#again: same thing and zuko and aang. and I don't ship those two either

[rexcaliburechoes]

looks at the fandom.

looks at gale/astarion.

looks at this video by sideways about the musical identity of avatar the last airbender and how that related to zuko and aang's dichotomy of their internal/external wants/needs.

puts on my writing hat.

you guys it's the same exact principle just expanded upon in when you play either as origin. gale has an external want of being validated but an internal need to validate himself and his skill outside of mystra, and astarion has an internal want of revenge go prove himself but an external need for others to see him for himself.

zuko and aang do literally the same thing. zuko and aang are literally made for each other in a meta/technical writing sense. same with gale and astarion.

lae'zel and shadowheart are foils made for each other. karlach and wyll are foils made for each other. astarion and gale are foils made for each other. all of this is in a technical writing sense. good writing makes effective use of foils and mirrors to explore characters. it's simply Good Writing TM.

[zvtara-was-never-canon]

What do you think about the claims that Aang’s anti killing Is hypocritical because of the Blue Spirit’s rampage and it’s possible that people died when Aang would defend himself and his allies?

If we were to apply real world physics, biology or just common sense to the story, the show would not happen because Aang would have died inside that iceberg - no scratch that, there wouldn't be a story because HUMANS CAN'T CONTROL THE GODDAMN ELEMENTS!

Katara, Aang and Sokka would have also died, or at least being severly injured, with lots of broken bones, and possibly paralyzed from the waist/neck down after their attempt of using the Omashu mail system as a rollercoaster.

Firebenders should accidentally burn themselves all the time since their flames are always either dangerous close to their skin or directly touching it as they are created. Don't even get me started on lightning, especially with stuff like Iroh redirecting lightning FROM THE GODDAMN SKY. Toph should have also gotten severe burns in the finale because of that full-body armor she made with ABSURDLY HOT METAL and that was in direct contact with her skin.

Realistically, Sokka should have not have been able to help evacuate an entire village with not previous plan to do so like we saw him do in "Jet." The man Haru and Katara saved in "Imprisoned" should have been very hurt after all those rocks fell on him, and the fact that no died in that metal ship after all the COAL they threw at FIREBENDERS is absurd.

When the pirates put explosives in Zuko's ship, there's a split second where we can see he created a fire-shield - that would in now way in hell be able to allow him to just be walking around the following episode, with just a few superficial burns that are already healed in season two.

In the season one finale, Zhao very clearly aimed his flames at BOTH koi fish, yet only the one with the moon spirit died. Everything also becomes black and white for no real reason since the moonlight has nothing to do with how humans see things

For fuck's sake, the show full on says "AANG DIED AND KATARA BROUGHT HIM BACK FROM THE DEAD!"

Avatar is a children's show AND a cartoon. It operates on cartoon logic - aka, unless death is explicitly mentioned (Gyatso, Kya, Aang) or VERY heavily implied (Zhao, Jet, Combustion Man) we are supposed to assume that, somehow, everyone survived. The fact that fandom can accept EVERYTHING being unrealistic, then complains that people Aang fought survived the impossible just screams "I don't like that this character in a kid's show doesn't go around murdering every enemy in his path!" or "I don't like Aang because he got in the way of my ship, so I'll take any excuse to pretend he is actually a terribly written character everyone should hate!"

As for the Koizilla situation in particular, lets not forget that the very next episode has Aang having nightmares about it and showing that he very clearly does not know how to control the Avatar State, how it works, or even what it is. Roku literally shows up to EXPLAIN that stuff to him. HOW can we hold Aang accountable for something that was not his decision?

Once again, because of cartoon logic, the only sort of confirmed death was Zhao - and that one was 100% on the Ocean Spirit, since he had already split from Aang.

Not to mention "this person accidentally died because of one of my actions" is not always the same as "this person died because I chose to kill them." It's like the difference between a car crash where the driver wasn't able to stop in time VS literally shooting someone in the face.

Plus, in the finale Aang even reached the conclusion that, if he had no alternative, he WOULD kill Ozai, even though that would obviously take a great psychological/spiritual toll on him, because it would be ONE LIFE TAKEN AS A WAY TO SAVE THOUNSANDS, and even before that he had no problem with things like Sokka killing Combustion Man or even full on admiting "Fire Lord Ozai is a terrible person and the world would probably be a better place without him".

It's pretty clear that, even if Avatar DID go there and said "sometimes people died in battles against the Gaang", it would still NOT contradict Aang's beliefs, and therefore he is NOT a hypocrite, and the idiots of the fandom can die mad about it.

[the-badger-mole]

I was looking through your blog and noticed your ship posts and one caught my eye, it was about Urzai and you said there was a connection between Ozai and Aang as fathers, could you expand on that? Like their similarities with their wives and kids. Because i think your on to something.

I'm assuming you're talking about this post? I feel like I mostly said what I wanted to say about the comparisons between Aang and Ozai as fathers. They are both incredibly selfish in what they look for in their children and favor the child that most resembles them (in Aang's case, in looks as well as bending ability), leaving their children who didn't make the cut scrambling for whatever crumbs of paternal acceptance were left. It's interesting that Bumi decided to join the FN army (navy? Whatever, it was some branch of FN armed services), because he seems to have a similar relationship to Aang/Aang's memory as Zuko had- i.e. his decades long desire to be the son Aang wanted, culminating in Bumi "finally belonging to the Air Nomads" because he became what Aang had always wanted- an air bender. Obviously, it's not exactly like the relationship Zuko had with Ozai, after all, Zuko was allowed to find his own path and his arc didn't end with him finally being the son Ozai wanted. But that's why I said there are parallels, and not that they're carbon copies.

As husbands, the parallels are even more disconcerting because of how the meta-narrative handled the women in those relationships. Both Ursa and Katara go through some form of transformation between the series proper and the comics. It's subtler with Katara because what changed wasn't some glaring thing- she didn't suddenly have a completely different' backstory; she just had key aspects of her personality changed, or ripped away completely so she was less likely to push back against Aang, the way she might have had she been kept consistent to who she was in the show. Ursa, on the other hand, had not only her personality changed, but her entire backstory rewritten (in the show material, she was said to have been the daughter of a nobleman who always knew she'd end up married into the royal family; in the comics, she...was a hot mess. A hot mess who wasn't born noble and didn't know she'd end up with Ozai and somehow had even less agency in her marriage than she did in the show). I don't think any of the parallels I'm talking about were intentional, but this one is is just particularly interesting because it shows how much Bryke only sees the women in this series as props. Their stories don't matter outside of the men in their lives.

But I'm talking about the parallels between Aang and Ozai. The short answer is that neither of them cares for their significant other in a selfless way. With Ozai, it's blatant that he's terrible. The man was a monster to everyone close to him. It's harder to pinpoint when his blatant horribleness began, because again, Ursa in the show and Ursa in the comics had completely different back stories, but in either case, it's not a stretch to say that for Ozai, Ursa was not a whole person. She was valuable because of what she could offer him (a pretty, submissive wife; a womb to produce strong benders ahemahem!; someone who'd do a she was told without raising much of a fuss), and when she could no longer serve him, he was fine throwing her away. All of Ozai's treatment of Ursa is presented in a way that we can recognize easily as wrong, even without us having to see him physically hurt her. And yet, presented in a brightly colored, cheerful package, that same behavior flies under the radar because 'he's such a Nice Guy ™©®!'

Aang is consistent in how he treats Katara across all the different media- like a prize to be won rather than as a friend and a person with her own autonomy. He physically violates Katara three times (the two kisses and the lava fissure, and those are just the ones I know about). Ozai doesn't even do that to Ursa- even if we can safely assume that he was physically abusive, we never actually see him cause (or attempt to cause) her bodily harm (as far as I know. I honestly have given up on the comics. If there is a scene where he goes full Ike Turner on Ursa, don't tell me. It doesn't matter).

And that is the thing. As awful as we know Ozai to be, we see Aang treat Katara poorly, and he gets a pass. He doesn't even have to apologize to Katara, and we, the audience are supposed to forgive him, but not Ozai. Why? Because he's so cheerful and bubbly that it can be hard to recognize the similarities in how he treats Katara and how Ozai treats Ursa. Both of these men 'love' these women because of what these women can give them. Their wives' internal lives don't matter much as long as it doesn't affect them directly. It's particularly sad in Katara's case because we see in ALTA that she's got such drive and ambition and compassion, but once she gets together with Aang, she stops having any interests or ideas that contradict with Aang. Ursa goes through the same thing in the comics, but Katara's story will always be sadder to me because it's presented as a happy ending for her.

I don't think any of these parallels are intentional- in fact I know they aren't. Still, it's a great example of how the media Bad Boy and the media Nice Guy are essentially the same person, just packaged differently. The biggest difference between Aang and Ozai is how their behavior is framed, and it's clear that the only criteria Bryke have for if a man is a good husband or not whether his color scheme is dark or bright.

