#Waterbender Prisoners

[transformers0]

It's totally fine if what "frees" Katara from the "burdens" that are her family, friends and culture is being taken to the Fire Nation against her will, especially if she's not just a regular prisoner, but instead made to forcibly marry Zuko - or be his sex slave. It's totally fine is this "rescue" involves her being beaten into submission and assaulted until she learns to like it. It's for her own good. It's "feminist" when Zuko does it to her. It's only abuse when Aang does it. And obviously any anger she has ever felt towards Zuko, even when he sent an assassin after her group, is really just her being "mad at herself" because, secretly, she TOTALLY wants him to do exactly that. Truly the perfect way to "empower" a character. Mutilate them until they fit in the box you designed for them - and then call people "fake fans" who just "don't understand or care about the character" when they say they liked the original version way more. Zutarians really shot themselves in the foot with that "holier than thou" attitude. It's IMPOSSIBLE to take their version of "respecting Katara's character" seriously.

Wanted to highlight these last few paragraphs.

It's actually mind-boggling how most "Katara is kidnapped by the Fire Nation (or Zuko)" fanfics end with her and Zuko getting together.

Oh yeah, because Zuko capturing Katara and either having her as his concubine, or using her to bait out Aang for capture, would totally place him in her good graces.

And for the other alternative, "the Fire Nation captures Katara" route, very few fanfics do the actual, realistic route shown by canon — as in, lock Katara away in one of those cages in those waterbender prisons in the Fire Nation — and instead have her given as a slave or concubine to the Royal Family (usually for Azula if we're going the slave route, or Zuko if we're going the concubine route). Or they just go straight to having her integrated into the Royal Family... where she then falls in love with Zuko.

UGH.

Worse still are the very, very few fanfics that do take the realistic road and have Katara placed in Waterbender Prison... then still bend over backwards and have her fall in love with Zuko.

UGH!!!

Like, it does not occur to those writers that Katara being captured by the Fire Nation would almost certainly see her being locked away in a small cage, away from water and the outside world, and getting traumatized, terrified, depressed, and angry at her captors?

And that she almost certainly wouldn't want anything to do with them if she's ever freed from prison?

I'm not one to police how "dark" people should make their fan content, or to act like there's something morally wrong with making a character go through hardship or with having a kink, but man, there sure is a noticeable pattern in how zutarians imagine Katara.

Every attempt to "empower" her always comes with some for of humiliation, violence, trauma or loss of identity.

No one is allowed to love her and treat her well. Not her dad, not her brother, not her friends, not her canon love interest. She needs to be just babysitter/cinderella to them. She needs to be made to feel lonely, isolated, disregarded and unloved until Zuko shows up to the rescue.

Gone is her strong connection to her tribe, that made her want to honor it even when she was traveling the world like she dreamed of. Instead she'll long to be part of the nation that almost erased her culture, commited genocide against her people and killed her mother. Gone is her right to be mad at them for it, even though she canonically always stops herself from letting that anger cross the line into blind hatred.

Instead SHE is the one who needs to learn a lesson on "not judging people just because they're different", and making them learn basic empathy towards someone they see as "other" is no longer on them, or on the guy that literally stepped up for that role of his own free will. Nope, that burden should be on Katara's shoulders instead. It's her job to convince the racists that she is, in fact, a human being and deserves to be treated like one.

And she should always be wearing red instead of the colors of her tribe, her children should grow up in the Fire Nation palace, preparing to inherit that throne (aka their father's legacy), and any waterbender she gives birth to will absolutely be taught bloodbending as that is supposedly Katara's legacy - even though she never wanted to learn it and refuses to use it 9 times out of 10 because she finds it immoral AND it is a source of trauma for her, as it was used by a predatory adult to violate her body.

She should not be "Just the Avatar's girl" and "Aang's reward" (even though she was always her own damn self before anything and their romance was a "reward" to both of them), but instead should be just the Fire Lady - after all, in their eyes, Zuko "deserves her more" and that's somehow Not The Same.

Gone is her right to remain a kind, compassionate soul. Instead she needs to let anger consume her and push her to do things she finds morally wrong, like murder or bloodbending, because she needs to hate pacifism so she can hate Aang by proxy.

In fact, Aang should be made to be the REAL source of oppression and violence in her life (combined with her tribe and family of course).

Compassion should no longer be something they both believe in, it should be an idea Aang tries to force into her head. The scars on her hands after he accidentally burns her should be permanent, not healed by Katara herself, to make her more of a victim (with "parallels" to Zuko) and Aang more of a bastard. Aang not wanting to let go of her should be a result of obsession and entitlement, not a combination of his own trauma, the natural desire to be with those he cares about, and the very explicit fact that Katara did not want to be let go of (see her reaction to him leaving in The Awakening).

