#because he's always just as angry as zuko but HE'S mature enough not to show it

[swan2swan]

Someone called Ozai "temper tantrum man", and I was going to comment on that with some sort of "Yes, but"...but then I realized that there is no "yes" to that.

He's not a tantrum person.

He has a temper, yes, but the guy doesn't freak out. Ever. Not even once. And it's a trait I hadn't considered about him, but it's so terrifyingly brilliant.

-Zuko speaks out. He just drags him off to the disciplinary Agni-Kai

-Zuko tells him Azula lied and the Avatar's alive. He just snarls at Zuko and tells him to get out, then starts goading the kid to attack him with swords while he doesn't have his own firebending

-Aang blows up his airship, and he just flies down and starts gloating about how favored he is by the universe

-Aang unlocks the Avatar State and grabs Ozai's beard, and Ozai counterattacks in the blink of an eye

-Aang nearly kills him and Ozai scoffs about how Aang is weak

-Aang takes his bending and Ozai throws punches until he realizes he's exhausted

-A bunch of teenagers start making fun of him and Ozai (still exhausted) pathetically protests before falling over

-Zuko comes to see him in jail and Ozai hits him with snark

The writing on that man is insane when you think about how cold he is.

[mdhwrites]

Luz's impulsiveness and lack of interest in other people's feelings in the face of her grand fantasies - and the fact that she is rarely, if ever, taken to task for it - is one of the reasons why I never fully got into TOH from the get-go. (And then the hype train took off and I got even more frustrated) So I thought that the direction her arc would take was realizing that "understanding" is a two-way street. If she wants to be understood, she has to come to terms with the facts that:

a) Her actions have consequences for other people.

b) Sometimes (not always, just SOMETIMES) she has to compromise on her fantasies for the good of herself and others. Meet them in the middle occasionally.

c) Other people are more willing to put in the work to understand you if YOU also put in the work to understand THEM. It's easy to blame others/society for being misunderstood/feeling like an outcast. It's harder to accept that the way you behave is not serving you or your relationships and some part of it needs to change if you want to grow as a person.

But from the sound of the finale (I haven't watched TOH consistently since the first part of season 2) Luz's arc is that she is perfect and doesn't need to improve whatsoever and everyone else needs to get on her level? Am I getting that right?

You are! And... Especially when contrasted with Amphibia, the reason you are is actually BIZARRE because both TOH and Amphibia do something different besides the normal teenage character form of growth... Kind of. See, everything you just described actually doesn't need to be the main thrust of Luz's character arc but it doesn't it mean that it's unreasonable to ask for. After all, just about EVERY teenage protagonist undergoes one form growth (not an arc. Honestly I need to do a blog smacking people about the term): Maturity. This is just inherent to where they are in life because they're about they have the proper experience to attempt to be mature but are still young enough to make the basic mistakes that come with learning how to be a person with other people. This is actually the main thrust for character for Aang, Katara and Toph in Avatar because, to briefly go into it, a character is about real change in a character. Something fundamental shifts in them. That's what makes it an arc because usually the process of changing that sort of thing is painful and takes time and does need to be more pronounced. This is why Zuko, and Sokka to a lesser extent, undergo character arcs that do genuinely shift who they are as people. It makes Sokka less misogynistic (because that was a part of his character before the Kyoshi) which in turn leads to him changing his definition of a great warrior which is a big deal to him as a person. And Zuko... *gestures at the whole sad boy* But maturity is more about refinement which is about growth. It's effectively the difference where in episode one a character might entirely ignore or not want to discuss problems that they're having but then in S2 they've learned enough and grown close enough to those around them to be able to actually talk about the issue and seek help instead of thinking they have to do everything themselves. This is where Katara gets her proper understanding of people and loses more and more of her anger so that when she is angry, it's for the right reasons. It's Toph not needing to show off as much and keep focus. It's the fact that despite the fact it would hit him on a personal level, if Aang hadn't found a harder, more dangerous out for beating Ozai... He would have been willing to kill him when in S1, something so painful would have immediately made him want to abandon the idea entirely. But none of these change the fundamental aspects of the character. That's why Aang, Katara and Toph mostly still behave 1:1 in regular situations than when they were first introduced because they're still kids and they have time to stop being childish or not because like Bumi demonstrated, childishness isn't a bad thing so long as it doesn't blind from the necessities and other people. That's how a lot of shows can have character growth while keeping their same tone because the core of the character doesn't need to change. Amphibia subverts this in S1 by explicitly making it an arc. Anne is a bad person at the beginning of the show. Period. She isn't just a goofball teenager, even if what she does doesn't make her a villain either, but she is manipulative, lazy, harsh dismissive, etc. because of what she's picked up from Sasha. But over the entire course of S1, we see everything that indeed changes her so that she is more mature, even to the point where if Anne HADN'T gone through her arc... The plot of S2 wouldn't function because she wouldn't be the heart at that point. It's REALLY impressive frankly how well Amphibia actually tackles what's happening in the background of these characters.

Meanwhile... TOH subverts by not having it happen. This is actually a little funky to talk about with Luz because S1 makes it look like they're doing what most kid's shows do. She's making mistakes rooted in being a teen and who she is and she's theoretically learning while fixing the problem and having hijinks. This is a LOOOOOT of Molly McGee and that's not a bad thing since I could also list off a dozen cartoons that are like this.

But I did say theoretically, didn't I? That's because of two problems going on. The first is technically not a problem in concept because Luz is part of a larger cast. Some of those lessons are going to go to other people like Amity, Gus and King. The main problem with this is that Gus doesn't matter and Amity's 'growth' is made problematic by the fact that it's more about retconning her first appearance than it is actually about growing because 'She was actually always a good girl. We swear.' This is why I still argue Amity doesn't really have an arc. It's not that something fundamental is changing about Amity, it's just that we're getting introduced to who she really is. (I actually have a blog specifically about this like I do about Hunter, or I thought I did, but I couldn't find it so have me talking about character arcs by contrasting Amity versus Anne) Either way, it makes it so that the lessons being learned aren't really being carried forward at all. Just look at how little Amity actually gives a shit about Willow post her lesson in Understanding Willow.

The other problem is the Fluttershy Effect as I will call it because that's where I first heard this. It's where the same topic gets addressed over and over again with nothing changing. Now, TOH actually gives few shits to having blanket in its episodes so the fact that it exhibits this anyways is really bad. Just look at Luz and Eda's relationship. In the first season, there's multiple episodes spent on "Hey, maybe you should listen to your mentor when she talks about magic," or "don't take shortcuts on magic." In S2, that shifts to "Trust Eda" because despite Eda not thinking Luz is weak and giving her substantially more freedom, there's still multiple episodes where the tension is Luz giving Eda the middle finger about thinking she's weak before going and proving herself, which was already a thing in S1 PLENTY. It's just now shifted that Luz isn't mocked into proving herself but being a mad girl. This repetition shows a refusal to grow.

To mature. The real capstone to this is effectively what the human realm becomes what she perceives as her greatest mistake. She ran away to another world and didn't have to suffer for the consequences for her actions once so she could live out a fantasy rather than actually having to try to grow as a person and relate to other people like she would have had to at camp. Her decision to stay in the human realm and never face the Collector, who she blames herself wholly as why he exists in the first place, is just another run around of that. Even if she technically didn't choose to come back to the human realm (in a moment I find frustrating when an episode before that she quickly thought up a complex solution to be the hero and save Hunter while in distress and on a time crunch but can't ask the simple question of "WHAT TO DO YOU EXPECT TO DO AGAINST A GOD!?"), her choosing to stay still counts, even when given the option to go back. And then we get to her character finish where actually... At first it looks like it's going to salvage itself. The whole process to get here will still have been bad but accepting mistakes and moving on is actually a sign of maturity. Camila has a GREAT point that is directly addressing a human problem for the majority of her speech that would have actually resolved Luz's problems and at least made it so that the show's failed attempt at an arc with Luz coalesced into something.

But it instead ends with the idea that Luz being understood is all that's important despite no one besides bad guys, at best, showing any amount of push back on her for over a season by then. The closest it comes is Amity asking Luz to STOP LYING. And even then, Luz doesn't face consequences for it for more than five seconds which gives Amity saying she doesn't want to be around her the feel of "We need to get to a more meaningful and romantic spot for me to a perfect girlfriend again." *hurk* And the attempt in general with Luz's character arc in S2B shows her just regressing as a person. Doubling down on her worse traits and then learning nothing because the show has a finale for the arc in mind and refuses to let anything budge until then. That or because they aren't really willing to criticize Luz as even S1 struggles to properly criticize Luz as it muddies its morals or just shifts Luz's perspective a little but that her heart was in the right place.

It's just a disaster and frankly probably one of the biggest reasons why if I had to say if TOH is good or not, even from a basic perspective... No. Because it's a kid's show that reinforces the worst parts of childish behavior, avoiding consequences, listening, understanding, responsibility, etc. and wanting all the glory without putting in the effort. It's a show that I don't think would make a kid necessarily a worse human being like Teen Titans Go might but... It's not something that will make them a better person. And TOH IS a kid's show. That cannot be ignored, especially when there are PLENTY of writing choices that are only acceptable, at best, from a kid's show in it. Not that TOH wants to admit it.

=========

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[earthly-ali3n]

i think the biggest reason kataang never sat right with me is because it wasn’t really satisfying for either of their individual arcs.

Aang always seemed to be more infatuated with katara than actually in love with her. Aang thought she was beautiful and strong, and she spends all of her time helping him train and fight. she protects him and cares for him, of course he has a crush on her. but it always seems like a childish desire, even in the 3rd season. aang should have let go of katara in the final fight, it felt like kind of a cop out to hit that rock. aang spends the whole series at war with himself over being the avatar, something he never wanted but was his destiny nonetheless. it would have been more satisfying (in my opinion) to see him fully accept the role of avatar at the end of the show, and know he was content with his destiny. Aang had so much responsibility at both the avatar and the last airbender, as well as so much trauma from spending his first year conscious after being frozen for 100 years immediately fighting and training in the war. for him to end the show in a relationship, and achieving that relationship being his ultimate happy ending just seemed very shallow for everything he had gone through.

for katara, i really feel like she settled. and i’m not going to bring any other ship into this, because there are pros and cons to all of them, so don’t take this as comparing ships or trying to say one is better than the other.

Aang did not understand nor accept katara. to not understand someone is one thing, but aang would not try to even accept katara if her feelings were vengeful, angry, etc. he preached forgiveness and being the bigger person, but that is not what katara needed from him. aang could never be a comfort to her because he couldn’t accept wanting revenge and holding grudges were valid feelings to have when you suffered what she did. and of all the people in the show, aang SHOULD be the one who understands the most. he is the last airbender, she is the last waterbender in the southern water tribe. the survivors guilt weighs heavily on them both. when aang lashes out in the avatar state, it is always katara who bring him down to earth, just by being there! but aang could never do that for katara. he had to turn it into a moral lesson, he could not help but preach to her when all she needed was for him to be there with her while she got her anger out. zuko did not have to do anything to comfort or convince katara not to give into her anger and take someone’s life. he just had to be there, to back her up and not judge her. she made the choice to leave on her own. she had to make that choice on her own, and aang was just not emotionally mature enough to let her do that. and he still wasn’t able to comprehend why she would let him live if she didn’t forgive him. katara wasn’t raised a pacifist like him. she raised herself, and her older brother. she had to be strong, and it took her looking her mother’s murderer in the eyes to realize that she didn’t have to kill him to be stronger than him. she didn’t need to kill him to make sure he would never hurt anyone again, he was already incapable. it’s the same choice aang made when he took ozai’s bending.

basically the point of this ramble is that i think katara deserved someone who could put her first, who could understand her, and who wouldn’t judge her anger. and aang is none of those things. he is the avatar, and katara would spend her whole life fulfilling HIS mission to bring balance. she was put into the role of caregiver over and over again. it was natural to her at that point, but i think she deserved to be selfish in at least one of her relationships.

edit: i’m not tagging this anti-kataang bc i’m not an anti. this is literally just me wishing that he had grown up a little and showed the same emotional maturity towards katara that she showed him

[dragynkeep]

Katara’s fire nation outfit, in comparison to everyone else’s, feels too sexualized and it makes me uncomfortable (also the oogling from everyone was weird to me). Like she’s what, 14? They couldn’t design anything that looked like her old outfit?

while i do believe the show has an issue sexualizing katara for the benefit of her "love interest", which i'll get into in a minute, i don't think this outfit is really an example of it?

when you compare katara to the rest of the gaang, specifically the two girls toph & suki, she really isn't showing much more skin than suki & toph will obviously dress differently to both of them because she's not much of an outwardly feminine girl. she doesn't even seem to be wearing much less than sokka, only baring her midriff which we've seen katara do when she's also done things like surfing.

but as we can see from the beach episode & ty lee's general attire, the clothes both katara & suki are wearing seem to be in line with what fire nation girls would wear; something that allows the skin to breathe while being roomy enough to move. mai is covered up in the screenshot much like toph is because this is just who they are as people; there's probably also a class difference in how people are expected to dress which you can see with azula's main outfit versus the more revealing one she chose to wear to a party to "fit in", taking note from ty lee.

the reason they probably avoided something that looked like her old outfit is because the clothing of the two nations is very different; the swt has to be able to combat the extreme cold temperatures & be taken from the land & animals around them, whereas the fire nation seems to have an abundance of resources & "trade" routes, as well as a much hotter climate. katara would've been a sweaty mess if she tried to dress like she used to in a new climate she's not used to.

however; there are moments when katara is sexualized, even in this new outfit & her older ones alike ... whenever aang & by extension the male gaze audience is looking at her in order to reinforce the "romance."

these are all moments when katara is being framed in a more mature, sexual light to endear the audience that aang has a crush on her & that the writers want to reinforce that. & the outfit where she's sexualized the most, based on her original outfit, is in the ember island players episode where bryke didn't seem to have enough cognisance to allow valid criticism against a dark skinned indigenous girl having her body & culture sexualized by her in universe oppressors to mock her. instead all the outrage went to aang, not because of this sexualization by the way or because he saw katara was angry, but because the play was pushing katara as a love interest for zuko despite her being "the avatar's girl." the only outrage that mattered was his own.

tldr ; there is an issue of katara being sexualized in the show but it's always been in the effort of the grown male bryke trying to push her as a seductive love interest for their nice guy main, not just the existence of katara in clothes that are fitting for the environment & had been seen on other girls her age.