[sokkastyles]

Honestly, I refuse to interact with that last thread you reblogged, because I don't want to spread OP's (what was their handle again? Bryke-official or something? I already forgot) name and give them more attention than what they deserve even if it is for ratio, but I couldn't help myself and peeked at the notes and there was one that REALLY rubbed me in the wrong way. I don't want to explain what the person wrote in detail, but the main concept was that "in the case when a male and female have a close, non-romantic relationship, people read a male's actions as justification or entitlement to a relationship with the female", and I'm curious if they will EVER realize that's exactly what happened with K@t@@ng instead of Zutara... 1/3

Continuing with the honesty, I'm not even as angry by the fact that people apparently read a girl displaying affection to a boy as irrefutable proof of her romantic attraction (which is downright elementary school rethoric) just to endorse K@t@@ng, I'm more angry at the fact that even the people that claim to care SO much about Katara focus an awful lot on the boys in her life and what THEY have done for her instead of what SHE has done for them. All the emotional support Katara gave Aang, anyone? All the times she literally RESURRECTED him? The fact that Katara was the very first person who showed selfless compassion to Zuko? That consoled him in regards of his betrayal to Iroh? That ALSO saved his life? 2/3

Maybe I'll elaborate on this later myself, and maybe I should be thanking that anti-Zutara in the thread because, if Katara has done so much for Zuko, and Zuko has done SO much for Katara that even antis can only see THAT, then I'm not in the wrong for supporting a ship with MUTUAL emotional support and connection. Feels so good to be validated! 3/3

And also, just because, JESUS CHRIST!! I gave a look at that Bryke-official person's (or whatever their name was) page, and good God, they are OBSESSED with Bryan and Michael!! Like... for once I'm not angry that someone is so supportive of creators who resent their female fans so much, I REALLY feel sorry for Bryke now 😳😳😳

I hadn’t looked at the notes before but...yikes. It’s an old post so I have no idea if OP is still around, but what they said is incredibly misogynistic. Also quite ridiculous, considering that fandom as a whole does not project onto brown girls, and Mai is a MUCH easier character to identify with, especially for the types of girls and women who are into fandom. Introverted, sarcastic, dresses like she shops at Hot Topic...I’ve seen MANY people say that they identify with Mai, and also seen many people project onto her because 90% of her character is fanon, because there just isn’t that much to her in canon. Not that there is anything wrong with self inserting, but I wish people would be honest about it. And if people are self inserting onto Katara, that’s pretty cool. It’s amazing that a dark skinned girl is the center of shipping in the ATLA fandom and has been for fifteen years, but I assure you it’s not because she’s the easiest for people to self insert into, and dismissing her shipping potential that way seems awfully racist.

And the idea that people treat Zuko’s actions as a justification or entitlement to a relationship is ridiculous, since Zuko does not canonically have romantic feelings for Katara. Interpreting the lightning scene as him having feelings for her does not mean seeing him as entitled to a relationship with her, either, because Katara already paid back his sacrifice by saving his life two seconds later. That’s actually one of the best things about their dynamic, that there’s no sense that anyone owes anyone else, no one’s hiding their feelings from the other, and they stand as equals. Unlike with...certain other relationships in canon.

People are arguing about Zuko’s motivation and feelings when the lightning scene was actually all focused on Katara’s feelings. I mean, look at the expression on her face:

You can see her realizing in this moment just what losing Zuko would mean to her. In fact, I was trying to recall what this shot reminded me of, and then it hit me:

This is Katara in “The Fortuneteller” after Sokka said Aang was a powerful bender (like the person Aunt Wu said Katara would marry.) In fact, these shots are almost the same, the focus on Katara’s face, her similar expression, the realization of feelings, the blue and orange lighting reflected in her face, the fact that both Zuko and Aang are shown to be powerful benders in these moments. (Yes, Zuko is a powerful bender. Here he is performing a technique that only two other people know how to do, and he taught one of those people, and he didn’t even do it correctly and he still redirected the lightning. Look back at that shot of the lightning being released up into the sky and tell me that’s not powerful.)

Someone, I forget who, said that it’s less the actions themselves and more what happens afterwards that has potential to draw Zuko and Katara closer together. Many people who go through a near-death experience together often become close even if they were complete strangers before. Sometimes they even end up married. It’s a pretty well-known psychological phenomenon.

[avayarising]

Map of Zuko's cabin

[A pencil sketch of Zuko's cabin, as seen from above, with labelled items. At the top of the picture is the port wall, with a long, narrow horizontal window, a red and gold dragon image (presumably a religious icon), and the altar with candles; there is a lamp mounted on the wall to either side of the window. Right is the fore wall, with a door and a long banner either side. On the floor in front of the wall is a series of square plates. At the bottom of the picture is the starboard wall, with the large Fire Nation banner and a lamp mounted on the wall to either side of it. Zuko's pallet and mattress are in the left corner along with an additional banner that may be temporary; in the right corner are a set of storage jars and bowls and a low cupboard. On the left of the picture is the aft wall, with Zuko's dual dao mounted in the centre of the wall and a long banner either side. In front of the dual dao is a writing desk. In the centre of the room, running from port to starboard (top to bottom of the picture) is a rough rug made of coir or equivalent. At the bottom of the picture is a label reading 'not shown: grated vent in centre of ceiling'.]

So when I mentioned sketching a map of Zuko's cabin so I could work out how to frame this picture, @lynzine wanted to see the map. Well, that map was in no state to view, so I've drawn up and labelled a neater, clearer copy.

Incredibly long and detailed explanation and highlighting of various oddities follows.

I've used screenshots from Episode 1:02 The Avatar Returns, Episode 1:04 The Warriors of Kyoshi, and Episode 1:13 The Blue Spirit in putting together this map. There are some differences; most notably, in The Blue Spirit Zuko's bed is centred on the starboard wall, directly under the large banner, and the additional banner in the aft starboard corner appears to be missing.

I labelled Zuko's bed as 'pallet and mattress', because in this shot (Aang and Zuko facing off in The Avatar Returns):

it looks like the mattress is on a thin base of some kind. But when Aang blows the mattress into the air to hit Zuko:

it's plain that there is actually nothing under it but the coir mat. There's no bunk, frame, lip, or fastening to hold it in place, which seems odd given that this is a seafaring vessel – which does have bunks in another room Aang looks into:

So why not in Zuko's? I can imagine that mattress really slipping about in a storm, even with the rug underneath it. (Similarly, all those clay jars in the corners of the cabin, which don't seem to be fastened to the floor or enclosed in frames, seem rather hazardous.)

However, it being loose means that it's feasible for Zuko to have moved it (or for it to have slid) to directly under the Fire Nation banner in The Blue Spirit:

There's also no sign in The Blue Spirit of the grey banner with the central red band that hangs above the bed in The Avatar Returns. I wonder whether it might be there temporarily to help retain a little extra heat by the bed when they're in the cold South Pole. Though I'd have thought that, since the mattress can be moved easily, Zuko would have moved it away from the aft wall, which is clearly an external wall and will be colder than the centre of the room.

Zuko's cabin has at least two external walls, port and aft:

This shot (above) from The Avatar Returns shows the ship from the outside. The vessel is moving from right to left across the screen, which means we're looking at the port side. A window halfway up the high tower is lit in orange – this is from Zuko's firebending as he fights Aang, so this is the window in Zuko's cabin. It's noticeably off-centre and located towards the aft of the ship, but from the inside it's clear that the window is centred on the wall of the room. The remaining space forward is taken up with a corridor which the cabin door lets onto.

(I want to also point out here that Zuko's room being so high up must, again, make it truly awful to be in during a storm or high seas. It's a good job Zuko never seems to suffer from sea-sickness.)

The starboard wall of Zuko's cabin abuts either a staircase or another cabin – I'm not sure which – it depends on how wide that tower actually is. But note that, in The Avatar Returns, Aang is crossing the screen from right to left both when he opens Iroh's door and when he passes Zuko's open door (and doubles back when he spots his staff). This suggests that (a) he's going from one to the other and (b) there is somewhere past Zuko's cabin worth going to. So I'm guessing Iroh's cabin is next to Zuko's, and at the end of the corridor there's a ladder or very steep stair, mirroring one that must also exist where Aang came from.

(Although against that, the lighting level behind Aang is very different when he opens Iroh's door from when he opens Zuko's door, suggesting that there's a window on the corridor giving on to Iroh's room but not in the corridor by Zuko's room.)

There seems to be a worrying lack of storage space. There is one small, low cupboard (to the left as you enter the door), one wide shallow drawer (in the writing desk under the dao), and the aforementioned jars and bowls, none of which have any visible contents (and I'm not sure what they could contain in any case). There's no sea-chest, trunk, or wardrobe. Does Zuko have a separate dressing-room/armoury? (No; when he's helped into his armour near the start of The Avatar Returns, that's happening in his cabin.) Where does he put his clothes when he goes to bed; does he hang them on the floor?

There are four long narrow red and black banners, all of the same design, two on either side of the door and two on either side of the mounted dual dao. Aang wraps Zuko up in one of these (the one to the left of the door) in The Avatar Returns, and Zuko burns it away completely to escape from it. But looking at the shots of the cabin in The Blue Spirit and The Waterbending Master, none is missing, so it looks like Zuko got it replaced.

Another thing I can't work out is how the heating and lighting system works. There are glowing squares in a line on the floor forward, including one right in front of the door:

I assume these are meant to be heating plates or vents, because I can't think why else you'd have a row of glowing squares in your floor. One would have thought it would be most efficient to run the heating as a hot water system, but these are definitely panels glowing reddish-pink, the same sort of colour as the lights on the port and starboard walls. I have no idea what is going on with either.