And more importantly, Aang horribly failing to read the room and kissing her when she didn't want to be kissed, and immediately chastising himself for it because he meant no harm, should be turned into him full on forcing himself on her, preferably more than once. The more traumatizing the better, so Zuko looks like even more of a hero when he saves her.

But that is not say that he needs to be a perfect gentleman when rescuing her, oh no. It's totally fine if what "frees" Katara from the "burdens" that are her family, friends and culture is being taken to the Fire Nation against her will, especially if she's not just a regular prisoner, but instead made to forcibly marry Zuko - or be his sex slave. It's totally fine is this "rescue" involves her being beaten into submission and assaulted until she learns to like it. It's for her own good. It's "feminist" when Zuko does it to her. It's only abuse when Aang does it.

And obviously any anger she has ever felt towards Zuko, even when he sent an assassin after her group, is really just her being "mad at herself" because, secretly, she TOTALLY wants him to do exactly that.

Truly the perfect way to "empower" a character. Mutilate them until they fit in the box you designed for them - and then call people "fake fans" who just "don't understand or care about the character" when they say they liked the original version way more.

Zutarians really shot themselves in the foot with that "holier than thou" attitude. It's IMPOSSIBLE to take their version of "respecting Katara's character" seriously.

[not-aurii]

okay so, im rewatching atla, right?

i completely forgot just how early on the whole "Haru and The Prison Riot" was

my girl Katara just decided to throw hands and start a prison riot, when she couldn't even bend properly yet.

when aang hadn't even tried waterbending yet.

AND IT WORKED.

like????? say what you want about Katara, but you can't say my girl isn't That Bitch from birth

[muffinlance]

Fellow Prisoner Li 11 -- Girlboss II: Feminine Wiles Are Awfully Disarming

Latest chapter || Read from the beginning

“How do I get them to take me seriously?” Yue had asked, some days before.

“Given how long you’ve let them walk all over you?” the Fire Princess said. “A display of power; something large enough to make them fear you.”

“I’d rather be respected than feared,” Yue said.

“...I fail to see the difference,” said the Fire Princess, after a worrying moment of thought.

Other ATLA fics || Original works

[sharlmbracta]

i've seen a couple of fics where azula and zuko has a third op sibling but i could find none, zero(0) fics where ozai has a sister over him-

i'm saying this because i want his ass pummeled and headwrapped by his (not too much) older sister. i want him to be raised by an older sister

iroh, being like a decade or two older than them both, would neglect them both serving war on propaganda during his prime and takes his leave after his loss not unlike canon

the sister would have a couple (or more?) years with her mother so she picks up some actual parental love and how it's supposed to be before ozai is born

(or not and they end up like zuko and azula except they have just a little more agegap then them, ozai is more ill-tempered than zuko, and the sister pummels him more than azula does zuko but not brutally (or not) and they have a lot of sibling fighting and bonding and normal sibling shenanigans minus the parental love so probably some angst as well)

and if it still somehow ends up like canon where ozai takes over the throne due to either by his plotting or some fucked up misogyny by azulon or sozin's law or whatever she will be fucking furious and she will show it

(if so ozai could team up with her for her support but betraying her when the idea of power gets to his head)

(or or ozai would keen to her after iroh's loss and she would be like "no you little shit i knew all of your antics even better than our elderly dad and ever since you were baby" but if somehow he manages to convince her to her that he'd "do well" on the throne with his personal method of pleading to his sister (you choose) and then betrays her-)

-boy would she be fucking livid. ozai is absolutely afraid of her but pretends he absolutely isn't. she is definitely going to pummel his ass for good

zuko and azula would be mostly clueless at first thanks to ozai's efforts. azula would be a bit more keen though. she may not completely understand what really transpired between them when she suddenly left, but when she finally finds her again bidding for her time she would find the whole situation so fucking hilarious once she got over the initial shock of reunion - the sheer idea of how her imposing father was so afraid of his own sister (who technically didn't actually even do anything to him) that he yeeted her out of the fire nation.

azula would fucking love her.

[transformers0]

There is at least one story with this premise:

I would like to see more though!

Hence why I am reblogging this post to spread the word of this marvelous AU idea!

Imagine the au potential if Hama was Katara's mom...

I initially took this as a 'Hama escaped back home and had a kid' in which case I'd say the years don't match up because I think Hama would've been a bit too old to have a kid Katara's age.

But now i'm thinking of an AU where Kya /was/ taken prisoner instead of killed and either everyone assumes she's dead or Hakoda didn't want to explain to the toddlers what would happen to a prisoner of war so he gave a half-truth and told Katara and Sokka that she was dead.

And then yeah options for waterbender!Kya who takes the spot of learning blood bending and doing the shit Hama did and Katara and Sokka have to grapple with 'well mom's alive but what has she become?'.

