he was beaten by Toph, who had an unnervingly smug look on her face. “Oh, I dunno, Sugar Queen. I can think of one thing that’ll get Sokka out of bed.” She grinned at Aang. “Remember his favorite song?” 

“Wha—oh.” The grin that stretched across Aang’s face matched Toph’s, though it looked a little less unsettling on his pleasant features. “Yeah, I think I remember it! What about you, Katara?” 

“He’s going to murder you,” Katara snickered, a small smile making its away over her lips. “But at least he’ll be awake.” 

“Um,” Zuko finally interjected, “what song?” 

“Just sit back and enjoy the show, Sparky.” 

“Sparky?” 

“Two lovers,” Toph suddenly burst out, “forbidden from one another!” 

“A war divides their people,” Aang warbled with a wide smile. 

They looked at Katara with wide, expectant eyes, and she could only hold out for a second before she sighed. “And a mountain divides them apart!” 

Toph let out a whoop before continuing, “Built a path to be together!” 

Their voices were shaky and off-key, and their singing was loud enough to be a nuisance to their neighbors, but Zuko found himself smiling with them as they sang. He recognized the song, partially because the trio’s off-key singing somehow matched Uncle Iroh’s performances in their small apartment, but he was happy to sit back and enjoy, as Toph had suggested. 

But then their singing faltered to a stop, and they stared at each other in disappointed confusion. “What comes next?” 

“I dunno.” 

“Can’t remember.” 

“Secret tunnel!” Zuko burst out before he could stop himself. Three sets of eyes landed on him, and his voice choked off in his throat. 

The smile on Katara’s face was blinding as she hurried to his side and gave his shoulder a gentle shake. “Keep going, Lee!” 

“S-secret tunnel,” he continued, cheeks burning under their smiles. 

“THROUGH THE MOUNTAIN!” Toph and Aang bellowed at the top of their lungs. “SECRET, SECRET, SECR—” 

“That’s it!” Sokka shot upright in the bed and promptly wrapped his arms around Toph, sealing a hand over her mouth before she could continue singing or let out a shout. “You guys are dead!” 

“Run!” Aang zoomed out of the room, and Katara grabbed Zuko’s wrist before she followed, tugging him down the hallway with Toph’s indignant “You jerks are leaving me?!” echoing behind them. 

When Toph finally appeared outside of the inn with Sokka in tow, the boy looked deeply disgruntled and defeated. “C’mon, Snoozles, let’s get some food!” 

“I hate you guys,” Sokka deadpanned, eyes hollow, “so much.” 

The town was quaint, with architecture that flowed with the emerging slopes of the mountain. It was clear that the tour group was the main source of activity in the area, but the locals still greeted them with bright smiles and fair prices. There was a spot just a short walk away from the inn that looked like the tourist center of the town, or the closest thing to a center a town that small could have. 

A large statue of Avatar Kali stood in the middle, standing tall over a small fountain with lilies and burned-down candles floating on the surface. Sokka and Toph headed straight to a food stand selling noodles, and Katara got distracted by a cart selling jewelry. Only Aang stood at the fountain, staring up at the statue with a solemn expression that made him look far older than his age. 

“Do you know anything about her?” Zuko asked as he came to stand next to him. 

“Not really. She’s from about two cycles ago. Almost a thousand years. Not much is known about her anymore, except in the areas around here.” A small, sad smile pulled at Aang’s lips. “I guess at the end of the day, your home is where you’ll be remembered.” 

Home. If all went according to Uncle Iroh’s plan...if Zuko was able to become a firebending master and confront his father...then, and only then, would he be able to call the Fire Nation his home again. 

Of course, that was on the assumption that the nobility and general populace of the country would accept a runaway prince as Fire Lord. But Zuko couldn’t think about that, didn’t want to think about that. Not right now.

“Where’s home for you?” he asked, pulling his thoughts back to the present. 

“The Southern Air Temple.” Just uttering the name of his childhood home made Aang’s shoulders visibly relax, a look of serenity falling over his face. “It’s been a while since I’ve been back, but I’m not supposed to return until I become a master bender of...well. Everything.” 

Zuko bit back a smile. It was good that Aang was being more careful about not revealing that he was the Avatar, but he still wasn’t very good at hiding it. “That seems like a lot for a 14-year-old.” 

“It can be, sometimes. Traditionally, I wasn't supposed to find about...who I am until I turned 16. But with the threat of the Fire Nation trying to create an empire, the monks thought it would be better for me to begin my training now. That way I can carry out my duties of maintaining balance before they become too strong.” His smile slid off his face as he spoke, until weariness settled over his features. “If it wasn’t for the others supporting me, I don’t...I dunno if I could…” 

Zuko didn’t know what to say. He could recognize the pressure that weighed on the young Avatar, the appreciation for the support he had and the loneliness he still felt in his duties. But he couldn’t say that, not without drawing more suspicion to who he was, especially now that they all knew he was from the Fire Nation.

“You’re a good kid, Aang,” he eventually said. “I know it’s a lot of pressure, but...you’re handling it well, from what I’ve seen. I think the world is lucky that someone like you is...well. You know.” 

“I know.” A smile, a real, happy smile, spread across Aang’s face. “Thanks, Lee.” 

Just then, Toph and Sokka hurried over with dishes balanced precariously on their hands. Toph’s timing for interruptions was uncanny. A distant thought crossed Zuko’s mind that maybe she had an added sense for timing on top of her seismic sense.

“Lunch is served!” she crowed, holding up the dishes with a proud grin. 

“Ooooh, what’d you guys get?” Aang asked eagerly. 

“The local specialty! Hakka noodles with goat meat!” Sokka’s proud smile faltered when he met Zuko’s gaze. “Wait, Lee, you eat meat, right?” 

“Yeah.” 

“Oh, good, cuz I only got one vegetarian dish for Aang. Alright, let’s eat!” 

They set aside a dish for Katara before digging in, the younger two sprawled on the ground while Zuko and Sokka balanced on the edge of the fountain. Zuko missed the spice of Fire Nation food, but the hakka noodles had more than enough flavor to make up for the lack of burn. The group was silent, focused entirely on devouring their food, until the sound of approaching drums made their eyes jerk up. 

It was a parade of some sort, or maybe a procession. Everyone in it was dressed in what looked to be formalwear, but Zuko couldn’t figure out what the procession was for until he saw a palanquin being carried by four men. Through the thin, golden gauze draped over the frame, he could see a girl around his age dressed in ornate, gold-embroidered red silk and heavy jewelry. Her eyes were lowered, and a shy smile curved her lips. 

She was a bride, and the parade was a wedding procession, made up of friends and family. 

“Wow!” Aang gasped. “A wedding! What are the odds we’d get to see it?” 

Toph’s frown was a perfect contrast to Aang’s wide smile. “Where’s her partner? Thought you needed two people for a wedding.” 

“It’s probably an arranged marriage.” Zuko flushed under the eyes that landed on him. He still wasn’t used to groups actually paying attention to him when he spoke, especially positive attention. “In more isolated areas like this, arranged marriages are more common than love marriages. It’s more traditional. She probably won’t meet her spouse until she reaches the altar.” 

“Wow…” Sokka murmured. “What a way to get married.” 

“Wha?” Toph mumbled around her mouthful of food. 

“Picture it! Getting married to someone you’ve never met before, from a distant land! You’re scared of who they could be, but as time passes, you get to know each other, and that initial fear and shyness turns into love!” Sokka’s eyes were wide and unfocused as he spun his tale, completely missing the way Toph’s cheeks were dusted with the lightest shade of pink. “It’d be a love story for the ages!” 

“You’re kinda like the prince of the Southern Water Tribe, right?” Aang asked. “Maybe something like that could happen to you.” 

“Oh, yeah! Wow…yeah…” 

Sokka’s face looked positively dreamy at the thought, a sharp contrast to the heavy furrow between Toph’s brows. Aang somehow didn’t notice how upset she looked, leaving Zuko the only one who hoped she wouldn’t channel that stormy mix of emotions into...anything else. 

He wilted in relief in his seat when Katara appeared with a tray of drinks in her hands and the declaration, “That poor girl is throwing away the rest of her life, and you’re fantasizing about doing the same?” 

“What do you mean?” Sokka asked, nearly drowned out by Aang’s shout of “Juice!” 

“Look at her! She can’t be more than, what, 17? She should be learning new things, discovering herself, looking forward to the rest of her life, but now she’s going to be stuck keeping house and taking care of an overgrown manchild. And spirits forbid, she’ll be expected to take care of children when she’s still basically a child herself.” 

It was an ironic moment, hearing Katara rant about the responsibilities of married life while handing out drinks like a mother to her kids, but the earnest anger in her eyes still drove her point home. She sat down next to Zuko once the juices were distributed, and as he handed over her lunch, he couldn’t help asking, “You don’t want to get married?” 

A soft scoff left Katara, though Zuko thought he could spy a hint of wistfulness in her eyes as she watched the procession pass. “Maybe one day, but…I don’t think I’ll meet anyone who I’d want to marry.” 

“Really?” 

“All the men in the Southern Water Tribe want a wife who will wait for them, raise the kids for them, and make a home that will be ready for them when they return.” 