They could be piping gas or petroleum round the ship and burning it locally for light and heat (the lamps are attached to piping), but for heating that's less efficient than burning it in one place (the engine) and them moving the heat around. In any case, if they're using gas or oil for heat and light then surely they'd use it for the engine too, and the smoke would be cleaner.

Unless they are electric lights/heat panels? The glow in the floor panels does look rather like a heating element. But that seems rather inefficient too, compared to using the engine to run a central heating system, and there's no sign of electricity in use in the rest of the Fire Nation, not even the Palace.

Finally, the ceiling has large convex cornices down the fore and aft sides, which I assume contain beams for structural stability. There's a large grated vent in the ceiling, which implies a gap between the ceiling and the floor of the level above.

So that's what I've been able to work out about the layout of Zuko's room and its position on the ship. If anyone can shed any light on the areas I'm not sure of, please feel free!

[zukoshotleafjuice]

The funniest thing about june teasing katara and zuko about being a couple is that she just sees a pretty girl and an attractive guy, both looking almost the same age which immediately makes her go "you two must be a couple" and it just reminds me of zvtara shippers, you know what i mean? I'm convinced one of the reasons a lot of ppl ship them is bc of their looks. katara being the female protagonist and also a pretty, smart and powerful girl & zuko, despite not being the male protagonist, being the most attractive guy in the gaang. Boom, a "bomb ass ship". It is worth to recall that "people ship zutara bc they projected onto katara and had a crush on zuko". And if they say they don't ship them for that reason, then it's bc they read too much between the lines in every interaction they have. So, back to june, she didn't even care if they had chemistry or if they were friends or anything, she just straight up teased them about being a couple lmao. Because in all honesty zvtara can be an appealing ship in anyone's eyes but THAT'S IT, it doesn't go further than that. I can be testimony of that😅Before even watching the show i was like june, one day i saw a zk fanart and was like "wow aren't those zuko and katara from atla? They look so good, she's gorgeous and he's hot" i already knew kataang was endgame and that mai was zuko's love interest but seeing zuko and katara together was pleasing to my eyes. However once i watched the show for the first time (2 months ago i think) i realized there was really no romantic chemistry between them, nothing, literally nothing, i mean, i wasn't even waiting for the zvtara content in the show that made ppl ship them so much, i was actually very neutral about ships, i couldn't care less about them, but i still realized nothing was happenig between them and that it was obvious since book 1 ep 1 that kataang was endgame. Zuko and katara were two teenagers from opposite sides of a war that tried to kill each other multiple times and when zuko changed sides they developed a completely platonic relationship. As i said, people either ship them because it's an appealing and aesthetically pleasing ship (water/fire, enemies to lovers, opposites attract, the common red & blue ship) or they just love reading too much between the lines, OR BOTH, because they were so thirsty about it they ended up convincing themselves there was romantic tension between them, that they liked each other and that zvtara was scrapped when it was never planned in the first place. Not to mention the reasons why they claim zvtara should've been endgame are based only on symbolism and things they have in common that are just so ??? Random. e.g. (i saw these on a post on facebook and the comment section was hilarious, it was full of ppl being sarcastic about it & making fun of it) saying they should've been canon bc:

1. "They both lost their mothers at a young age" (?)

2. "katara was good but had rage in her heart and zuko was bad but had good in his heart so it was like yin and yang, and that was the main purpose/topic of the show" (?)

3. "they both had alter egos (painted lady and blue spirit)" (???) this one sounds like saying maiko was canon bc zuko worked in a tea shop and mai worked in a flower shop😂

4. "Zuko was the only one who supported katara in taking revenge on her mom's assassin" (?) if you ask me, that just proves zuko is not right for katara, he led her to do something she was gonna regret later (not trying to hate on zuko, i love him, and since i love him i acknowledge his flaws. I understand why he thought it was the best thing to do, he's an impulsive and resentful boy (he would've done the same if it was his mom) and he noticed how thirsty katara was for revenge, ofc he wanted to help her + he wanted her to accept him and thought it was the right thing to do in order to gain her trust, but it wasn't) unlike zuko, aang tried to make katara come to her senses and do the thing that was best for her: forgive and let go, and it was basically what she did at the end. She didn't do what zuko expected her to do. She did what aang expected her to do. She didn't forgive her mom's assassin, but she forgave zuko, and she didn't do THAT thing she (and aang) knew would regret later. Aang knew katara and what was the best thing for her to do.

5. and the most ridiculous one, "they both saved each other's lives in the final agni kai"(???????) and the funniest part is that it was followed by "WHAT MORE PROOFS DO YOU WANT???". Honestly wtf did ppl expect? Did they expect zuko to stand there and watch katara die? Did they expect katara to just stand there and watch zuko lay on the floor & die? And this has been said a million times and i am going to join and say it once again: zuko would've done that for ANYONE from the gaang, he would've done the same for toph, sokka, suki and aang. Because he learned to care about them. As for katara, she would've done that for anyone too wtf she healed aang once too and even brought him back to life. (I wouldn't be surprised if zk shippers used that as a parallel for romantic zvtara proof bc they're just like that💀)

There were more "reasons" but they're just so stupid and taken out of context like "they care for each other" & "katara was the one who encouraged him to talk to his uncle" like yeah that's what friends do. Basically all zvtara shippers do is REACH.

Also, i just can't see it happening. I like the enemies to lovers trope, maybe if the writers really intended to make it canon, i would have been down for the ship, it would've been interesting to see how it developed, but,, they didn't, and later i came to the realization that if it would've really happened, it would've been so... weird. Time to bring up the "colonized and colonizer ship" and how some ppl feel uncomfortable about it. Besides the fact that a relationship between zuko and katara wouldn't have worked (they're incompatible af, katara is a girl with a strong character and zuko is a guy with anger issues that takes everything personal, they'd be at each other's throats 99% of the time) it's just weird to think that katara would choose to marry a man from the fire nation, the nation that caused a big war that traumatized her, the nation that took her mother away from her. Imagine katara ruling along with zuko a nation she despised for years. Fire lady katara doesn't sit right with me, and i'm sure it doesn't sit right with a lot of ppl as well. I don't see katara doing that, and yes, i know she forgave zuko, but still, she would've never done that 🤦🏽‍♀️ i think it would've been so OOC tbh.

Another thing i laugh my ass off at is when they say "zuko should've chosen katara instead of mai" as if they were ever in a relationship for zuko to say "ok imma choose katara i wanna be with her". As if katara was EVER an option for him. They never showed interest in each other, what's not clicking?????? And zuko only had eyes for mai, not to mention that despite zuko and mai had a rough relationship, no girl would've dealed with zuko's bs better than mai. Can you imagine katara dealing with zuko blowing up over everything? Because i can't. Also people saying things like "zuko deserves someone who is always there for him and listens to him" (and ofc they're talking about katara) like, ok, you hate that katara is aang's "therapist" but you want her to be zuko's therapist. Logic? Where? And I do remember mai being a supportive gf and trying to cheer him up multiple times. Did they watch the same show as me?

Zvtarians try to play the victims about how they were "robbed" bc some voice actors shipped them and from what i've read people who worked for the show suggested to go for zk, but that's stupid, it doesn't count as "they planned it but scrapped it, we were robbed". The only word that counts are the creators' voice and they have stated they were always rooting for kataang, so no, you were not robbed.

People are just so in love with the idea of zuko and katara together they really convinced themselves it was likely to happen. Honestly zvtara it's a fine ship as fanon but ppl ruined it for me and what i hate the most is when they ship it and hate on aang and mai at the same time and make them look SO bad to invalidate kataang and maiko. Saying aang is abusive and mai is toxic is complete ✨bullshit✨ and lastly, it's ridiculous when they say the creators were cowards for not making it canon. They're cowards for not fulfilling your greatest childhood wish? Something they never planned? It is THEIR show. If you hate sm how things turned out then quit atla once and for all and go find another show that you know is gonna give you what you expect,,, it's tiring that they've been crying about it for 15 yrs , like, i joined the fandom recently but i can imagine how tired old atla fans must be of this.

OK so I have a lot of thoughts about this and firstly,,,anon I appreciate the dedication that it took for you to write  this, and I agree with many of your points. However, the attitude I have on this blog towards Avatar ships is far more neutral than what you’re saying.

Ultimately, romance is not and never was the focus of Avatar. Romantic development was always secondary or tertiary plot, and the entire show was far more focused on platonic relationship development. My attitude towards shippers on here - including Zutara shippers - is that people can ship what they want, as long as they’re respectful of each other and of the other characters that “interfere” with their ship. End of the day, shipping is irrelevant to the core of the show. 

People shipping something because they find it aesthetically appealing is honestly,,,fine. Personally, I think it’s reductionist, but I don’t care if you do because everyone has the right to enjoy media however they want to. 

That being said, we absolutely should call out racist or problematic tropes that we see, including ‘fire lady katara”. I also agree that it’s upsetting when people bash other characters in order to further their ship, as much of the bashing is also pretty racist and/or misogynistic. Calling that out, however, is separate from calling out every single person who happens to enjoy certain ships. 