[surgepricing]

I think about Azula shooters often and their common refrain of "if Azula hadn't had a mental breakdown, she would've won" and I'm here to tell you that no, she wouldn't have.

There is no universe in which Azula was winning that fight with Zuko (or Katara, for that matter).

Azula spent so much of Book 2 being built up as this deadly terrifying force against whom the heroes are badly outmatched that it can be difficult to catch exactly how quickly Zuko is advancing.

Back up a bit to Book One. For the fearsome exiled crown prince of the Fire Nation, Zuko's not that impressive a firebender. He's not bad by any stretch, and he's able to lay the untrained Sokka and Katara flat pretty easily. Then he gets in the ring with Aang, who is an airbending master, and the difference between a regular bender and a master becomes apparent when Aang literally puts his ass to bed:

People have attributed this to the fact that no one's fought an airbender in 100 years, but I think it's also worth noting that Aang (a 12 year old from a pacifist nation) has probably never fought anyone before. Like, ever. And yet the second Aang thinks "okay, I'll attack back", the fight's over.

Zuko's got the same genetic predisposition for firebending talent that Azula does, yet it never seems to manifest because of his mental blocks. At the beginning of the series, he's already so beat down that all he really has is conviction, pride, and anger, so even with training from Iroh (the firebending master, thank you very much), he struggles. Yet throughout Book 2, when he has no time to train because he's on the run, he actually seems to advance faster. The fact that his bending is literally tied to his character arc (as his morals become tangled and he has to fight off aforementioned mental blocks) is pretty brilliant. Like, by the time of the Crossroads of Destiny, Zuko getting his ass handed to him by Aang is a pretty consistent feature of the show--he just can't match wits with him.

Hell, at the beginning of the series, he and Iroh (again: the actual firebending master) launch a combined power surface-to-air attack...which Aang casually swats away into a nearby ice wall. Come the Crossroads of Destiny, however, and Zuko by himself launches this bigass fireball that blows through Aang's defenses.

Zuko advances so quickly that it's scary. That prodigious talent is in him even if it doesn't come through as cleanly as with Azula. Who, by the way, was busy about to get flattened by Katara some few dozen feet away, until Zuko took over and then effectively stalemated her himself.

All of this in retrospect makes it abundantly clear why Zuko's firebending seemed to skyrocket so much when he learned true firebending from the Sun Warriors: it was really the only thing left. He's hard a hard road learning how to fight waterbenders, earthbenders, and airbenders, and even if unconsciously, he's applying the philosophy Iroh taught him about augmenting his bending style with aspects of other styles (see also, the waterbending-like fire whips he uses in the above gif). Once he actually understands fire and how it works, he's got it mastered. Hence why any gap between him and Azula effectively disappears as soon as their next fight--before her friends have betrayed her and her stability goes out the window. There's no real sense of urgency to their fight at the Boiling Rock prison. True, Sokka's presence with the sword helps, but Zuko doesn't look remotely worried and he counters Azula's every attack perfectly.

All her life, Azula only ever learned fire. She was taught by the best people the fire nation can employ, so she knows all the cool tricks, but she's still poisoned by the corrupted firebending practiced in the modern ATLA timeline. Unlike Zuko, who managed to get the basics if nothing else from Iroh (fire comes from the breath, and can be used to survive as much as to kill), Azula has always used fire as a weapon and a means to hurt others. She has no true knowledge of the craft, meaning she's got the same weaknesses as Zhao, she's just better disciplined to the point she can make up for it.

Zuko's victory was a given considering Azula's complete loss of control by the time of Sozin's comet, but even had she been in a perfect mental state, she'd have lost, because in many ways Zuko is simply the better firebender.

And that's the truth of it.

[whencartoonsruletheworld]

we also got robbed of sokka in dress and aang in flower crown :( how dare they

[queen-morgana91]

One of my favorite parallels in the series. Kya and Aang’s sacrifice to the fire nation are nearly identically framed here

-the fire nation was looking for the last airbender AND waterbender

-both Aang and Kya sacrificing themselves to protect katara and the southern tribe village

Love how this scene builds how attached Katara and Sokka become to Aang. He was just a stranger they happened upon. And then when he gives himself up just like that, he becomes one of them.

For their whole lives they feared the day when the Fire Nation would return to raid and take their people to never see them again. Then one day it happens, and that’s when they learn they had a no prisoners policy in the worst way possible.

That’s why Sokka was so suspicious and mistrustful towards Aang at the beginning and Katara was so drawn to him for bringing them some simple joy they haven’t know since Kya died.

When the Fire Nation arrives, their worst nightmare comes back to life as they are helpless to wonder who will die or be taken this time. Thanks to Aang, this complete stranger who had no obligations to them, it was no one but himself. Their village was safe and everyone was sound, but realized at that moment that they did lose someone special.