“What do you want?”

Katara looked surprised at the question, a wry smile quirking her lips when she looked at him. “I want to do this. Travel the world, meet people from everywhere, become a waterbending master. One day I’d like to have a family, but for now, I want to live for myself.” 

“And that includes traveling with Aang and helping him get trained?” 

A laugh burst out of Katara, and Zuko could feel a warmth spread through his chest at the sound. “If I get to help save the world along the way, then I can’t complain, can I?” 

It was a little startling to hear it so bluntly said, but when Zuko considered the group, he realized that Katara was right. Here they were, a group of teenagers, all prepared to do whatever they could to stop the Fire Nation—his father—before it was too late. 

But saving the world would have to wait a little longer. After lunch, they spent the day wandering along the hillside, making their way between small homes and down rough paths. As they walked, Zuko spotted a few kids peeking out at them from behind windows and bushes, occasionally stopping their playing to stare wide-eyed at the strangers. He didn’t know what to do besides awkwardly wave, but that only earned him nervous giggles and maybe one returned wave. 

He heard a soft laugh next to him, and looked over to find Katara watching with a fond smile. “Let me try something,” she whispered, her smile turning conspiratory. As Zuko watched, she uncorked her water pouch and drew out a small stream of water. The water shook as she bent it, but it all stayed intact as she turned it into two globes, then a globe with a ring around it, and even a silly little smiley face. She walked as she worked, giving a waterbending show to every child they passed and earning them cheers and small claps. 

“What’s going on?” Toph asked when she heard the soft applause. “Why are they clapping?” 

“Katara’s bending.” There was a longing in Aang’s eyes as he watched over his shoulder, but thankfully he held himself back from bending with her. 

Eventually they left the homes behind and found themselves at a bustling market just as the sun began setting. 

“Coooooool,” Aang and Toph said in unison. 

“How far did we walk?” Sokka looked significantly less excited by the discovery. “Did we get to a whole other town?” 

“No, Sokka, this is Mahendra Market. The main tourist destination around here?” Katara once again looked deeply exasperated with her brother. That’s twice today, Zuko idly thought. Who knew what the tally would be by the end of the trip? 

“That’s here? I thought that was up in the village!” 

He was answered by three blank stares and one confused look, before the group split up to the sound of his complaints. “Wait, guys! Guys, c’mon!” 

This time, Zuko and Katara were on dinner duty, while Aang and Toph looked at some sweets and souvenirs. There were more hakka noodles, but Zuko was more intrigued by the curries served with warm roti. Between him and Katara, they were able to balance four plates over to the rickety wooden tables that made up the dining area. “Nice choice, Lee,” Katara hummed as they looked over their meal. “These curries smell amazing.” 

“Thanks.” It was simple praise, and not even necessarily directed towards him, but Zuko could still feel a pleased flush rise to his cheeks. “Should we go get something to dr—?” 

“Hey, boomerang!” 

The shout made them whirl around, just in time to see a hulking figure loom over Sokka at the desserts stand. Sokka looked like he was doing his level best to stand tall and steadily meet the man’s gaze, but his hunched shoulders weren’t selling a picture of confidence very well. 

“Yes?” 

“You look at my girl funny?” 

“What?” 

“I saw you, pipsqueak, you were looking at my girl!” 

Sokka’s eyes flickered to the woman hovering at the man’s elbow. “She was standing in front of the stand! I didn’t want to bump into her!” 

“What are you saying, that you wouldn’t look at her? You calling her ugly?” 

“What are you talking—” 

Before Sokka could finish talking, the man had grabbed him by the collar with his meaty hands, and pulled him up until his toes were barely skimming the ground. “Apologize.”

“Hey man, I don’t want any trouble—” 

“Apologize.” 

“Hey!” For someone so small, Toph had a huge voice. “Leave him alone!” 

“Oh no,” Katara murmured, already moving forward to intervene. 

“Stay out of this, kid.” 

“I said,” Toph growled, “leave him alone.” Zuko saw her foot twisting in place and her fingers crooking, and the next thing he knew, the man was slipping on dirt that was shifting under his feet, sending him landing roughly on his ass. In the next blink, his hands were trapped in two earthen shackles sunken into the ground, keeping him from getting back to his feet. Then Toph loomed over him, grabbing his collar in one hand and jabbing a finger in his face with the other. “Now you apologize.” 

“You little—” 

“Apologize!” 

There was a tense moment of the man glaring into Toph’s eyes, before he finally grumbled, “I’m sorry.” 

“There. Was that so hard? Now you and your girlfriend run along and leave us alone.” Toph waited an extra beat for her words to sink in, then released the man from his shackles. She was already turning away when he scrambled to his feet, her focus turned to a wide-eyed Sokka. 

Zuko couldn’t hear their hushed words from where he stood, nor could he hear what Katarahissed when she reached their side. He could only watch as Sokka rubbed the back of his neck and Katara started herding them away with a frown. 

Then his eyes wandered over to where the large man and his girlfriend had retreated to, and he felt his stomach drop; the man didn’t look large compared to the group he was rejoining, and he didn’t look all that intimidating next to the glares that the group sent their way as the man gestured angrily at them. “G-guys,” Zuko choked out, just loud enough to get his friends’ attention. “There’s more.” 

“What?” 

“There’s more of them!” he managed to shout in a steadier voice, finger pointed at the men rising out of their seats. “We need to go!” 

There was a moment of tense silence as the two groups’ finally looked at each other. And then—

“SCATTER!” Sokka bellowed, before grabbing Katara by the arm and dragging her back to Zuko. Behind him, Aang and Toph wasted no time disappearing in the other direction, already out of sight by the time Katara grabbed his wrist and tugged him along. 

For the second day in a row, Zuko found himself running as hard and as fast as he could, too focused on keeping up with the siblings to pay much attention to where they were leading him. The marketplace was nothing more than blurs of bright fabrics and golden lights, until he was tugged around a corner and practically slammed into a wall. 

“Shoot, sorry!” Katara gasped. “Are you okay?” 

“Y-yeah,” he groaned, carefully peeling himself off the stone. “Did we lose them?” 

“Some of them are getting closer.” Sokka was peering around the corner, trying and failing to keep himself concealed. “I don’t think we can get away undetected.” 

“I have an idea.” 

“Katara, no.” 

“Just a little ice slick, enough to slow them down!” 

“That never works the way you think it will!” 

“We won’t know unless we try!” 

“Except we do know! We do know, Katara!” 

She ignored her brother’s protests and nudged him away from the corner, focusing on turning the stream of water from her waterskin into a smooth plane of ice on the path. “And now, we wait.” 

Through the bustle of the market, Zuko could pick out one set of heavy footfalls getting closer...and closer… “Katara, are you sure this will work?” 

“Don’t you start doubting me too, Lee.” 

“I’m not, I just—” 

Suddenly there was a shout, a thud, and the sound of metal falling with the biggest clatter Zuko had ever heard. “What in all the spirits’ names?!” 

They jumped out of their hiding spot and found a middle-aged man with his back on the ice, with golden dishes and cutlery strewn all around him. Zuko didn’t know who he was, but he knew he wasn’t one of the thugs. 

“I’m so sorry!” Katara cried out. “Sir, I am so sorry!” 

“I told you,” Sokka hissed. Then his hands were around their wrists, and they were off again, just as one of the thugs rounded the far corner. Somehow, as they ran, the siblings were right back to bickering, while Zuko was trying to suck in enough air to keep going. 

They only stopped when they ran into an alley with a cart blocking the way. “Okay,” Sokka wheezed, bending over to grab at his knees. Apparently the running really had taken a lot out of him. “Okay, alright, we just have to find another way.” 

“SOKKA!” They whirled around to see Toph and Aang barreling towards them, a group of thugs lagging behind them but still determined in their pursuit. “GET ON THE CART!” 

“WHAT?!” 

“JUST GO!” 

Zuko was quick to obey, and he kept the cart balanced as Sokka and Katara climbed on. Within seconds, Toph and Aang were scrambling after them. As soon as they were securely in, Aang called out, “Hang on!” and swept his airbending staff in a wide arc. A gust of wind billowed out, which was enough to get the cart rolling. 

They were moving, but so was the group of men, and Zuko had the sinking feeling the cart wouldn’t gain enough momentum to outrun them. “We’re too slow!” 

“Not for long!” Aang called back. “Toph, make a big ramp five feet ahead of us!” 

“You sure about this, Twinkle Toes?” 

“Trust me!” 

That was all Toph needed. To Zuko’s surprise, she stopped arguing and focused on following Aang’s instructions. Sure enough, a smooth, steep ramp rose from the ground up ahead, making the people around it spring away with surprised shouts. Somehow Toph had managed to create it exactly in the path of the cart, which kept clattering forward, continuing to gain speed...but still not enough. 

Zuko didn’t think of himself as being quick on his feet, but in that moment, they rolled past a man standing on a ladder to hang up a large banner over the street, and he had an idea. Before he could talk himself out of it, he grabbed Sokka’s boomerang and hooked it against the ladder, using their momentum to yank it out from under the man. 

It worked. The ladder fell with a clatter, and with it fell the man, bringing the banner fluttering over the street and on top of the men pursuing them. “Sorry!” Zuko called over the shouts and cries of the pile-up of people he’d caused. 