“She didn't do what zuko expected her to do. She did what aang expected her to do. She didn't forgive her mom's assassin, but she forgave zuko, and she didn't do THAT thing she (and aang) knew would regret later. Aang knew katara and what was the best thing for her to do.”

I understand where you’re coming from, but I honestly disagree with this take. Both Aang and Zuko were approaching the situations from their own life experiences, but Katara didn’t do what either of the boys wanted. She chose her own path, by both sparing Yon Rha’s life but also refusing to forgive him. The episode is about Katara and her personal trauma and its focus should not be on her relationships with either Zuko or Aang. 

When I make posts such as this, it’s less about hating Z*tara and more about how this fandom focuses all its attention on romance and shipping, to the point where if you acknowledge a relationship’s importance it’s assumed you pair the two romantically. I don’t read Zuko and Katara’s relationship as romantic (for reasons that it would take too long to explain here), but their relationship development is extremely important, the two of them share tons of parallels and the final Agni Kai marks the culmination of both of their character arcs. Yes, Zuko would have taken the lightning for any of the characters, but it’s thematically important that it was Katara. None of this inherently means it’s romantic, but refusing to acknowledge the significance of the relationship between them is equally reductionist. 

This isn’t an attack on you, anon, and you’re 100% allowed to have negative feelings about a ship. But at the end of the day, it’s not worth getting this worked up over. If I were you I’d focus more on creating/consuming content for a ship you like than bashing ships you don’t!

[zi-i-think]

10 | Being Better Matters

Pairing: Zuko x Ama (OC)

Word Count: 7500+

.☽☼☾.

~ Ama ☾ ~

          "...And then my father basically refused to let her see me again." Suh cackled. "And rightfully so. I'm so glad I realized that becoming friends with the maid's daughter was not the way to go. So improper."

         "Uh huh." I responded dully, slowly stirring my tea for no reason other than boredom.

         When I agreed to lunch with Suh I didn't know what to expect exactly. But what was happening right now definitely made me hate agreeing to it. I could have made up something stupid. Like that Katara needed me to help her with some last minutes decorations or that Sokka wanted to train with me.

         I only agreed to this so that maybe, just maybe, I would come to like Suh. And to prove to everyone that I didn't have feelings for my ex.

         The woman chatted away. Barely giving me room to say anything. Not that I cared, really. I was zoning out so much that I didn't even know if I'd be able to hold conversation.

         I got the general story. Suh was out playing with another little girl and broke her arm somehow. Then she and her family blamed the little girl, who was unfortunately the maid's daughter.

         The way Suh talked about the maids and others who were considered "low-class" made me sick. She talked about them as if they were animals or lesser than.

         Her obnoxiously loud voice and cackle got everyone in the restaurant staring at us and sending annoyed glances. I didn't blame them. I'd probably do the same if I were in their position.

         "Oh, goodness." Suh gasped and giggled. "I just realized that I've only talked about myself this entire time." You just realized this? "So what were your maids like as a child?" She delicately picking up her noodles with her chopsticks. Spirits, can she eat any slower?

         "Oh, I didn't have any maids." I informed her in a matter-of-fact tone.

         "Oh." Her lips formed an 'O' shape and she seemed confused. "I don't understand, you father is Head Chieftain. You live in a palace." She laughed lightly, like she thought I was pulling her leg.

         I shrugged. "During the war all of the men went off to fight. So the women and kids just tried to make due with what we had. I mean, we helped each other but no one had maids."

         "Oh no wonder you're so humble." Suh gasped. Like she had just solved the world’s greatest puzzle. "Ama, you are so brave to have taking care your siblings for all those years."

         "Well, I was more like we took care of each other." I tried to correct her, but Suh just talked right over me.

         "Oh, I wish I had siblings." She grinned. "I admire you so much. It must have been so hard for you to leave them."

         I stayed silent. I wasn't exactly sure what Suh wanted me to say. I wasn't sure about anything during this conversation. It was weird. Talking to Suh was weird. How does Zuko deal with this? I know I wasn't exactly pleasant either, but Suh had no boundaries. I could only imagine how he reacted if she pressed for him to talk about his family.

         "Well?" Suh said in a curious tone, expecting me to say something. "Was it hard for you to leave your siblings?"

         That question felt a bit... forced. It was sort of oddly placed in the conversation. Oh who am I kidding? This entire conversation has been odd. Maybe I'm just reading into this entire thing too deeply.

         "Yeah, I think it's always hard to leave the people closest to you, no matter how long it'd be." I answered her.

         "And, uh. What about leaving Zuko?" She asked more nervously. Goodness is this just a jealous girlfriend thing?

         "It was hard to leave everyone." I told her. "But I don't regret it. My time away gave me the time to understand myself."

         "Oh, like your whole bisexual thing." She giggled. "You're not attracted to me, right."

         "No, I'm not." I faked a laugh. I don't know how to interact with this woman anymore. I stayed calm. She doesn't know boundaries, that's all. Just like Shemi. And I love Shemi. She's the sweetest.

         "Good. Cause that would be gross." She snickered with her hand over her mouth.

         I gave her a distraught look, but kept a smile. "Excuse me?"

         "Oh, I mean this in no offense to you. I just think that two women together is unseemly." She saw nothing wrong with what she was saying. I take back what I said. Suh in nothing like Shemi.

         Despite having a huge urge to throw my cold tea at her and educate her about what is okay to say and what isn't. I held my tongue. But I couldn't stand to be here for another minute.

         "Oh my goodness, Suh I'm so sorry." I faked a gasp and placed my hand over my mouth to sell my shocked expression. "I just remembered that Katara needs my help soon."

         "Oh, I thought she and Aang were just doing light work today with the chef." Suh responded with a light head tilt. So she has part of a brain I see.

         "Well, yes." I nodded. "But she needs my help with picking up a package. She wants me to take it back to the venue as soon as it arrives."

         "Oh, okay." She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and look around nervously. Like the people in the small Water Tribe restaurant scared her.

         "Thank you so much for understanding." I sighed in fake appreciation. Slipping a few coins on the table to pay, which may have been more than it should have, I left the establishment.

         I sighed in both frustration and relief the moment I stepped out into the cold air. Technically I wasn't lying that there was a package I needed to pick up. Originally, I was just going to get it after lunch, but I didn't realize how good of an excuse it would be.

         Walking to the post office, I thought about the conversation with the irritating woman. There was just something so off about the whole thing and about her. I brushed it off. Was she obnoxious? Yes. Was she rude? Even though she didn't notice it. Yes. But was she some evil mastermind like my gut was telling me? Definitely not.

         I did find it weird how Zuko was actually, dare I say, happy to be with her. I mean. The Zuko. The man who jumped in front of lighting for me before even telling me the full extent of his traumatizing childhood is somehow incredibly compatible with a girl who asked for my entire life story the second day I knew her. But I guess he just changed more than I thought he didn't since the last time I saw him.

         "Hey sis!" I almost jumped at Sokka's voice. I turned around, seeing my brother jogging over to me on the sidewalk to catch up with me. "I thought you were still with Suh."

         "Oh that? Yeah, I left." I huffed a laugh. Finally next to me, I interlocked my left arm to his right arm so that we could walk together.

         "Ha!" Sokka laughed. "I don't blame you. She is incredibly talkative and annoying." I felt relieved that he was actually agreeing with me, unlike my other friends.

         "And when she asks these incredibly personal questions." I added.

         Sokka groaned and threw his head back in annoyance. "She asked how our mom died last night." I shook my head and sighed. "I tried to tell Zuko not to bring her to boy's night, but Aang was okay with it, so my argument meant nothing."

         "Ah yes. The groom has the final word." I laughed.

         "You know I only saw Zuko without her hanging off his arm once since they got here." He held up his index finger to make a point. "And that was when you guys had the bridal shower. Those two are always together."

         "Aww, is my brother sad he doesn't get to hang out with his boyfriend?" I quipped with a fake frown.

         "Oh shut up." He replied. "I'd just be nice to hang out. Just us guys doing guy things. Not shopping."

         "Shopping can be manly." I argued.

         "Maybe if we were shopping for weapons. Not jewelry." I scoffed at him. "Besides, I was really hoping for a good spar. Like the good old times."

         "What about me?" I shrugged while i made my suggestion.

         "We tried that a month ago." He pointed out and gave me a smug look. "I won."

         "Right, except I was still out of touch with my weapons." I pointed out. "The 8 months at the air temple didn't really give me a lot of time to practice with a sword."

         "Well if you're really in the mood to get your ass whooped by me again. Alright." He agreed, positive he'd win again. "We'll meet in the training yard tomorrow morning."

         "Sounds like a plan." I chuckled.

         "Where are we going?" Sokka finally asked, furrowing his eyebrows as he looked around the block. Trying to piece together where we were.

         "The placement cards and the ceiling drapes arrived today." I told him. "I'm actually glad you're here to help me take the boxes back to the venue."

         "Knew I shouldn't have come over." Sokka grumbled under his breath.

         "Hey, Sokka. Do you think that there's anything malicious about Suh?" I wondered. I knew I already dismissed the idea, but I still needed a different opinion.

         "Malicious? About Suh?" He repeated. His tone already telling me that he didn't think so. "Sis, the girl's a pain, but she's too peppy to wish anything bad upon anyone. Especially on any of Zuko's closest and most beloved friends."