Book 1 is as good as book 2 and 3 :)

[discordiansamba]

kou lingers at the abbey- it's mostly because he's not sure what to do with himself now that he can't go back to his ship.

katara eventually clears the air with him- and says if he has nowhere else to go, he should come with them to the north pole. they can both learn waterbending from a real master there.

kou arches a brow at her naivety, but maybe she doesn't know that they don't teach girls combat waterbending in the north pole. and they most certainly aren't going to teach him.

he still accompanies them.

(he doesn't get any flashbacks when aang burns katara's hands. no sir. he's completely fine.)

he doesn't feel any need to tell them he used to be prince zuko of the fire nation. as far as he's concerned, that part of his life behind him. prince zuko died at sea. there's no need to rouse him from his grave.

on the way to the north pole, he teaches katara some of what he knows, but seeing as he pretty much taught himself using scrolls, he doesn't know if he's doing a good job or not. it becomes rapidly apparent to him just how talented katara actually is- if she'd had the chance to be given the same training as his own prodigy sister...

...agni. she'd be formidable.

they arrive at the north pole. kou is promptly arrested.

oh yeah. he and his crew did steal from plenty of water tribe ships. they only release him because aang and sokka both vouch for him. his reputation as a waterbender is already well known in the north pole.

(kou's not an idiot. he knows where most people's thoughts go to when they see a waterbender with clearly fire nation features. he just wishes they'd stop whispering about him behind his back and say it to his face.)

predictably, master pakku refuses to teach both him and katara. kou doesn't care as much, but the man is an idiot if he can't see katara's potential.

katara still fights him, and he ends up agreeing to take her on as his student. even more mysteriously, he also agrees to teach kou. that one's a real headscratcher.

(thank your uncle, zuko.)

no moon means no waterbending? no problem. kou gleefully whips out his swords. c'mere zhao. he's got a bone to pick with you, asshole.

somewhere during their fight, zhao realizes just who kou is. too bad he doesn't get to tell anyone before he gets dragged underwater by the ocean spirit.

iroh and kou pretend like they don't know each other. it's not fooling anyone, but they just assume that one of kou's parents was like, someone under iroh's command.

love the visual of katara and kou really learning how to fight well with each other. katara shores up his blind side, and kou has her back. they make a great team, to their surprise.

the slack of teaching aang firebending definitely falls onto iroh here since you know. kou literally can't.

turns out kou is wanted by just about everyone. it never fails. his fire nation bounty triples overnight when he's outed as the blue spirit. word will eventually get back to ozai of a waterbender with fire nation features who helped break the avatar out of pohuai.

azula: what sort of idiot would raid pohuai stronghold alone?

(she is presented with a wanted poster of kou)

azula: oh. it's my idiot.

looks like that past of your is going to come out to bite you whether you want it to or not, buddy!!!

"hello. kou here."

katara just knocks the asshole right off his feet. not so bad at water whips now, is she?

the pirate groans as he sits up and admits that yeah, he probably deserved that. bato just looks confused. have you two met?

"yeah," katara says dryly, "-we've met."

and to think- the evening had been going so great. they'd been able to reunite with bato, a man katara thought of like an uncle- only to find one of the last people she wanted to see waiting for them back at the abbey. the fact that he was a pirate was bad enough- but he was also fire nation and a waterbender.

"look," the pirate holds up his hands, "-i'm not here to cause any trouble."

katara has half a mind to tell him to move along, but aang stands in the way. c'mon, katara. kou's not that bad. he's the one who helped rescue me from that stronghold, remember?

"...fine," katara says slowly, "-but i'm only listening to you because aang wants me to."

the pirate- kou- exhales and stands up. he bends the excess water right off him, causing bato to do a double-take. yeah. she'd had a similar reaction when he'd stolen her water whip right out from under her. between the gold eyes, pale skin, and the red clothes, he was clearly fire nation. so why in tui's name was he a waterbender?

"i'm here to pass a message on to the avatar," kou says, "-the fire nation is planning a large scale assault on the north pole, lead by admiral zhao."

katara's blood runs cold.

then she narrows her eyes. how do you know this? kou just rolls his visible eye. does it even matter? it's going to happen, regardless of where he got the information from. anyways, that's all i came here for, and i know when i'm not welcome. bye.

katara's ready to glare daggers into his retreating back, but aang stops him for some reason. it's late, he says- you shouldn't travel in the dark! kou heaves a long sigh and visibly recognizes a fight he's not winning- and she'll admit it. aang can be very persuasive when he wants to be. bato quietly asks how they met, and katara rolls her eyes and says he's a pirate.