“Nice, Lee!” Sokka yelled, just as Aang shouted, “Here we go!” 

The cart was moving fast, so fast that the upward slope of the ramp did nothing to slow it down. Instead, it barreled up the slope, sending the group soaring over the street and the wide-eyed locals. 

We’re flying, Zuko thought as he looked down over the market. And they really were. The cart stayed airborne for much longer than he would’ve thought possible. But with every ascent came a descent, and theirs was a bumpy one. His hand immediately shot out to grab the back of Aang’s robes, worried the slight airbender would get flung out of the cart when it bounced back onto the street. “Thanks, Lee!” 

“Just be careful!” 

“Guys!” Katara’s voice pulled their attention to the road ahead...or the lack thereof. They had left the market behind with no sign of slowing down, and the path was broken up by a stream up ahead. “Move!” 

Zuko moved with her shoving hands, letting her take his place at the front of the cart. With a scowl of concentration on her face, Katara pulled a swell of water towards them from the stream. As she worked, the water flowed under the cart and around the back, forming a bowl of sorts around them. 

By moving the water around them, she was somehow able to slow their speed. When the cart finally hit the stream, it was with an unceremonious tipping over, and not the disastrous collision into a wall of water that it would’ve been otherwise. But it did still hit the stream, and it did still dump them all into the water in a bundle of limbs. 

For the first time in what felt like hours, silence filled Zuko’s ears, first with the stream’s water, and then with the stunned quiet of the group when they all resurfaced. It was nice, even though he was freezing as he sat there soaked to the bone. 

Of course Toph was the first to break the silence. “That. Was. AWESOME!” 

“Lee, holy shit, that thing with the ladder was genius!” 

“We’d be screwed if you didn’t warn us about those guys!” 

“Katara, what were you thinking with the ice?” 

“I just saved our necks from breaking, and you’re still mad about that?” 

“Twinkle Toes, nice thinking with the ramp!” 

“You’re the one who made it!” 

“We were flying.” 

Somehow Zuko’s quiet words were noticed by Katara, drawing a thoughtful gaze from her that made him flush. “We really were, huh?” She smiled, her whole face warming with it, and his lips automatically curved to match her smile. “You feeling okay?” 

“As ok as I can after that.” The others had finally noticed their quiet conversation, giving him the chance to shoot a wry grin at the group. “Traveling with you all feels like a constant safety hazard.” 

“You can’t judge when you nearly killed a guy out there!” Toph crowed with a splash at him. “You’re part of the madness now, Sparky!” 

He expected to feel annoyance prickle through him at the nickname and seeming lack of accountability. But instead of annoyance, he felt acceptance and happiness spread through him, warm and slow like honey. Maybe he should’ve felt suspicious of being accepted so easily, but he only felt content. Like he’d finally found a group that he could really belong to. “Well...I’m glad to be here.” 

“And we’re glad to have you,” Katara hummed, draping her arm around Zuko’s shoulders with a bright smile. “Now...as the resident firebender...how about you get us dried off?” 

They trudged their way back into the inn, warm, dry, and exhausted after Zuko’s careful work by the stream. He passed out the moment his head hit his pillow, and for the first time since he’d fled the Fire Nation, his sleep was deep and dreamless. No visions of his past haunted him that night. Just...peace.

[whentheynameyoujoy]

So the ATLA Movie Is... Good, Actually?

Just kidding, of course it’s not, it’s so bad it sucked the paint off my walls. But after ten years of people pointing out its glaring flaws, why would anyone bother talking about this garbage heap if not to go the other direction? So here’s a very brief and very superficial list of things the movie does get kinda... not atrociously wrong.

And they won’t be fake hipster pokes, like “It’s fun to laugh at”, “The Rifftrax for this is OK”, or “Kudos to the actress for managing to say we believe in our beliefs as much as they believe in theirs with a straight face”.

(though now that I mentioned it, it is fun to laugh at, the Rifftrax for this is OK, and massive props indeed.)

Rasta Iroh

Yes, I know it’s not exactly the aesthetic of the real Iroh or that it makes no cultural sense for him to sport this do when no one else in the racebended Indian “OMFG what were you thinking Shyamalan” Nation does but goddamn, long-haired dudes are my one mortal weakness and I will ogle the hell out of him.

Jesus is that a man bun I see that’s it mum I’ve been deaded

Yue’s hair

No.

Now we’re talking. Yue’s hair turned white when the Moon spirit gave her life, so it makes sense for it to go black again when she sacrifices herself to revive the koi fish. It’s a neat detail I find myself expecting whenever I rewatch the scene in the show. Yes, I realize it’d be a pointless hassle to animate since she, unlike in the movie, immediately goes on to become the Moon herself but still. I like.

The Blue Spirit’s mop

Zuko, hun, what’s with the dance-off?

First of all, I want to imagine that Zuko the Theatre Nerd was about to leave his ship with just the mask like in the show but then stuck his head into the cleaning cupboard and went, “Yeah, more coverage might be good, even though it do seem mighty fried to shit”.

Which makes me giggle. I like to giggle.

And secondly, the hair’s movement is what makes the static mess of the Blue Spirit’s solo fight scene appear at least bit more dynamic because God knows the cinematography isn’t doing it.

Any particular reason why it’s at the edge of the action, shot all boring-like?

Now, I get why circular shots would be reserved for Aang while he’s in the practice area and then used once the two join forces. What I don’t get is why Aang’s part of the action scene has a defined visual style while Zuko’s delegated to a few stationary wide shots from afar as though he’s a tertiary goon, meaning that when the time comes to combine the respective pieces of cinema language and visually convey collaboration, there’s not really much to combine.

But as long as Zuko is stuck in this static mess, it’s that awesome disaster on his head flopping about that draws the eye, helping me understand that something even is going on over there.

It also prevents me from paying much attention to how the extras are mostly just staying put and a lot of the hits don’t land, so that’s good.

The music slaps

James Newton Howard is too good for this.

Pls ignore that the word “gods” is used in the ATLA universe

I can’t be the only one who constantly uses this piece to daydream about writing specific fanfic scenes instead of, you know, actually sitting down and writing them. It’s just so good at communicating a sense of sorrow while speaking of rebirth that I find myself getting misty-eyed whenever I listen to it. Unfailingly, the soundtrack as a whole manages to break through the mile-thick crust of horrible acting, confusing writing, and uninspired cinematography and make me feel things. And considering how everything on screen is working against it, that’s no small feat.

Imagine what a powerful experience it would be if the score was used in service of an actual movie.

Dev Patel

No wonder since he’s the only one in the film occupying that crucial intersection between “is a good actor” and “was given something to work with”. It also doesn’t hurt that he breaks with the trend of actors starring in martial arts flicks despite never having done any martial art.

And all EIP-jokes about “stiff and humorless” aside, he’s a pretty decent Zuko considering how abridged this version of the character is. A while ago, I remember hearing a reviewer say that with his comedic chops, Patel should have been cast as Sokka. And on one hand, yes, god, absolutely, I need to see that asap. But on the other? He captures all layers of Book 1!Zuko, the desperate obsession, rage, and self-loathing, and at the same time gives you a peek at the soft momma’s boy dork that’s buried underneath. For Christ sakes, he exudes intensity and ambivalence even when acting against an emotionless hunk of wood that’s giving him nothing in return.

Oh, and I guess there’s a tree in the frame.

Ba dum tss

What can I say, the guy’s good.

Showing vs telling

OK, so this movie is all tell and no show, except for one single moment. And it’s the exact moment where the original goes in the other direction in terms of how information is conveyed.

See, I never liked this. The revelation is preceded by Iroh giving advice to Zuko who scolds him for nagging. Iroh then apologizes, moves in to say the line above, and is interrupted by Zuko who seems rather uncomfortable with Iroh laying his feelings out like this. And once they’re out, Zuko verbally confirms that he knew already and Iroh didn’t need to bother.

All this extraneous information and pussyfooting ends up weakening what should be a profound scene that reveals to us, the viewers, how deep the relationship between these two in fact runs.

Compare to the movie where Dadroh acts like a parent by fussing and worrying, with Sonion needing a single look to tell him and us that he understands what it’s all really about.

It’s genuinely efficient and just good.

No Cataang

Fine, a bit mean-girl bitchy from me since I only start minding the ship in Book 3. And probably unintentional on the part of the creators since there are moments where I think they’re trying to set the romance up? There’s a, well, an attempt to recreate the famous introductory shot of fateful meaningful destiny of meaningness, there’s some slight note of saving each other’s bacon going on, I’m pretty sure they’re the only ones in the film who smile, and oh, right, Katara’s shoved into her post-canon useless role where she doesn’t ever do anything, and is all about Aang right from the get go.

Yes, I will blame the “executive producers” because a) I’m incredibly petty, and b) it’s perfectly in line with their vision of the character so why the hell not.

Hilariously, none of it reads on screen because the actors are just... yeah. These poor kids are struggling so much with delivering their own lines and portraying their own characters they don’t seem to have any strength left to create something between them. To be fair, the bare-bones shot-reverse shot style of their scenes doesn’t exactly lend itself to the idea they occupy the same universe, let alone are friends or each other’s crushes.