         "You're right." I nodded. "I just have this gut feeling that she's hiding something."

         Sokka laughed loudly at that. "Suh is an open book. That girl explained her entire childhood in extreme detail. If she were hiding anything it'd probably be about something stupid. Like that she's had beer before." I laughed at the random thing he said and gave him a confused look. "I swear she almost threw up after the first sip last night." He claimed.

         Gosh I missed Sokka. His randomness and his cheery attitude always brought a smile to my face. He spewed so much nonsense during the rest of the errand that I didn't even think about the offputting woman again.

.☽☼☾.

~ Suh ♛ ~

         The moment Ama left the restaurant, I stood up as well. No way did I want to be in some substandard Water Tribe restaurant more than I had to. I set down the payment for the food and left.

         I knew she'd probably be waiting for me. Fuck. I didn't want to have to see her. Last she told me, I was to meet her at some old Fire Nation ship not too far from the town. I didn't exactly know why she would choose some old and gross place, but it wasn't like she could get an room at an Inn.

         Ugh. I hate snow. I grumbled as I made my way to the rendezvous. How do these people deal with it all the time? It's freezing and it's wet. I couldn't wait to get back to the Fire Nation.

         Finally arriving at the old ship, I found a tear in the metal and climbed through. The entire boat was standing on large pieces of ice, holding it above the rest of the terrain. A part of me was scared that the entire hunk of metal would fall through the ice, but another part of me knew I had to keep going. I couldn't avoid her anymore.

         I didn't even know where I was going. I just kept walking through the metal hall. "Shit!" I yelled and tripped forward. I looked at my feet. I just tripped over a string. Furrowing my eyebrows in confusion, I sat on my butt. And then I realized it was a tripwire. The metal under me rumbled and creaked. I didn't have time to more away and fell through the trapdoor.

         I screamed in fear, falling through the steep slide backwards. Until I finally came to a slow stop. I looked around. It seemed I just landed myself in some ice tunnel. At least the ice reflected the light from outside so that I can see clearly.

         "Wonderful." I grumbled to myself. Not only did I just walk into some unknown ship that was believed to be haunted, but now I'm lost. How the hell am I supposed to get to her now? I pushed myself off the cold and hard ground. And wiped off the stray pieces of snow that stuck to my clothing.

         "Well, finally." Her voice caught my ear. I turned around to see her and crossed my arms.

         "Hello, Azula." I greeted back. My tone kept it's peppy and cheerful tone. As opposed to her cold and venomous one. I was a perky person. It's a part of my personality. And it worked wonders to get me what I wanted. No one expected the giggly and seemingly foolish girl to play others like a game of chess.

         Azula wore all dark clothing. Her long sleeved gray tunic was tucked into black pants. And she wore a black tunic. Her dark brown hair was put into a high ponytail, ending just below her shoulders. Even clothed in the less than royal clothing that she would wear during the war, Azula's essence commanded to be treated with respect and to be unquestioned.

         Her hands were on her hips and she smirked at me with her red painted lips. "I was beginning to wonder if you backed out of our plan." She shrugged and started to walk down the ice tunnel, making me follow her.

         "Right, well pardon me if I'd rather spend my time with your brother." I stated matter-of-factly. "Besides, it wasn't like I was just gonna ignore you the entire time."

         Azula rolled her eyes. "Leiza if you want to be Fire Lazy you need to learn not to keep others waiting."

         "Don't call me that." I grumbled. "That's my old name." I realized that we just entered what looked like an entire room. Old animal skins were on the ground, seats make of ice, a fire on the side of the room with a pot on it. Azula had made herself a semi-comfortable home for herself. Well, for the time being.

         "I know that. I gave you your identity." She waved her hand to prove a point. "I do hope you hold up your end of the bargain, though." Azula took a seat on the animal skin, sitting criss-crossed. I sat across from her, grimacing at the feeling of the fur.

         "Right, well Ama isn't exactly that cooperative." I told her. Azula scowled, but kept quiet to let me continue. "Everyone trusts me. Even that little lie-detector." I recalled the hours Azula spent teaching me to lie expertly. "Ama is the only one holding back."

         Azula laughed at me. "Of course she's holding back. You have a tendancy of speaking before you think. You don't want to offend the girl. Plus, you're with her ex."

         "I thought that she moved on from Zuko." I snarled. "There was that Munal girl or whatever her name was."

         "Zuko got struck by lighting for that little water baby." Azula pointed out. "As much as everyone might say Zuko's in her past, my brother is always going to have a place in her heart. The same goes for him."

         I'm no firebender, but if I were there would be smoke coming from my ears. "Well she can't have him!" I shouted. "I love Zuko! Not her! And he loves me!"

         "Where did that peppy attitude go?" Azula looked amused at my angered expression. "Don't make me regret breaking you out of that mental institution all those years ago, Suh."

         "Whatever." I grumbled and rolled my eyes.

         "Whatever feelings they might have for each other. It'll be gone soon enough." Azula asure me with her devilish tone and her eyes narrowed in a cunning way. "Remember the plan."

         Zuko will end up with me. I will be Fire Lady. That was the goal. Spirits, just the thought of being with Zuko brought me so much happiness and excitement. I know that I was technically lying to him. About who I was.

         Everything about my childhood was true. I grew up rich. My father was a general in the war. But I was sent to that damn mental institution. They called it an "obsessive disorder." But I called it ambition. Azula broke me out six years ago. We pretended to be the kemurikage for a while. Most of the other girls broke away. But I stuck with Azula.

         Azula was manipulative, just like me. I stuck with her for Zuko. She was my ticket to be with him. I was patient and calculating. And now I had him. He loved me for my personality. He told me that I was the one for him. I took care of him so that he wouldn't overwork himself. Because I loved him. Plus he was so good in bed. How could I resist a man like that?

         "So, what have we learned?" Azula asked me.

         "Ama didn't like when I brought up her late girlfriend." I started. "It hit a nerve."

         "No kidding." Azula scoffed, probably already knowing that. "I need details, Suh. If we're going to do this right I need you to start from the beginning."

         I mentally growned. Looks like I'm going to be in this dank, disgusting place for a while. But if it meant I got what I wanted in the end. Fine.

.☽☼☾.

~ Ama ☾ ~

         The day was actually not freezing. There was no wind this morning, which was rare. The air was still cold, don't get me wrong. Usually I'd wear my coat in order to keep warm, but given that I was about to kick Sokka's ass, I didn't need my coat.

         Neither of us have forgotten about the little sparring session. And it was no surprise that the others wanted to watch. No one would pass up the chance of finding something to make fun of later.

         The training yard was pretty standard. It was placed to the side of the palace, beside one of the many mountains. The usual light snow covered the ground in order to prevent any serious injuries. But that also meant one would have to be extra conscious about their movements to keep from slipping.

         The perimital of the rectangular training area was a pathway made of rock. There were snowy blue pillars, holding up an overhead covering. Benches were placed under it for anyone watching. In this case, that meant our friends.

         I did my last triceps stretch before tightening my ponytail. "Are you sure you still wanna fight me?" Sokka asked me, swinging his sword to the sides as he approached the middle of the yard. "After all, I am one of the best warriors of the Southern Water Tribe."

         I created my own sword out of ice while approaching him and stopping a few feet away from him. "What? Afraid you'll get beat by your sister?"

         "Of course not. I just know that sword-fighting isn't really your style." Sokka shrugged. He took his stance. Legs apart, right foot in front of his left, swatting slightly and his sword held up by his head. I also got into the same stance, preparing for the spar.

         "Go Ama!" Ty Lee cheered.

         "Show him who's boss!" Suki cheered as well.

         Sokka looked at his girlfriend with his mouth hanging open. "Suki! Who's side are you on?" She only laughed in response, leaning back on her hands to watch the show.

         My brother and I stared at each other competitively, waiting for the other to make the first move. He moved first, stepping forward and swinging his sword at me. I moved my own sword, blocking the strike. While I pushed it away from me, I stepped to the side, kicking my brother on his side.

         He stumbled a bit at the impact, but quickly regained his footing. I took the moment to attack, swinging my weapon across. Sokka stepped back and spun to the side. He tried to strike me from above and I blocked it, holding my sword above my head. Tilting my weapon, his sword stid off to the side.

         I then swung my sword violently across. Sokka almost didn't see it coming, ducking under the blade. He looked at me with some shock. I gave him a cocky smirk, taking a few steps back while throwing the weeping from one hand to another.

         He ran towards me. I spun on my right foot, dodging his blade. My right hand gripped his wrist, letting me elbow Sokka harshly in the chest. He stumbled back and I swung my sword at him. He quickly reacted with his weapon and the metal hit briefly.

         Spinning for more momentum, I took another swing. It made contact with Sokka's sword and it slipped from his grasp. The weapon landed a few feet away. I kept my sword up, pointed at my brother.

         There were a few cheers from the benches. I was starting to enjoy my victory too quickly. Because Sokka kicked the kilt of my ice sword, and it fell out of my hand. Also landing a few feet away from me. Sokka sprinted over to his sword.

         Now I had a fraction of a second to make a decision. Either run to my weapon or keep Sokka from getting to his. I took the latter. Sprinting after my brother, I slid on the ground, kicking the sword even further away just before he reached for it.