"yeah," sokka helpfully adds, "-that she stole a waterbending scroll from."

bato teases out the story as they eat- which for some reason, kou is invited to. he arches a brow at the katara's thievery, and shoots kou a look when it's revealed the captain of his ship wanted to sell her to the fire nation. kou just shrugs and says yeah. his captain loves selling people out, apparently. that's why he can't go back to his ship anymore.

(aang just looks guilty.)

sokka's the one who bites the bullet and asks why he's a waterbender.

"don't know," is all kou says, "-i was just born this way."

"is one of your grandparents from the water tribe, perhaps?" bato asks.

"nope," kou says, "-all fire nation. father wasn't too happy about it."

katara huffs. yeah. she'll bet.

she also can't help but note the way aang looks a little green. he's staring at kou's eyepatch- and with a sudden burst of clarity, katara puts two and two together. she's pretty sure he's not just wearing it for the aesthetic. but if that's true, that's... awful.

she can't help but feel more than a little petty. she should have realized that a waterbender from the fire nation couldn't have had an easy life. she'd just been so angry over the idea of someone who looked like kou being a better waterbender than her that she hadn't stopped to even consider it.

...she probably should have, she thinks.

[paishowhitelotus]

Rewatched book 1 after watching the live action and here is a list of everything that wasn’t in the live action that I think should have been :

Sokkas war paint

Saying the words “hair loopies”

Barely seeing the boomerang

Katara being able to calm down aang during the avatar state

The comet

Importance of mastering all 4 elements

Sokka dressing in kyoshi warrior clothing and learning the strength of women (removing and growing from his sexist beliefs)

Zukos honor /destiny (think it’s mentioned once?)

Mouthfoaming guy

Aang water bending

Roku manifesting and telling jeong jeong to teach aang firebending

Aang trying fire bending too soon and burning katara which leads to him being hesitant on learning firebending in book 3

Katara finding out about her healing abilities

Aang being selfish by keeping location of Sokka and kataras father from them

Aangs crush on katara

Aang doing everything he Can to heal his friends in the swamp

"Miyuki, did you get in trouble with Fire Nation again?”

Rokus dragon

Aang dealing with the guilt of leaving the southern air temple and all his people getting killed and not accepting his role as avatar

Sokkas intuition for recognizing Jets deceit

Sokka being a natural inventor (it’s barely even touched in the live action) Sokka is smart and creative

Katara’s dedication to learning water bending by stealing the scroll

Katara’s jealousy of aang being able to bend and learn faster than her

Kataras fierce determination and her take no shit personality

The cruelty of the fire nation by imprisoning earth benders into work camps (this is just one example)

Katara’s selflessness and bravery by getting herself imprisoned in the war camp and saving all the prisoners shows how much empathy Katara feels for people and always wanting to help those who can’t help themselves

Showing how master jeong jeong and others left the fire nations army because of its cruelty (fire nation people can be good and recognize the evil in their own ranks)

How aang feels upset about the disrespect and condition of the northern air temple/legacy of his people but accepts it in the end knowing they need this temple as their home

Using the fallen war balloon to create a fleet of airships in the final battle with Ozai

Appa being a badass and also fighting to protect aang multiple times

Iroh and his white lotus tile (this is important foreshadowing for later seasons)

The healer in the northern water tribe recognizing the betrothal necklace and realizing it belonged to her friend and kataras grandmother, kanna, who was engaged to master pakku of the northern tribe but left to live in the South Pole

Katara confronting pakku and telling him “I’ll be outside if you’re man enough to fight me” ( the challenge is off screen in live action, dumb choice tbh just glad we got to see the physical fight at least)

Pakku finding the betrothal necklace and talking about kanna and katara saying her gran left because “she wouldn’t let your stupid tribes customs control her life” which in turn makes pakku reconsider and start teaching katara waterbending

Pakku complementing kataras skill saying she’s has advanced faster than any other student he has trained (this shows how great and powerful of a water bender she truly is)

How strong the water benders are at night especially during the full moon

How the moon was the first water bender

Zuko kidnapping aangs body while he is in the spirit world

“You rise with the moon, I rise with the sun”

Not showing emotion to koh cause he’ll steal your face

Zuko talking to unconscious aang telling him how everything always came easy to his sister, she’s a firebending prodigy. Ozai telling Zuko that azula was “born lucky while Zuko was lucky to be born” (another instance of ozai’s cruelty as a father)

Talking about how iroh has been to the Spirit world

Zuko trying to challenge katara during a FULL MOON” “Here for a rematch?” “Trust me Zuko it’s not going to be much of a match” and then her kicking his ass in 5 seconds

Aang showing compassion to Zuko by saving him again despite Zuko kidnapping his body

Iroh staying with katara Sokka and yue after the moon spirit is killed (this shows his heart)