[linnoya-writes]

Things I always hear Kat*angers argue (with counter-arguments):

1) Zuko and Katara’s elements might showcase an “opposites attract” idea, but they’re the same people: both are hot-headed and stubborn and would be at each other’s throats.  Katara and Aang carry the “soft boy/head strong girl” dynamic that is more healthy.

Let’s dive into this idea that Katara and Aang compliment each other better based on their natural responses to danger/conflict:

Aang is playful and cheerful where Katara is serious and focused.

Aang is a patient and peaceful soul where Katara is quick to anger.

Aang encourages Katara to reach for the sky, and Katara keeps him grounded.

Okay-- so it’s safe to say that whenever one partner is angry/frustrated, the other approaches them in a calm, collected supportive manner... right?

Actually, look closer.  These fun-loving, playful and peaceful kid-like traits embedded in Aang’s personality are traits that Katara always had in her-- she just needed someone like Aang to remind her that she had them.  The focused, serious and disciplined traits of Katara are all traits that Aang should be adopting into his own sense of maturity as he gradually becomes more confident and determined to be The Avatar.  

It’s not so much that Katara and Aang compliment each other enough to manage a relationship together, but more that they inspire each other to become more complex, beautiful, individual human beings.  Romantic potential between them has nothing to do with that.  

This “soft boy/head strong girl” idea of Kataang doesn’t even address the way Katara always hides her dark side/emotional issues from Aang in order to be a capable “voice of reason” for him on any given moment, or the fact that Katara is always defending Aang like a mother to a son, chasing him every time he literally or figuratively runs away from problems.  The dynamic between them is an imbalance of maturity rather than a balance of character traits.

Which leads me to Zutara’s dynamic; yes, Zuko and Katara are quite hot-headed, stubborn individuals who easily get frustrated when people don’t see things their way.  They have been at each other’s throats in the past... but here’s what people forget -- they stopped fighting the moment Zuko learned the error of his ways, stood by Katara’s side without judgment when she faced YonRha, and they became an unstoppable well-oiled machine of a duo who understood, respected and trusted each other enough to lay down their lives for the other.

It isn’t to say that Zuko and Katara would never argue or fight again, but the difference here is that their shared maturity, their understanding and mutual respect for one another would keep them at bay to hear each other’s point of view.  They have seen the darkest sides to each other and would know how to approach it calmly and collectively.  Neither of them would downplay or ignore the other’s anger; they would face each other until the conflict is resolved.

And that’s why Zutara’s dynamic, despite sharing similar character traits, holds a lot more weight and power that Kataang.

2) “Their bond is so epic that not wanting them together is like not wanting Han Solo/Princess Leia to be together.”

Okay, so, I’m not completely disagreeing here.  

I do understand that Katara and Aang had a spiritual connection since the beginning (very much like how Hayao Miyazaki sets up two protagonists to have a special, unspoken bond) and the adventures/obstacles they face together make their relationship all the much stronger.  I see Katara seeing Aang as the culmination of all of her dreams come true with the revelation that he is the Avatar, and that she brought him back, and I see Aang seeing Katara as the person who not only welcomed him into this second chance to fulfill his destiny, but to also guide him as a voice of reason into this darker war-torn world that he isn’t prepared for.  As Bryke once commented, Katara and Aang are the “DNA of the show” and I interpret this as the two of them moving the story forward... taking the initiative to go from plot-point to plot-point to fulfill all the needed tasks (ie. finding Aang bending masters) in order to have Aang become a fully realized Avatar.

My argument here is, why does it have to turn romantic?  Why can’t the bond remain as a spiritual, wholesome connection between friends?  Even Roku and Toph brought up the idea of friendship being such a powerful bond that it can transcend lifetimes in “The Avatar and the FireLord”... and I think the beauty of Aang and Katara is that it was a powerful friendship that occurred serendipitously and yet perfectly, setting up the entire arc of the ATLA story.  To me there is more emotional weight in keeping Katara and Aang as life-long friends rather than making things romantic.

The problem with turning their bond into a romance is that it brings up a lot more issues.  Katara is not a nomad like Aang; she would give up her own personal wants/needs to not just be at Aang’s side but travel everywhere with him as the Avatar’s SO, when we know that she is a girl who prefers setting roots, building connections and helping people for as long as its needed (”Imprisoned” and “The Painted Lady”).  She has a strong connection to her family in the SWT and would want to rebuild her home after the war and especially train new water benders.  Her SWT culture that greatly values quality family time, a meat-based diet, clothing made by animal skins would also clash with Aang’s personal tastes-- he’s not even discreet about how much he doesn’t like SWT food.  Furthermore, Aang as the Avatar would have so much responsibility fulfilling his work to the world that he would have a lot of trouble understanding the emotional needs/wants to Katara as a partner-- especially since in the show, he’s so accustomed to seeing her be mature enough to handle tough situations calmly and collectively.  Aang has even repeatedly avoided, ignored or downright down-played Katara’s angry and aggressive outbursts, so it goes to show that he wouldn’t know how to properly “be there” for her dark moments.  Katara has gotten accustomed to setting aside her own emotional headspace to instead nurture/coddle/support Aang.  It becomes a very lonely, very unsung existence, carrying that responsibility to be “collected” one in the relationship.  It’s easy to determine that this would continue as they’d get older, and Katara would continue to carry that heavy burden of always “being there” for Aang, but not vice versa.  

The emotional imbalance in a romance between Katara and Aang would be palpable (and it’s implied in LoK and the comics that they did have problems) especially since healthy relationships are meant to express equality and partnership-- where the two people interchangeably give love and support as needed.   

So yes, Kataang is indeed an “epic” relationship in the sense of friendship, but turning it into a romance would come at the cost of the individual characters’ wants/needs and development, and the healthy dynamic that they had as friends would suffer.

3) “But... what about Aang??  He’s loved her since the beginning and would be so devastated from Katara’s rejection, he wouldn’t be able to fulfill his duty as the Avat--”

Stop.  Just-- I’m gonna stop you right there.

It is not Katara’s responsibility to be there for Aang, especially as PR/damage control for the Avatar.  She does not owe Aang a relationship just because he harbored strong feelings for her, or because he’s grown to depend on her over time, or because he has this unbelievable power of the Avatar State that he hasn’t learned to control without her influence. 

Aang is the one who must grow up, who needs to be the Avatar and understand how to manage this power and sense of duty to the world.  On his own.

Aang needs to learn to be enough on his own.

... And while we’re on this topic, it is never healthy for someone to be figuratively “stuck” or “trapped” in a relationship just because their partner would be a lost, broken wreck without them.  

That is called “codependency,” and that is not okay.

[darkpoisonouslove]

Riven x Musa

Ok, so I keep seeing posts everywhere that basically badmouth S8 and after seeing ten seconds of the trailer (YIKES to the animation, what’s wrong with the industry that they are making everything anime? Powerpuff Gen Z, I’m looking at you – obs: I didn’t watch it fully yet) I can see where some of the criticism is coming from but anyways…

My favorite Winx!couple EVER has always been Musa x Riven since I was kid and first watched the show (Netflix is not helping ‘cause I ship them even there).

I remember yawning at Bloom/Sky, rolling my eyes at Stella/Brandom and making a completely incredulous expression that I could literally feel forming on my face at Helia/Flora (can anyone say ‘unrealistic’?). Timmy/Tecna are a second favorite.

And why my Winx OTP are Riven x Musa followed after Timmy x Tecna? Because it reflects real life. In real life you’re not gonna stumble into people whose real and deep relationship problems are solved in twenty four minutes (not even that considering that some episodes present the “problem” half-way through said 24 minute-episode).

The breakup between Riven and Musa in S6 (spoilers everywhere after all) was one of the most mature breakups in the history of breakups with the hope for the future (yes, I’m completely ignoring S7, sue me, the whole thing was one huge filler anyways). And, after reading a lot of opinions on both ends (defending Musa/attacking Riven and defending Riven/attacking Musa) and watching the episodes in question (reuniting through reconciling) I think I can give my own analysis.

Since Musa AND Riven (individually and as couple) are my favorite characters in Winx, I think I CAN give a fairly unbiased view (hopefully).

*clears throat*

Ok, keep in mind that I’m defending BOTH of them, because I ship them too hard not to.

Musa Being OC (sometimes being called ‘brat’): C'mon, people! Musa and Tecna are OC since S4 anyways, where are the tomboy and the nerd? With the sneakers, T-shirt and comfortable-looking clothes? Noooo, now they all need neat skirts and hot pink high heels and long, glamorous hair. Do they look good? Of course, but and I would totally be less pissed if there was ANY indication on the reason for the change. Are they just maturing? Expressing themselves differently? Crowd mentality? Tune and Stella finally broke Musa down and Tecna followed soon after? Was it just to please Riven and Timmy? ANYTHING (even the 'pleasing a boy’ would at least be A reason - a ridiculous one that would piss me off, but A reason none the less), was just a sudden impulse that took?

Sure, we can talk about “character growth” until we are blue in the face, but the matter of the fact is that there was none.

The changes we see in Musa and Tecna are basically the creators making them more like the rest of the Winx (I’m including Aisha in this too, where is the sporty girl that matched the boy’s interest in extreme sports? C'mon! Even Bloom and her Girl Next Door looks are replaced with Bratz and Clueless-level of outfits).

Is anyone really going to look me in the eye and say Stella wasn’t a shallow (if friendly and good-natured) Mean Girl? She got better, but as I re-watch the show (currently in S3, meaning almost half-way through the content), Stella still worries more about her hair than anything else even while under literal fire.

More and more, Musa, Tecna and Aisha are losing their identities and what made them, IMO, the more badass Winx.

How did the two on the left went from this…

… to this:

Yeah, yeah, Musa still sings, Tecna still technobabble and Aisha is still a Warrior Princess but Aisha was the first one to go Bloom and Stella on us with Musa and then Tecna following soon after. It’s not just their clothing style, it’s the way they carried themselves too.

Right now? The only thing keeping them apart is their BF blues (different kind of blues) and some personal interests (singing, shopping, tech, the whole drama with Domino/Sparks, etc). But that’s IT, their personalities are going down the drain!

Sorry for the long-winded text, but the reason I’m expressing my disappointment at their change is because Musa’s reaction fits it. S6 we have such an AMAZING breakup (didn’t even think that was possible, WTH, right? Amazing breakup?) only for her to be mad as hell at Riven at S8? Bad writing, that has been dragging her (and the rest of the Winx) down to becoming just one unilateral, shallow character (the Specialists are also falling into that pit, what in the world did they do Helia in S8? He sounds like Thor telling about his “brave exploits” there, yikes). And continuity what? What continuity? Do they even remember how the breakup was written?

But ok, let’s put the Audience View aside for a moment and focus only on the In-Universe terms.

S6: You’ll always be my hero.

S8: What on EARTH are you doing here. 

I laughed a bit, the contrast just got to me but instead of getting mad at one or the other like most of the fandom, I laughed.

Musa followed that by saying that Riven has not maintained contact and just in that I would be beyond pissed as well and giving my support to Musa. WTH, Riven? I think that each season is more less six months to a year? Sort of? Still, zero contact for so long even after ending on amicable terms and wanting to stay friends? And he went off on his own! A text now going, “I’m not dead” would be the bare basics for Musa not to worry herself bald!

