#aang is my son and i would die for him

[haitanirindo]

idk why i decided to rewatch the last 8(ish) episodes of atla while drunk, i'm literally sobbing

[gale-gentlepenguin]

I never understood the whole “I can’t kill the fire lord” plot line. Like he’s seen many people die during his short time. If the Fire Lord would peacefully surrender that would be great, but obviously that won’t happen. Everyone tells him that he’s being naive or selfish. Like what was Aangs plan during the invasion? But then the story justifies him anyway by giving him a literal deus ex machina so Aang won’t kill a guy onscreen.

It feels very ‘If you kill the emperor you’ll turn to the Dark Side’ even though killing Palpatine would undoubtedly be the right thing to do. Or maybe even Marinette not just defeating Gabriel when he’s at her mercy.

It’s not about Ozai as it is about Aang.

Killing Ozai would simply make him a martyr and give him a mercy. The mercy of not seeing his empire snatched away and restored by the son he called a failure.

As for Aang. He is the Last of the air nomads. If he breaks the air nomad tradition, he loses the last connection to his people. Yes the Avatar needs to do what they must, but as a bridge the avatar is meant to restore balance.

There are people who go more in depth on it. But my take is that Ozai suffers more this way and Aang brings balance.

[zvtara-was-never-canon]

Noticed something about zutarians: for people who claim to be "THE femist ship" they spend too much time praising Zuko for doing chores, being empathetic, supporting women and other stuff he didn't really do in canon all that much.

Like, feminists would consider these a basic level that any normal person, man or woman, should do for their own's sake without any praise. Oohing and aahing "look, he spends time with his own child!", "oh, you washed the dishes, my hero!", "where would I have been if you didn't do the laundry, my knight in shining armor, you really are a savior!" is... very sexist, actually! And zutarians do just that. It’s not enough for them to write him doing chores, they have to emphasize this, compare him to Aang/Sokka/anyone else who of course doesn’t do chores (because no one except Katara and Zuko ever does anything chorelike in these fics it seems), or just outright praise him for that.

Of course, zutara never was a feminist ship, so my observation doesn't add anything new. I understand that zutara kinda fits "female gaze" or whatever, though, it's a women's dream about a perfect partner, which is totally fine by itself – it just has nothing to do with Zuko (and, dare I say, Katara – I doubt she would be so ecstatic about a guy doing "women's chores", she is used to dividing the work around camp and takes it for granted). And that's why I cannot read even relatively harmless zutara fluff – it very often is very focused on this exact subject. I like Zuko for who he is and the truth is 1) he's flawed even after his redemption and 2) a huge part of how he sees himself is his prince title. Nothing of it matches zutara fantasy of a male housewife, so they have a whole other character named Zuko to fit into their imagination land, and I just have no interest in that.

I'm still impressed by that one fic (not in English) where Fantara was 100% sure that Fanfic-Firelord-Zuko will never ever "force any hapless woman" to take care of his newborn daughter (as opposed to her awful, awful husband, Fanfic-Aang who can't even feed his son, who's still eating only breast milk, for several days while Fantara decided to be away). Sure, girl, he's a fucking ruler, he has a whole country to think about, tons of very important shit to do every single day, a full palace of servants, of course he will always personally change diapers, no doubt. I bet he'll even do all the breastfeeding by himself, since his wife died at childbirth and forcing other women is out of the question.

I'm bitter now, and maybe taking it too far but what if – just "what if" – there are very few people who actually ship Katara and Zuko? Because it seems that most content creators in zutara fandom actually ship their two OCs who are very loosely based on these two characters (but don't I dare tell it to their faces, haha, they are under impression that their image of Zuko and Katara is somehow the only correct one).

Just one little disagreement: Zutara doesn't fit the Female Gaze because there's no such thing in the first place. There's not a single trope, way to direct a scene, or romance formula that universally appeals to women, and the same thing can appeal to different women for radically different reasons.

"Male Gaze" and "Female Gaze" were supposed to be a way to point out sexism (and sometimes straight up abuse) in film-making, but it honest God became some bullshit gender-essentialism nonsense REALLY fast. We gotta let that "That is for boys, this is for girls" mentality die.

Aang does chores with Katara. That is completely irrelevant to me shipping Kataang. Aang is not sexist. That doesn't even reach my top 50 reasons to love him as a character. Aang does a lot of things that don't match the idea I was raised to have of a "manly man" and I could not give less of fuck about it. It doesn't bother me, but doesn't particularly appeal to me either.

But for lots of people that is HUGE and some of the main reasons why they love his character and his romance with Katara. And notice I said people, not women.

I like plenty of enemies-to-lovers ships - I don't relate to a single meta/analysis I've ever seen of "Why women like bad boys/enemies to lovers/redeemed villains so much." It all rang hollow to me. But to plenty of women it hits the nail right on the head.

Hell, 50 Shades of Grey is a "romance/erotica" full of accidental misogyny, abuse-apologism, and slut-shaming yet the fanbase is 90% women from all kinds of demographics, and the main thing they praise about these goddamn books/movies is that it did NOT make them feel like they should be ashamed of wanting to have kinky sex with a hot guy.

The Female Gaze isn't real.

[ghenry]

Rewatched the Avatar TLA series with my partner recently, and fell in love with the world and characters all over again. I especially love the journey Zuko goes through the show as a character.

Zuko, son of Fire Lord Ozai. He seems pretty by-the-books at first as this angry villain, but something that makes him immediately unique for this kind of setting is his young age. He's barely older than Aang, our child protagonist.

"You're just a child." "Well, you're just a teenager!"

Although early on you start getting the idea that there's more nuance to him than this villain trying to incapacitate our protag, he shows some depth in his character here and there, usually through his uncle Iroh, a wise warrior that's there to aid and comfort his nephew, joining his banished trip on his own accord. While he's on the villain's side, it's worth noting he never hurts or intimidates innocent people, only ever fighting those already attacking or threatening him.

Even so, Zuko made it blatantly clear what his intents were. "I must capture the avatar to regain my honor." And he barely changed his mind about this throughout the entire first season, even when the two helped each-other out of hopeless circumstances, hinting that they're not meant to be sworn enemies.

"If we knew each-other back then, do you think we could've been friends too?"

Knowing the show and how it transpires across all 3 seasons, it's interesting seeing the intent the writers and showrunners had for these characters, and their hidden depth, all the way back in this first season. One of the finest examples would be Iroh sharing Zuko's history with fellow soldiers. A history which helps said soldiers --and in turn, the audience-- empathize with him.

Behind Zuko's scarred face is a story about a boy already feeling lost and unsure of himself, stumbling into a tragedy where his father --in sheer arrogance-- abused his son to a high degree in front of all his subordinates, in a heinous act he would call punishment.

Ever since then, he was banished to travel across the world to search for the avatar, a task his father felt was worthless, but was the same as leaving him out to die. This isn't the origin of a villain, but a downtrodden individual who couldn't find his place in life.

What Zuko called "honor" over and over again wasn't that, but his father's love. He already lost his mother, and instead yearned for his father's approval and affection. This culminated to his ultimate betrayal, siding with his sister and turning his back on his uncle, which lead to his imprisonment. During a crossroad and moment of insecurity, he threw his uncle Iroh to the wolves because he thought he would regain his honor and earn his right to be a part of his family once again.

Zuko would be welcomed back into his family, he retrieved what he thought was his honor --and what he thought was genuine love from his father.

"You have redeemed yourself, my son."

But even then, he still felt lost, alone, and without a sense of direction. Nothing changed, his soul still felt incomplete.

"For so long, I thought that if my dad accepted me, I'd be happy. My dad talks to me, he even thinks I'm a hero! Everything should be perfect, right? I should be happy now, but I'm not! I'm angrier than ever, and I don't know why!"