Yues body disappearing and her spirit kissing Sokka and her saying “I’ll always be with you”

The ocean spirit grabbing zhao and dragging him into the sea

Pakku wanting to help rebuild the southern water tribe

Pakku Calling her Master katara and saying she’ll train aang from now on

Azula appearing at the end and Ozai sending her on a task because Zuko is a failure and iroh is a traitor

[beyondthesea1958]

Katara is a master waterbender, a healer, bloodbender, has trained two avatars in her lifetime, helped the earth benders escape prison, saved a fire nation village in poverty and pollution, FREED THE AVATAR and all you lot can focus on is “you didnt love her the way I did”…get a life

[blluespirit]

Overall NATLA Thoughts

Okay, now that I've watched the series, I can give my thoughts.

Overall, I thought it was good!!! I had fun watching it! I'd rate it a solid 6.5/10. It's nowhere as good as the original, but it was definitely enjoyable and made some nice changes here and there that I liked. There were also some things I was also Not a fan of too.

I said in another post that it's best to treat this like an AU of the original. There will things that are great and things that are bad. That's the nature of adapting something.

Having said that, I need to get my initial thoughts off my chest... here we go.

Things I thought were good:

Sokka's characterisation - I really enjoyed him! I thought Ian did a good job! He played the funny moments well and retained the underlying seriousness/cautiousness. It wasn't perfect, but I enjoyed the changes a lot and think it was overall a solid performance.

Zuko's characterisation - Like Sokka, I do think I was most satisfied with their performances. A lot of Zuko's moments from the cartoon are sometimes... well, cartoonish and definitely wouldn't translate to live action, but I think Dallas did a nice job at balancing Zuko's desperate anger and that occasional sassiness well.

Zuko and Iroh moments were great. Had me on the floor crying. As it should have.

The bending looks a trillion times better than the movie - I understand it would not have been easy for the actors but, overall, I was very happy about it.

The scenery was stunning. It just looked so beautiful. I loved it so much.

Absolutely ADORE that they made Zuko a good calligrapher and artist. I read a fic about a million years ago where Zuko is a fantastic calligrapher and I thought it was perfect and made so much sense, and now I can say it's canon. This is perfect for me.

S U K I

The Freedom Fighters were ✨ perfect

They were so real for making Oma and Shu lesbians

Koh, Wan Shi Tong and Hei Bai looked fantastic, but I have more to say about all of them below, unfortunately.

I actually like the change they made that Katara is Aang's sole waterbending teacher.

Aang is not perfect, and needed more goofy scenes HOWEVER, I did like how they've had Aang's guilt more prominent in the story. The original didn't do a very good job with that, imo.

Zuko entering is breaking and entering era by breaking into an impenetrable Earth Kingdom prison is just perfect.

In Masks, I like how Aang and Zuko got a longer conversation - that was pretty cute.

I liked how they changed Yue a bit and got her out of the arranged marriage... how Yue saw Sokka in the Spirit World before meeting him in the real world.

Things I didn't like:

Far too much info-dumping/exposition. So much spelling things out. It was not as egregious as the movie, and I get there's a lot of information that needs to be conveyed well and quickly... but sometimes it really took me out of the show.

Why are Mai and Ty Lee here.... I was hoping the live action would give them a bit more depth (and they might as it goes forward!), but why put them in season 1 at all if they're just going to stand around???

Some odd changes - putting this as one point, but there are some bizarre changes that didn't make sense to me, as they did not benefit the story or deepen the characters. I have two main examples: a) making it so Aang didn't run away from home, and b) making it so Zuko actually fights Ozai in the Agni Kai.

Characterisation of Katara was Not Great. I don't think I got many hints of the reckless, compassionate, badass Katara until the end when she fights Pakku and rallies all the women together to fight (which happens off-screen). She was sweet and kind, but she just lacked the fire that OG Katara has.

Azula's characterisation - Azula is desperate to impress Ozai and so her character is just…. brewing with anger, frustration, desperation. I was SO excited to see the Azula we are introduced too… perpetually and irritatingly calm, calculating and ruthless. She's perfect, she's terrifying! She's literally the character of all time. But this Azula had more Zuko vibes? I don't think there's anything wrong with giving Azula more concrete motivation by wanting to impress Ozai and establishing that Ozai is abusive to both his kids, but I do think trying to do that right off the bat is a mistake.

WHY is Wan Shi Tong here. I love Wan Shi Tong, but like I said: Why Is He Here? Why could we not have his iconic, ominous as fuck introduction from The Library, and instead he's introduced in a random season 1 episode giving Aang Information(tm) about the Spirit World.

When Aang gave Koh the statue, and then he just takes it and immediately lets all the villages go, and neither of them even say anything, I actually laughed out loud. Like, I am so sorry, but what in the jesus fuck was that.