BUT then I also read comments about how this was a two-way street, why didn’t Musa call either? That’s unfortunately something that I very much doubt will ever be explained. One of those: did it or didn’t it? Musa could have called and went straight to voicemail with no signs of life from Riven or she might not have called and just expected him to call as if feminism were dead and all initiative must come from the guy (which doesn’t even fit because they parted as friends).

Since we have no info on the above, I put it on both of them. It’s not fair to say, “HE should have called!” or “Why didn’t SHE call?” because we don’t have fricking context. So the only thing we can take is: no contact.

BECAUSE I put the lack of contact on both of them, Musa’s reaction was a little too much, however, Riven shows up all smirks and leaning against a tree with his arms crossed and I would have flashbacks to S1 if it wasn’t for the animation style that made all the guys look like girls. Dude! Not the time for that kind of posture. Not saying that he should be all sheepish and rubbing his arm as if he had done something horrible (again: we don’t have context on the no contact) but a more neutral approach was warranted here. Nobody does themselves any favors with that kind of attitude no matter what how high of a horse they may be (rightly or not) riding on, if anything I would react like Musa solely on that one.

Next episode we have that Riven convinced the guys to follow the girls in some mission and Musa was angry. Again: I would be too. WTH? Yes, yes, they helped and if it wasn’t for them, the Winx would gotten seriously injured but Musa did have a point saying that this demonstrated that they had no trust in them and need their hand held, it was no sanctioned mission like on Earth after all. BUT, Riven does something that I would never expect from in S1-4: he explains, he reasons it, he puts it in all the words that he does trust Musa and co and that he only wanted to show that he’d be there for her (you know? One of the main issues in S6 that made them breakup in the first place? His inability to conciliate Specialist work with supporting his girlfriend and ultimately failing or feeling like failing in both?) and Musa still pouts, crosses her arms, and turns around. Geez. I expected that one from Stella, not Musa. I think the closest Musa has ever come to THIS was back in S2 when Jared explains that Riven was the one to recommend that he interview Musa and yada yada yada and she got mad and stomped off on the poor guy that didn’t even understand what was going on (only to immediately apologize to Jared and recognizing that it wasn’t him that she was mad at… like I said: what character growth?).

Riven then goes to show that he indeed grew when he asked for advice from Sky and Brandon (WTH, right? Can we picture that happening back in S1-3? He very grudgingly would LISTEN to UNSOLICITED advice from Nabu and Helia in S4-6). And does a very, very goofy and embarrassing show of affection. Yeah… again… I can picture Stella loving the light show with her face for IDK how many people to see but not Musa (although can we really blame the guy after the series went out of its way to make Musa all Stella-like? Clothes, attitude, the only thing missing is making Riven carry her shopping bags around and call him “Shnookums” (although the mental image is already enough for me to fall over laughing, just for the face Riven would make). Still, I have to count that one against Riven if only because (as much as the show gives only lip service to it) Musa isn’t Stella.

Riven being mind controlled (again) aside, those two are back together. And on the overall? Riven showed more growth than any other character in the show COMBINED (he is the Zuko of the show), that doesn’t go to say that he didn’t make mistakes since coming back in S8 (but that was more a guy trying to win back a girl than… betraying his friends for a pair of nice legs or… IDEK like in S1 – where, mind control or not the show itself made sure to make it clear that he had free will) or that he is now the one out of Musa’s league. I think that NOW it can actually work… if the show allows him to keep the progress, Musa is the next to see her flaws and work on them (which she showed to be able to do since S2) and put effort in the relationship. The difference between them is that Musa can actually work on herself and the relationship at the same time. That’s not me saying she is better than Riven in any way, everybody has their own pace and their own way to cope, to improve and to self-reflect.

I still root for them.

~*~

PS-IDK why, but I read posts about how Riven changed so much and posts about how all his progress disappeared and he is now back to his S1 attitude and I’m just cofused. Yeah, different of opinions and so on, but such opposite opinions on the subject of a guy whose relationship was focused on three episodes? 

[headcanonsandcupcakes]

hola muh dude: so I hear your a maiko shipper? Possibly? Do you have any random Headcanons for them two?

Hey my friend!!! I am so sorry I am getting back to you late on this! I had so many thoughts going around my head regarding these two, that I had to take time to write what I really wanted on this :) Yes, I am a Maiko, Zutara, and Jinko shipper :) But Maiko will always be #1! Are you ready for a lengthy headcanon? Warning: It is also a little depressing :(

- The childhood crush between Zuko and Mai wasn’t one-sided. Zuko also took an affection to Mai, however, it wasn’t as intense of a crush like Mai had for Zuko.

- As they got older, the playing field became level. They had their first kiss together and also hung out with each other outside of Azula (although it was limited because she was threatening). Mai was also the reason why Zuko got into knives and swords. He saw her playing with a small one, and decided he wanted to like knives too, because she liked them. Eventually the interest progressed into swords :)

- Zuko was actually going to ask Mai to be his girlfriend the day after the Agni Kai. However, that never happened. 

- Mai attended the Agni Kai to support Zuko, as she knew he could beat the general. Once she saw that it was Ozai that would be dueling Zuko, she realized it was game over for Zuko. Even as the years passed, she never liked to think about that day. 

- Zuko was banished the day after the Agni Kai, and she never got to properly say goodbye. They kept in touch as best as they could via messenger hawk, but Mai noticed that Zuko drastically changed. It hurt her so much to know that he was going to a TON of pain and turmoil, and she couldn’t do anything about it. Being “friends” with Azula didn’t help matters either, as Mai had to hear horrible commentary about Zuko from Azula. It disgusted her that Azula didn’t even care about her own brother.

- Despite everything that was going on with Zuko, Mai was his shining light. Besides searching for the Avatar, Zuko would look forward to her letters, as that was his only happiness. This explains why he couldn’t get close to Song or Jin, and why it seemed like their relationship came out of nowhere, because they were regularly in contact (until Zuko and Iroh went on the run). Zuko felt a sense of loyalty to Mai, and didn’t want to hurt her by dating other girls. 

- Although Mai had a lack of passion for everything else, she was quite passionate in the bedroom. She is the one who was insistent on cheering up Zuko in “Nightmares and Daydreams”, by having sex, which Zuko graciously accepted. That time was not their first time, however, but rather their first time was during their Ember Island vacation (after ruining Chen’s house). To say the least, Zuko is very awkward, and Mai took charge of most of the activities that night (despite it both being their first time).

- Mai and Zuko dated for two years after the war ended, but took a break because Zuko was struggling with Fire Lord duties and felt that he couldn’t be a proper boyfriend to Mai. Mai rebounded fast, and started dating a councilman’s assistant. Zuko was jealous, but knew that he couldn’t give her what she needed and wanted. 

- Mai ended up dating this man for three years, and many of the nobles thought they were going to get engaged. During this time, Zuko didn’t date anyone and still was madly in love with Mai (this didn’t impress his advisors, who were in insistent on setting him up with someone for an heir). Additionally, although Mai was dating this other man, she still kept in touch with Zuko, and would even visit the palace to check up on him. 

- However, a day came where Mai broke up with the other man. She told Zuko it was because she didn’t see a future with him. Nothing happened between Zuko and Mai for 8 months, as they enjoyed just being friends and being in each others’ company. But, that didn’t last too much longer, as Zuko couldn’t stand to let her get away again. So, he asked her if she would like to try again with their relationship, in which Mai responded, “took you long enough, you’re the one that I want in my future.”

- Their second time dating was a huge success. They realized that the time apart, as well as maturing a little bit, really helped solidify their relationship. They still had their fights, sure, but it wasn’t as unstable as it was when they were teenagers. 

- They dated for a year, until Zuko proposed to Mai. He proposed by getting down on one knee, and presented her a knife that he welded himself. This was the first time he ever saw Mai cry, as she exclaimed, “Yes!”

- Their wedding was absolutely beautiful, and they enjoyed a nice honeymoon on a remote island near the Western Air Temple. They enjoyed married life for several years, and cringed at Uncle Iroh and Mai’s mother’s asks about children. Zuko made a decision a long time ago that he NEVER wanted children because of his childhood, and Mai supported his decision.

- When Mai finds out that she’s pregnant, she’s nervous on Zuko’s reaction (at this point, he was willing to give Tom Tom or Kiyki the throne). She hid it for a few weeks, until Zuko asked her why she was getting sick, eating weird things, and being much moodier than usual, that she confessed. His mind went blank for a moment, but tears automatically streamed on his face. He was already in love with their baby, and realized how stupid he looked for not wanting children.

- When he first felt the baby move in Mai’s belly, he started bawling his eyes out. He loved Mai being pregnant, and enjoyed catering to her every need. One of Mai’s favorite things that Zuko did for her when she was pregnant was that he would heat his hands and place them on her lower back. He also gave into every craving she had, including fire flakes with pickles and ice cream (this was a favorite request of hers). He also was a helicopter husband, as he wanted to ensure that her and the baby were always safe.

- When Mai was in labor, he broke the Fire Lord tradition of not being in the room. He wanted to be there for his wife and see the birth of his daughter. When their daughter was born, they gave her the name Izumi, meaning fountain, where it all started. He was afraid to hold Izumi, as he thought that his daughter would be afraid of his face. After some reassurance from Mai, he held her in his arms, where she looked at him with big golden eyes. He thanked Agni for this blissful moment, and the life he had. It was at this moment that he swore to Izumi that he would always love her, and would NEVER hurt her. 

- Zuko and Mai took to parenting rather well. They wanted to both be hands-on parents, and didn’t want nannies or wet nurses involved at all. Even though Mai always showed a blank canvas, Izumi and Zuko were the only ones that could make her smile and cry of happiness.

- A year and a half after Izumi was born, Mai started to get really bad headaches, to the point that she would have to be bedridden for the day when she would get them. Zuko got really worried, and insisted on Katara coming to the palace to see what the problem was, but Mai told him to back off. She was convinced that it was due to lack of sleep or stress. He did eventually write to Katara, much to Mai’s dismay, and Katara said she would come to visit as soon as she was able (she just had Bumi five months prior to Izumi’s birth, but he was a handful).

- One day, when Izumi was two years old, Mai fainted and had a seizure out in the gardens. Izumi was too young to understand what was going on, and cried for 20 mins until one of the guards found them. Zuko was informed of what happened to Mai during a budget meeting, where he left to the infirmary without saying a word.

- The Fire Sages confirmed that Mai had a death in her brain (cancer wasn’t really studied during their time, but essentially Mai had stage 3 brain cancer). Mai only lived for 6 more months after that. Zuko took time off from his Fire Lord duties (Uncle Iroh stepped in) to take care of Mai at her bedside. Aang, Katara, and Bumi moved into the palace full time to take care of Mai as well.

- Every night, once he put Izumi to bed, Zuko would fire bend in a feral manner. He was incredibly angry that life was dealing him this card, and was also very stressed, because of the pain his wife was going through and also trying to stay strong for their daughter (he had surpassed his Book One anger, that’s for sure). Uncle Iroh, Ursa, and Aang were the only ones keeping him from not going on a rampage, although they understood why he was feeling this way.

- During the last three weeks of Mai’s life, the Gaang came in to check on Zuko, as well as help with the care of Izumi. Zuko was distracted because he knew Mai’s time was coming soon, and wanted to be with her for every moment. However, they had a two year old daughter, and that two year old had needs. So, the Gaang stepped in to feed and put Izumi to bed when she couldn’t stand being at her mother’s bedside any longer (she’s a toddler, it happens).

- Katara tried her best to heal Mai, however, she was too far gone. On the last day of her life, she looked up at Zuko and Izumi with glassy eyes and rasped, “I love you”. Mai died a few hours after that. 

- Izumi was too young to understand what had happened to her mother, however, it didn’t make it easier for Zuko to tell his own daughter that her mother, his wife, the light that kept him going during his banishment, the one that always had faith in him, was no longer on this earth. Although he wanted to be sad and completely disengage from the world, he couldn’t because he needed to stay strong for his daughter. 

- However, Zuko was still numb after Mai passed. He didn’t eat or sleep for two weeks, and went through the motions of the day as if he wasn’t in his own body at all. Even with taking care of Izumi, he wasn’t really “there”. Katara took notice of this, and told Zuko that he needed to grieve. So, he grieved the only way he knew how: being incredibly destructive. He burned an entire wing of the palace that was abandoned for decades. He sat in the middle of the flames and cried for many hours. 

- Mai was buried near the fountain where it all started. Mai always said that she loved that fountain, so Zuko made the decision to bury her right there. For many years after her death, Zuko made it a point to visit her grave every day. Even if he was incredibly busy with Fire Lord duties, he would commit to seeing her and talking to her. The silence when he didn’t hear anything back was always so hard to hear. 