And I enjoy this immensely because it allows me to forget the depressing horror show Katara’s life turns into post ATLA.

Yes Zutara

I need to delve into this because it’s fucking hilarious. So in a movie which fails to establish the original’s central romance so spectacularly that if Aang got lost in a crowd I don’t believe Katara would notice, SomEOnE thought it’d be a good idea to add an utterly unnecessary non-canon moment where Zuko for some reason feels the need to pause his character-defining hunt for the Avatar which otherwise has him ignore everything and snap at everyone, and explain his central conflict to an unconscious peasant he doesn’t know, complete with gently pushing the hair from the pretty girl’s the soulmate’s the Water Tribe Ambassador’s the Fire Lady’s the love of his life’s her face away, AFTER his uncle nagged him twice to find a girl and settle down.

I just wanted to make sure we’re all on the same page and this is what we really saw.

Celibate Avatars

I have no idea why the decision was made, if TPTB thought expecting viewers to understand the story through the lens of Buddhism would be too much, or if the “executive producers” already worked their retconny magic. What I do know, however, is that there’s a big shift in worldbuilding and Aang’s struggle with his role as the Avatar stops being a personal conflict defined by a) his grief for Air Nomads, b) his notion of being robbed of the loved ones in his life, and c) the selfish attachment to Katara he confuses with true love. Instead, what he has a difficulty to accept is apparently a general notion of who Avatars are supposed to be, i.e. a fantasy version of Catholic monks, no family and worldly relations, period.

I guess either someone understood the original’s portrayal of de/attachment as “hermit no freaky”, or thought the audience would so why not go there outright.

Now, do I like this on its own? No, God no, it makes the world infinitely poorer and changes the story from an exploration of ideas which aren’t all that ingrained in the West, to a cliché tropester about a Catholic priest going Protestant so that he could be with a girl.

At least I assume that’s where they were going to take this eventually.

I mean, I think the direction was “look conflicted, this isn’t the final stage of your journey”?

But consider this—the show went there, it built on the concepts of Eastern philosophy and touched upon the ideas of spiritual awakening, only to swerve in the end and strongly imply they’re bullshit and Aang should have never wasted his time with them.

So honestly, I much prefer scanty worldbuilding to an insulting retcon by a damn rock.

Multiracial Air Nomads

Probably the most substantial “no hint of irony” point on this list and a genuinely good addition to the universe’s worldbuilding.

See, the notion of the elemental nations being perfectly separate and never mingling before Sozin has always been sketchy but it’s especially ridiculous in the case of airbenders. It never made sense to me for all airbenders to be Air Nomads and for all Air Nomads to be monks and for all monks to be chilling at the temples all the time to facilitate a quick everyone-dies genocide should an imperialistic warlord ever decide to commit one.

Because committing everyone to a single way of life at a handful of places kinda goes against the central philosophy behind airbending. Like the freedom and nomadism part.

Instead, there should be more variety to the airbending culture, with some staying at the temples as monks, hermits, and teachers while others live as nomads, travelling the world and creating more airbenders, with the resulting children in turn being influenced by the non-airbending cultures they grew up in.

And thus, not only should airbenders not be modeled after a single culture to create a one-size-fits-all lifestyle, but they should have the most diverse and dynamic culture out of the four nations.

And it’d be precisely this diversity which would pave way for an eventual reveal that some of them survived, that their complete extermination is impossible.

Because they’re everywhere.

You know.

Like air.

[gladerwolfstarkimagines]

Tea Shop Part Three: Zuko x female reader imagine series

You struggle to come to terms with the reality Lee is Zuko and can’t get your head around the idea...until a dangerous close encourter shows you how fire nation Zuko really is.

Part One here

Part Two here

Part four here

You felt like a naive idiot. You always prided yourself on being more objective than an average air nomad, more realistic, but you'd believe Zuko was good and he betrayed his uncle and tried to kill Aang. You felt utterly bewildered and couldn’t believe the person you knew would do all those things. You made Sokka tell you all about their encounters with Zuko, every single detail, to try and get it into your head that the tea merchant you knew didn’t exist. Everything Sokka told you sounded insane but you knew it was the truth so begrudgingly you started accepting it. You were starting to see Zuko as an enemy instead of an ally and then all that work went out the window when you came face to face with him again.

The gang had landed on a secluded part of an island with a nice lake so everyone was swimming and relaxing but you didn’t want to just lie around, you wanted to explore. So you convinced Sokka to come with you for a walk into town and the two of you set off. When you heard there was beach you’re excitment peaked and Sokka relaxed his rule on staying out of sight figuring nobody here would recognise either of you. Sokka stopped to look at bags by the beach front and you walked onto the beach happily. You stood in the sand enjoying the warmth when suddenly a beach ball came flying towards you. You batted it away without thinking and sent it flying down the beach. "Great job genius" a voice called and you turned to see a very angry looking fire nation girl. "That was my ball and now you've catapulted it half way down the beach". "Sorry but it was that or get in the face so..." you joked but the girl didn’t find you funny. "Go get it" she said stiffly and something about her tone pissed you off "no" you said simply "it’s your ball". The girl went to step closer to you when her friends walked over too and a boy pulled her away from you. You mouth opened in suprise to see it was Lee or more accurately Zuko. It had only been a few months since you’d last seen him but he looked so different. His hair was longer, he was in fire nation clothes and he looked changed...he looked good. You could tell it was definitely him by how panicked he looked, which also suprised you. Was he really scared because he thought you'd reveal what he did and who he was to his friends? Surely they knew he was the prince? Then you realised he wasn't worried about himself he was worried about you. "Azula leave it" he called standing infront of her and you realised who this was. The gang had told you all about the deadly fire nation trio and sure enough you recognised the other two girls from their descriptions. The pale girl didn’t even seem to be paying attention but the pretty brunette looked at Azula worried. "This peasant disrespected me i won’t leave it" Azula snapped as Ty lee frowned "it’s okay Azula, those boys are bringing the ball back to us anyway" she smiled "they’re so nice". "Exactly so let’s just go" Zuko said and you saw Azula frown at him, you were guessing he wasn’t usually an advocate for the average person. You felt his sister scanning you and knew you had to get out of this situation right now but had no idea how. "Come on" Zuko called but Azula shook her head "no". Zuko groaned "for god sake Azula what’s your problem! Leave her alone". Azula tensed "why are you so protective of this girl zuzu?" she asked and you saw Mai look up at that and stare at you too. "I’m not" Zuko babbled "i’m just sick of your temper, why start fights with a stranger for no good reason!". Azula frowned as if she hadn’t even heard Zuko "you seem familiar" she said "have we met before?". You frowned "i...i’ve never seen you before in my life" you replied trying not to touch the burn on your arm like you always did when you were nervous. She hummed still staring at you and you waited for her to realise who you were. "I’m sick of this come on lets just go" Zuko sighed and he led Mai away. "Azula come on" he called and Ty lee tugged her arm. "Fine" Azula sighed and let them drag her away. You watched them go, facinated. So this was the real Lee then? You watched him, staring at the back of his head trying to find something, a look, a subtle nod, anything that told you he was still Lee...but Zuko seemed determined not to look back at all and he walked away like he didn’t know or care about you at all.

You came to your senses after they left and rushed away from the beach, running back up to the stalls and out of sight. You breathed heavily as what could’ve happened to you sunk in and jumped when Sokka appeared next to you. "Hey, did you get what you wanted?". "What?" you asked confused. "The beach? Is it nice?". "No it’s way too crowded lets head back" you stammered and Sokka shrugged "okay". You weren’t sure why you didn’t tell Sokka what had happened. Part of you didn't say anything because you weren't sure how to feel. You hadn't been angry when you saw Zuko more sad and confused. You’d felt embarassed he ignored you even if he had to do it given the company he was in. Another part of you didn’t say anything because you didn’t want the others to persue Zuko even if he was part of the fire nation and that thought embarassed you even more. You were very confused and so just stayed quiet as you walked further and further away from the beach.

All day you ruminated over your decision not to tell the others and even with ground between you, you couldn’t get what happened out of your head. You wanted to ask Zuko why he’d helped you on the beach, shouldn’t he hate you now? Especially given your air nomad identity or was he different to the rest of his nation? Giving up on sleep you decided to go for a walk and pretended you didn’t have an exact location in mind. You knew it was stupid and risky but you headed back to the beach and arrived quickly. It was empty and you sat down slightly disappointed. You knew Zuko wouldn’t still be there but you had to check. You sighed wondering what you’d even have said to him and were suddenly glad he wasn’t here. You didn’t know if you’d be angry at him or happy to see him, so him not being here made things a lot easier for you.

"You must have a death wish coming back here" someone called and you knew who it was.