It took him a long time (about 2 and a half seasons) to realize he didn't need this sense of "honor" and what he was chasing was just a farce. His father only showed Zuko "love" when he seemed useful, an asset that was helping his fascist conquering of multiple nations by killing the Avatar.

All of this drew to an enthralling, terrifying, heart-wrenching moment between him and his father during the day of the eclipse. He used the minutes they could not fire bend as an opportunity to let out the truth and his own epiphany. He admitted that he never killed Aang --didn't even try, for that matter-- and that he's going to help him defeat his father's regime. Ozai immediately despised Zuko for this, proving his 'love' was conditional and hollow. And at that moment, as soon as the eclipse ceased, he attempted to kill his own son right then and there in a moment that never fails to draw tears out of me as soon as it happens.

Zuko survived his father's lethal attack, only by sheer will, and a lighting-redirection technique his uncle happened to teach him a while back, emphasizing how important Iroh is to him. Iroh is the father figure that truly loved Zuko unconditionally. Ozai, his biological father, could only grant him death. His uncle Iroh, at that moment, inadvertently granted him life.

And Zuko's story (mostly) ends in the middle of the 4-part finale. With the help of his friends, he tracked down Iroh who escaped from prison. The moment he sees his uncle, he breaks down as he's horribly ashamed of his actions, expecting Iroh to shun him as he feels he does not deserve his uncle's love after what he did to him.

"I was never angry with you . . . I was sad, because I was afraid you lost your way."

But Iroh doesn't hesitate to embrace him. Like I said, his love is unconditional. He knew Zuko wasn't evil, he was only being manipulated by the likes of his father and sister. He knew Zuko would find the right path, restore his own honor, and come back to him. It's such a beautiful moment and the soul-piercing conclusion to Zuko's story, a story they were building up since the literal first episode.

Of course, there's also Azula, his sister. She was considered a prodigy with her amazing fire bending abilities, mastering the skill of bending lightning, something only her father and uncle were able to do before her.

She was a spitting image of her father; fierce, manipulative, wrathful, the only thing she shared with her brother Zuko was their sense of determination. But we don't learn what really drives Azula until the finale. It's similar to Zuko. He felt incomplete without his father's love. While this was implied before the finale, Azula felt she was missing her mother's love.

While I think the argument could be made that this was just her own projection, it's important that this shows how --despite her more respected place in their family and nation-- she was just as broken and spiritually lost as Zuko. While Ozai showered his daughter with praise for all of her life, Azula felt her mother didn't love her, which ate away at her, deep inside. Much like Zuko, who felt he was fighting to earn his father's love.

Azula, to me, represents Zuko's future if he let his father manipulate him, just like Azula did to him. Would he have become this tyrannical fire lord if he just listened to his father, abandoned his inhibitions, and ensured his nation's regime? Maybe. But like Azula's interrupted crowning, it would have been shallow, lonely, and without any real sense of self-worth. Nothing to show for it but a broken mind.

Instead, Zuko became the fire lord on his own terms, and with the entire world in support of him, as he helped this quest for peace and balance across the nations. He earned his place in life through his own will, his own actions, and his amazing uncle who only wanted the best for him. He restored his honor himself, with lifelong friends by his side.

That's it, that's all I wanted to write about. This show rules.

[five-flavor-soup]

Why the endgame couples in A:TLA weren’t necessary: a frustrated ramble

Listen I’m a Zutara shipper through and through (developed after my second rewatch in 2013) but by Tui Agni and La am I glad that it never happened in canon?? Like Kataang and Maiko themselves already felt so rushed and almost out-of-nowhere and their canonisation added like nothing to the plot. Aang’s crush on Katara is a plot device; Zuko’s relationship with Mai at the start of S3 is a plot device. I can barely fathom how Zutara would’ve turned out and I also kinda don’t want to. Imagine Zuko and Katara kissing at the end of the series: it feels completely out of left field, doesn’t it? Knowing that who-ends-up-with-who was an argument in the writer’s room for almost all three seasons means that it could’ve happened.

It shouldn’t have. I don’t think the Kataang kiss or the Maiko romance-reunion should’ve happened either. It’s unnecessary to add—there’s just no need for it, and my nagging here isn’t because I like Zutara and I don’t like how Maiko and Kataang turned out. It’s because the ships and couples and whatever the fuck else are NOT, and should not, be the point of A:TLA—and the ‘couple gets together in the very last scene and all is well :)’ shot suggests that it is.

A:TLA, to me, tried to show the horrifying nature of war and all its victims: the harrowing poverty, the deep-rooted trauma, the bloody violence. I interpreted the most prominent message of A:TLA to be that what was happening during those 100 years is wrong, that war is wrong—it affects the humanity within people, affects what point we offer empathy and kindness, because horrific trauma and needless violence muddies it all up. Why would you hold out a hand for someone who would’ve murdered you if they had the chance? Why would you physically support someone who hurt you and those you care about deeply? Those of the other nations can barely scrounge up empathy for someone from the Fire Nation, because those of the Fire Nation present themselves as inhuman. Those of the Fire Nation can barely scrounge up empathy for someone from any of the other nations, because the Fire Nation presents them as inhuman. And A:TLA shows that all these people are human, good and bad and all of that in between, because that’s just what humanity is. Varied and morally grey.

THAT’S what the GAang learns. That’s what the people around them learn. It’s what Iroh, a war criminal in his own right, tries to teach every child and teen who he interacts with: not in a preachy way, but in a vague way that implies he’d rather have them figure it out themselves lest they interpret his direct teachings wrong. He got indoctrinated into this terrorising, imperialist regime from the day he was born and onwards and it took a personal loss — the death of his son during a siege Iroh himself was leading, a siege in which Iroh and Lu Ten were the aggressors — for him to start thinking that maybe it’s all wrong. Maybe what he was taught is wrong. And he doesn’t want these children to take as long as he did.

The GAang and their (teenage) enemies and small antagonists have all been touched by war, almost to the point of no return. None of the need for violence, the calm in the face of battle and death, the willingness to sacrifice innocents for a sliver of retribution, the extensive knowledge of How To Fight A Battle And Win—none these qualities that these children (!!) may or may not portray are ‘normal’ teenage behaviours. They simply have to have them, or they die or freeze. Their childhoods were stopped in their tracks early because of experiences no child should ever experience. Such is the reality of war. And yet, in spite of the hurt and harm, the GAang is still capable of kindness and empathy. That’s what it’s about.

To end the series with explicit romance — Sokka/Suki doesn’t count, their relationship is not as in-your-face as The Scenes — just feels wrong. Maybe with another season of development it could’ve worked far better (and less unexpected, especially since the previous one-on-one Kataang interaction was Katara getting cross with Aang for kissing her when she was confused; and the previous one-on-one Maiko interaction was Zuko locking Mai in a cell/out of the way and then leaving without looking back). But with the three seasons that we got, it feels odd that the romance is highlighted at the end—especially when Zuko was miserable with Mai (with her being the human representation of ‘close your eyes and pretend everything’s fine’), and there ALSO was a perfectly good ending scene with the GAang bickering right there. Right before the ending kiss.

Why end it like that, when the series isn’t about romance, but about familial and platonic love and love for humanity instead? Why not just hint towards getting (back) together? What’s the point of these confirmations other than ‘the hero gets the girl’ in both instances?

[brionysea]

if you know me, you may know that I love animation. I think it's beautiful and deserves a lot more respect as an artistic medium than it gets. I still live with my parents, and they don't agree; they think it's for children, which makes it worth less. I put on my favourite film (Into The Spider-Verse) while they were in the room once, in a sneaky attempt to share something I love with them, and they were just on their phones the entire time. if I'd been more open about what I was doing they might have tried more, but as it stands, it didn't even cross their minds that something animated could be worth their time.