- Izumi doesn’t remember her mother at all, however, Zuko will always talk about Mai to ensure that her legacy is prominent. There are many times in Izumi’s life where he wished she was around to see how amazing of a person Izumi had become. Even when it has been 15 years since Mai’s death, Zuko still aches for her. Before he goes to sleep every night, he kisses the painting that they took together when they were teenagers and says, “goodnight my love”.

[aspoonofsugar]

I was happy to discover you are in ATLA fandom too. Could you please share your thoughts on Azula? I like your analyses

Hello anon!

Thank you very much for the nice words and for this ask! I love Azula!

I think Azula’s character explores the idea of control:

In The Avatar State, she is shown training to master “lightening”. There, it is shown how losing control of even a small detail, like a lock of hair, is enough to make Azula angry.

It is not by chance that such a scene occurs in an episode focused on the Avatar State. As a matter of fact the Avatar State and the lightening can (partially) be compared when it comes to Aang and Zuko’s stories in book two. This book opens up with Aang trying to enter the Avatar State and with the lightening being introduced thanks to Azula’s character. What is more, both Aang and Zuko try to get a hold of the two different techniques throughout the season. Finally, both skills need for the user to “let go” of their feelings.

In particular, when it comes to the lightening, there are two different ways to interpret this:

Iroh: There is energy all around us. The energy is both Ying and Yang. Positive energy and negative energy. Only a select few firebenders can separate these energies. This creates an imbalance. The energy wants to restore balance and, in the moment the positive and negative energy come pressing back together, you provide release and guidance...creating lightening. (...) Remember, once you separate the energy you do not command it. You are simply its humble guide.”

Iroh: “Lightening is a pure expression of fire-bending without aggression. It is not fueled by rage or emotion the way other firebending is. Some call lightening the cold blooded fire. It is precise precise and deadly, like Azula. To perform the technique requires peace of mind.”

On one hand Iroh’s description is interesting because it is as if creating lightening is a process of synthesis. You separate opposites and have them come back together, so that they can gain a new form. So it makes sense that, thematically, this new synthesis can happen only if the character overcomes their inner turmoil. This is also why Zuko is not able to learn the skill:

Iroh: “You will not be able to master lightening until you have dealt with the turmoil inside you.”

Zuko: “What turmoil!?”

Iroh: “Zuko, you must let go of your feelings of shame if you want your anger to go away.”

In order to acquire it, he should let go of his shame, but he can’t do it. The fact that “shame” is what stops Zuko from making progress is interesting. As explained by Guru Pathick, thus, the fire chakra is the chakra of will and it is polluted by shame.

On the other hand the lightening is called cold-blooded firebending because it can be realized only by benders whose emotions are kept in check. I would argue that this is the reason why Azula is able to use this skill. It is not that she has reached a level of emotional maturity which lets her become a  “humble guide” to the energy. It is just that she constantly represses her feelings. This repression gives the idea that she is in perfect control, but this impression is a superficial one and it is proven wrong towards the end of the story.

In short, Zuko is not able to use lightening because of his explosive emotions, while Azula is able to because she restricts her feelings. Let’s highlight that this difference between the two siblings comes up again in a key episode aka The Beach:

Once again Zuko’s emotions are in full display. He is angry and nervous. He might not know why, but he is. Moreover he is finally able to express himself thanks to a confrontation with the other members of the group. Finally he does so while a giant fire erupts to highlight the catharsis of the moment. When it comes to Azula, she too opens up a little. In particular, she lets this slip:

Azula: I don't have sob stories like all of you. I could sit here and complain how our mom like Zuko more than me. But I don't really care. My own mother... thought I was a monster... She was right of course, but it still hurt.

Azula thinks that Ursa saw her as a monster. It is clear that the unsolved issues with her mother have left a sign on her. However, when she has the chance to truly let it all out, she does not. She changes the tone of the conversation and immediately leaves the topic. However, this does not mean that she is not troubled. If anything, her emotions keep burning behind a cold exterior, exactly like the fire, which burns under the ashes. Almost invisible, but still there.

About this, let’s consider two things.

1) In The Beach episode, Azula does something similar here:

Azula: “Come down to the beach with me. Come on! This place is depressing.”

Zuko starts talking about their past and their family, but Azula does not engage in the conversation and tells him to leave.

2) When Azula opens up, the others do not challenge her. They do not ask her what she meant nor they try to contradict what she said. This is different from what they have just done with each other. All in all, Zuko openly provokes Ty Lee and Ty Lee, Zuko and Azula all provoke May, until she shouts. Finally, all the girls keep asking Zuko who he is really angry with, until he is finally able to answer.

These two considerations can be linked to more general ideas.

a) Azula is a person who needs to always be in control. This has two consequences. The first is that she never lets herself be vulnerable. She is always on guard and closed up to others. The second is that she is like a fish out of water when there is nothing to control.

This is made clear in the episode The Beach:

Zuko: “Doing nothing is a waste of time. We are being sent a way in a force vacation. I feel like a child.”

In this episode, Azula and the others are given a break. However, Azula, just like Zuko, is not really able to take a break.

She is on an island and should relax, but the only way she manages to do so is by finding new enemies:

She must continually challenge herself and must change everything in a competition (and win it) in order not to face how empty she feels. This is why, in the end, her solution to the insecurities the beach re-awakens in her is to trash a party. She can’t fit in a group of pampered teenagers, so she ruins their evening. However, what Azula should really do is to try to understand why she does not fit.

The episode shows that Azula is ignorant when it comes to casual relationships:

Azula: “I am so used to people worshipping us”.

Ty Lee: “They should!”

Azula: “I know and I love it. But for once I just wanna see how people would react to us if they did not know who we were.”

She says so directly. She has been worshipped all her life. However, this means she does not know how people react to her outside of her role as a princess and a military leader.

The military aspect is especially interesting because, even if she does not disclose her identity as a royal, her attempts to bond are all centered around military topics:

Azula: “That's a sharp outfit, Chan. Careful, you could puncture the hull of an empire-class Fire Nation battle ship, leaving thousands to drown at sea. Because... it's so sharp.”

Azula: “Together you and I will be... THE STRONGEST COUPLE IN THE WHOLE WORLD! We will dominate the Earth!”

Her life has been a long training session for war, so she does not really know anything else. This is obvious both in how she can’t talk about other things and in how she sees others not like people, but like enemies/rivals.

This is also why the vacation in Amber Island could have been very important if Azula had been able to properly capitalize on it. All in all, The Beach is the episode where Azula is shown the most vulnerable (not counting the finale where she has a complete break-down).

She tries to change her approach to go along with others:

Azula: “Well that sounds really shallow and stupid...Let’s try it!

She openly apologizes and shows her insecurities:

“Look...maybe I just said it because I was a little...jealous.”

However, all of this is not enough to change the trajectory of her arc. Why is that so? This has to do with another aspect of Azula’s controlling tendencies. As a matter of fact not only does she controls herself, but also others.

b) Azula is presented since the beginning as a highly manipulative character. Manipulation is at the root of all her major relationships:

Zuko:You lied to me!

Azula: Like I've never done that before.

She lies to Zuko to catch him and forces Ty Lee to join her through manipulation. Moreover most of her plans rely on manipulation and lies. However, if you try to control and manipulate others you are unable to build healthy relationships.

This is what happens to Azula. As stated above, nobody replies to Azula when she opens up. Zuko could have very easily told her Ursa loved them both. May and Ty Lee could have tried to comfort her somehow. However, nobody does. And nobody does because they are all scared of Azula. In her attempt to control everybody, Azula has negated herself the chance to have  a relationship among equals.

What is more, it is clear that it is impossible to fully control others. The Beach starts to show this through Azula’s attempts to flirt. Without her status as a princess, her peers do not behave like she wants. She might be able to hook up with a guy by rehearsing and applying a strategy. However, building a relationship is not a military operation. It is not something that can be done through control, but only through respect and trust.

Azula fails to do so and this is why she is left behind by others. She is left behind by Zuko who breaks free from their father. She is left behind by Mai and Ty Lee who choose healthier relationships over the one they have with her. After she loses them, Azula starts spiralling out of control and burns everything around her.

In short, I would say that Azula’s main flaw is “control”. She wants to control everyone, herself included. So in the end she is betrayed and left behind by people and she herself loses control:

Ursa: I think you're confused. All your life you've used fear to control people. Like your friends Mai and Ty Lee.

Azula:Well what choice do I have? Trust is for fools! Fear is the only reliable way. Even you fear me.

This is especially tragic because it is clear that Azula’s behaviour is her answer to an environment where a clear line was drawn between winners and losers. Azula has always been Ozai’s favourite, but Ozai has never loved her. He loves Azula’s talent, so Azula cultivates those qualities which make her accepted by her father. What is more, Ozai is not a character who values feelings or emotions, so Azula represses these aspects of herself.

In conclusion, I think Azula is a very tragic character and that her spiral was very well written and realistic. I also think that in the series itself she has shown the potential to change for the better, but this possibility has not been explored. I mean, if she had no guilt nor regrets about her behaviour, she would not have seen the hallucination of her mother calling her out.

These are more or less my major thoughts on Azula. There are probably many other things to add, but as far as my generic impressions of her go, this is what I have to say. Feel free to make more specific questions! I love her!

Thank you for the ask!

[seyaryminamoto]

Hey! Do you really like Zuko and Suki together or you just ship these two just so you can ship the best and hottest ship ever aka Sokkla? In any case, why do you think Zuko is better off with Suki out of all the avatar characters? Thank you and pls stay healthy.

XD well, it’s a mix of both, I guess.

The truth is, I read the comics and I sensed the romantic vibe between Zuko and Suki because I don’t think anyone who has had much experience with romantic fiction could see those scenes and not think there’s SOMETHING going on there. I mean, seriously, the hand reach in The Promise, Suki unnecessarily correcting herself in The Search to say EVERYONE is worried about Zuko, not just her, their moonlight conversation in Smoke and Shadow…? Come the heck on. If neither one was in a relationship, most people would be reading all those scenes as blatantly romantic.

Still, I stayed neutral as far as Zuko ships were concerned until I met a Zuki shipper who read my first story, The Reason, and roped me into Zuki without much trouble :’D (if you’re wondering, that was @jordanalane). It didn’t take her too much work to convince me to ship Zuki, because yes, it was convenient as heck to have Zuki happen when you ship Sokkla, but I was already half-on-board with it as I was…

Now then, if you’d like to know my actual, rational reasoning for why I’d ship it, the truth is that I’m not exactly the biggest Zuko fan (as some archive diving in my blog would show…), and most the ships I’ve seen for him seem to exacerbate what I really don’t like about his character. Meanwhile, Suki seems to do the exact opposite thing…

Mai is Zuko’s canon girlfriend, and I was more or less neutral towards this ship at first… but upon further reflection, I found I didn’t enjoy their relationship that much. Maybe they could work well with each other… if they were more mature and less impulsive :’) but Zuko’s behavior with Mai through most of Book 3 only convinced me that he’s absolutely not grown enough to have healthy romantic relationships with anyone (and seeing as Mai was pissed at him 9 times out of 10 throughout Book 3, I think my perception isn’t exactly off). Both have their faults, and boy, in the comics Mai is a much worse offender than Zuko if you ask me, but the point is that, while canon certainly has been very realistic by not turning their love story into the perfect, smoothest fairytale, I really don’t think they’re much good for each other as they are, and the only way they could get better in the future is if they grow a LOT, on their own, before trying their luck at being together again. The likelihood of that, however, isn’t exactly great :’D

Then there’s the most famous pairing for Zuko, Katara, who actually feels wrong to me for the exact same reasons as Mai would, despite Katara is on the opposite end of the spectrum Mai is, character-wise: the thing is, both Mai and Katara have a ton of things in common with Zuko, but not necessarily good things. If Zuko and Katara were, as well, less impulsive and more mature, they might make a decent enough match. But as they are in canon? They’re every bit as likely to self-destruct and tear each other down as Mai and Zuko were. Where Mai and Zuko share a jaded, gloomy perspective of the world, Katara and Zuko share a hot-headedness that means every tiny thing could easily lead to catastrophic, world-ending arguments between them. I mean, if Zuko could have huge arguments with someone as cold-blooded as Mai… just imagine with someone as hot-blooded as Katara :’) And I DO see the virtues of this ship, namely the ones that resemble, to a fault, my particular OTP… but I honestly can’t see Zuko and Katara being good influences on each other, romantically. Friendship-wise they could be healthier, but romance means expectations and complications that, like I said, I don’t think Zuko, as we last see him in canon, is prepared to deal with.

There’s other Zuko ships, naturally, and I won’t get into all of them, I just bring up these two because they’re the biggest ones… and so, why would I ship him with Suki rather than with Mai or Katara or anyone else? What exactly could make her a better match for him?