         But he was running too fast, and now I was in the way. Sokka tripped over me. My side now hurt where his foot collided with my body. My brother was now closer to the sword but I scurried to roll over him to get in between him and the weapon.

         We both stood to our feet with our fists up and I went to punch him. He swat my arm away and I tried again, getting the same result. He in turn attempted to punch me back. I grabbed his wrist and twisted his arm.

         "Ow ow ow!" He shouted in pain while I stepped behind him, his arm twisted behind his back. I kicked the back of his knee, making him kneel on the ground.

         "So." I grin proudly. I love winning. Always a good feeling. "I win?"

         Sokka groaned, hesitant to let me win. But for the second time during that fight. I got too cocky. My brother slid one of his legs back and kicked it under me, making me let go of my grip on him as I fell on my side. Sokka reached to pick up his sword quickly and pointed it at me just as I sat up on my butt.

         "Sorry, sis. You just gotta admit that I'm a better warrior than you." He claimed his victory.

         "Okay, fine." I grumbled. Sokka lowered dhis sword and held his arm out to help me up. But I just slapped it away and got up by myself.

         "You're such a sore loser, ya know." My brother laughed at me while I already started heading to the benches.

         My ponytail had become loose during the spar and I had strands of hair sticking up. Sokka's warrior's wolf tail wasn't much different.

         "Gotta say, though, you're good with a sword." He complimented while we walked to the benches with friends. "Just not as good as me." I sucked in an annoyed breath and clenched my jaw at his taunting and he burst out laughing at my expression.

         "Well you don't have to rub it in." I grumbled and crossed my arms over my chest.

         Katara stood from her seat and wrapped an arm around both our shoulders. "It doesn't matter who's better. Just that you both gave it your all and did wonderful."

         I scoffed. "No, I disagree. Being better matters."

         "One way or another, we're all better than each other." Sokka pointed out. "Ama's better at fighting with waterbending, Katara is better at healing, and I'm better at everything else." Katara and I shared the same annoyed look, but we both were still humored by our brother.

         "Sweetie, I think it's time to go." Aang got up from his seat.

         "Oh! Yes, I think it is time." Katara grinned widely, leaving Sokka and I to join her fiance. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and she wrapped her arms around his waist. They were so cute. Sure, the "sweetie" nicknames were a little nauseating, but they expressed so much love for eachother.

         A small smile tugged at my lips knowing that my sister would spend the rest of her life with someone who made her incredibly happy. Forget that he's the Avatar, he's a good man and I couldn't imagine Katara being with anyone else.

         "I didn't know you guys had wedding duties to attend to." Suki spoke up, also getting up from her seat to stand by her boyfriend.

         "We don't." Aang replied.

         "We have a date." Katara blushed. "With all the planning and preparations, Aang and I haven't had enough time just by ourselves. No distractions."

         "Yeah, instead those distractions get thrown on me." I smirked jokingly.

         "You offered!" My sister exclaimed with annoyance in her tone.

         "I'm just teasing." I laughed. "Enjoy your date, you two." Rolling her eyes, Katara and Aang went to leave the training yard and to whatever it was that they had planned. "So what's everyone else got planned?" I turned to everyone else who'd been silent.

         "Mai and I are going to try snowboarding!" Ty Lee answered and then placed a thoughtful finger on her chin. "We aren't exactly sure what it is, but we've been told it's fun." I chuckled at my friend's bubbly personality.

         "Suki and I are going to the market." Sokka grinned, intertwining his hand with Suki's.

         I then turned to Zuko, waiting for a response. "Fire Lord duties. Unfortunately, work doesn't stop for the Avatar's wedding." I frowned. Work during a vacation? Sounds awful.

         "Aw, I'm sorry, baby." Suh pouted, linking arms with him and cuddling up next to him. Zuko just smiled and chuckled at her. "I'm lucky I brought some books with me. Today is perfect to me to just sit back and relax."

         "Didn't know she could read." Mai muttered so softly that I could only hear. My hand covered my mouth to keep from laughing loudly. The others looked over at me and I faked a cough.

         "Ama, you should go." Sokka said very dryly. I gave him a sort of offended look at how he wanted me to leave. "No seriously. Auntie Nalle hates when people are late and you are a sweaty mess."

         I looked down at myself. Sokka was right. I couldn't exactly go to Auntie Nalle with my messy hair and sweat stained shirt. "Right, uh." I realized. "Well then, I'll see you all at dinner." There was a series of "byes" and "laters" from the group as I left the yard.

         Today wouldn't be a bad day. Auntie Nalle graciously offered to bake some of the pastries for the wedding. All I had to do was confirm what Katara wanted, figure out how many were needed, and then hopefully I wouldn't have to stay for her gossip.

.☽☼☾.

         I hate gossip. Don't get me wrong. I love a good scandal every now and then. However, I don't really enjoy speculations about people. I should've just told Antie Nalle that I really didn't care if Eyin stole Vulla's soup recipe. I haven't talked to them in years.

         Luckily though. The day was coming to an end. I didn't even think I'd be at dinner after all those sweets I was given. The sun was still high up in the air, telling me that most of the others were probably still busy.

         And I was in no hurry, so I walked through the courtyard beside the palace slowly. Breathing in that sweet smell of the afternoons in the Southern Water Tribe. It gave me so much nostalgia. Taking me back to when my siblings and I would have snowball fights and then go back home where mom would have dinner ready. Like her steamed dumplings. She'd scold me about my messy hair or maybe how I tore my coat. Still, I'd give anything to go back to those days.

         I ran my hands through my loose hair and looked up at the sky. Just then, a messenger hawk flew above my head and landed on one of the window sills of the palace. It was one of the windows for our hallway. Who's receiving a letter?

         My walking slowed down in curiosity. The window finally opened and Suh poked her head out. I narrowed my eyes and moved closer to one of the pillars, hiding behind it, but still getting a decent view of the window. Suh took the message from the compartment on the hawks back and the animal took off into the sky again.

         The woman unrolled the paper, reading over it. Her eyebrows pinched together and a grimace found its way to her lips I wasn't good are reading lips but it looked she either said something along the lines of "are you fucking kidding me" or "ate a funny kidney".

         Finishing the letter, Suh rolled the letter up and again. Then she poked her head out again, looking to her left and right. She was looking to see if anyone saw her receive her letter. I quickly brought my head behind the pillar again so she wouldn't see me.

         Fuck. No one looks that suspicious when receiving a letter. My mind tried to find some logical response to keep me from spiralling into some conspiracy. Maybe it was a family member or work? No she doesn't work. And what kind of familial letter would get someone to react that way? From what I've gathered, she didn't have any issues with her family.

         I looked around the pillar, seeing that the window was now closed shut. I crossed my arms and narrowed my eyes. What are you hiding, Suh?

.☽☼☾.

         "Where the hell do you think you're going!" I shouted. My tone was etched with anger and also humor while I chased a thug that was running away from the city he's been terrorizing for so long. I threw my right arm up, water flew past me and turned to ice around his feet.

         The man tried to move, but there was no use. My running slowed down and I walked towards him with a light skip in my step. "Oh, you're going to pay for this." The grumpy middle aged man grimaced at me.

         I gave him a flat smile, bending more water to create handcuffs made of ice behind his back. "No, you're going to pay. In a cell" I stated matter-of-factly and removed the ice around his feet to lead him back to the village.

         I lightly shoved him into the back of the carriage, where he and the rest of the criminals would be taken away to a larger city to be locked up. Most of the smaller villages didn't have enough policemen to uphold the law or even a place to lock up said law breakers. Leaving them vulnerable to bandits and thugs like these guys.

         "My village can not thank you enough." The mayor expressed his appreciation to myself and the rest of my group. "We do not have much to give, but please accept some of our fresh vegetables and meat."

         One of the older women stepped towards us with a basket filled with carrots, tomatoes, meats, and other things. She handed it to Masha and she bowed her head in thanks.

         Mulan stepped forward to speak to the mayor, putting her katana into its sheath. "Thank you, for your generous gift. It was an honor to fulfill our duty in ridding your town of those criminals."

         She was always so respectful to everyone. When speaking to officials especially, Mulan's voice was polite and unwavering. And because of that, we were respected back. But trust me. The moment someone stepped out of line, she'd be sure to put them back into their place.

         We all bowed to the mayor to bid our farewell and left the village to set up camp for the night. "We have enough here to make a stew!" Masha looked through the basket. "We're eating good tonight, my fellow bastards!"

.☽☼☾.

         At dusk that day, Masha was standing over a large pot, cooking us all a stew. I sat on the grass with my back against a fallen tree, taking in the sight of my new friends.

         After Mulan introduced me to the Miraculous Bastards a month ago, I joined them. It wasn't much different than when I traveled with Aang and the others. We never spent too long in one place, taking down gangs and others who took advantage of villages and the average citizen.

         The group was made up of five people, including me. There was Masha. She had light brown, messy hair and brown eyes. She was like the caretaker. Always asked if we drank water, great cook, sewed our clothes. She sort of reminded me of Katara. She was the only earthbender; and she was a damn good one, too. I hoped to one day introduce her to Toph. Despite having two very different personalities, I wondered if they'd get along.