I say all this to lead into the fact that I've also never been able to get them to watch Avatar: The Last Airbender. again, I was watching something I liked while my mum was in the room, but just because I wanted to this time. I was watching the North Pole episodes. my mum likes badass female characters in media, so I told her to pay attention to Katara's fight with Pakku, but even that didn't pull her in (although she did note that Katara was "fiery"). she was bored, wanted the TV for something she liked now (I'd had it for a while), but I wanted to finish the 2-parter first. we decided on one more episode. we reached the part where Zuko kidnaps Aang and runs into a blizzard with him, and Katara, Sokka, and Yue find them. Katara, of course, outmatches Zuko in seconds. Sokka frees Aang and suggests leaving Zuko to die in the blizzard, and Aang - being who he is - says, "No. We can't leave him here."

and my mum, barely looking up from her phone, says, "Why not? He'd leave you."

bear in mind, she hasn't watched the show. she doesn't know these people. she doesn't know Zuko. this is a single glimpse into a single moment of his life, one of countless mistakes made by a lost teenager, where someone else had to decide whether or not he was worth saving. I got this sinking feeling, imagining a world where Aang didn't listen to his beliefs in this moment; a world where Zuko died in the blizzard, where Iroh lost another son, where Aang never got the chance to learn firebending from him - a world where Zuko never realised his destiny, all because he was left for dead in a snowstorm.

but my mum didn't know this show, didn't know all the reasons why that shouldn't happen, so all I could think of to say in response was a small, devastated, "He's sixteen."

and I'm looking back on that feeling now, at the judgement made on a boy she didn't even know, and I'm thinking: what gives you the right to decide he's done? that he's not allowed to grow anymore? that he won't be missed? that he should die, and that Aang should be complicit in it?

this may seem silly. animated or not, Avatar is just a show. but it's a show that got me invested, a show that made me care about the characters and what they have to say about morality and philosophy and the world. it's a show that made me not want Zuko to die alone in a snowstorm. it's a show that made me not want Aang to become a murderer at 12 years old.

but that mentality of judging people by their worst moments, of not seeing them as full human beings who have worth and a future and limitless potential for change because you, personally, haven't seen it, translates to real people too.

it's reductive.

I think of it like this: what they decide says something about who they are, but what you decide says something about who you are. are you the kind of person who would let someone die when you had the chance to save them? are you the kind of person who invites more pain into the world? who allows it without protest? who believes it's possible to reach a point where people don't deserve your compassion anymore?

Aang isn't.

I didn't have much of a plan going into this post, but looking at it in full, I think this is the value of redemption arcs. and while on a practical level, you can understand why so many people pushed back against it at the end of the show, I think this is the value of Aang's philosophy: it lets you be more.

[azulasmommyissues]

ATLA sexuality headcanons, part 2, Roku's era:

due to the limited information regarding this era, i might just be spouting bullshit. but! it's mY bullshit.

roku

-bisexual, male lean

-he mainly dated men when he was younger because he was trash at talking to women, but after mastering the avatar state he actually started seeing women (because raava is a lesbian)

-he is the master of homoerotic friendships, i tell you. sozin? gyatso? sud? no heterosexual explanation for any of them

-with sozin, roku was oblivious as fuck. he loved him, but he could never pinpoint exactly how. there were many moments of unresolved sexual tension.

-he fell in love with ta-min because she's absolutely raava's type

-but literally wore sozin's crown until the end of hid life and keeps it in his spirit form despite everything??? roku, please.

sozin

-he is gay but he's also awful

-contrary to all I've written until now, these things CAN co-exist

-being the golden child, a direct azula parallel, and also obsessed with roku?

-the fire nation law allowing married couples to legally annul their married was drafted and ratified by firelord sozin at around 44BG on the eve of avatar roku's wedding

-and gay marriage was made illegal after roku died.

-and he banned dancing in his oldest bitterest years of being alive because roku liked dancing, “sozin, It's my wedding! have a cookie! dance with someone!” (he didn't)

-he basically proposed to roku with his crown bfr

-i imagine that he was the one to kill gyatso. personally.

zeisan

-absolute lesbian

-in the avatar universe the lesbian masterdoc is a philosophical text that she herself wrote

-SO sick of sozin's imperialist, fascist bullshit. girl same. be gay study philosophy.

-she canonically bore no romantic love for khandro and he bore no such feelings for her either. the marriage was strictly political and based on mutual respect.

-rioshon, on the other hand? the love of zeisan's LIFE fr fr

ta min

-you've got no idea how much I'm looking forward to getting to know her when roku's book comes out. she seems nice. the roku episode barely gives her any attention, though. she's definitely raava's type that's for sure-- not a coincidence roku wifed her up AFTER mastering the avatar state, raava had been WAITING

-the vibes are relatively heterosexual

-girl was BEEFING with sozin

-"may i borrow your husband for a moment" if i were ta min and that was my wedding day idc if he was the firelord he would have gotten his ass beat (/j) so she's definitely a better person than me

-I'm a big fun of the theory that each avatar has the face of their past life's true love and aang looks a LOT like her so i think her and roku are sweet

gyatso

-gay bitch

-i don't know i just genuinely can't imagine him with a woman,,

-he had feelings for roku which weren't reciprocated and a nice old homoerotic friendship. his difference with sozin is that he didn't commit genocide and he DIDN'T leave roku to die in a volcanic eruption

-he loved roku enough to settle for being his friend if it meant he'd be happy

-he would have protected aang with his life, he was like a son to him,,, and he reminded him so much of his best friend

-after gyatso caused so much damage to the fire nation troops, sozin came to kill him himself. and god was it personal.

sud

-bisexual

-another homoerotic roku friendship

-roku you slutty slutty old man

-sud was roku's bi awakening, in fact. obviously sozin was the first one he loved but he couldn't explain it or understand it back then. he was old enough when he met sud to figure it out.

-him snd roku had tea dates after training, come on now

-they were friends first and foremost, though, lifelong friends.

taqukaq

-bisexual but never realises. I have to imagine he's at least somewhat conservative since he's from the northern water tribe and all—at least at first.

-then again, he was very spiritual and soft-spoken since his childhood. he travelled the world as a diplomat and saw many different walks of life

-he was perhaps in love with his good friend nai, and that's why his betrayal shook him to his core and gave him such terrible trust issues

rioshon

-lesbian

-also asexual

-perhaps she also fought sozin during the comet.

-maybe it was more personal for her than it was for him.

-she mourns the life she could have had with zeisan, if only she'd spoken out. if only she'd been honest with her feelings. damn the consequences! sozin won anyways. they wasted their lives and their love for nothing.

khandro

-aromantic and asexual

-bro finds rioshon captivating and respects the grind

_____________________________________________

now... nyanchi, boin, ezra, zeebee, bo, chegu, ema, sherab, and norbu, etc, who all appear in avatar legends as regenerated characters—i actually don't know what to say about them. they barely feel like characters-and they're not really that connected to roku. i just want this era to get fleshed out like kyoshi's and yangchen's! like their novels were so good. I'm more excited to find out more about the past avatars than to get new avatars, honestly, but that might just be me.

[waterfire1848]

Au where Ozai is still imperialist and strict but at least decent father

Hello, anon!

First of all, there is no competition between Zuko and Azula. Ozai never forces them to compete for his "love" so they never come to view one another as competition. Ozai is still disappointed that Zuko isn't a stronger bender but he never lets that show. He admits it in talks with Ursa, but makes sure to tell Zuko that he's proud of any of his improvements and encourages Azula to get along with more people in her school so she can grow outside of just training. Also, if he's a decent father, he and Ursa don't really bump up against any issues either. Ursa sees that Ozai is giving love and attention to both children and so she doesn't try to give the majority of her attention to Zuko. Overall, the fire family is much better. What this means is that by the time Azula is eight and Zuko is ten, they are part of a much more loving family that is still strict and has military tendencies but they also have a father who really cares about them.