Suki has a few things in common with Zuko… but they’re not the things Mai and Katara have in common. The first, and most important of them for me, is that Suki (in her initial episode) seems to put a lot of stock in honor and duty as a Kyoshi Warrior. I’m not at all in the “Zuko is the most honorable man in the Avatar world!” camp, if anything I believe he needs to learn a LOT to really understand honor, even at the end of the show and at this point in the comics… whereas I don’t have the same feeling with Suki. Not only did she fight for her people, defending them from any threat even if she might die for it, she also was inspired by Aang, Sokka and Katara to travel the world, not with some angry intent to defeat the Fire Nation and end the war, but…

And while “changing the world” could easily be interpreted as “she wants to defeat the Fire Nation at any cost!”, what do we know Suki was up to between Books 1 and 2? 

Suki wanted to HELP people. Compare this to the banished prince who stole from them instead… :’) Suki didn’t have an Avatar leading her group, telling her this was “the right thing to do”, she simply does it because she believes it is, deep down, and she doesn’t just wait around for someone else to step up, she chooses to take action by her own volition. She doesn’t need anyone telling her what’s right or wrong, she has strong enough principles that she can tell what is and what isn’t, all on her own :’) Doesn’t THIS sound like honor? Duty? Doesn’t this sound like someone who actually sets a great example, as far as these concepts go?

Compare this to Katara, who was easily influenced by Zuko into wanting to kill a man, who shifts between “I want to steal things because I feel I need them” and “OMG Toph how dare you scam people that’s so unethical” at the drop of a hat? Yes, Katara’s heart is in the right place, but Katara is highly emotional and hot-headed… so as many good intentions as she may have, she can do pretty awful things without even realizing how awful they are (as in the case of the theft, she doesn’t even blink about stealing clothes from people in The Headband and then is utterly aghast about what Toph is up to merely a few episodes later… come the heck on). Compare it, too, to Mai, who apparently loves her baby brother so very much (according to her fans and to Smoke and Shadow, at least…), but didn’t even blink when Azula decided they couldn’t trade a toddler for a king, and declared the deal was off without betraying the slightest hint of remorse? Do we really know that Mai has decent principles at all? She doesn’t exactly betray Azula because she ideologically disagrees with her, she does it to save Zuko. Which leads me to wonder, what on earth are Mai’s morals? What does she value other than Zuko? If she values Zuko more than anything… heh. Yikes. Definitely sounds like theirs will be a healthy relationship if that’s the case, huh?

I can’t imagine Suki being swayed easily by any wild or stupid ideas Zuko gets if she knows they’re stupid AND wrong. She’d put a stop to him where Katara or Mai could get swept into whatever he’s up to (whether out of excessive empathy or apathy, in either case), and she’d be likely to set him straight before Zuko can take anything too far. As far as morals go, I will always hold that Zuko leaves too much to be desired… but Suki really doesn’t. Could be because we don’t know Suki as well as we know the other characters, but what little we do see of Suki, she doesn’t do anything that merits much reprieve. Most importantly, she never needed, like I said, Aang or Sokka or anyone else to tell her what she had to do, to correct her morals or anything of the sort. This by itself already makes her, in my opinion, the best possible character, in canon, to stabilize Zuko and temper his most chaotic impulses while teaching him, by example, what honor really looks like.

Now, that’s not all: Suki is highly independent and has experience as a leader. Zuko has always tried to be independent too, succeeding in some situations, failing in others. Of course, there’s a stark difference between independence and loneliness, and Zuko does have tendencies to isolate himself from others whenever he gets stubborn and wants to prove himself… fortunately, that’s one of the things I do think the show helped him with, as he did learn there’s nothing wrong with asking others for help. Still, I’m sure Zuko would like to handle things on his own, without needing everyone to help him… and once again, Suki can set an example for him in that sense. She makes her own decisions, fights for what she believes in, follows her heart and such, and never self-destructs in the process… all of which must sound idyllic to Zuko, who I’m sure has always wanted to be like that, too.

Maybe it sounds confusing for me to advocate for a couple while saying the characters ought to teach each other to be independent :’D but the way I see it, this is, if anything, a good thing: Zuko shouldn’t be in a co-dependent relationship, not unless he’s HIGHLY developed, far more than canon and most fics allow. Being with someone who doesn’t need him 24/7, who respects him and knows how to give him space, who wouldn’t be invasive and who would teach him not to be invasive too… through a relationship with someone like Suki, Zuko could genuinely learn to respect someone else’s independence fully, and figure out how to be like that, too.

As for the leadership, Suki has only led Kyoshi Warriors, a small group… so it may sound like something that can’t be compared to leading an entire country. But that’s REALLY part of my problem with Zuko… I’m sorry, but the point at the finale where everyone looked to him as though he’d lead them into finding Aang was absolutely absurd to me. The argument that he’s the one experienced at figuring out how to track down Aang DID make sense and salvaged the scene for me, but as far as leadership is concerned? Sokka by far outdoes him in that area, he literally led a goddamn military invasion and later in Sozin’s Comet he’s seen strategizing and leading Toph and Suki as he orchestrates the downfall ofthe worst of Ozai’s conquest/destruction force. I mean, seriously...

… Anyways, got sidetracked :’D the point is, Zuko hasn’t really been much of a leader in canon. Has he been in a position of command before? Yeah, he was in Book 1. But does this mean he’s a LEADER? A born leader? Yeah, we didn’t see remotely enough of him in a leadership position that could have convinced me of that.

Hence, Iroh theoretically should be a great influence for him in those regards, because Iroh not only was raised to be Fire Lord for well over 50 years, Iroh has been in positions of leadership before, he’s even apparently the leader of the White Lotus. Therefore… Iroh is a good idea. But what did canon do? They sent Iroh on a retirement plan to a teashop in Ba Sing Se and Zuko had to fend for himself! :’D fascinating, right? 

While of course Sokka could be a great influence and help Zuko too, as far as leadership is concerned, canon chooses to keep him chasing after Aang and Katara without any aim or purpose… whereas it chooses to send Suki to Zuko as bodyguard and eventual confidante. Like I said, Suki does have experience as a leader, even if only on a small scale: couldn’t she be eligible for helping Zuko figure out how to lead the Fire Nation, through sharing some of the lessons she learned as leader of the Kyoshi Warriors? It even offers the possibility of Suki and Zuko learning side by side in some regards too, since this whole royal mess isn’t at all what Suki would be used to… so that allows interesting dynamics and complications to arise too, and they can both grow and learn a lot together.

Point and case being, I just can’t imagine these two ever getting into a fucked-up toxic romance, whereas I absolutely can see something of the sort with virtually every other Zuko ship I’ve known. Granted, the whole “But Sukka and Maiko are canon so they’d be cheaters!” side of things can lend towards an unhealthy situation, but I’d honestly rather not portray these two as cheating on their current love interests for each other…? Anyone who wants to is free to do as much, of course, but it’s barely necessary if you ask me :’D people can break up, and get together with other people, without needing a Days of Our Lives-sized drama along with it.

So, in short, I really think Suki is the healthiest possibility for Zuko. Pretty much every harmful thing I can think of in any other Zuko ship is ruled out with Suki. Even as friends Suki would be a great influence on Zuko for all the reasons I said above, but the reasons I mentioned above are also why I think that, if Zuko got to know Suki better, he might find himself smitten before he knows what’s going on: she basically embodies everything he ever wanted to be. He’d be full of admiration for her, and she’d probably be utterly clueless over why x’D and that even offers interesting romantic dynamics to the two characters. I can imagine Zuko being a bit of a tortured old-school romance hero who feels Suki is absolutely magnificent and wonderful and perfect… while she’s like “so is he ever going to pin me to a wall or is it all in my head?”, and frankly that’s about the best possible idea I can imagine in a relationship involving Zuko x’D

I do ship Zuko in a few other ships, I’ve mentioned before that I like Toph and Zuko, but I like Toph and Zuko as a temporary thing (and ONLY with a fully developed Zuko too, once they’re both around 20-30 too). It’s a cute enough ship, but I don’t really think it could last, and I don’t think they could offer each other nearly enough of what Suki and Zuko can offer each other. Hence, I’ve always envisioned Toph could be more of a casual love interest for Zuko (a big reason why is because I can’t imagine Toph consciously settling down with anyone…), and I’ve seldom written it into anything because I lean harder towards Zuki. Gladiator-wise, Toph and Zuko would have been AWFUL together, no matter if I had a few people asking if I could make them a thing :’D hahaha, nope. I like the ship plenty, but it would have been dreadful.

Anyways, yes, Zuki is highly convenient and compatible with Sokkla, but that’s far from the only reason to ship it. Canon may go in whichever direction it wishes, I’m pretty sure they won’t find anything better for Zuko than what they already toyed with in the comics with him and Suki.

Granted, a few of these arguments aren’t exactly suitable for Gladiator’s Zuki, but there are many other arguments to be made there (I actually leaned very heavily into the honor side of things when Zuko first saw her in the Arena, precisely because I think that particular side of Suki would be one of the first things to appeal to him about her). Either way, be it in canon-based settings or in my own particular AU, I’m pretty sure Zuko’s best match would be Suki.

[chlodani]

This is my new smau. It's a Sokka x F!Reader pairing smau. Title: More Than A Roommate

Trigger warning: Mature! Slight swear warning! If your sensitive to mature language and swearing, I've warned you ahead of time. Mentions of sex!

Y/n's new roommate seems intensely interested in her life and wants to know everything about her. She's flattered and a little freaked out, but it’s nice to have someone to talk to. Though she thinks it's a problem that he's so handsome and their living together. But what will he do when he finds out Y/n's a Firebender? Will he accept her for who she is or will he shut her out because of his bad past with the Fire Nation?

Special Edition Part 19 Continued. . .

Y/n's P.O.V.

I quickly gathered what I needed. It wasn't much, but I did grab my sword. I never know when I'll need that. Even though I'm a Firebender that can bend red flame and red lightning, I'm still badass with a sword. Though I can't take all the credit, Sokka helped me with part of that. He's helped me to practice and he's taught me what he knows. A tear slipped from my eye as I stood in Sokka's room for a moment, staring at his boomerang on the wall. As I turned my head, I looked at the picture he had of us on his nightstand. I picked it up, looking at it, as a couple more tears fell. I cleared my throat, closing my eyes forcing the rest of my tears away. Wiping away the tears that remained, I opened my eyes setting the picture down. I looked directly at Sokka in the picture.

"Dont worry Sokka, I'm coming for you,"

With that said, I walked out of the room, heading out of the apartment.

. . .

Adelina's P.O.V.

I paced back and forth in my sister's apartment waiting for my friends to arrive. They were taking forever. I just wanted to leave on my own and go find my sister. She could be in serious danger right now. As Toph said I can believe that she went off alone, but I'm just so angry with her. If something happens to her, I would never forgive myself. She's my everything. She's my Boo. I need her. And whether she admits it or not she needs me to. And this is one of the times she needs me. Ughhh! I wanna kick her ass so bad. Though I guess I cant blame her. I am as much in love with Zuko as she is with Sokka. If Azula was doing this to Zuko, I'd wanna do more than just kick her ass. I jumped as the door opened. Pretty much all my friends walked in at the same time. And Iroh was behind Zuko. I face palmed myself. I looked directly as Zuko.

"Zuko, what is Iroh doing here?" I asked him trying not to show him how angry I was for my missing sister and future brother-in-law.

"We're not the only ones who are Y/n's family Adelina. Iroh is to. Uncle's known you guys since you were kids, he wants to help. He cares for her too," Zuko explained to me.

"And you forget Lina, that my nickname used to be, Dragon of the West - I am still a Firebender and I want to make sure nothing happens to the people I love," Iroh explained to me calmly.

I sighed as I looked at him. I didn't have time to debate.

"Fine, - But we have to go, - Right now - We're already running out of time," I told them in a hurried panic as I headed to the door.

Nothing will stop me from protecting Y/n and Sokka.

. . .

Y/n's P.O.V.

I headed to the Earth King's old quarters. I figured if Azula is going to be hiding out anywhere in Ba Sing Se, with that sicko of a dick waffle Jet and the Dia Lee agents, its gonna be there. And I wasn't playing around. As soon as I got to the door, I blasted two of the Dia Lee out of the way. I want my Sokka back and nothing will keep me from him. I walked throughout the halls and the main throne room but I didn't see Azula. I knew they both were hiding here somewhere. As I walked throughout the throne room, I felt a familiar presence. I stood firm not wanting to turn around. He quickly grabbed my wrists as he stood behind me, standing as close to me as he could. He made me drop my sword. I closed my eyes as the sound of the sword hitting the floor hit my ears. Jet held my wrists tightly, as he pressed himself against me.

"Its nice to see you again Y/n, -"

I could feel shivers running through my entire body. And they weren't the good kind.