You turned and there Zuko was walking towards you slowly. The first emotion you felt wasn't anger, he'd come back here too, just like you. "I could say the same for you" you smirked and Zuko sat down next to you. You sat beside one another in silence both of you suprised and confused by the situation you were in. "Why are you here?" he asked suddenly. "I thought you might come back here so i did" you said embarassed and he shook his head "no here on the island! Are you following us? Y/n they can’t know you’re here...if my sister knew who you were she'd....". "Pft i can handle some fire" you tried to joke but Zuko shook his head "no y/n, Azula is the best fire bender i’ve ever seen, you can’t take her and you can’t let her take you". You swallowed, you’d only been joking about handling Azula, you knew she was dangerous but hearing Zuko tell you that... "We’re not here because we’re following you" you said softly "we stopped off here and i wanted to see the beach, it was chance bumping into you i swear". Zuko looked at you and nodded "i believe you, it was just...odd". You nodded and watched him out of the corner of your eye. He looked conflicted, happy but not happy, sad but not sad. "How are you?" you couldn’t help asking "how is it being back home?". "Weird" Zuko replied "it’s changed so much...i’ve changed". “Tell me about it, the last I knew you were a tea merchant not a prince”. Zuko smiled slightly “I imagine it was a lot to take in?”. You nodded “it was but it explained a lot...your spoiled attitude for one”. Zuko smirked and you laughed. This was nice and all but you couldn’t just sit around ignoring the elephant in the room. "Why did you do it?" you couldn’t help asking and felt Zuko tense, the atmosphere now uncomfortable. "I know i don’t know you well and I know Lee isn’t really you but I still can't understand why you'd betray your uncle? Why you'd side with your sister after all she’s done? You just don’t seem like that type of person". Silence settled and stretched on for so long you got ready to leave but finally Zuko spoke. "You’re right, you don’t know me". You met his eye and saw nothing but anger and hate there. You looked away scolded and shook your head feeling deflated "back to that again huh? Back to hating each other?". "Well obviously! we’re on opposing sides y/n, what did you think was going to happen once you joined the avatar? We’re not friends". You laughed in utter surprise "ow so if i didn’t join the avatar it would've been different?" you asked "stop trying to blame me because you feel guilty for the choices you made". "You were always too prying and self rightous for your own good" he snapped “you know nothing! You’re just some waitress I worked with, you don’t know anything about me”. "Wow and there’s the fire nation prince" you smirked patronisingly "don’t know how you did such a good job hiding him before now" and stood up. "I saved you as a courtesy" Zuko called after you, his voice getting louder the further you walked "the next time i won’t". His announcement made you so mad you shook with anger. He was really threatening you for calling him out on betraying his family? He thought not letting his sister attack you owed praise? "Good" you yelled back "i don’t need anything from you. Have fun in your cursed life traitor". 

Zuko’s POV

Your words hit Zuko like a strike and he glared after you burning holes in your back until you disappeared around a corner. Even though you’d gone Zuko’s anger didn’t and he angrily sent a jet of fire up into the air with a yell. Zuko sat down on the cold bench and shivered. “What’s wrong with you now?” someone asked making Zuko jump. He turned to see Azula coming towards him and looked around to make sure there was no sign you’d been here. Azula seemed relaxed so she obviously hadn’t seen you but Zuko couldn’t believe how lucky he got, if Azula had been slightly earlier or you stayed any longer...it didn’t bare thinking about. “Hello? Does that scar effect your hearing?”. “No” Zuko snapped and sighed. His temper had been bad recently and was getting worse, that’s why he’d blown up so easily. He hadn’t meant to yell at you, he’d been happy to see you and he did...had seen you as a friend. But that was certainly all ruined now he’d yelled at you. That thought made Zuko even more depressed, which he didn’t think was possible. He supposed it was best you hate him though, he was the traitor prince, he’d betrayed his uncle who only ever wanted to help him. This way he wouldn’t be able to betray you too. 

1 month later

You’d regretted what you’d said to Zuko as soon as your anger feded but you were still hurt at what he’d said about you. You weren’t friends and you never were...

You decided that was the final straw and set out to make Zuko’s words a reality. Slowly you managed to lose thought of Zuko, even during the invasion of the fire nation palace you didn’t worry about seeing him, you knew now where your loyalties lied and it wasn’t with Zuko. You were done with him and getting to be okay with that.

So after finally working all that out, when you got a visitor at the western air temple you were angry to say the least. "It’s not..." you frowned looking at the figure but it was. Zuko...and he was smiling too. "Hello Zuko here" he called waving, appearing to be as calm as ever. The others all armed themselves but you just glared. Zuko looked at you all and glanced at you last. He looked down at the intenseness of your glare and you felt proud. "What do you want here?" Aang asked. Zuko explained he wanted to join you and you snorted "seriously? Now the great prince wants to grace us with his presence?" you asked. Zuko looked at you "y/n...i’m sorry for hurting you, all of you” he said looking at everyone again "what i did was wrong and i ask you to consider forgiving me". "No" you said simply "so thank you for coming but goodbye". Zuko rolled his eyes "y/n just let me explain...". "Explain what?" you asked "how you double crossed Mushi? How you hinted i’d be next?". Zuko went quiet and lowered his head. Aang touched your arm and you took that as a sign to calm down. “We can never trust you and we’ll never let you join us” Aang took over and you nodded. Zuko’s face crumpled in defeat and you sighed in relief. You watched, glaring, until Zuko walked out of sight and went inside the temple “well done Aang” you commented. "Man i thought air nomads were all peaceful" Sokka frowned. "Well guess i’m more earth nation then" you shrugged "if i see him again i’ll catapult him from this mountain". “Why are you so angry at him?” Toph asked suddenly and you laughed “you’re joking right?”. “No I get you feel betrayed but you were furious with him I could tell by your emotions and what did you mean when you said he threatenned you?”. “Yeah you never told us he did that in Ba Sing Sei” Sokka nodded and you frowned. “He didn’t threaten me per se and it wasn’t in Ba Sing Sei. I spoke to Zuko a few weeks ago". "What!" they all cried. Sokka launched in a lecture, Katara questioned you on safety, Toph called you insane while you just blushed. "This is exactly why i didn’t tell you!" you cried "i knew the risk but we were at the beach and he’d already stopped his sister from attacking me earlier that day so i figured....". "What" Sokka yelled and you sighed and just started from the very beginning. You finished your explanation and Sokka nodded. "I get why you’re angry at him" Sokka agreed and you sighed in relief. "Yeah because of what he said to me...". "No because you guys basically broke up". "What! We did not" you spluttered "we were never dating! That’s ridiculous" and stormed away angrily.

After a fitful night of sleep you woke up to the news Toph was gone. She’d seemed pretty sympathetic to Zuko yesterday so you weren’t suprised when she returned and announced she’d visit Zuko...and he’d burnt her. You helped carry her to the fountain and managed not to gloat that you were right but Toph sensed it. “I can feel you smirking” she commented. You frowned “I’m sorry you got hurt but I did tell you...”. “I may’ve been wrong but you’re letting your feelings cloud your judgement” Toph commented. You gaped “no i’m not!” and Katara frowned “guys....” when an explosion rocked the whole temple. Sparky sparky boom man was back, the assassin hired to kill you, and you all sought cover when suddenly the attacks ceased. “Zuko” Aang commented and you sighed, apparently Zuko was determined to prove his worth. Watching Aang’s reaction you felt anger, you knew what would happen. Zuko would save the day and that would win the gang over, they didn’t have as strong grudges as you.

Sure enough after the attack they let Zuko approach and listened to him. Aang vouched for him but then turned to all of you for your opinions. Aang looked at eveyone, they all met his eye apart from you. Toph and Sokka agreed, Katara hesitated but she agreed too. Finally Aang turned to you  "Y/n" he said softly "will you agree to let Zuko stay?". You looked past Aang to Zuko and resisted the urge to glare. "Y/n" Aang said softly "please, i need a firebender teacher and i really think it should be him". You stared at Aang, those big brown eyes wearing you down, and sighed. You had to do what was right, Aang needed this and he was one of the last members of your nation, you couldn’t be selfish. You nodded your head stiffly “if you say you need him then okay”. Aang grinned at you before turning back to Zuko “okay you can join us”. Those words made your skin crawl and you stormed away.  

It was awkward to say the least having Zuko around, all of you were reluctant to approach him but Sokka seemed to be having fun with it. As night approached Zuko asked where his room was and Sokka said he’d show him. Zuko nodded and Sokka siddled up beside you “want to show Zuko to his room yourself?" Sokka asked "so you can memorise the location". You smacked Sokka over the head in reply and he led Zuko away without another comment but had apparently put the idea in Zuko’s head.

You were laid on your bed glaring at the ceiling too angry to sleep when there was a knock on your door. You sat up cautiously and the door opened to reveal Zuko. "Hi" he said timidly and you stood up "what do you want?". Zuko blushed "i think we need to talk, privately...about what happened on ember island". "What is there to discuss? You never considered me a friend, you rejected me and left". Zuko frowned "y/n...it wasn’t like that". "Wasn’t it?" you asked and Zuko frowned "well it was but y/n i’m sorry! The things i said to you were awful but i didn’t mean them! I lashed out at you because it was you, because you make me want to be a better person, that’s why i hurt you". "Ow wow that makes it so much better thank you" you said mockingly and Zuko frowned "no, you know i didn’t mean it like that". "Well i’m sorry i didn’t take you yelling at me the right way Zuko, did i misinterpret you calling me nosy and self rightous and saying you never liked me too? Or how you saving me was just a such a nice gesture". Zuko groaned "why aren’t you listening i just said I didn’t mean any of that!". "Well i find that hard to believe" you glared "you don’t get to come here and apologise and have me forgive you, i’m angry at you". "Really you did a good job hiding that" Zuko retorted and you glared. "Get out of my room i don’t want to talk to you, ever”" you yelled and Zuko nodded "fine!" and stormed away. He slammed the door and the whole temple shook. You let out a cry of frustration and collapsed onto your bed. Zuko joining the group was going to make things complicated.