When Azulon orders Zuko to be killed, Ozai goes to Ursa and tells her what Azulon said. (Ursa: He wants you to WHAT!? Ozai: Can you keep it down! We don't want the whole palace to hear us. Ursa: You're sure? You're sure that's what he wanted? Ozai: I'm positive. Ursa: What do we do? I could take Zuko and Azula. Ozai: I know, but even if you did that, Azulon would know that you took Zuko. No, Azulon needs to die. Ursa: You'd kill your own father? The Fire Lord? Ozai: For my son? Yes.) Azulon still dies but Ursa remains because Ozai knows his children need their mother. Now Fire Lord, life carries on pretty normally until the big war meeting. Ozai doesn’t like that Zuko spoke out but more so because it wasn’t his: it was bad manners. He scolds Zuko and tells him he is no longer allowed at war meetings until he learns to speak as a prince should. The Agni Kai never happens, Zuko is never banished and never scarred.

Years pass and while Ozai is strict since he’s a good father, Zuko and Azula grow up in a much better household and with less trauma. Iroh does return but Zuko doesn’t rely on him as much since his mom is still around and Ozai is kind to him. Zuko eventually learns to conduct himself like a true prince and Azula perfects her bending. Together the two are the deadliest siblings in the royal family history in generations. Zuko expands his firebending ability but he also gets lessons from his father and Azula on strategy and how to rule. While both siblings would have plenty of influence from their father since this mother is around they would also have a lot of influence from her. Ursa is still around gently reminding the kids that maybe Ozai’s way of “sacrifice/burn everyone” might not be the right approach. Ozai doesn’t like that at all. To fix this, he sends Zuko on the same question that he, Iroh, Azulon and Sozin all went on, calling it a rite of passage, to find the Avatar. This isn’t a punishment or banishment but just Ozai trying to keep Zuko away from Ursa for a while so she doesn’t completely corrupt him. Ozai sends Zuko with his title still in tact, a ship, resources, and whatever else he could possibly need for his time at sea.

Zuko is still in the Earth Kingdom when Aang is finally broken out of the ice. This allows Aang to travel for a while without Zuko on his tail and, since Zuko is still the Prince of the Fire Nation, he can order Zhao to not go after Aang and Zhao has to listen. Aang is just barely able to get the North Pole before a similar battle breaks out. Zuko fails this time around but rather than Azula being sent to capture him, Zuko asks for Azula to be sent out so she can help. When Azula arrives, Zuko gets her up to speed and the two head out to try and capture the Avatar. Iroh comes along with them, still wanting to try and convince them that their father’s way isn’t the right one but since Ozai was a decent father and the two aren’t really competing anymore, Iroh’s words don’t have the same effect that they would in canon. In fact, they would fiercely defend their father’s actions and the Fire Nation’s ways. (Azula: Our father is a great and kind man! What he’s doing is for the betterment of the nations! Iroh: My niece, you are a smart girl, surely you can see that his actions are only for himself. Zuko: How dare you talk about our father like that?! He only wants to help the other nations progress and bring greatness to them! All you’ve ever done is sit around and wait for someone else to fix your mistakes!) (Fun fact. These are the same words Zuko uses when he and Azula take over Ba Sing Se).

With Ba Sing Se conquered, Zuko does actually start to notice that maybe imperialism isn’t that great. His father was right to be weary of Ursa’s teachings because it’s through her teachings that he sees something wrong with how the Fire Nation soldiers treat the captured civilians. When he tries to tell Azula or even his father, the two ignore him, saying that this is just a part of war but Zuko still feels off. (Ozai: Zuko, do you remember when you were six and we were out here by the turtleduck pond? Zuko: Yes. Ozai: And do you remember that one baby turtleduck that hatched but was missing two legs? Zuko: I do. Ozai: What did I do? Zuko: You put it out of its misery. You said you were doing a kindness. Ozai: And I was. That poor baby couldn’t swim, hunt or even walk properly. What kind of life is that? When you were born, you were similar to that baby turtleduck. You were weak but I didn’t want to give up on you. I knew you could become something great and I was right. The other nations are also similar to that baby and you. They can become something great but they need to the guidance to get there. Do you understand? Zuko: I do. Ozai: Do you trust me to do that? Like I did for you. Zuko:….Yeah. Yeah, I do. Ozai: That’s my boy.) Needless to say, Zuko does not change sides. Iroh is the one who teaches Aang firebending and he’s the one made Fire Lord when the Fire Nation loses. The four Fire Nation family members are locked up, but Iroh wants to believe that maybe Zuko and Azula can change. (They kinda throw this believe out the window with how devoted they are to their father who has been nothing but kind to them).

Alternative ending (I couldn’t get my mind away from this idea). Zuko and Ozai face Aang and win. Azula defeats Katara and the Fire Nation overall is victorious. The Gaang, including the White Lotus, are locked up in prison and set to be executed. Working together, Zuko and Azula go on to rule the Earth Kingdom while Ozai rules the Fire Nation. Minus the North Pole, the Fire Nation officially claims victory in the war and over the entire world with Zuko and Azula remaining completely loyal to their father.

[745voiceofthepeople]

In a world where Azula defeated and imprisoned Zuko and Katara after the final Agni Kai. Azula’s speech is based on the final speech of Constantine XI in 1453. Tentative idea I had for an Azutara enemies to lovers Au. A preliminary excerpt is below.

A servant ran over to Azula, as she watched the approaching army batter against the walls of Caldera city. The army was led by Avatar Aang and it combined the Earth kingdom, the Water tribes and the forces of the white lotus (along with her treacherous uncle)

“Pri- Fire lord Azula, the city is falling, you must use the tunnels to escape, now your majesty!” The servant shouted. She was one of the remaining few in the palace. The panic in her expression evident to all the at gazed upon her.

Azula stood upon the battlements. With her solders (few though that they were) turning to her expectantly. A hush fell over the city’s defenders. Bleak and all consuming.

As Azula looked out at the approaching army. Then at her own skelton forces manning the cities walls. The measly lot her father had left Azula before he went to undergo his foolish plan in the Earth Kingdom.

But as Azula tuned her contemplation back and forth, she realized that her mind felt lighter, clearer than it had in days.

Azula dwelled on the events of the last week or so in her mind. She was an abandoned by her father. The one individual l Azula thought would be on her side. More fool her. Just another one of her betrayers in the long line. Azula wondered what Ozai felt being in such vaunted company as Mai or Ty Lee, or Zuko, or her uncle. Azula smirked lightly as she imagined the gasket her father would undoubtedly blow. As well as the one Zuko would wear in turn.

Speaking of her brother, treacherous son of bitch that he is (full offense intended mother!) Azula had defeated him during an Agni Kai. Along with his Water bender friend. Who weirdly put up a greater fight than her brother. During Sozin’s comet of all times!

Though admittedly Azula was distracted by the Water benders… aesthetics during the battle. She knew the president and the laws Sozin had set up. Yet despite this, and her… mental state, Azula had found the Water witch to be… pleasing to the eye. Even when she was hurling icicles sharp as fangs at Azula’s neck. Perhaps especially so.

It felt like the pleasant warmth of a campfire for Azula to be honest to herself. Honest of her interest in the fairer sex . Especially after so long in denial. Until only a few hours ago in fact. The new Fire lord, expected to die in battle soon anyway. So she could afford the cost of honest words for once in her life. They remained the knowledge of Azula and hers alone.