"Jet? -"

"We haven't seen each other in awhile Y/n. I've tried texting you but you didnt answer -"

He was getting closer to my neck. I had my eyes closed, because I didnt want to admit this was happening.

"When texting didnt work I tried calling but you still didnt answer -"

Jet moved his lips along my neck so softly, it drove me insane. My breath hitched as he pressed himself against me.

"Though, I can look past you ignoring me for weeks, if you - give me the chance I deserve, -"

"You know you don't deserve it," I told him.

"Really? -"

Jet quickly turned me around, pressing me to the wall behind us, pushing himself against me. He had my wrists held down, so I couldn't fight back. He still moved his lips along my neck. He knew just how to do it, in ways that would drive me crazy. I tried to move, but Jet had me held down.

"You lied to me Jet," I said to him.

I tried to show him I was angry, but he was hitting the sweetest spot on my neck. The spot he knew was my favorite before when we were together years ago. I honestly hate him right now.

"I lied to you only because I love you - I needed you back. I cant live without you. - "

He gently pressed his lips harder. I wanted to cry, but I forced myself not to. I still forced my eyes to stay closed.

"I need you in my life - I dont want to be forced to live without you - "

"Then you shouldn't have lied to me and joined Azula,"

He moved his lips down farther.

"You don't understand - I needed you - I still need -"

He brought his knee up between my legs, creating friction. A slight whine left me.

"Where's Sokka?"

I tried to speak sternly, but with what he was doing, it was really difficult to keep my composure.

"Look Y/n, I know you still love me, - You cant deny it,"

"Yes, I can - You're nothing that Sokka is - You never have been and you never will be,

! - He's better than you in every way!"

Jet said nothing for a moment as he looked at me.

"How can I prove to you that I still love you?"

I stared directly into his eyes, with the straightest face I could possibly have.

"You can't,"

I could see the anger hidden behind his eyes. In an instant he pressed his lips onto mine with force. He pressed himself against me as hard as he could. I honestly didnt know what to do. A part of me still did love him. Those feelings dont just go away. Jet still had me held down, but he kissed me like he used to when we were together before. Before I even know what I was doing I kissed him back only slightly. I honestly wish he'd never come back. I wouldn't have to deal with any of this. Just as I felt him moving his hands down to my thighs, he was ripped off of me and thrown to the ground. I looked over to see Mai.

"Thank you Mai," I said to her in a soft tone.

"Damn Y/n, if you were over Sokka that quickly, you could've just dumped him," Mai said to me.

I shook my head.

"No, I'm not -"

I was just staring at Jet. Mai had her foot on him, holding him down.

"What happened with me and Jet is a long story, but the only person I care about right now is Sokka. I need to find him. As far as Jet is concerned, he can go to hell," I told Mai.

She knew I was upset with Jet by the tone of my voice.

"Well, I may need your Firebending as an assistant while I tie him to this post," Mai said to me forcing Jet to his feet.

I stared directly into Jet's eyes as Mai held him. Jet knew I was angry.

"I'd be my pleasure," I spoke in a calm voice.

"Y/n, don't do this! - You know that we're meant to be together," Jet protested as Mai dragged him over to the post.

"We were once - But life goes on Jet - Not everything has to stay the same. I moved on from you. You should do the same -"

"I can't," Jet spoke as Mai finished off the knot.

I squatted down in front of him.

"You can,"

Jet almost had tears in his eyes as he looked at me.

"I love you,"

"Then let me go, - There is someone out there for you Jet, but it's not me. - Maybe it was once, but we've grown apart. And deep down you know that. - When you kiss me you try to hard to make the feelings real, when you know they're not -"

"I love you Y/n, I always will,"

I gently took hold of Jet's hand.

"Of course you will, - You'll always love me - I was your first love, and you were mine we will always love each other, but that doesn't mean we should get back together just because we feel our old feelings and we think they're the feelings of now. - I fell in love with Sokka - Deeper than I ever did with you - And that's okay, because that means I can move on, and you need to move on too, -"

"I dont think I could ever let another girl kiss me,"

I exchanged glances with Mai. She gave me a knowing smile. She knelt down beside me, quickly grabbing his face, attaching their lips, kissing him with a passion. I could tell he was surprised, by the look on his face. He didnt even know what to do. Mai and I both stood up at the same time.

"Where's Sokka?" I asked her.

"He's just down that hall, in the third room on your right, - I'll stay here with Jet so he doesnt try anything too crazy. Just be careful of Azula, she could be lurking," Mai warned me.

I nodded to her. Without another word I left them alone, to find Sokka. Azula is going to pay, for even thinking about hurting my man. I headed down the hall, to the room Mai told me of. Sure enough when I entered, there was Sokka sitting against a bed on the floor, tied to the frame. He had his head down looking at the floor. I cautiously entered the room.

"Sokka, -"

He perked his head up, when he heard my voice.

"Y/n! Oh thank God you're here!" Sokka exclaimed as I rushed over to him.

I smiled as I looked into his face. I couldn't stop myself as I touched his face softly.

"Yeah, - I had to come," I told him softly.

I started to untie him.

"I knew you would, love - Jet and Azula are insane. Once I get outta here I'm gonna give them both a piece of my mind,"

"Don't worry baby, Mai is taking care of Jet and I'd suggest leaving Azula to me,"

I helped Sokka stand to his feet.

"What you think I cant handle it?"

I put my hand on his arm.

"No, sweetie that's not it. It's just I dont want you to be in the crossfire of one of Azula's lightning blasts,"

"Fair enough,"

I gave him my sword as a defense mechanism. Just as we started to walk out of the room, I heard footsteps down the hall coming this way. I put my hand on Sokka's chest, stopping him. I waited and listened. Just as they were right outside the door, I blasted them with fire, knocking them back a few feet. Sokka and I rushed out the door. It wasn't Azula like I had thought. It was one of the Dia Lee. I took Sokka's hand and we rushed off together to find her. Once we were outside in the courtyard, we stood there and waited. I could feel the presence of someone around. I listened and waited and made sure of my surroundings carefully. Just as I felt her a few feet behind us, and I knew she was going after Sokka, I stepped in front of him, putting a huge firewall in front of us, to protect him.

"So, I see you've defeated my Dia Lee and my secret weapon," Azula said to me in a challenging tone.

"It wasn't much of a secret weapon, - I mean come on using my ex-boyfriend, you really think I couldn't defeat him?"

"I just thought he was more angry than he actually was - Pathetic really, -"

"Well, now you have no beef with us, so you can let us go willingly," Sokka said to her.

"That's where you're wrong, - You see Jet mentioned something to me about helping me get revenge on Zuko and his friends for betraying me and lucky for me Y/n happens to be one of his best friends since we were kids. Today is just my day," Azula explained to Sokka.

A challenging look crossed my eye.

"Bring it on," I challeneged.

A devious smile passed her as she just stared at me. Just as she shot a huge flame of blue at me, I fired back at the same time with a huge flame of red. Our flames collided making an even larger flame of red and blue in the middle. I wont let Azula win. I'm stronger than she is. And she knows it. That's why she's trying so hard. Azula was trying to fire back stronger, but I was better. I went even larger with my flame, causing hers to dissipate, knocking her to the ground. Anger crossed her face as she looked at me. I stood before her with a determined look to my face.

"You've always been jealous of me Azula. - I can fight better than you - I never focused on my anger as a fuel for my fire. Your Uncle didnt just teach Zuko, he taught me and my sister too. We followed by everything he taught us. And we've stuck to it everyday of our lives since, -"

In her anger Azula got herself up and shot a fire kick at me. I quickly blocked it.

"You should've listened to your Uncle," I told her intimidatingly.

"Oh, I've learned a few things from my Uncle," Azula said to me through her anger.

I watched as Azula got into her familiar stance. I knew exactly what she was doing. I readied myself. Iroh told me I might need to use this to defend myself someday. Azula shot a bolt of lightning my way. It pushed me back as I caught it. I almost couldn't breathe or hold onto it. Out of the corner of my eye I could see the terrified look in Sokka's face. I let that fuel me. In just a few seconds I was the one controlling the lightning. I felt the energy and it was exhilarating, but it was also terrifying. Just as Zuko had stated once before. I redirected the lightning to shoot just past her head, singeing her hair. She was beyond angry as she looked at me.

"I've learned a few things from your Uncle too," I told her now even more intimated.

Sokka stood by me proud as he put his arm around me. I looked over just as our group of friends came running in. And Iroh was there to. Adelina ran over to me trapping me in her arms tightly. Zuko had hold of Azula.

"I am so glad you're safe," Adelina said to me in a slight panic.

"Yes, Lina, I'm fine," I told her.

She leaned away from me.

"It was so awesome! Azula shot lightning at her and she just stood there in firm ground and redirected the lightning at her! She was so cool!" Sokka exclaimed.

I chuckled at Sokka's reaction. I love him so much. It's hard for me not to love him.

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[jess-the-vampire]

Quick question why did you like Tom in the beginning of the series, I understand liking the character as we get to know more starting season 3 and forward (considering that he wasn’t an important character and especially not at the beginning of the series) but he was and asshole.

Anonymous said:Also, why do you treat Tom as if he were a relevant character that needed tons of recognition .I have seen post showing you being a huge Tomstar fanboy/girl being angry with how the show treated Tom and even though is ok in liking a character, don’t you think you like him too much which clouds your judgment. Because Tom was treated fairly, maybe it would have been cool seen him happy with someone else, but he got his happy ending

You make it sound like people can’t enjoy characters who are jerks and act like jerks, those are pretty popular and fun characters for some people, after all, why do you think villians are so beloved despite being evil?

regardless, tom’s really not the worst at all in the first 2 seasons.

He’s not as great as he is now, but he’s not abusive and it really doesn’t take long to feel bad for and be attached to him. Literally by his second episode he’s already becoming more mature and trying to fix his mistakes.

Tom’s not one of these characters that has no moral compass, he feels awful about things all the time that are his fault, takes little pleasure in hurting people he cares about, and his entire motivation is to feel loved.

he doesn’t go about it the best of ways and he’s not perfect and he still did really dumb things, but he’s mostly harmless since the crew was at least careful enough not to make tom so bad he couldn’t be redeemed.

Tom never ended up truly doing any serious damage to anyone or anything, so it’s a lot easier to want him to be better then say…mina.

I just found tom fascinating because he felt a lot more like a character, i could understand why he felt the way he did, why he did what he tried to do, and why he was the way he was.

and without the show always needing to spell it out either.

he’s one of the few characters i think in this series where you can easily tell why he thinks and feels certain ways and when stuff happens in episodes with him, the impact actually CARRIES.

Marco’s talk in Mr Candle causes tom to stop bothering star, which causes tom to stop bothering her during CS because he learned he needed to respect her wishes, which leads to tom being mad and confused when star is like “No, bother me!, you’re being a total jerk for ignoring me now!”, which then leads to them warming up to each other, which then-

Tom’s a really fascinating case and one of the few times in this series where his emotions feel actually valid and natural (outside of the later half of s4b which was the only case that it didn’t)

I love seeing characters go through these kinds of growths, and i was really rooting for tom to earn true happiness from his character growth and have friends that love him because that feels like the true end for the arc of a friendless character who constantly feels like a failure and alone.

dude, i swear to god if you’re the guy who went on my other blog to insult me for not liking the end of tom’s arc and saying all my criticism was invalid, without actually providing any evidence….

my god, i really don’t wanna have to repeat myself but here we go

Tom’s not relevant? He’s been around since s1 and was on BOTH the posters for s3 and 4 (Over eclipsa, might i add?), tom is VERY relevant because of how prominent he was in the show and how much of a reoccurring character he was.

He wasn’t like janna who was mostly for comedic relief and didn’t really play a role in too many plots in the series, Tom was given so much screen time in most of the important episodes of the series.

This dude, had an actual ARC, an arc they dedicated episodes towards.

No, there is no happy end for tom, in what world is a happy end for a character to be constantly mistreated by their girlfriend and have them almost immediately leave them for their best friend, and then completely forget about them in another dimension….and then not even receive any actual sendoff in the finale at all?

Do you really think making tom feel inferior and unloved and him being OK with it is somehow fair at all? There’s nothing uncomfortable about that?

It’s just ok for our main lead to make him feel awful about himself? Not even apologize to him for kissing his best friend?  That’s fair to tom?

This ain’t even a tom only thing, most of the cast in the series didn’t feel like they got a proper goodbye, the only end that felt fitting for the most part, was ludo.

Most of everyone else’s ends were them kinda saying they’re doing fine after being gone for ages, and that’s about it.

I’m gonna tell you this again, it’s not enough for tom to just “Get better”, it actually needs to AMOUNT to something for TOM, he needed an end that made up for all the clear and obvious pain he’d been going through.

Zuko had this, his arc amounted to him changing roles, fighting his sister and becoming the next fire lord.