Speaking of Koh - I think Koh is better the less we know about him. Roku saying ~all Koh wants is a family like the rest of us~ just pissed me off?? I like my Koh the Face Stealer Terrifying and Unknowable, thank you.

NOTHING EVER REALLY HAPPENS WITH HEI BAI!!?? where's my precious spirit bear?? Like Aang never really does anything with him and the replacement Koh story is boring and it sucks.

Bumi.... sorry I just didn't vibe with him at all.

Things I can't decide on:

Fancy spirit knife to kill the moon spirit annoyed me a bit, but I guess they wanted to Kuruk something to work with and a little bit more interaction with Aang which I get but idk. I really flip/flop on this one.

I've been very on the fence about having Azula (and Ozai) being in the show in season 1 in general. I'm not sure if it benefited either of their characters.

Azula & Ozai's dynamic - Okay, so, I think they're trying to give Azula more depth, right? They're trying to establish what it was like for Azula to live with Ozai and that she's also (like Zuko) trying to desperately prove herself to him, but Ozai using Zuko's... achievements to do that just felt so weird. I get he's doing it to manipulate her, but that just felt so wrong when in canon it's very obvious that Ozai just didn't give a single fuck about Zuko. Ozai pits Azula against Zuko by saying he's a failure, he's a bad bender etc. Azula is born lucky, Zuko is lucky to be born - like, Ozai says that to Zuko's face. I don't know if I am communicating this point very well, but it just didn't seem right to me??

Zuko vs Zhao in the Siege of the North... I genuinely do not know how to feel about it! I didn't love it, I didn't hate it. I don't know how to feel about Zhao telling Zuko that his mission is a sham and that Azula is the prized one... It feels like it's saying the quiet part out loud? In the OG we all know that Ozai sending Zuko on that mission was an excuse to get rid of him, but we can work that out, no one actually says it. And then Iroh just fucking killing him/mortally wounding him instead of the Iconic scene where Zuko reaches out to save him despite everything Zhao has done to him, but Zhao's own pride gets in the way from letting him accept help from Zuko.

Zuko’s crew being the 41st is not necessarily a bad thing at all!!! But I do just want to say that in the original, the attack goes ahead, and presumably, those soldiers die. It’s horrible. Zuko’s sacrifice is in vain, and it was always going to be in vain because the Fire Nation as it stands would not allow Zuko's compassion to win. Ozai would not allow it. While not necessarily a bad choice (all the soldiers bowing to Zuko on the boat was so sweet I loved it!) but I think it does take away some of the horror of Zuko’s story (same as it does with making Zuko fight back in my opinion) because the whole point is that Zuko did the right thing - and he was punished for it, and those soldiers died anyway.

anyway...

Okay!! got that off my chest. I know I just had a big whine here, but I still had a lot of fun watching this show. I think some of the backlash is a bit over the top and unwarranted. It was never going to stand up to the original - and that's okay.

Enjoy it for what it is!

[soopsiedaisies]

concept: some years after the end of the 100 year war the ember island players are invited by iroh and sokka to perform a play during like a,,, meeting of nations. and they come in and are instantly face to face with the avatar and their country’s literal leader, the latter of whom squints at them and goes “ah! butcherers of love amongst dragons! you got my scar on the wrong side by the way” like how do you deal with that. your fire lord admits to thinking you’re no good, but also admits to having watched the play you guys did and wrote about him and his besties in which he died horrifically at the hands of his currently imprisoned sister, because you obviously were wrong for predicting the avatar would lose. and the avatar’s like “i also didn’t die. surprise!” like you’re not 100% aware of that.

and sokka of the southern water tribe, war hero and brilliant strategist, is like “LOVE your stuff dudes” and tries not to get murdered by his sister (a master waterbender) (very deadly) (not whiny and lovelorn at all) who obviously does not agree with him. the blind (female) (small) earthbender is small and female and also highly deadly holy Shit you got that wrong. there was also a fucking kyoshi warrior you didn’t even know of. general iroh was quite on point but there’s a look in his eyes that reminds you far too much of the hardiest of soldiers returning shaken and volatile from the earth kingdom, but he serves you tea. you’re unsure whether you should drink it (and do it anyway, because the fire lord tells you to and one does not simply say No to the fire lord)

and you’re supposed to put on another play for team - fucking - avatar!! conquerors of ozai and harbingers of peace!! for their enjoyment!!! but the fire lord is glaring at you like he’s contemplating throwing you in prison for being kinda bad at acting and horrible at interpreting plays of literary significance, and it’s kinda scary, and what do you DO at that point????