Azula turned back to the servant knowing that they expected an answer. She shook her head slowly. A melancholic smile grazing the Fire lords beautiful face. Azula chuckled without humor. “No my dear Okanu. It is not my place to abandon the city in her hour of need”. Azula said. “I will meet the forces of the Avatar and my traitor uncle head on. For there is little time more for schemes. But you may leave and go to your family. My civilian subjects have already been escorted out of the city. You will join them”.

Small mercies indeed Azula thought. It wouldn’t due for her to drop the ball and get all her subjects killed in the cities sack. In the first several days of being Fire lord! The Earth kingdom forces hungered for battle and vengeance. A hunger Azula knew they would take out on the cities inhabitants. Had she not made sure to move them away from the city.

“But Fire lord” - the servant Okanu started.

“I give you one last order Okanu, you are banished from the city forever, now join your family”. The servant appeared at once resigned and grateful. After bowing one last time, Okanu turned and left.

Azula turned to her men stationed on the walls. Just outside of the gate. That was being battered by the Avatar’s forces in this very battle. Azula briefly considered the strangeness that neither the avatar nor his companions used their bending to destroy the walls. Perhaps they were still tired from previous battle? Or mayhaps they were simply waiting her out? Or perhaps they feared ahead would execute Zuko or the Water bender girl.

Azula looked her men over, scanning her eyes of their faces. Fear and doubt was the most prominent reflection. That Azula was sure would also be mirrored in her face. If she were not so skilled in clouding her features.

Azula opened her mouth and began to speak to her troops. She considered, there was time for fear and time for awe.

“Once this city [Caldera city] mastered the entire universe. She placed beneath her feat the Fire islands, Yu Dao, Makapu, Omashu,Gaoling, and all the lands of the Earth kingdom and the Si Wong desert. Our empire, presently humbled, did fell the continental walls of Ba Sing Se, Rivaled the great conquerers of old, Repelled the Water Tribe invaders during the eclipse, Slayed the Avatar’s (for a time), seen the Air Nomads retuned to dust, tamed the stubborn lands of Earth, and cast out our empires traitors. She is now finally, to be devoured by the house of Avatar Aang. And as my city falls…I will fall with her”.

Azula held up her hand and a beautiful sword made of the purest blue flame appeared. A speck of shining azure against the inky darkness of the night. Azula breathed deeply to calm the panic that nearly overwhelmed her and charged down from the walls. Straight into the forces of the avatar. Though Azula did have troops stationed to ambush the invaders at the flanks. She wasn’t a fool after all, and the enemy forces would burn for every inch of this city. For every inch of her home.

[captainkirkk]

✩ WEEKLY FIC ROUND-UP ✩

All the fics I’ve read and really enjoyed in the past week-ish. Reminder: This list features any and all ratings and themes. Please read the tags and warnings before reading.

BNHA

you could have knocked me out with a feather by sahwen

"Your X-rays don’t indicate any fissures or other breaking in the skull,” his handler said as she looked over his file. She always spoke like that, as did his other handlers; the skull. Not his. Because it wasn’t his, when you got right down to it. He was a public figure. He was property. He was real estate.

And he knew what she meant when she said your x-rays don’t indicate any fissures. It meant, you’ve wasted our time. It made him sweat.

Or: Hawks gets bonked. The HPSC is not a hospital.

Stranger Things

Adopt a Jock by @sp0o0kylights

Hellfire adopts Steve during his final year of high school. Pre-Steddie. (Ongoing tumblr fic)

DC (Batfamily)

This Dark Ceiling Without a Star by Miss_Lazy_Tuesday

"For fuck’s sake, your chatter is going to drive me crazy faster than this stupid spell.”

“Then you talk!”

“There’s no point!” Jason snaps. “I can feel it, okay. It’s—there’s no emotion behind it, it’s not using my thoughts. It’s just a bunch of weird Greek echoing in my brain and a compulsion to act. And it’s getting stronger. Talking isn’t going to slow it down.”

“Then what will slow it down?”

After five long seconds of silence, Tim gives into the urge and viciously jabs his fist into Jason’s leg for the second time.

“Goddammit, why?” Jason snaps, green briefly sparking in his eyes before disappearing just as quickly.

“You are not seriously going to just sit there and wait to die.”

“The hell do you care anyway?”

“Because I don’t want you to die! Obviously!”

“You fucking should."

Marvel

status quo by jilliancares

"So, you’re investigating this not-so-bad-bad-guy, and you’re coming out of his apartment at—" Wade tilts his head to the side, just enough to check his watch “—almost exactly the time you usually start your patrol.”

Peter chews on the inside of his cheek. “Yep,” he decides on.

“And — just to be clear — I definitely shouldn’t unalive this guy instead of the douchebag across the street.”

“Definitely not,” Peter agrees. “No one would like that.”

Wade bangs his head against the fire escape again. “Okay, Webs. This one’s just to gauge if you’re smarter than a fifth grader: how much of that do you think I actually believe?"

Or: Somehow, the components of Peter’s secret identity keep crumbling all around him.

Also: He’s running out of excuses not to tell Wade that he’s in love with him.

9-1-1

Don't You (Forget About Me) by Princessfbi

"Bill, can you tell me your location? I want to send some people to make sure you’re okay. You don’t sound okay.”

“I’m not. But he’s worse off than I am. Shouldn’t you want to help him instead? Wouldn’t you want to know where he is?”

“Who is he?”

“That firefighter I buried underground.”

The long awaited buried alive fic

ATLA

All the Little Things by CSHfic, VSfic

Sokka receives an offer of an arranged marriage from the Northern Water Tribe. On the one hand, accepting would strengthen ties between their tribes. On the other hand, Chief Arnook has suggested Hahn as a potential match, and Hahn sucks. But with the future of the Southern Water Tribe Reconstruction project relying heavily on the good will of the North, Sokka doesn’t know how to say no.

(Katara doesn’t have to deal with this. Katara is dating the Avatar.)

Zuko has a solution. Sokka just wishes he’d realized he was in love with the Fire Lord before he agreed to pretend to date him.

Classroom Lessons by Thisisentertaining

Sokka never would have thought he'd be pretending to be a Fire Nation Colonial Citizen, going to a parent conference about his fake!son who was an airbender, but here he was.

At least life wasn't boring.

Sokka turned on Aang, fake mustache and beard bristling. "Young man, as soon as we get home, you're gonna get the punishment of a lifetime."

The headmaster smirked, smugly, evil-y, Fire Nation-y. "That's what I like to hear. Really Zuko him."

the snakes, and the people that they bite by Serie11

Rai is just a normal guy, really. One of the many guards that patrol the Fire Lord's palace.

Why did it have to be him who got caught up in this assassination attempt?

Finishing Each Other's Sentences by mindbending

fire lilies are red your melancholy mood’s blue still I prefer you 

After the war, Sokka starts writing poetry.

She broke your throne by Serie11

Zuko is kidnapped from his afternoon of paperwork by a well intentioned friend. There just so happens to be a festival on in town for them to attend instead of working...

[yujeong]

"I'm not choosing. I'm just not eating" - Pete and the concept of choice

Oh Pete. You wonderful being, you. (Can you tell that I'm lost for words already? Great) I cannot stress enough what this line has done to my brain. I keep thinking about it to this day. I'm sure there are posts here that have delved on it in a more coherent way than what I'm about to do but I would like to offer sth to the fandom besides a small number of fics that will fade into obscurity, so here we are. (If anyone knows of posts that have touched this subject, pls share them, I'd love to read them)

This line, at first glance, seems contradictory. What do you mean you're not choosing Pete? Not eating is a choice you've made. Surely, you must see that.