Characters like Lena from DT have this, where their shift causes them to overpower their fears and superiors and and find a real family that actually cares about her.

What did tom have?

Well, he’s friends with star and marco….but that was something he had a season ago before the last one…..so…what did he get in the finale because of his growth? Nothing, he loses his girlfriend and his best friends completely forgot about him.

You made tom suffer for so long, something the show makes very clear, and….he gets nothing, in fact they just made him suffer more and his anger management really didn’t end up amounting to anything or any relief at all at the end.

He just gets completely blown to the side by the end even though he’s supposibly one of star and marco’s close friends and he really ends up with nothing that fits all the pain he went through.

who in their right mind wanted to watch this happen to tom after last season? After conquer? where tom sacrifices himself for his best friends and it’s shown how much he cares about and loves them? 

After all that, star and marco just completely blow him off without even considering him? And that’s fair to tom? Are you serious?

By how these arcs normally work tom’s arc should’ve ended with him feeling confident in himself that he’s not inferior to marco, but that never happens.

by how it works he should realize his friends do value and care about him, but that doesn’t happen.

by how these arcs work tom should’ve found true happiness, but that doesn’t happen.

none of this is shown.

So it’s not satisfying.

This is like if ludo’s arc lacked dennis staying with him at the end or his family helping him rebuild his castle as he gets his band back together, he grew past his issues but….he’s unfinished….it feels like he didn’t get anything deserved to him.

star and marco were dang important to tom’s growth, they’re the most important relationships he has in the series, and he doesn’t even get an end with them, they both almost entirely forget about him.

and you cannot go around telling people their criticism is somehow invalid because they like a character as if none of that criticism is relevant at all because they like a character.

if anything, shouldn’t the fact someone was so knowledgeable about a character make the criticism more relevant?

i told you this before, you can’t just say everyone’s wrong “Because they are”, you say it’s satisfying for tom but don’t give a valid reason. it’s amounted to “ because it is” or “Tom’s not important enough to have a proper end”.

I’m sorry you don’t think tom was important but he was a heavily prominent character and a big favorite and this is such a horrible end to his story and it’s so unsatisfying to watch his end be to get shafted like this after everything he was put through.

people tend not to like watching characters who try so hard suffer time and time again and then end up basically alone and abandoned by their friends by the end.

[catie-does-things]

Zutara Week Day 7: Easier

@zutaraweek

Ember Island, intermission. Zuko stepped outside for some air. He wasn’t looking for Katara, but he found her anyway.

AO3 / FF.N

After Toph had left him to investigate the snack situation, Zuko hadn’t gone looking for Katara. But even when he wasn’t looking for her, he seemed to always end up finding her anyway. That was what had really happened in Ba Sing Se, after all, and it happened again when he stepped outside the theater for some fresh air.

The intermission was almost over, so the gardens outside were empty, except for one aggravated waterbender pacing between the flower beds and talking to herself. Surprised by this sight, Zuko caught the tail end of her tirade before he could say anything to alert her to his presence. “...ridiculous idea that I would want to kiss him, when I - Oh!” Katara cut herself off as she spun on her heel and noticed she had an audience. “Zuko, I, um, didn’t see you there.”

“Sorry,” Zuko apologized instinctively, hoping the fact that he still had the hood of his cloak up meant that she wouldn’t be able to tell he was blushing as much as she was. Of course he had known the players’ interpretation of what had happened in the crystal caves was ridiculous, but hearing Katara outright dismiss the idea with such vehemence was still a little bit of a blow to his pride. He had no illusions that the two of them were anything more than friends, but he didn’t think she would have been quite so outraged at the mere suggestion. “I tried to warn you this theater company was terrible,” he offered in a half-hearted attempt to lighten the mood.

To his surprise, Katara actually laughed. The worry lines disappeared from her face and the tension in her shoulders relaxed a little, and Zuko realized she wasn’t laughing at him - she really thought his joke was funny.

“I’m not angry about the play,” Katara said with a vague gesture towards the theater doors where they would soon have to return. “I mean, yeah, it is terrible, but it’s just a show.” Her arms dropped to her sides and she rolled her eyes towards the clear night sky. “I wish everybody could remember that,” she added.

Now Zuko was lost. If she hadn’t been talking about the play, then what? He pushed his hood back and took a few steps into the garden, closer to Katara. “Did something else happen?”

Katara shrugged evasively. “It’s just…” She looked at him carefully for a moment, considering. “Promise you won’t say anything about this to anyone else?”

“I promise,” Zuko replied without hesitation. He had already broken her trust once, and that was enough for a lifetime.

Katara waited another moment, then took a deep breath. “Aang got upset because the play said he was like a brother to me.” She resumed her pacing between the fire lilies and the low hedgerows, punctuating her rambling explanation with sharp gestures. “But it was like he was upset with me, instead of the actors or whoever wrote it. And I sort of understand why, because I have been avoiding it, but just because he kissed me one time with no warning when we were about to invade the Fire Nation doesn’t mean he’s my boyfriend or anything!”

Whatever Zuko had been expected to be the thing that was bothering Katara, that wasn’t it. “Wait, slow down…” he said, but Katara ignored him. Now that she had decided to open the floodgates, it seemed there was no holding back.

“He was already so worked up and I didn’t want to make things worse, so I just told him I was confused and it wasn’t the right time.” Reaching the hedgerow, Katara spun around back to facing him. “And then he tried to kiss me again! Can you believe him?”

Her rant apparently at an end with this rhetorical question, she looked up at Zuko expectantly, slightly breathless, face flushed with anger or embarrassment or both.

“Oh,” Zuko said. He was not prepared for the turn this conversation had taken. Aang’s crush on Katara was obvious, but he hadn’t thought the Avatar was that serious about it. Nor had he realized how uncomfortable it apparently made Katara. “Did you tell him you didn’t want him to do that?”

“Of course I did!” Katara exclaimed. But then she deflated a little. “I mean, I reminded him that I had just said I was confused, and I think he got the message.”

The lanterns around the theater brightened and then dimmed, indicating it was time for the theater patrons to return to their seats. But Zuko didn’t want to just leave things there. “Maybe you need to be a little more direct with him,” he suggested. Not that he was in a great position to be giving relationship advice to anyone, but he did know Aang well enough by now to know how eternally optimistic the young Avatar was. If there was even a tiny chance, that was all he would see.

Katara looked back towards the theater doors with a frustrated sigh, but made no move to go in. “I just don’t want to hurt him,” she said. “He’s got so many other things to deal with right now, this should be the least of his worries.”

Her protective concerned sparked something like recognition, and the first dawning of a realization. “You know,” Zuko thought out loud, “that sort of reminds me of my uncle.”

Katara gave him a patient smile. “Are you going to tell me a proverb about clouds or something?”

It was Zuko’s turn to laugh. “No,” he said, shaking his head. “Not something my uncle said, but what he did...or didn’t do, I guess.” He ran a hand through his hair, trying to collect his thoughts. “You know, I was looking for the Avatar for three years, and Uncle was with me that whole time, and he must have always wanted me to realize the truth about the war and everything, and how my father didn’t care about me the way I wanted him to.”

Katara frowned. “Am I your uncle or your father in this analogy?”

“Neither,” Zuko replied hastily, looking away towards the lights of the town on the other side of the garden. “That’s not the point. My uncle never pushed me to see the truth until he had to, but when I did realize...it still hurt.” Katara had come closer, and was standing by his elbow now. “It’s a good thing, that I know the truth now, but...it had to hurt. There was no way around that.”

“So you think,” Katara said slowly, “that Aang is going to have to be hurt, too.”

Zuko looked back at her to find she was staring at the fire lilies at their feet. “Unless you change your mind,” he replied. She hadn’t outright said she’d made up her mind to begin with, even in this conversation with him, but given how upset she had been when he found her...well, Zuko didn’t think he was presuming too much.

And Katara didn’t argue that point. “But why now?” she protested instead. “Why can’t it wait?”

“Because he’s bringing it up now,” Zuko reminded her. “And if he thinks he’s mature enough to try to kiss you, he has to be mature enough to deal with rejection, too.” The theater lights flickered one last time, then settled to a low flame, leaving the gardens mostly illuminated by moonlight. Still the two of them stood there, Zuko waiting to see if Katara had anything more to say.

“Thanks, Zuko,” she broke the silence at last. “It’s much easier to talk about this with you than with him.” Then she hugged him, not dramatically throwing her arms around him like she had on the dock, but gently tucking herself into his side, arms around his waist. He hugged her back without thinking about it, because it was the most natural thing in the world.

“Katara? Are you - oh!” Suki’s voice came from behind them, and Katara pulled away from the hug, the picture of perfect innocence. Zuko tried to affect the same, though his heart was beating just a little too fast. “Sorry, am I interrupting something?” Suki asked, giving both of them a scrutinizing look.

“No, we were just about to go back in,” Katara answered smoothly, stepping forward and linking arms with Suki. “Let’s see how the rest of this disaster of a play goes.”

Suki laughed and let Katara lead her back towards their box, and Zuko followed behind the two girls. Hopefully, the play would be the only disaster they’d have to deal with for the rest of the night.

But when they slipped back into their seats quietly, the third act already begun on stage, and Katara reached over and surreptitiously squeezed Zuko’s hand in a final gesture of thanks, his heart skipped a beat, and he knew there was definitely going to be more trouble for him on the horizon.

[kiintsugi]

paper castles, hollow crowns

Rating: Mature Archive Warning: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Category: F/F, M/F Fandoms: Avatar: The Last Airbender Relationships: Katara/Zuko, Azula/Ty Lee Characters: Katara, Zuko, Mai, Ty Lee, Azula, Toph, Sokka, Suki Additional Tags: Dark!verse, Alternate Universe – Canon Divergent, Fire Nation Victory AU, Redemption AU, Tyzula, Zutara, Hurt/comfort, angst, mutual pining, aged up characters, enemies to lovers, mentions of abuse, emotional hurt/comfort, eventual smut, pov changes by chapter, Azula is a useless lesbian, bisexual Ty Lee, bisexual disaster Zuko, eventual Zutara, established Tyzula, sort of, i am once again asking you to read a wip i have no update schedule for Summary: They call him the Avatar Killer, hero of the Fire Nation, son of Firelord Ozai. Only one of those things are true. But Avatar Aang is dead, Azula saw to that personally, and the credit is his. it’s been five years since that day, but Zuko and Azula’s work in the name of their father is far from over. Aang’s influence spread like a disease across the earth kingdom, and now the resistance is fighting back. Faced with the realities of war and the consequences of their past, Zuko and Azula return to the Earth Kingdom for one final mission: to stamp out the resistance, no matter the cost. Also known as the Zuko and Azula redemption fic/character study no one asked for with lots of Zutara and Tyzula because I’m trash

Zuko peers down at the small paper place card that reads, “Azula, Crown Princess of the Fire Nation” with a bitter scowl. He had thought that by now, he’d be used to being second-at-best at everything Azula ever decided to participate in, but there’s something about actually seeing his title being passed over to her that makes his blood boil.    

His own place card, one that simply reads “Prince Zuko, son of Firelord Ozai” is several seats down the table between two war Admirals, older even than Uncle Iroh, that smell of rotten fruit and old feet. Looking at it, Zuko realizes that even with his honor restored, he will never be good enough to earn a place at his father’s side. His hopes of being seated to his father’s left the way Azula is to be seated at his right, squandered and squashed. But, he thinks, those hopes were those of a child's, and Zuko is a man grown. Disappointed or not, he knows better than to let that feeling settle on his features. Especially in front of the royal family. 

“What’s the matter, Zuko?” Mai approaches from behind and entangles her arm around his own, leaning her chin on his shoulder. “You’re at the Fire Lord’s Honor Feast. Only the most important figures in the Fire Nation get invited. Isn’t that what you always wanted?”   

Zuko plucks his place card and squints at the glittering, golden font. “Azula says my father only does this dinner once a year out of traditional obligation. It’s supposed to inspire his soldiers. Make them believe that the war is just and they will be honored with titles and lordship for their service. But all he uses it for is to instill fear in his generals so that they’ll want to end the rebellion before he decides to end them.”   

“So then, don’t go. It’ll probably be boring anyway.” Mai shrugs and takes her own place card, which is placed in a pile that belongs to ��the others’, groups of noble men and women lucky enough to be invited to the dinner but not honorable enough to be seated at the distinguished table, before sauntering off behind deep red velvet drapes to seat herself for royal dinner. “Have fun sulking by yourself.”   

“I will,” he argues all too loudly, stomping one foot on the ground with such force it was by the grace of the dragons that he's not an Earthbender.   

His father wouldn’t care if he showed up; not really. The only thing that mattered to Ozai, as far as Zuko can tell, is that he gets to show off his son as the infamous “Avatar Killer”. Something his father always does, just before going on to mention that he is, in fact, the lesser child. That for all of Zuko’s success in the war, none of it would be possible if it weren’t for the heir, Zuko’s sister, Azula.  