         Then there was Bono, Masha's twin brother. Same brown hair and brown eyes. He was the quiet, observant type. He liked to keep a journal with him at all times for haikus and to draw landscapes. Unlike his sister, though, Bono wasn't a bender. Instead, he was skilled with the bow and arrow and double swords. His sympathetic nature made it incredibly easy to talk to him, but not as much to joke with.

         Taon was Masha's boyfriend. He was a firebender from the colonies. His reckless and adventurous personality made him incredibly fun to be around. I remember the first night I was with them he woke me up in the middle of the night to go looking for a saber-tooth moose lion; for no reason other than the fun of it. I was convinced that if it weren't for Masha, he would've gotten himself killed in one was or another.

         And lastly, Mulan. Spirits, where do I start. She was no bender, but her fighting was incredible. She mastered many forms in a multitude of weapons, incredibly flexible, strong. A true warrior. She was the unofficial leader of the Miraculous Bastards. Her posture and voice commanded respect and she was always prepared for anything. But she was also so sweet and it was so easy to talk to her. We'd spend hours talking nonsense and laugh at Taon and Masha's bickering.

         But even after a month of knowing her, there was still the feeling of nervousness around her. After meeting her, that feeling of missing something in my life disappeared. It kind of felt like when I had a crush on Zuko, before dating.

         "Alright, everyone! The stew is ready!" Masha grinned happily, pouring the first bowl. I stood from my stop and joined the others around the pot.

         "Masha, this smells incredible." I complimented as I got handed a bowl.

         "Thank you." She accepted the compliment, holding the last field bowl in her hand. "It's the perfect meal for this special occasion."

         "Oh, what's that?" I wondered curiously.

         "Today marks one month since you've been with us." Mulan reminded me with a light nudge. I couldn't help but blush lightly at the touch.

         "Yeah, we're really lucky to have you with us." Bono added.

         "An incredible fighter and an even better friend." Taon lighted his bowl up in the air and cheered. "To Ama!"

         "To Ama!" The others repeated, lifting their bowls up as well.

         I laughed with them and shook my head. "You guys are amazing, But if I'm being honest, I should be the one lucky to have you all. A bunch of rascals who like to beat up bullies? My kind of people." They all laughed at my words. "But really, thank you for letting me join you all."

         "Of course." Masha assured me. "Now, let's eat before this all gets cold."

         I took my spot by the fallen tree to eat. Masha and Taon sat not far from me, starting to engage in their own conversation. Bono didn't like to be disturbed when he was eating and sat further away from us all. And Mulan sat next to me.

         Neither of us said anything at first. We both focused more on the vegetables and the beef in the stew. But we both also wanted to say something to each other.

         "Masha is probably the best cook I've ever come across." Mulan broke the silence and set the finished bowl down beside her. "I remember the first time she cooked for me when we were 16, I tried to convince her to own a restaurant or something."

         "Well, she'd definitely do well." I finished my stew as well and set it on my lap.

         Mulan looked over at the others, seeing that no one was really paying attention to us. "Hey, let's get out of here." She pointed away from camp with her thumb.

         I raised an eyebrow, both in curiosity and confusion. "And go where?"

         She shrugged and made her suggestion. "There's a lake not far from here. I got water from there earlier."

         "Sound fun." I agreed, moving the empty bowl to the ground and standing up. Mulan smiled at me and stood up as well. No one noticed us leave the camp. Which isn't necessarily a problem, we shouldn't be away long.

         I followed the redhead through the trees, listening to the sound of crickets. "Here it is." Mulan announced as we finally arrived at the lake. There wasn't a ton of light tonight because there was only a half moon in the sky. Mulan grinned at me and then took my hand, pulling me with her to the lake. "Check this out."

         She placed her hand in the water and moved it from side to side. The water that moved glowed a bright blue. My jaw dropped at the incredible sight. "Wow." I gasped and dipped my hands into the cold water as well. "How does this happen?"

         "It's a chemical reaction in the algae." Mulan answered. I gave her a curious look, wondering how she knew that. "My parents studied it a little. They were herbalists so they found this stuff interesting."

         "It's incredible." I admired the incredible sight. You truly do learn something new everyday. With a mischievous smirk, I splashed some water at Mulan. The woman gasped in shock as I laughed. She splashed me back, and the droplets fell on my face and chest. "Oh, okay then."

         I bent the glowing water till it was over the redhead. "Ama, no!" She squealed and tried to back up while still on the ground. I dropped the water, drenching her in it. Her hands wiped the water out of her eyes and she gave me a playful glare as I giggled uncontrollably.

         And without warning, Mulan lunged at me. "Ahh!" I shrieked while she pushed us both into the lake. The edge of the lake was still pretty shallow, allowing for us both to sit up and it only reached to our waist. "What the hell?" I laughed.

         "You started it." She retorted. I bit my bottom lip and shook my head at her. I bent some more water to throw at her, but Mulan moved further into the water. "Nuh uh. Sorry, sweetheart but you're gonna have to catch me first."

         I scoffed amusingly while the redhead dove deeper into the water. I took her up on that challenge and followed her in further. She wasn't really trying to outswim me. I caught up to her pretty quickly, tackling her and we both submerged into the lake. The water glowed at all the movement we were making.

         Breaking through the surface, the two of us gasped for air and giggled. Luckily we weren't that deep and could stand. The water ended just above my waist. "I didn't think this through." Mulan muttered, looking down at her soaking clothes.

         "Relax, I can bend the water out of our clothes when we get out." I reminded her and moved closer to her.

         Just for the curiosity of it, I bent the water, moving it from side to side as it glowed. I took it a step further, swirling it around my body and then around Mulan's. The two of us giggled while I slipped the water back in the lake.

         "No matter how often you do that I'm always to mezmerised but it." Mulan looked at me in awe. "Well, it's either that or just the gorgeous woman who's bending the water." I turned to look at her and our eyes met. Her green eyes felt like they were seeing every inch of me. Every insecurity and every flaw. But also every beautiful aspect and everything admirable.

         Neither of us said anything. My eyes looked down at her heart shaped lips. She never painted them, but they still had an orange tint to them. Which I thought was absolutely unique and beautiful.

         Mulan leaned in hesitantly, waiting for me to back away. But I didn't. In fact, I also leaned in. She closed the gap and her soft lip finally met mine. It felt perfect and pure. But just as quickly as it happened, she pulled away and hastily started to trudge through the water.

         "Wait, Mulan!" I called and started to trudge after her. Was the kiss bad? Was I bad?

         "I shouldn't have done that." The woman replied with a distressed tone. She scrunched up her hair, getting the water out and she stepped out of the lake.

         "Why? Was it me?" I wondered. My chest felt heavy with worry that I had just made a complete fool of myself. I was already planning to leave the group. I couldn't stay if it was just going to be awkward.

         "No, no. It wasn't you." Mulan told me.

         "Then what?" I grabbed her wrist to keep her from leaving further.

         She turned around with tears in her eyes and she shook her head. "You were perfect." She started. "You are perfect. I just can't do this to you."

         "What? Do what?" I begged to know.

         "You're a hero, Ama. I can't be the reason you get shunned and rejected by the world." He looked down at her hands to avoid my look. "Like what my parents did to me." It clicked in my mind. Just a moment ago, it felt like it was just me and her. But there's still an entire world that wouldn't be thrilled if two women fell in love. Mulan's parents being one example.

         The thing was. I didn't care. I placed my hand on both sides of Mulan's cheeks, wiping her tears away with my thumbs. "Fuck the world." I told her and shook my head. "This can just stay between us or we can shout it from the rooftops. It doesn't matter. I just don't want to have to reject how I feel about you."

         Mulan raised her head, looking me in the eye again. "And how do you feel about me?" She wondered with a soft smile.

         "With you I feel happy. I feel like I can do anything with you by my side." I told her. "I like you more than a friend."

         Mulan wrapped her arms around my waist, pulling me close to her. "I like you more than a friend, too." And we kissed again. It was soft and loving. And, again, it felt perfect. "I can't tell you hold long the others were trying to convince me to make a move." She giggled when she pulled back a little.

         "Did Teon try to give you a pep-talk?" I asked with a humorous smirk.

         "Yeah and then Bono did a better job at it." Mulan responded and the two of us laughed. This felt right. I didn't know in that moment, but it wouldn't last. The feeling of being pure.

.☽☼☾.

Let's go lesbians, lets go! Jk, Ama is a little bi baby. I wanted some background for Ama and Mulan before some more tea! But also cause I love wlw representation and there isn't enough of it. And don't worry everyone cause Zuko is getting some love pretty soon!

Love you all! Hang loose, amigos 🤙🏼

[seyaryminamoto]

May I ask, why does Azula make you passionate? Not a lot of people has the capability to empathize (NOT sympathize) with the antagonists, or a lot don't have the power to share or sense clearly their thoughts and feelings (for many reasons) as they do with the protagonists. Most people are mersiless toward them, even if they were understandable.

Uh, well, if you want the very honest answer? I saw myself in her. But if you want an in-depth answer, click the Read More.

I didn’t mean to, no. I didn’t go looking for myself in her character, I was uneasy about her, even somewhat worried, in her first episodes. She had been characterized very deliberately as colder, more scheming, more efficient than her brother or Zhao, the only Fire Nation villains we knew so far. She hadn’t quite succeeded at anything yet, but there was no tantrum after her failures, no self-pitying act: she simply kept going relentlessly. 