The thing is, though, Pete doesn't see that as a choice. To Pete, there's the choice of submitting to Vegas and the choice of fighting him. Doing nothing, to Pete isn't considered a choice. He's inactive, passive, simply existing. Kind of like how he is as a bodyguard in the main family. As a bodyguard, Pete doesn't make choices. Other people make them for him and he follows them. The first actual choice he makes is going to the minor family's compound to get the evidence against Vegas (which is fantastic and deserves its own separate analysis but I digress). Otherwise, he's just a weapon for the main family to use, nothing more, nothing less. You can tell that this is his philosophy in life by examining his behaviour throughout the show up to this point. Does he have opinions and expresses them? Oh hell yes. Does he still do whatever he's told with minimal arguing? Also yes. I would dare say, in headcanon fashion, that this is his mindset from when he was young and defenseless against his father's violence. I'm fairly confident in my opinion that Pete never fought back against his father, kind of like what Vegas is doing with his but not exactly the same. I believe Pete never even spoke back at him, like Vegas does both in ep 11, when he tells Gun he's doing what he told him, and in ep 13, when he tells Gun he never wanted to be his son. For this reason, I'm a bit skeptical with the headcanon of Pete killing his father. I think it goes against the basic principles of his character; he's submissive in nature and doesn't fight back and just accepts the violence inflicted on him. Maybe, in Pete's mind, he feels that he deserves it. It would certainly explain his self sacrificial tendencies throughout the series, that's for sure. Now, back to the scene in question, in Pete's mind, a choice would be to eat the food or to throw it away, wasting it. Not touching the food, letting it go bad, isn't a choice. Vegas doesn't see it that way because of course he doesn't; to Vegas, Pete is retaliating, acting defiant again but Pete isn't doing that. He's simply doing...nothing. Generally, the first time I saw this line, it reminded me of ATLA, specifically this exchange:

Whoever has watched the show probably remembers that episode, in which Aang learned the third option of earth bending. That is, doing nothing = waiting. That's what Pete did. He did nothing, he waited, either to slowly die or to find a chance to escape. I feel like I'm not explaining myself properly but I just love how Pete's mind works and I wanted to touch upon this line specifically. It's such a nuanced take on agency and whoever came up with this line deserves all the projects they can get.

[sokkastyles]

i’ve seen people argue that it was selfish/unethical of zuko not to kill ozai when they were alone during the eclipse since he had the chance and placing that burden on aang’s shoulders (even though it had been on aang’s shoulders since the start of the narrative.)

aside from the fact that, from a doylist perspective, aang is the main protagonist and the audience would have been disappointed not to see HIM driving the final confrontation with ozai, i also think it would diminish zuko’s arc as he lets go of the control ozai once had over him, as not allowing himself to be goaded into violence and only defending himself when attacked is defiance in and of itself.

i can’t help thinking, though, what would have happened if he had, and i only see two/maybe three logical outcomes—none of which would have actually helped the team, anyway. either zuko IS goaded into a fight (not in line with his arc at this point, but for the sake of argument) and ozai kills him (because i do still think ozai would be manipulative enough to stall/prolong combat until the end of the eclipse), or zuko redirects lightning at ozai, which maybe kills him. (though iroh survives getting struck by lightning with, like, no healing in book two, so… who knows? not me!) whether it does or doesn’t, zuko would likely be arrested as a traitor (at best, though it seems unlikely execution wouldn’t be on the table), and if ozai did die, i can only imagine that would mean azula, who still actively upholds imperialist ideals and actions, ascending to the throne and carrying on with her father’s plans. i guess there is some small chance zuko could escape after an assassination (attempt), but i find “zuko is either killed or imprisoned, aang never gets a firebending teacher, and the team has a much harder time winning the war and/or they don’t” a far more likely chain of events.

i don’t really know what the point of this is, other than that i can’t stop thinking about it, and i’d love to hear your thoughts if my rambling happens to inspire any <3

Not only has it been Aang's burden to begin with, but another reason why Zuko should not be the one to kill Ozai is for the same reason Iroh shouldn't. It would look like an attempt to steal power from within the royal family. The burden has to be on Aang's shoulders because as the Avatar, he acts as an ambassador of all nations. That's the whole purpose of having all four elements in one body. If Zuko kills Ozai, he actually runs the risk of threatening the peace Aang is trying to create. What would it look like if word got out that the firelord's son did what the Avatar failed to do, after 100 years of people already losing hope in the Avatar? Part of the whole deal is returning that hope to the world, that faith in the harmony that the Avatar symbolically represents. Otherwise, why should the other nations care that one fire nation royal deposes another?

As you say, a number of things could go wrong. One is that Ozai goads Zuko into a fight and kills him, which was Ozai's plan in the first place. Like, does anyone think that Ozai was trying to get Zuko to do this for Zuko's benefit? Ozai is absolutely trying to manipulate Zuko in that scene and goading him into a fight, goading him into being angry and emotional and vengeful in the hopes that he makes a mistake, is one way to do that.

Any of the other possibilities, such as Zuko being arrested or branded a traitor or Azula taking the throne, would only increase the discord in the Fire Nation. Like I said, the Avatar is not just important as the Hero(tm), he is a political symbol. Even those who reject the spiritual significance of the Avatar would have a hard time disputing it if Aang has the backing of an army and several world leaders, whereas it would be too easy to paint Zuko as someone who acted alone, a son trying to steal power from a father. And those who supported Azula would recall how Zuko had been banished, how he had always been second fiddle to Azula, and look, it turns out he's also lied about killing the Avatar in an attempt to steal his sister's glory! Those who support Aang but distrust the fire nation would be suspicious of Zuko killing Ozai seconds before the coup, who again, looks like he is acting alone. Zuko could end up being killed or imprisoned by either side, and since Aang and co. don't know he plans to join them, they wouldn't know any different, either. Imagine the gaang showing up to Zuko, who has been their enemy for the past three seasons, being like "hey guys, I killed the firelord for you!" Do you think they are likely to trust him?

Also, man, these people will do anything to preserve Aang's moral purity but think it should be fine for Zuko to murder his own father? Where is Zuko's lion turtle in this scenario, I wonder?

[goodbye432]

Zuko Is a Theatre Nerd

Rating:

General Audiences

Archive Warning:

No Archive Warnings Apply

Fandom:

Avatar: The Last Airbender (Cartoon 2005)

Relationships:

The Gaang & Zuko (Avatar)

Toph Beifong & Zuko

Characters:

Zuko (Avatar)

The Gaang (Avatar)

Aang (Avatar)

Katara (Avatar)

Sokka (Avatar)

Suki (Avatar)

Toph Beifong

Ozai (mentioned)

Azula (mentioned)

Iroh (mentioned)

Additional Tags:

Toph Beifong and Zuko are Siblings

Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck

cactus juice

Suki is so done

Zuko is a theatre nerd

He is high on cactus juice

and trauma dumping like no tomorrow

Everyone else is just loading

Based on a Tumblr Post

Episode: s03e17 The Ember Island Players (Last Airbender)

Ember Island (Avatar)

Toph thrives on chaos

and we love her for that

Crack

Language:EnglishStats:Published:2024-05-31Words:741Chapters:1/1Comments:1Kudos:18Bookmarks:3Hits:116

Zuko is a Theatre Nerd

ZuriTurner999

Summary:

He turns to Suki who was already turning to leave for more firewood and shouts after her, “I take it you want to play my mother?” Or Zuko tries to cheer everyone up after the awful Ember Island play. What better way than to put on their own? Inspired by a tumblr post.

Everyone is silent after returning from the theatre. It’s frustrating, none of it was even close to accurate and the acting was frankly, atrocious. He’d have been more believable as a five year old; Pu-on Tim should be ashamed. He paused, this was an awful idea… they did look like they needed a distraction. 

“You know what? We can do better than that. Let’s make our own play. Sokka you can play my father” 

Sokka looked incredulous, “I don’t want to be your father” 

Zuko almost laughed but he forced his expression to remain flat, “Perfect, you already know your lines.” 