[hadesisqueer]

I've said it once and I've said it a hundred times, Sokka and Zuko are so dumb in The Boiling Rock. Like y'all are going to a PRISON mostly made of METAL in a huge ROCK surrounded by WATER and y'all didn't think of bringing Toph and Katara aka the best Earthbender and only Metalbender in the world AND the best Waterbender who has a special interest in prison breaks? Or maybe Aang? I don't know, man, you guys don't believe the fucking AVATAR could be helpful? Damn even Haru--

The plot required that they didn't bring no one else from the Gaang because otherwise it would have been over in five minutes

[sproutingliliums]

What are some Zutara fanfics you like?

thank you for asking anon! rubbing my hands together and laughing diabolically rn. most of these fics are completed, but i have a few incomplete or ongoing ones listed at the bottom.

The Color of the Stars by bluenebulae this is my zutara bible... i have read this 3 times, and i think it's still my favorite zutara fic. it diverges from canon during the day of black sun. katara and zuko are both captured and thrown into prison and after breaking out together, they become reluctant allies and travel the world in search of the gaang while also trying to warn the other nations about ozai's plans.

they call you refugee by akaiiko

an arranged marriage alternate universe where when zuko is banished, he leaves the fire nation with—actually, the summary does a pretty good job of explaining it: "Zuko goes into exile with a scar, a mission, and a wife." i think i cried the first time i read this.

refraction by caroes3725

this one's my post-war zutara bible. it is maybe the post-war swt ambassador/politician katara slow burn of all time. it is 200k+ words and it's all worth it, i promise! i prommy!!! read it now!!!! <- this along with The Color of the Stars are maybe my favorite zutara longfics. period.

Mending Wounds by FictionIsSocialInquiry

canon divergent fic where katara sees visions of zuko in the foggy swamp. except in these visions he is older, the fire lord, her husband, and he is gentle and loving, and katara feels sick to her stomach! one of my favs!!!!

lost and found by Smediterranea

hakoda discovers a young zuko, injured, and takes him in. beautiful alternate universe fic where zuko grows up in the southern water tribe with sokka and katara.

The Things We Hide by Lykegenia

katara is held in the fire nation as a political prisoner following the southern water tribe's defeat after an assault launched by fire lord ozai during sozin's comet. the swt, however, will not go down with a fight. love, love, love this one! it has painted lady katara, blue spirit zuko, a sweet romance, political intrigue, and betrayal!!! it's a fun time. also i love hama's inclusion in this :)

The Blackfish and the Dragon by ama

during the day of black sun, iroh takes matters into his own hands and becomes fire lord. shortly after, a marriage is arranged between zuko and katara in order to secure the peace. it's a beautiful arranged marriage au where everyone is so perfectly in character. i really think this fic is one of the best zutara fics out there with a natural and rewarding slow burn romance. and azula is there and she's perfect.

Smoke & Mirrors by sansonnets

blutara bible!!!!!!! that's all i got... blutara go CRAZYYY

so i can die where i met you by irridescence

canon compliant. zuko and katara, eighty years later. the fic is centered around major character death(s), so don't read if you can't handle it but i was sobbing like a fucking baby by the end of it. such a beautiful gorgeous fic that will haunt me forever.

if you don't mind incomplete or ongoing fics:

But Who's Counting? by halfhoursonearth

katara thinks zuko's going to need at least 100 healing sessions after the agni kai. lovely prose and characterization and it's so tender and sweet. just read it!!!

so let us melt, and make no noise by LittleLostStar

zuko is sent on a mission to bring back the heart of the last waterbender so he can restore his honor and return home. but when he nearly dies while in the south pole, a healer named katara saves him and nurses him back to health. (the author describes this as a kinda-sorta frozen AU, and i think it's a pretty good description haha). it's an incredible AU with so much mystery and intrigue and tension!

forgetting is a kind of mercy by nerdylizj

"Five years after Katara and Zuko go missing in Ba Sing Se, Kya and Lee are found living peacefully in the Earth Kingdom countryside." finally, i gotta plug liz's silly n goofy dai li brainwashing fic. it's so good. so painfully angsty. it's about the pain of remembering and about making hard choices and identity and parenthood!!!

[desertbcrnnobody]

What's so special about Zuko and Katara in the Crossroads of Destiny episode is the fact that both of them have reached a breaking point in their current lives.

Katara is no longer an anonymous waterbender but a master waterbender and is becoming more active in the war efforts.

Zuko is no longer a banished prince but a fugitive of his own country.

Both of them no longer have their usual defense around them when they are in prison together in the catacombs.

They are both torn away from everyone they can hide behind.

Zuko doesn't have Uncle.

Katara doesn't have her brother, Toph and Aang.

So they are both at their breaking point and rather than attack each other or hurt each other, they try to understand each other and why and how this war has both impacted them.

After all this time, it's just a really tender and vulnerable moment for both of them, and they were both able to see that they were both teenagers forced to grow up too fast.