She wouldn’t stop at anything, and after watching her convince Mai so easily that her brother wasn’t worth trading over a king, it’s kind of natural to wonder if she’s really devoid of a conscience… No lie, though, it also reflects heavily on Mai that she agreed so easily. It especially looks like Mai has less of a conscience than Azula, since it’s her brother we’re talking about, and it doesn’t really look like she was scared of contradicting Azula: she had only ever complained about her family ever since she showed up on-screen. In short, I thought they were all weird and mean and morally incorrect! :’D

But I have had a penchant to grow interested in characters who are strong, who are driven to the ends of the earth. I used to think I favored tsundere-types of female characters back when I was in my anime-heavy phase, but soon enough I realized that wasn’t quite right: I was interested in female leaders instead, characters who were often tsundere because they bury their feelings deep down, because their main interests are professional, or academic… basically, they were ambitious people who sometimes went too far in dragging others into stuff they hadn’t signed up for (Ritsu Tainaka, Haruhi Suzumiya, Misaki Ayuzawa, Kyoko Mogami, Natsumi Tsujimoto, and so on…).

Basically, I’ve been appealed by characters who share Azula’s reckless determination, but when I approached Avatar I had also moved on mostly from anime, and I found myself, instead, writing an original story where my protagonist was a princess, hailing from a western nation she was supposed to rule one day. This princess was very determined, physically powerful to the point of being beyond human (then again, she was a literal descendant from gods :’D), with a terrible relationship with her family (in particular fighting with an older half-brother who wants to prove he’s more suitable for the throne than her). Said girl’s priority, first and foremost, is her nation, and she’s willing to go to whatever means she must in order to protect it (even resort to magic, which is frowned upon in her nation of warriors).

Now, after I exposed that character’s main traits to you, don’t you think there’s a few too many similarities with Azula? :’D yep, I thought so too as I continued watching ATLA. Tbh it freaked me out how similar they actually were, since I hadn’t watched the show or been influenced by it at all. I didn’t even know Azula existed!

Anyways! I’ve gone off the rails a bit, but back on track: why did I identify with Azula?

First off, I did start getting the feeling she was similar to those characters I loved, despite she was, obviously, meant to be a villain. But what REALLY did it for me?

It was the scene in Zuko Alone, when Iroh’s gifts arrive. Azula’s dear brother gets something mind-blowing while she gets something pathetic, generic, that someone assumed was going to please her because she’s a girl. Because girls like dolls, right?

Well, in my case, I got play make-up instead. I had a trauma with make-up since age 4, and if people had bothered knowing me, or even talking with my mom about me, they would have known that. They didn’t. It didn’t matter to them either way. Meanwhile, my brother’s gifts were incredible! :’D all sorts of action toys, new Hot Wheels, even remote-controlled cars. And when I wanted to play with them? I got a big ole’ NO from him, along with my parents telling me, often, that the toys were his and that I should let him play instead.

Heck, there was this one time he got this ship-in-a-bottle crafts as a present for his birthday from someone who worked at MY school. When I asked where was mine? Oh, there wasn’t one. My birthday was the day before my brother’s, the guy who made it worked at MY SCHOOL, but he would make a gift of the sort for my brother and not for me. I don’t remember if he even lied saying he’d make one, but fact of the matter is, I never got a handcrafted, special boat-in-a-bottle with my name on it. He did.

Let’s just say… when I saw Azula getting that disappointing doll while Zuko got the incredible knife, my jaw dropped. I literally dropped all my defenses against her along with my jaw, too. I saw that and damn, it put her character in a completely different perspective for me: it made her REAL, her experience with her brother resembled mine so much that I was in genuine shock. The salty “You’re not even good!” comment when he was playing with the knife, spoken with the intent to mask her interest in the weapon and her jealousy? The way she takes the knife later too, smirking and teasing her brother, yet letting him have it back because she knows it’s not supposed to be hers? Anon, I swear that was 100% the way I acted in countless similar situations. And I know, it may make me sound like a very bad sister (in Azula’s defense she’s actually a better sister than I am, in my brother’s defense he’s a better brother than Zuko could ever hope to be), but it’s still how it was.

From there onwards, a lot of my interest in Azula came from seeing how she suddenly stepped out of her “supreme villain overlord” role to prove she was really just a teenager like the rest of the cast. We’re talking about a girl who imitated her brother for shits and giggles, just to amuse herself at the expenses of a completely confused Aang. A girl who made a pun about the Avatar’s fangirls. Her sense of humor, no doubt, is kinda weird and not the sweetest? But she has one! It’s there, and no lie, I laughed my ass off with those two occasions at least.

Eventually, I just found myself more interested in her to the point of recklessly supporting her in the show. Yes, I knew the Gaang would win, and I didn’t mind, I liked them too! But I was slowly and surely loving Azula more with every passing episode, as she proved she was the one villain worth respecting in this entire franchise. And she was a fourteen-year-old girl with zero social skills, self-esteem issues to the ends of the earth, a turbulent relationship with her parents and her brother, and the frankly adorable wish to know if people might like her if they didn’t know she was a princess.

Another big selling point for me, as already stated, was her relationship with her brother. While my brother is a little less of a drag than Zuko can be (meaning, my brother can be happy once in a while :’D he even makes jokes… though seriously bad ones .__. maybe he shouldn’t make them...), their relationship was so similar to ours that it freaked me out. I’ve been competing with my siblings since forever, but when it came to outdoing my oldest sisters I seriously just couldn’t do it (honestly, no 3yo can expect to compete in regards of anything with a 10yo, or can she? :’D and yet I was such a pig-headed brat that I did it all the same). Meanwhile, my brother, only two years older than me, was an easier target to surpass, and I set myself on the task of doing that. Whenever he was better than me at anything, I ridiculed him (remember the knife scene?). Whenever I was better than him at anything, he would try to outdo me again and usually fail, then get annoyed and say it was a stupid thing anyways.

As we grew older, the conflict in our relationship grew a lot uglier in the sense that we didn’t really just snap at each other about toys now. I seriously got so pissed off by how entitled he was acting once that I locked myself up in the bathroom, punched a wall out of sheer frustration and damn near broke my hand in the process. No lie, that helped me vent my frustration real easily :’D

Basically, I’ve experienced the sibling relationship Azula did. My brother is far more popular than I am (well, in regards of people who live in our environment, at least), so everyone flocks to him, and when Azula’s friends betrayed her for Zuko, well… you can imagine how that stung for me :’D I’ve had friends who haven’t quite betrayed me for him or so, but they’ve stopped being my friends and become his, instead. How about that?

Anyways, Azula most likely wasn’t built up to be relatable, she was built to be a rounded character instead. There are more obviously relatable characters in the show, Katara is relatable for most the fandom, Toph is relatable for natural tomboys, and so on. But even then, none of these characters were built to be relatable. They were built to be real and believable, and in being built that way, they became relatable. And that’s what happened to me with Azula.

Honestly, I think I can’t really relate or empathize with Zuko a lot because of my own experiences too. I will judge him harder because yep, I’m biased :’D but I’m not trying to say he’s all bad and Azula is all good or anything. Truth be told, secret I’ve kept to myself for a long time… The finale depressed me for a day or two because I kept wondering if that was the only outcome for someone like Azula. Because in a sense, it looked like the show was saying that was kind of the outcome for someone like me. It felt like it was saying the world would judge me as impossible to save, while my brother got every success I could only dream of. 

And... who knows? Maybe that’s what’s happening indeed. He’s certainly doing better than me these days. All I can safely say is I’m glad he is. Despite things were bad between us, they’re not so bad anymore. So if I’m to be left unsuccessful and he’s off to shoot for the stars, I’ll congratulate him instead of holding grudges about why he gets that and I don’t.

Anyways, the finale freaked me out, but I distanced myself from the character to a degree so I wouldn’t project on her so much. Still, the way her ending wrapped up bothered me, and I was very much unwilling to see her life end that way. As the comics have been building her up either for a very bad downfall or for a very long redemption that still is barely beginning, I lose my patience often as I keep wanting something better for her ASAP. Not a lot of positive stuff has happened yet to her… but that’s what fanfiction is for, for me. Ever since I opened FF.net’s ATLA archive, the first thing I did was search for Azula getting happy endings xD

And thus, that’s why I write her as I do and connect with her as I have. Azula seems to gather most the traits of characters I loved, but on top of that, she had an eerily similar sibling relationship to mine with my brother. A lot of my own eternal chase towards polishing and developing my talents came from a rather toxic place of thinking that having lots of skills was the only way I could be valid, somehow. I’m not exempt from self-esteem issues myself, see :’D

Anyways, I realize the majority of people won’t find Azula relatable, acceptable, likeable in any way. I don’t mind, I don’t really think it’s that odd, the show very obviously featured her as a problem that needed to be dealt with. But I’m not one to stick with supporting only the heroes in stories. Very often I’ve liked villains better, whether because they’re complex and worth exploring, as Azula is, or because they’re simply more interesting than their heroic counterparts. I guess I could have said this from the start and spared you the insanely lengthy insight into how my mind works, right? :’D