Now Sokka just looked confused. And concerned. He opened his mouth to ask something but Zuko had already moved on, turning to Katara, “You can be my sister” 

Katara was still looking over at Sokka, but her expression turned to disgust as she processed what he said, “That’s disgusting, the thought of that repulses me on a spiritual level. I would kill you.” 

Zuko nodded again, “Already getting into character, good work Azula” 

She kind of reminded him of Azula anyway. 

She went to object, but he was already turning to Toph, who was already grinning, “And you can be my grandfather” 

“I would rather die,” She contributed cheerfully. 

“Outstanding, a perfect impression. Could hardly tell the difference.” 

Toph’s smile got bigger. 

He turns to Suki who was already turning to leave for more firewood and shouts after her, “I take it you want to play my mother?” 

She shook her head and kept walking. Aang pipes up, “Don’t worry Zuko, I’ll help you with your play!” 

“Yep, you can play Uncle Iroh.” 

Toph cackled, “Wow Sparky really got some great family members there” 

“Family dinners are a riot” 

She cackles harder. He smiles a bit. 

“So are we just… not going to address that bundle of trauma?�� Katara asked. 

Suki returned with the wood, ”No.” 

Zuko shrugged, Suki was already acting out of character by coming back. If they were doing this he may as well go all in. 

“Toph, you order Sokka to kill me,” he directed. Toph nodded imperiously and created a rock throne to glare down at him imperiously. Sokka managed to look even more concerned. 

“Why did your grandfather even want to kill you?” 

He shrugged, “My father wanted to be Firelord and he used the excuse that Iroh no longer had an heir. Grandfather liked Iroh best and said Father should also know the pain of losing a son. Now Katara?” 

She was gaping at him. 

“You eavesdrop then run to taunt me about getting killed by our father.” 

“What?” 

He ignored her, “Suki you get to beg Sokka for my life and kill Toph.” 

Toph obligingly fell off her boulder throne. Suki looked unimpressed, adding more wood to the fire. 

“Sokka, you’re the firelord and Suki is never seen again.” He went on, disregarding their growing horror completely. 

“Katara you act like you’re better than me, like usual, and Aang you can just start spouting old, vaguely helpful proverbs at me” 

Aang looked like he was about to start crying. 

“Sokka you light my face on fire” 

“Wait, wait, wait, I thought I was playing your father?” 

“Yes?”

Your father gave you that scar?” Sokka asked him, pointing to his own face. 

He arched a brow, “Yes, we’ve been over this. Now you banish me to find the Avatar.” 

“You were banished to find me?” Aang asked, “But your scar looked healed when I met you” 

“Of course it was healed, I’d been looking three years by the time you got out of that iceberg” 

“Obviously,” Toph intoned loftily. 

“I’m not dealing with this tonight.” Katara threw her hands up and left. 

Zuko stared after her, “Goodnight then.” 

Sokka gaped at him a bit longer before also heading over to his bedroll, “This is a conversation for future me.” 

“You’ve got so many issues, Sparky, it’s hilarious,” Toph giggled a bit more before throwing up a rock tent for sleep. 

Suki had already went to bed and had taken Aang with her before he tried to talk with Zuko. She was pretty sure he’d tried some of the cactus juice at the festival and was not looking forward to the emotional blowup that would happen when he remembered what he said. 

Zuko smiled. None of them were focused on that awful play anymore and he felt great, kind of floaty but he was sure he’d sleep it off. He wondered what was in that cup the lady had given him. 

He shrugged, going to his bedroll. That was a problem for tomorrow. 

[nalgasde-hao]

Okay so my headcanon on Taang (and a little bit of Zutara on the side)

- So I would much rather prefer if the ending of the show hadn't made any of the ships (except for Sokka and Suki) Canon, but even with the Kataang final kiss I feel like Taang would have been canon

- Because they were both too young and there relationship would've been completely platonic (I've always felt like Katara saw Aang as a little brother that she needed to protect, but even if it wasn't for that, Katara put Aang in a pedestal for being the avatar and created a lot of expectations over him, which I think it can be proved by how later on their marriage on Korra, besides the way Katara did everything for him like a mother), and Katara's desire to go back to help rebuild the south pole while Aang wanted to recreat the air nomads again would made their relationship be very complicated

- And that's how I feel like they would outgrow each other and realize they would work much better as friends

- Without Katara's imagine in his mind Aang would be able to notice other girls - like Toph, who he hadn't seen in a long time due to his traveling

- I feel like Toph already felt something for him, but couldn't quite understand what it was, but she would take the opportunity to travel with him again

- and then, they would have a slow burn, friends to lovers relationship, with a lot of teasing and mutual pining

- as for Katara, I feel like Zuko would be a better match for her - they always had a great chemistry - but not only that, before Zuko joined the Gaang, Katara was the only one who did the chores and made sure that everyone was okay, which was a lot of responsibility for a 14-year-old, and after Zuko showed up and started to help her out, it gave her time to actually enjoy travelling

- I feel like after a time the other nations would pressure the Fire Nation, for something to make them feel safe - since they replaced the Fire Lord, with his FIRST BORN SON, and Katara would volunteer to be the South Pole ambassador

- There relationship would grow up from that, and I feel like there love language would be acts of service, always making sure the other one has rested and is feeling okay (and I can't stop obsessing about how Zuko choose Katara to help him find his mother)

- I also think that Maiko wouldn't work - although I really like the ship - because Mai hated everything that had to do with the aristocracy, because it bored her, and she didn't want to be what her mother wanted her to be, so becoming the Fire Lady wouldn't be very fulfilling for her - I kinda feel like she would have a thing for Ty Lee, but Idk

- Also, I like to think that Aang would always visit Toph between his travels to the point her parents (who didn't like him for making their baby girl run away) question themselves when was he going to propose for Toph's hand (I feel like her mother would make a comment during dinner or something and they would die out of embarrassment)

- And I'm 100% sure that Suki and Sokka had a bet going on who of the two couple would confess first (I have a feeling it's Zutara) and after that they would just try to hold their laughs at Taang mutual pining

BITCH THIS IS THE EXACTLY WAY I THINK THAT TAANG HAPPENED (if it was canon ngh-) and the way you explain the zutara relationship it makes all the sense to me.

Besides, talking about kataang, I always saw as a problem that katara couldn't show her agry with aang bcs he would cry or something like that, and that is not the way it should be when you are with your partner, on the contrary, it should be a safe place where you can express yourself freely, and I thought that with zuko, she can do it.

Also, bitch, toph and aang are soulmates and nothing can change my mind. THEY WORK SO PERFECT TOGETHER WHEN THEY ARE KID, IMAGINE WHEN THEY GROWN UP. Unstopplebe, on fights and love lmao.

[pinkrabit]

ATLA LA Episode 4 Into the Dark

The glowing rock candy 🤤🤤

Iroh and Aang bonding in prison.

"I'm really starting to see what kind of person his is." "I doubt that."

Sokka yelling at Sai like you yell at your father's mistakes

Love how active the fantasy racism is.

DONT GUILT SOKKA, SAI

Sokka is still so proud of Hakoda. He's so proud to be his son, "My father would never do what you did."

Zuko sneaking in??? We've seen numerous times in the OG his stealth capabilities when he tries. So, I'm excited.

BABY BUMI ! BABY (hes still a baby) AANG !

"I like the parts of Omashu that aren't so depressing :D"

SECRET TUNNEL

Great touch to openly address labor camps and POWs with the real world terms

"It's time to stop fighting. It's time to fight."

The Flopsy statue needs more recognition.

BUMI

Even Aang looks at Bumi like he's insane

Bumi, I know he's your friend, but you shouldn't out Aang like that

"Throw him.... a feast!" Aang looking terrified as if his old friend would EVER hurt him because the world has changed so much since he was last in it breaks me.