----

Next part is the last one!!!

[fatlouie315]

Some more thoughts on Azula regarding my post about how her story being a tragic one isn’t necessarily a sexist or poor writing choice: I’m not claiming that Azula’s writing is 100% perfect or that the show is never sexist. I agree with the common observation that her character design that makes her look much older than fourteen weakens the audience’s sympathy for her, and although the comics aren’t part of the actual text of the show, it’s still worth mentioning that the way they make her mental illness into a "scary," villain aesthetic is obviously harmful. I still disagree that it was sexist to give her an unhappy ending.

Some of the discussions linked in the replies claim that Azula was punished for being a girl who desires power or agency. This is not true. Throughout the show, we see the other female leads, Toph and Katara, grow in their power both by improving their bending abilities and becoming more confident in their identities. This power allows them to become healthier versions of themselves and create better relationships with other people. It’s not a quiet, traditionally feminine power either. They’re allowed to unleash their strength in awesome moments of rage that the show portrays positively. This is not the power that Azula seeks. Her quest to control and oppress others is a need ingrained in her by the ideologies of the Fire Nation. It’s the same hate-fueled power sought by the nation’s other antagonists, Zhao and Ozai. They also eventually suffer due to the consequences of their actions. Azula is not the only one to be hurt by following this ideology. She isn’t singled out because she is female. (And I’m sorry, but suggesting that Azula’s actions throughout the show are a demonstration of girl power is a hilarious example of girlboss feminism. Female fascists are still bad btw).

The second thing brought to my attention by these discussions is that some people genuinely don’t think that Azula’s story was a cautionary one or that she was ever written in a sympathetic light. I had thoughts on one conversation in particular. It first dismisses her moment of humanity at the beach as a fluke, a one-time thing that only accidently garnered audience sympathy. Later, someone concludes this:

The lesson that following destructive ideologies leads to self-destruction and unhappiness is a theme demonstrated throughout the entire show, specifically within Azula’s arc. We see in “Zuko Alone” how throughout her childhood she was manipulated to take her positive attributes like athletic talent, ambition, and intelligence and turn them into tools of aggression to assert her superiority. By the time she’s barely a teen she has fully internalized these messages in the ways that she talks and acts, to the point where she parrots a ridiculous speech about divine right with full confidence that what she’s saying is true.

Her whole identity is tied up in the ideologies of the Fire Nation. Her monologue during the campfire at the beach (“My own mother thought I was a monster. She was right, of course”), if you take a closer look past its unfortunate meme status, shows that she recognizes how consumed she is by this identity but neither wishes to or has the ability to change. Azula’s confidence in this identity only cracks after the fight at the Boiling Rock when she loses trust in Mai and Ty Lee, the only people she believed cared for her. Not only is she now alone, but her life-long dependence on ideologies of fear and power, the things she has based her entire perception of herself, has revealed itself to be unreliable. The vision of her mother in the finale’s mirror scene tells her that she thinks Azula is not a monster, but rather a confused child. “All your life you’ve used fear to control people,” Ursa tells her. This scene explicitly demonstrates the very theme that the excerpt above claims is missing from the story.

These moments throughout the show aren’t accidental or devoid of meaning, and although members of the Avatar team have said and wrote some stupid, demeaning shit about Azula over the years in interviews, comics, and such, the actual narrative constructed in ATLA constantly mourns for Azula and the life she lost because of the abuse inflicted upon her. Azula’s unhappy ending isn’t a punishment, but a way for the narrative to demonstrate how the ideology of hate she was taught is destructive and harmful to all who follow it.

[sokkastyles]

I was just thinking about how many times I’ve seen Azula stans say they want sixteen year old Zuko to “realize” that his mother was a bad parent, and it was really hard for me to articulate why I found that so troubling, but then I realized it’s because Zuko in canon is already conditioned by Ozai to basically forget his mother’s existence.

“Zuko Alone” is the first time she’s brought up and we can assume that the flashbacks are Zuko’s memories, but he doesn’t seem to have thought about her much before that. And the way the story is told, from young Zuko’s fragmented perspective, makes it confusing and sinister what happened to her. Initially when I watched the show I thought Ozai had killed her, and we know from what he says later that Zuko also thought that she was dead. But I think it was an event that he had deeply repressed because it would have been extremely traumatic. Zuko grows up horribly abused and is close to his mother because she’s his only protector, and then one day she’s just...gone. And then his father’s the fire lord and he can’t really afford to think about what happened to her. So he literally pours all of his energy into pleasing his father, and nobody in the palace even acknowledges that his mother ever existed. And that makes sense, for a child this abused and this brainwashed, that he would just...not think about her, in order to protect himself mentally, because acknowledging that she was gone, that he was once loved, means acknowledging how bad his situation really is.

I mean...Zuko in season one talks about his father like, multiple times per episode. He is hyper-focused on the idea that if he just does things right, his father will welcome him home. But I think “Zuko Alone” was probably the first time he’d really thought about his mother and what happened to her in years, and I think it’s because he is alone, without Iroh, and without his mission to track down the Avatar to distract him, that he is thinking about it. There’s also the obvious parallel with the Earth Kingdom family that he stays with, and his experience with Song prior to that, that started him on the path of realizing the horrors that the Fire Nation had wrought upon the world. I think all of these new experiences probably brought back those memories, and then at the end of the episode he reveals himself with his mother’s name along with his father’s. But even then, he doesn’t acknowledge what happened to his mother, she’s just...gone. We see how close he was to her in the flashbacks but we don’t see present day Zuko mourn her loss. “The Crossroads of Destiny” is the first time he even acknowledges that he misses her, probably the first time he’d acknowledged it out loud since he was what, ten, eleven?

I do think that Ozai resented Zuko’s closeness to his mother and of course, with her out of the picture, it would be much easier for Ozai to control Zuko. If Zuko remembers that he is loved, then what does he need to obsess over his father’s approval for? So Zuko represses those memories because 1) they’re terrifying and 2) he is taught that his father’s approval is the most important thing, but then once he’s on his own, without a Fire Nation crew and a Fire Nation ship and without Uncle, even, without all the privileges he had before, just himself wandering amongst the Earth Kingdom, he starts to remember.

This episode makes a lot of references to both Japanese samurai films and American westerns. Zuko is the very image of a wandering ronin, a samurai who has lost his master either through the death of the master or the loss of the master’s favor. And Zuko’s father is also his lord, who has sent him out to wander the world in order to regain his favor. But Zuko doesn’t spend this episode trying to get the Fire Lord’s favor, but helping a small Earth Kingdom village. It’s one of the first times he’s able to start thinking of himself apart from his father and his nation. And although he takes his mother’s advice to “remember who [he is]” too literally when he declares himself as the prince of the Fire Nation, not realizing how the citizens he is trying to protect would react to that revelation, he does regain a small piece of himself through the memories of his mother.

When Zuko shares the loss of his mother with Katara, his enemy who he is supposed to hate and view as inferior, whose mother was taken by the same evil, when he openly cries when he hears from his father that Ursa might be alive, when he demands that Ozai tell him where she is, he is regaining a part of himself that his father took from him, and that’s important. Despite what he was led to believe about himself, he was loved, he had a mother, and that’s important. Ozai may have been able to take Ursa away from Azula but he couldn’t totally take her away from Zuko, and that’s important. I would argue that he couldn’t totally take her away from Azula, either, since Azula also still has those threads of memory, but she mostly interprets them as pain.

[rolandtowen]

Prince Zuko was a harsh, entitled boy.

Firelord Zuko is a ruler who makes amends. - a study in the various side characters that Zuko came across in his banishment, and how he repays his past actions.

Read Chapter One on ao3 or under the cut! TW for referenced non-con and colonialism

[I believe @flamehotman and @flameomcfirey wanted to be tagged?]

Chapter One: Song

We will get there when we get there, don't you worry Feel bad about the things we do along the way But not really that bad We inhaled the frozen air Lord, send me a mechanic if I'm not beyond repair

- The Mountain Goats

It happened on a Tuesday afternoon.

Zuko was meeting with the agricultural council, a collection of both scholars and farmers, to discuss best practices for renewing the Fire Nations agricultural trade. For so many decades, the Fire Nation out-sourced its agriculture to land in the colonies and imported much of its food. But with the land being given back, the Fire Nation was either going to have to begin growing its own food again, or import their food at a fair price. The economic committee decided on Monday that reviving the Fire Nation farms would be far more cost effective - and of course, would create more jobs in the Fire Nation. With the war over, the number of soldiers that the military required had dropped dramatically, and there were many citizens without work. Zuko had instated severance benefits for unemployed soldiers - the ones not found guilty of war crimes of course, mostly the young recruits - but it couldn't last forever.