“Now now, Zuzu,” Azula’s voice rings in his head “I’m sure father wants you there. You are the Avatar Killer after all. Hero of the Fire Nation.”  

Zuko shakes his head at the thought. Sometimes it makes Azula’s voice go away. Other times it only makes her angry.   

“If you can’t be bothered to attend a royal dinner then maybe you don’t deserve to be royalty at all!”  

The place card bursts into flames in his fingers, and the ash sprinkles away. He curls his hands into fists and throws them down in an enraged fit, pacing the length of the small table. He groans audibly, gripping the sides of his head with calloused fingers and then marches through the velvets. He would show her. He would show Azula and Mai and his uncle. He would show his father, too. He’s more than just the Avatar Killer. He’s the prince of the Fire Nation. He commanded a ship, found the Avatar when no one said he would. He fought and beat Commander – no, Admiral – Zhao in Agni Kai. He was, no, he is, every bit as strong and royal and brave as Azula is. No matter what his father thinks. 

https://archiveofourown.org/works/25610239/chapters/62162050

[yurireview]

Azula and friendship with a member of royalty

the fandom of Avatar loves to highlight the "mature" that is the plot even being a cartoon ... but most of the fandom when analyzing the actions of Azula always lose perspective and especially do not understand their actions.

Azula apart from being raised by an abusive father like Ozai in which she became the perfect princess for war ... she was royalty...Something they have to understand is that the "friendship or romance" with the people of royalty is very different from normal friendships.

Honestly I do not see much difference in their behavior towards Mai and Ty Lee than from other members of royalty with their "friends" in different series

This is clearly seen in GOT as the dynamics of Ned and Robert despite the mutual love they had ... it was no longer the same (there was always a character of submission from Ned to Robert)

In fact Catelyn told him "you met him when he was not King" and that's true, no matter what happens you can never disobey a king and their friendship depends on that ... "keep it happy" to royalty

in fact there is no person who does not change when he has the power to dispose of the lives of others

When Ned questioned Robert, you saw his reaction and only calmed down when he saw his friend hurt by Jaime, but the danger is always that way

In the series of "the magnificent century" the friendship of Suleiman and Ibrahim was one of the best, fuck was even a parallel between Hurrem and Suleiman ... but even with all that (the part that many criticize Azula) is very present

No matter how close it is to the Sultan, it all depends on the mood of the monarch, if he is angry he will treat you like a servant, he will threaten you.

I remember Ibrahim phrase:

Ibrahim: Pride? ... you know that I am the son of a fisherman and the servants have no pride ... believe me Suleiman: "I do not understand you think a lot about it. Ibrahim: When I do not think about that, your majesty reminds me again

It is something that both Suleiman and his sister did not realize in the way of treating Ibrahim but it was always there

With the character of Azula what I mentioned applies to perfection ... even though Mai is also a childhood "friend", the show really focuses more on her that she has a very strong bond with Ty Lee

The first meeting of Azula and Ty Lee is very evident in that aspect of fact if we compare it with his encounter with Mai it is more evident.

but still Ty Lee first kneels in reverence (like Ned with Robert) and many others...because the place in the world they occupy is different

When she asks her to accompany her and then practically forces her to come, many say "look is abusive"

the truth is that no, something that they must understand of the royalty, is that nobody can tell them that "NO"

Azula has the authority simply to order Ty Lee to come with her ... but this one asked her, rejecting her is an affront to her pride as someone of royalty ... as mentioned if they see historical drama series (know that Azula was very "soft" with Ty Lee rejection) because others would have done worse things.

It always made me laugh that when Zuko came back, the group seemed to split in two (Zuko and Mai ... Ty Lee and Azula)

Which is funny and successful

I loved the scene where she apologizes only once in the whole series, just to see Ty Lee cry with his words

That's why it's obvious that Azula really appreciated what she had with Ty Lee even if it was not so "normal" because in reality the royalty does not have something "normal" with her subjects.

Although this is not a review of Ty Lee and Azula ... that will be for later

The matter of Mai

Many seriously accuse Azula of "cruelty" but again Is this true?

The show actually focused on the apathy of Mai and Azula relationship .... the princess did not care much for Zuko girlfriend even though she knew her since she was a child, she was just there.

Now Mai betrayed the Fire nation She betrayed the trust and fear that Azula placed in her and the privileged position that she had

These two things is enough for any king or queen to kill his friend (even when it hurts) ... Mai just acted arrogantly...Do you seriously think that is illogical or the action of a psychopath kill a traitor?

The only reason why Azula did not order Mai to be executed ... was because Ty Lee also betrayed her and if she killed one she would have to kill the other.

that not only surprised her but was the real trigger of his emotional breakdown

The justification was well written for not to kill Mai, because really if it were not for that she would really be dead and again (any other member of royalty in another series, would have killed her without hesitation even if it was her "true friend")

Azula is one of the most consistent characters to represent the behavior of "royalty" and more if you have an abusive parenting like Ozai.

His emotional break had almost nothing to do with her being "crazy" or something like that ... but that's for another post, I hope this has broadened their perspective of Azula actions

I know there are many psychological aspects in the character of Azula that are very interesting ... but many ignore the "royalty" factor that ultimately is the most important (Zuko even though I like his character, it did not reflect much to the royalty I must say and that's fine for how the series was going to end)

[royaltealovingkookiness]

Do you think Iroh going to the tea shop while Zuko became fire lord at 17 was in character?

I think it was very much in character and it was a good decision too. 

By the time we meet Iroh on the show, he has had his own “metamorphosis” after losing his son and giving up on the siege of Ba Sing Se - so we see a gentle, wise man, with a lot of hard-earned wisdom trying to gently guide and protect an angry jerk (who we later learn is really mostly just an abused, wounded kid). 

But before all that, for many long years, Iroh was Azulon’s heir, judging from his military rank, loyally doing his father’s bidding, and being a big part of the Fire Nation waging war in the Earth Kingdom. (It was clear from Winter Soltice how hated he was.) And from the flashbacks, it seems like while Iroh was a nice enough dad, and a cool uncle, and a beloved general, he didn’t have much thought of the suffering he brought to the Earth Kingdom. I suspect this is something he really understood in whatever journey he took after the siege, which I guess is also the time when he got involved with the White Lotus. So even if Iroh was good, he was tainted with the war personally.

Zuko on the other hand got out before he was old enough to serve in the military, and while he chased Aang relentlessly, he was never really part of the Fire Nation attacks on other nations (even at the North Pole, he only serves his own agenda). He had a deep understanding of the suffering the war has caused, because he really lived the refugee life - he really has a life experience that gives him a maturity beyond his age.

So Iroh is right, Zuko is the new leader, the face the Fire Nation needs - someone who understands both the Fire Nation and the outside world, who is a personal friend of the Avatar, who was also a victim of Ozai and overcame it. He has legitimacy, because he won the throne fair and square, he carved out his own path to get there. 

And if Iroh stayed on as advisor, it could undermine Zuko’s authority - people questioning who really runs the show, whether Zuko is just Iroh’s puppet. 

This is also one of Iroh’s best qualities and the reason why he’s so well suited to step into the parental role for a volatile, angry teen - he instinctively seems to know when to hold on and when to let go, he accepts that sometimes Zuko needs his absence as he’s trying to figure out his own way and he steps back and gives him space to grow. No matter how deeply he loves Zuko, he never clings to him.

Iroh puts faith and trust into Zuko, because more than any teaching he needs to have faith in himself and self-worth. He also knows personally that Zuko has the qualities needed to be a good leader; he’s tireless, brave, hard-working, determined, he perseveres despite failures, but always learns from his mistakes and grows with them.

But I also think, Iroh would still be like he was when Zuko went off alone in S2 - to let him go, but to keep an eye on him and to be there for him, if he needs his uncle. 

[wazafam]

Fans know and love Avatar: The Last Airbender for being a franchise full of interesting, well-written characters, and it’s not just the heroes that fans can’t get enough of. While Aang and Team Avatar are loved a lot by fans of the series, the antagonists like Zuko and Azula make the franchise much more watchable than it would have been with one-dimensional villains.

RELATED: Avatar: The Last Airbender: 10 Characters That Deserve Much More Screen Time

As far as Zuko goes, he’s considered to have one of the best villain to hero storylines from almost any major show. Because of this, fans often think of Zuko as often as they think of Aang when they hear the show mentioned. But, who is really the better character?

10 Zuko: He Was More Relatable To Most Audiences

Zuko is a bit older than Aang when the series takes place as he’s around 16 while Aang is only 12. So, while children who watched the show when it originally aired might have related more to Aang, most adults and teens watching the show found Zuko more interesting. He wasn’t exactly mature by any means, but he didn’t come across as a child like Aang did.

9 Aang: His Friendships Were Essential To The Story

Because Aang is the protagonist, so many of the other characters largely revolve around his story and his ultimate mission of defeating Firelord Ozai. This doesn’t mean that the other central characters aren’t given nuance or depth, but their relationships with Aang get a lot of exploration. Aang makes for a compelling hero because he is able to form so many lasting friendships, and he’s the type of person people believe in. Team Avatar will always be beloved by fans.

8 Zuko: His Family Relationships Were Fascinating

While The Last Airbender might place a big emphasis on the importance of friendships, there are also many family dynamics explored in the show. The series doesn’t shy away from some pretty difficult topics such as death and even abuse, and Zuko’s treatment at the hands of his father and other family members was truly awful. While the dynamics in the Fire Nation royal family are messed up, they make for great television.

7 Aang: Because Zuko Did A Lot Of Bad Things

Zuko does change majorly and ends up joining Team Avatar and doing everything he can to bring down his father, but he makes a lot of bad mistakes before then. To be fair, he’s very young and went through a lot of traumatic things, but it doesn’t change the fact that he hurt other people, too.

RELATED: The Last Airbender: 5 Times Zuko Was Inspiring (& 5 Times Fans Felt Sorry For Him)

While Aang might not be completely perfect, he is a good person, and he doesn’t go around trying to hurt anyone or take over the world. So, as far as looking at harm overall, Aang is a better person and character.

6 Zuko: He Provided A Gateway Into The Story Of The Fire Nation

The world of The Last Airbender is full of interesting individuals as well as cultures. Each of the different bending nations is unique and has its own way of life. Zuko being the Fire Nation prince provides the perfect bridge into what the Fire Nation is doing and what kind of culture they’ve created there. The backstory on Zuko’s family is endlessly compelling to many fans and provides a lot of depth to the series.

5 Aang: Because He Was Such A Powerful Bender

As the Avatar, it’s no big surprise that Aang is going to have great bending skills. However, even given the fact he has the special ability to bend all of the elements, he’s also quite a prodigy given his young age. Seeing Aang learn each of the other three elements throughout the three seasons is delightful, and fans enjoyed seeing Aang become more and more powerful.

4 Zuko: His Redemption Storyline Is So Well Done

It’s difficult to talk about Zuko’s impact on the story without really focusing on his redemption arc. Of course, this doesn’t mean Zuko was perfect, but the way the show built up his change of heart was gradual and believable. He didn’t suddenly become good, but it was an incremental process as his eyes were opened to the truth.

RELATED: Avatar: 5 Times The Gaang Won (& 5 Times They Lost)

While he might have seemed like a more straightforward villain in season one, fans kept watching as they saw Zuko become a refugee and saw him start to see that maybe the Fire Nation was wrong. This journey was one of the main things fans watched for.

3 Aang: He Stayed True To Himself Even When It Was Difficult

As the Avatar, Aang is tasked with restoring balance to the world, and it’s his job to maintain that balance as much as possible. However, each individual Avatar is different, and they have varying methods and approaches to the problems they face in their lifetimes. Overall, Aang is a gentle person who doesn’t delight in violence or death, and he is able to stay true to himself by taking Ozai’s bending away instead of killing him.

2 Zuko: His Character Arc Is More Compelling

Given that Aang is barely a pre-teen and also that he’s such a morally good character, he really does have compelling growth in the series as he becomes more powerful and more mature. However, his arc still can’t quite compare to Zuko’s. By the end of the series, fans truly believed that Zuko would make a better Firelord than anyone else in his family, and they were rooting for him completely.

1 Aang: Because He’s Motivated By Compassion And Peace

All of the characters on Team Avatar want to restore peace and equality to the world, but they all have different personalities and approaches to the fight. Aang, while he does get angry and is willing to protect others, is mostly motivated by his compassion and care for others and the living world. It’s refreshing to see a character, especially a male character, who has a lot of gentleness in this way.

NEXT: Avatar: The Last Airbender – 10 Saddest Things About Zuko

Zuko Vs. Aang: 5 Ways The Hero Is Best Character in ATLA (& 5 Ways It's The Bad Boy) from https://ift.tt/399pcP6