"Not everyone out there is the enemy"

"If you stand against us, you are."

"You're fighting because of hate. Just like the Fire Benders"

YES KATARA FIGHT BACK

KATARA THUGGIN AFTER SAYING "Goodbye, Jet"

I love how awful a liar Zuko is in every universe. LEARN TO FIB MY BOY

Aang at the table, like, "did my bsf friend forget I'm a vegetarian???"

Bumi being passively aggressive toward Aang, and Aang serving back "It was a tragedy!"

"Don't you care?" Aang, Bumi has a point when he yells at you. I like this Bumi a lot. His anger feels genuine. However irrational it may be.

THE HIPPIES IN THE MOUNTAIN

Sokka slowly vibing is OOC but still appreciated.

"We're doing what we're doing." They're all high. They gotta be.

Are Oma and Shu...? The gay??

I love how women are often portrayed as ending a war or unintentionally starting it, and then there's Azula.

Thanks for the backstory hippie man, wish you had a map though.

Two lovers, forbidden from one another~

SECRET TUNNEL (×2) THROUGH THE MOUNTAIN

"They're doomed 🤠"

Prisoner cruelty!! I know Uncle War Crimes but what about the Geneva Convention?

"The direct path is not always the best path." Paralleled with Aang wanting to find a way to end the war without killing Ozai.

I hate how they took out Kataang in the LA (i understand it'd be weird to allude to making aang's actor kiss kataras, though), but I like "love" in the tunnels being familial instead of romantic. And I like Sokka using his brain to figure stuff out.

"He was 19.. Was it worth it?" "We were at war.. I was a soldier." Such is the awful reality of war. When it comes to soldiers, it's not personal. It's a job, its dehumanizing to yourself and the rest of the world. It's a politcal game. "You (Iroh) know nothing of loss." And then showing his grief.

Iroh didn't want his son to die a war hero, he wanted Lu Ten to be his son.

!!! This was such an important conversation to put into the show. !!!

Zuko having something from Lu Ten 🥺🥺

I want a separate series with just Lu Ten

Leave from the Vine playing 🥺🥺

Bumi ragging on Aang for wanting to be a kid, AS A TWELVE YEAR OLD, makes me so mad.

Yes, he thinks about fun and games. A boy shouldn't be as bitter as an old man.

Zuko showing up to kick ass for his Uncle because that's HIS FUCKING UNCLE. He's still strong enough to break metal WITHOUT BENDING. SHOWING HIS COMPENTENCY.

"We've all seen enough death."

Zuko showing concern for Iroh's Injury to demonstrate his "true" nature of being sensitive and compassionate. Which is why he was banished in the first place.

The WT Siblings just hold each other before their perceived death feels so important to me.

And I feel like we can and should read into the badgermole/ "Love is brightest in the dark" scene.

"Great, how do you think they respond to verbal commands." Sokka can you be Sappy for like 5 minutes please.

"Some of us have to fight, even if we don't want to. That's what it means to he in a WAR!" This show is delivering so many lines and comments about war and its complexities for everybody involved. Just like the original. Y'all wanna sleep on it because of minor character changes????

I have yet to see a character, Suki has come the closest, that has been so awfully OOC that I've had to stop.

Aang asking for help, "one that requires you to make impossible choices" Bumi is a little misguided here but he means well in sharing his knowledge of leading to his friend.

"Learn what it means to be the Avatar!" "No!" Aang will never give up who he is based on others expectations. And the idea that he doesn't have to do things on his own, "like a child" is going to be what wins the war.

Aangs refusal to kill or hurt isn't bad, he's going to make a difference. He's going to save people. He's going to be the Avatar, but he will be an airbender first!

SAI OUTING THE FIRE NATION IS REDEMPTION

Iroh left to be with his nephew 🥺🥺

He won't let this boy be without a father

LEAVES ON THE VINE

"Everything I need is on this boat"

This episode felt a little rushed, and felt like it lacked a little in terms of the Gaang. But in terms of Zuko, it served. Zuko's story felt stronger here. Especially, after seeing Appa fly away, but he chose instead to prioritize his Uncle.

[attackfish]

@candleslitsnow asked: "What if when Zuko rerouted Azula's lightning through his heart during their final Agni Kai, it actually killed him? I'm imagining Katara still wins the fight but realizes afterward that he died."

I in fact have an AU where Azula kills Zuko in the Agni Kai: [Link]. Fair warning, the person who prompted me for that one did not like how I filled the prompt, and I had to ban them after they got nasty about it. Also The first fill in this AU was one of the first five headcanon prompts I ever answered, so I didn't have my feet under me yet, and at the risk of sounding pretentious, my philosophy of five headcanons has changed. Oh, and in this scenario, Zuko was obviously dead, and Katara, in the subsequent fight, kills Azula.

1. A fourteen year old killing another fourteen year old doesn't do great things for the kid who did the killing. It doesn't matter that the kids she had killed had just killed her friend, and was going to kill her. It is still horrible. It still leaves Katara, when there is no one around to watch, shaking with it. When she closes her eyes, she sees Azula's face as she suffocates, trapped inside the ice. She hears Zuko's ragged scream, then his moans, then his whimpers, then his silence. And maybe, when she's feeling most self-pitying, she wonders if maybe how understanding Aang is being about it, doesn't make it worse.

2. Aang didn't kill Ozai. He was able to spare him as Katara didn't spare Azula. And he is so understanding about it, so sympathetic. She couldn't take away Azula's bending. She had no choice. It's horrible, and he's sorry she had to do that. But Katara... She knows there was a moment there, when she could have chained Azula. She had her trapped in ice. She could have chained her. But instead, she let her die. She knows this, but she can't tell Aang. She doesn't know which would be worse, if he rejected her, or if he didn't believe her, that she was misremembering, or her mind was playing tricks on her in her horror. But she knows what she did.

3. The one person who does understand, who Katara can go to, who gets it, is her dad. Hakoda knows what it means to go off to war, to take lives, to make devastating choices. And it's into the company of her father and the Southern Water Tribe warriors that Katara retreats, and finds solace, and maybe, the beginnings of self acceptance.

4. Let's take a moment to think about Mai. Barely a month before, Mai put her life on the line to stop Azula from killing Zuko. She went to prison for it. Now she is out of prison, and Zuko is dead anyway. Azula kied him anyway. And Azula is dead too. What good was any of it? What worth did it have? How is she supposed to go forward after this? And the rest of the world is moving on. The war is over, Iroh is on the throne, and people are happy. (How dare they be happy). The world is shifting around her, and she is stuck. No one is stuck on the same page with her, not even Ty Lee. It's different for Ty Lee. Mai stood up to Azula for Zuko, and he's dead. Ty Lee stood up to Azula for Mai, and Mai still alive. Zuko threw his life away after she saved him, and for what? And the worst part is, he didn't throw his life away. He made a difference. The world is changing around her because of the cause he fought for. But it wasn't the cause she ever fought for, and she doesn't know how to take that.

5. Iroh has now lost two sons in the same war, on two different sides. He sent each of them out to fight, for what he believed was right, and each time, he lived, and they did not. The first time he lost a son, he fell apart. He dragged himself home, and into the quiet darkness of his own rooms at the palace. He now understands that he was like a butterfly-wasp in its cocoon, and he would reemerge entirely changed, but back then all he wanted was to die, to not need to continue on. He was forced in that time, to reconsider everything heband his son had fought for, and to conclude it was less than worthless. He can't do that now. What Zuko died for was not worthless. And he has to be firelord, he has to honor the sacrifice his nephew made. He can't sink down into the depths of his own misery. He has work to do. He has to rule. He has to figure out what to do about the succession. He has to move forward. He hates it so much.