It was maddening. Every time Zuko unraveled one problem, he undoubtedly found or created another one. He was trying, really trying, to keep his people safe. But he also had a duty to the rest of the world. The nations that his lineage colonized, pillaged, and destroyed. He resists the urge to write to Aang, to ask him how he does it, how he balances all of the nations in every action he takes. But Aang is busy, all of his friends are, spread thin to the four corners of the world.

Uncle visits him occasionally, when the letters from staff concerned about Zuko's health pile up on his desk. One too many servants have found him, asleep at his desk, face down in treaty papers. But Uncle has his hands full. He already splits his time enough between the Jasmine Dragon and Ember Island, looking after Azula.

Azula.

She was improving, and that's really all Zuko can ask for. He sees her a couple of times a month, pours her a cup of tea, and they sit on the balcony of their vacation-house-turned-mental-retreat. Most of the time, they don't talk. Zuko won't push her; he remembers his silence in his first few months of being banished, how Uncle had to coax him to say anything at meals. Sometimes the only words he uttered in a day were in prayer before meditation. Zuko had thought to himself, speaking out got me into this mess: I'll never speak again.

He's not sure what words were exchanged between Azula and Ozai before he left her and went to burn down the Earth Kingdom, but he can guess it wasn't good. Few of his father's words were.

So they sit and drink their tea. Sometimes, on a good day, Zuko will fix up Azula's hair for her, and she'll reveal some bits of information that he files away for future examination. Something like, I saw Mom before you came with Master Katara. Or she'll double check her reality, asking, you let Ty Lee and Mai out of jail, right? and Zuko will say yes, her friends are safe, they should be visiting any day now.

As painful as seeing her may be, spending time with Azula is far preferable to sitting through an agricultural council meeting.

He looks down at the paper in front of him, a comprehensive budget list for all of the supplies needed to revitalize the Fire Nation's agricultural sphere. Dozens of machines that he's sure Sokka had a hand in inventing, hundreds of varieties of seeds that Omashu is generously selling to them, and -

Thousands of ostrich-horses.

"Councilor Yichen, can you elaborate on the number of animals in this budget? Certainly with the machines we'll provide, farmers will not need so many working livestock."

Councilor Yichen stands, giving a little bow in Zuko's direction. "Of course, Lord Zuko. While the machines will certainly boost productivity, we only have enough for one per farming village at this point. Each family needs at least one working animal, if not to plow the fields, then to transport goods. We decided on ostrich-horses on a recommendation from farmers in the Earth Kingdom colonies, who found them to be invaluable. An ostrich-horse is, in many ways, more valuable than a machine."

Zuko's stomach settles uncomfortably, but he isn't entirely sure why. "Thank you, Councilor. I understand now."

Yichen gives another little bow before he sits, and the rest of the meeting goes as planned, with the exception of a strange seed of unknown guilt now growing in Zuko's stomach.

"Uncle, do you remember when you made tea out of that poisonous plant?"

Uncle laughs, hands faltering as he pours Zuko a cup of jasmine tea. "I remember, Nephew. How could I ever forget?"

"Do you remember the girl who helped you?"

Uncle takes a sip of the warm tea. "Song. Her mother made the best roast duck." He looks at Zuko out of the corner of his eyes. "Why do you ask?"

Zuko looks out over the gardens. He's able to see the whole palace grounds from where they're seated on the second-floor balcony, watching the sun rise. As far as the eye can see, Zuko is upheld as a flawless ruler, his word taken as law. He's sick of it.

"I stole her ostrich-horse," he murmurs into his tea, taking a sip to calm his nerves. "I just remembered, in that agricultural meeting a few days ago. I - I never knew how essential those were to farmers, I just thought I was taking their ride." He turns to fully face his Uncle. "But I think I took a lot more than that."

Uncle meets his eyes with understanding. "And now you want to give it back."

"I know there's no way for me to fully apologize for how I acted in exile, but it feels like I have to try." The cup quivers a bit in his hands, and so his hands drop to his lap. "I'll need someone to watching over the Nation while I'm gone."

Uncle places one of his warm hands over Zuko's shaking ones. "I'm sure I can deal with your advisors for a few days." He squeezes his hand just slightly around Zuko's. "I'm proud to see that even in a few short months, your wisdom as a ruler is growing. Go, make your amends. The Nation will be here when you return." Uncle calls for Zuko's secretary and tells her to clear as much of the Firelord's schedule as she can for the next week. Their voices fade into the background as Zuko stares into his tea, wracking his brain to try and figure out how to track down just one girl in the entire Earth Kingdom. Sending scouts or soldiers from town to town is a recipe for disaster, and the Earth Kingdom villages have been traumatized enough. He supposes he could always call in a ride on his favorite air bison but - this feels like something he should do on his own.

If Song hates him, it might be hard for her to show it in front of the Avatar.

So he'll go alone. No friends, no royal guard. He'll come into Song's town the same way he came last time - defenseless. She can hate him if she wants, he'll give her that.

And he'll try to give back what he took from her.

He packs light, pulling an old tunic and boots from the back of his wardrobe. Though they've been thoroughly cleaned by the palace staff, the scent of campfires and smoke linger upon them. He grabs a cloak - the Earth Kingdom will be starting to chill at this time of year - and he slips out of the palace, using the servant's entrance to get onto the streets unseen.

Autumn comes quietly in the Earth Kingdom. The trees slowly lose their color, giving the last of their strength into vibrant leaves. Soldiers previously conscripted to fight in the war have either returned to their families or have gone to tend to the scorched earth where the Phoenix King made landfall. They clear the debris of fallen airships, making room for the earth to slowly restore herself.

Song envies those soldiers.

Their lives have changed with the ending of the war, but Song's life continues on, its mundane routine continuing over and over again. She cares for a small garden, crafts herbal remedies for her neighbors, and tries to make her mother comfortable. She curses the Spirits for their cruel sense of humor - her mother survives the greatest war ever seen, lives through the attempted invasion of her homeland, only to be struck down by frailty months after the end of it all. Hasn't she suffered enough? Song has whispered those words to the woods on her way to the well time and time again. Now, her body is just - stopping.

Her mother is dying and there's nothing she can do.

Song knows all living things have their time. And she's seen too many living beings go before their rightful time. But she never imagined her mother's time would be in a time of peace. Wasn't ending the war supposed to stop all this pain? Apparently not. She tries not to become bitter, knows that that's the last thing her mother would want for her, but - it hurts. And there's not a damn thing she can do about it.

The leaves from dying trees crackle under her feet.

She arrives at the well, alone. Her hometown is just barely beginning to wake up, rising from its slumber as mothers bring in dry clothes from the clotheslines and fathers begin to toil in the fields. Children run freely from street to street, with a joy that was forbidden during the Fire Nation's occupation. They're kicking at a ball, passing it from one pair of bare feet to another, and Song smiles at them. Someday, maybe.

She sets her water jug on the stone wall of the well and begins to lower the bucket before hearing the ball make impact and a man's voice grunt, "oof!". She spins rapidly around to see a young man, rear planted firmly in the dirt, one hand rubbing at his forehead while the other wipes at a watering eye. The group of children stand, frozen, and she gives them a look, and unspoken command to stay and apologize to the man they just hit with their ball.

"Here, take my hand," Song holds out her right hand, and the man takes it. When the young man meets her eyes, she almost drops him back in the dirt. He has those amber eyes, and she can just see under his loose hair - a burn scar. "Lee?!"

He stands, brushing dust from his cloak, and she catches the hints of red fabric that lie beneath. She recoils. He sighs. "Um, about that." Song sees his hands tremble against his cloak. "My name's not Lee - and I'm from the Fire Nation."

Song reacts as if she'd been slapped. She trips backwards, away from Not Lee, landing hard against the stone of the well. Her leg is aching, feels like its on fire all over again, looking into those amber eyes.

"How could you? I let you into my home." She braces her hands against the well, her leg threatening to give out at any moment. "Now it all makes sense, that you stole from me. That's all you ashmakers are good for." She spits, and it lands on his scarred cheek. "You take land that isn't yours, take women that aren't yours, you take lives!" Her leg finally collapses, and she sinks to the ground with her back against the well. Not Lee makes a move, and she throws her hands up. "Don't you touch me," she grits out, clutching at her leg. He stills, and she wraps her arms around herself, bringing her knees to her chest. "I pitied you, you know? I thought your mother must've been - I looked at your eyes and thought you were a victim like me, like my mother." Her whole body is trembling, but she doesn't care. "But I bet you know who your father is, I bet you're proud to have his eyes."

Not Lee mirrors her, curling in on himself, not even bothering to wipe his face clean. "I do know who my father is, but I'm not proud of him." He looks up to meet her eyes, and Song is struck by how young he looks. When she'd last seen him, he'd looked gaunt, malnourished, with sharp cheekbones. Now, his face had filled out and he looks - young? The scar makes him look older as well, but when you look on the opposite side of his face - all she can see is a kid, couldn't be older than a teenager.

And he was crying.

Stubborn as he is, Not Lee is resolutely ignoring the tears slowly falling from his eyes, but nevertheless - they fell. Song didn't expect that reaction. Tears are not what she expected from a Fire National. Anger, rage, violence - those are the things she's tasted at the hands of firebenders, but this? This is new.

"I'm sorry," Not Lee whispers, looking at his feet. "I came to apologize, I wanted to repay you for your kindness and return what I took. But I think I've overstayed my welcome." He scrubs at his face roughly with the heel of one hand. "But I am, truly sorry. I acted selfishly the last time I was in your home, and I took advantage of your compassion. And I understand that my nation has done even worse. I'm trying to make it better." He pulls his hair back with a band. "I know you have no reason to trust me, but I would like to purchase you a new ostrich-horse. And anything else you or your mother may require."

Without warning, Not Lee shifts from his seat position to a bowing one, kneeling with his head pressed to the dry earth. Song stares at him for a small eternity, before realizing that he's waiting, unmoving, for her response. For her judgement.

She lets out a small breath. "Okay," his eyes flick up to hers and her stomach twists. The way he bows is so precise - it must have been drilled into him hundreds of times before. Another thing she wouldn't have expected from a firebender. "Come to dinner."

He stands after she does and gives another slight bow. As they begin the walk back to Song's home, he offers to carry her water jug, and Song feels more weight than one lifted from her.

"What did you say your name was again, young man?" Mei pokes at Zuko's shoulder as she hobbles to the table.

"Mom, I'm sorry about her, she's getting older," Song sets a bowl of fragrant roast duck in front of him and Zuko feels his mouth begin to water.

"No, it's okay, I don't think I've actually properly introduced myself." He takes a quick sip of tea - bracing himself for whatever will happen next - and calmly sets the mug back down. "My name is Zuko," he begins slowly. "AndI'mkindoftheFirelord."

There's the sound of Song dropping a bowl in the kitchen, and Mei leans in a bit closer to Zuko.

"Sorry, dear, could you say that again? My ears aren't what they used to be."

Zuko opens his mouth to respond, but Song slowly enters the room, her eyes narrowed in on Zuko. "You said - you're the firelord?" He nods at her, waiting for her to swing a knife at him, kick him out of their home, call some earthbenders to rough him up -

Before his panic can start to set in, Song runs out the front door, slamming it behind her.

Zuko looks helplessly at Mei.

"Give her a moment." Mei brings her pair of chopsticks to her mouth. "Hmm, she still doesn't make it as well as I used to."

"What about you? Do you hate me?"

Mei sighs, putting her bowl down. "I'm too old for hate, dear. My time in this world is almost over. I can't spend it hating world rulers." She takes a sip of her tea. "But Song? She -" Mei sighs again. "She's been hurt deeply by the Fire Nation, in more ways than one. And it isn't just you. But for a long time, the monarchy has been the embodiment of everything terrible that's ever happened to her. And now you're here, standing in front of her."

Zuko nods. "I understand. And I am sorry, to you as well. I don't think I fully understood the reach of the war. I was always taught that the army acted with honor, that women and children were untouchable." He looks down at his folded hands. "I can see that was false."

"Unfortunately, you are correct." She reaches between them to refill Zuko's cup, then Song's, and hands them both to him. "Go to her. A bit of tea should help bring you some good favor."

The screen door opens and closes, and Zuko finds himself out on the porch. Song sits on the edge, absently massaging her leg, peering into the darkness of the forest.

"Can I join you?"

She shrugs, and he takes that as a yes. Handing over her tea, Zuko sits besides her and tries to find what she sees in the darkness.

For a few minutes, the only sounds are those of them drinking and crickets chirping. Then Song speaks.

"His name was Bao."

Treasured. Precious. Rare.

"That's a lovely name."

"What happened to him?" Song turns abruptly to look at him with shining eyes. "Did he...?"

Zuko shakes his head emphatically. "My Uncle and I traded him to a florist for safe passage to Ba Sing Se. The florist seemed like a good man."

"You went to Ba Sing Se?"

Zuko runs one hand down the back of his neck. "I might have conquered it, actually?"

Sing snorts. "That part I've heard about. You've lived an interesting life, Zuko."

"If by 'interesting' you mean messy, then yes." He sighs. "You had no reason to trust me. Why did you let me back into your home?"

Song laughs, tinged with bitterness. "My mother says I'm too trusting, too gullible." She swirls the dregs of her tea around the bottom of her cup. "But I think there's strength in being kind. And I really did want to forgive you. But you have to be ready."

"And do you think I am?"

She smiles softly at him. "For me, yes. But my guess is I'm not the only person you hurt in exile." She gulps down her remaining tea. "They may not be as forgiving as I am."

"I'm preparing myself for that possibility."

"Does it scare you?"

Zuko ponders it. "I think it does. The idea that I've hurt someone innocent so badly that they may never be able to move past it... that keeps me up at night."

Songs turns towards him, tucking her knees up to her chest. "We can't control how other people see us in this life. How they react to our actions is up to them - all that we can control is our response. You have to be ready to accept that someone may not be ready to forgive you, and you can't let that eat you up." She stares at him intently. "You have to confident that your own actions are enough. That they're good."

It's Zuko's turn to laugh sourly. "Easier said than done," his hand wanders to his scar. "Sometimes I'm still not sure if what I'm doing is right."

"You don't have to do it alone, you know," Song gives him an understanding look. "You need other people around you, Zuko, to remind you what's good."

He huffs, looking down at his hands, folded in his lap. "Do you want to be one of those people?"

"I think you have more than enough goodness surrounding you already. You just have to be confident enough to ask." She sighs, looking back out into the darkness. "Besides, I have to stay here with my mother. She doesn't have long."

"Are you sure there's nothing I can do? I could send my healers -"

She shakes her head, cutting him off midsentence. "It's her time." She begins to rub at her scars again. "I just didn't know how much it would hurt. We finally have some peace, and suddenly it's her time."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be, not for this. It's due to you that she'll be able to die during peacetime." Her hands come to her eyes, wiping tears away before they can spill down her cheeks. "Her biggest fear was that she'd die and leave me alone to fend for myself during the war. You released her from that fear. Of course I forgive you, Zuko. My mother's no longer scared of dying because of you."

The two of them are silent for a long time, watching fireflies flicker off and on in the trees, listening to the crickets sing.

"I'm going to find Bao for you."

Song looks up in surprise. "You don't have to-"

"I want to, I'm sure he's still out there somewhere." Zuko rises from his seat. "If you ever need anything, anything, you write directly to me. I'll tell my staff that you're a priority."

"Are you leaving?" Song stands as well. "You could stay, if you want."

Zuko shakes his head silently. "I have to get back, and travelling by night is best for a Firelord who doesn't want his identity revealed," he smiles, his scarred skin relaxing into it. With that, he pulls his hair out of its topknot, grabs his pack and swords, and starts to disappear into the night.

"Firelord Zuko?" He stops and turns back at the sound of Song's voice. She makes the sign of the flame and bows. "Thank you, for everything." He bows back, lower than protocol dictates, but he doesn't care.

Three weeks pass, and the air has turned bitterly cold.

Song again makes her daily trip to the village well, with snow crunching under her feet instead of dead leaves. The soldiers have returned from their work in restoring fields for the season, and so the village feels alive when she steps into it. Despite the chill, children still run in the street, under the watchful eye of their mothers and fathers. Song feels a twinge of longing, but she tries to focus on the happiness she feels for the children instead. Song sets her water jug on the side of the well, breathing hot air into her palms to warm her hands after touching the freezing stone.

"Excuse me, miss, are you Song?" A voice comes from behind her, and she turns to see two men dressed in red tunics.

"I am," she replies, tucking her hands into the pockets of her hanbok. "And you are?"

They bow to her. "We come on behalf of Firelord Zuko, to deliver a gift." A third man rounds the corner with an ostrich-horse on a tether. "We found him at a desert settlement, he's been well taken care of, but if there's anything you need -"

They're cut off as Song runs to throw her arms around the neck of the ostrich-horse. "Bao!" She strokes his beak, looking into his eyes. "Do you remember me?"

Bao cocks his head to the side, pupils widening as he chirps softly, and then he lets out a loud whinny, pushing his head into Song's chest. He purrs, closing his eyes and relaxes against her.

"Sweet Bao, it's really me, you're really home," Song can feel her eyes dampening, but holds it together as one of the men hands her a bit of parchment.

"A note from the Firelord. He wanted us to remind you that you can write to him anytime you need anything."

Song nods. "And tell him I said 'thank-you' again." Bao whinnies loudly again, and she adds on, "Bao says 'thank-you' too."

"Of course, miss." With a synchronized bow, the men depart, and Song unrolls the parchment.

Song,

I've followed your advice and surrounded myself with good people. It helps.

Give my best to your mother - my Uncle still talks about her roast duck sometimes. I've established a fund specially for women and child victims of the war, inspired by some of what you and Mei shared with me. Write me if you feel like you or anyone in your village wants to apply for it.

And, thank you for trusting and forgiving me. I'll try to keep earning it.

May the Spirits continually bless you,

Zuko

She tucks the parchment into her pocket, fills her jug, and finds herself back in Bao's familiar saddle after more than a year. "Come on, Bao," she says as she takes the lead into her hands, guiding them back to the empty farmhouse.

"Let's go home."

[if you read through this whole thing, go drink some water! I'll know if u don't :) ]