#he refused to speak to him when zuko tried to reconcile

[did-we-imagine]

That's some very good meta, and I do agree with the majority of lt. However, I also think it was fucked up in that Iroh ended up a prisoner at Ozai's mercy (which in a show aimed at an older audience would probably have resulted in his execution) which is something that fans also fault Azula for in S2 when she comes to bring them home. (My personal 2 cts)

I 200% support what you said about Iroh being too passive and not direct enough with Zuko. I did wonder whether it was because Zuko idolized Ozai so much he would end up rejecting Iroh, but he didn't even quite take any chances if only to see where he stood and whether he could be reasoned with or not. Especially when Zuko ended up in such a situation because he questioned Ozai (through his rejecting the general's plan!), and also his talk with Zhao where he says that his father is a fool for thinking that the world would willingly follow him.

I also believe that them never addressing the Agni Kai's circumstances (because let's be real, while the majority of the fandom likes to consider Iroh a saint for dealing with S1 Zuko, i am pretty sure that the real reason he stands by him isn't so much saintly patience as much as it's guilt for not saving him from Ozai during the Agni Kai). I'm gonna get lots of hate (despite the fact that I really do love Iroh, and his relationship with Zuko), but Iroh has acted as an enabler* -no matter how unwitting- and also miscalculated when he allowed him to join the war room. This particular point reminds me of a person I know in real life. They're perfectly nice and all, but their passivity has made way for an abusive person to unleash their toxicity.

I'm not saying that it's Iroh's fault that Ozai is an unhinged child abuser, but that he could have taken a stand and done something in a diplomatic way or at least minimized the risks for Zuko. I also think that this is why Zuko doesn't seem to fully trust him in S1, because in Zuko's mind, the cryptic hedonistic old man was neither willing to save his ass when Ozai fried his face (or at least validate him for opposing such a plan...Because the fact that Zuko is willing to go back to the asshat who fried his face for not wanting to use soldiers as bait not only means that he doesn't see that what was done to him was wrong, but that he thinks he was wrong for wanting to save them and accessorily going against Ozai), nor is he helping him "own up" his fuck-up to go back home. I don't want to go into details, but it reminds me of my personal experience, it feels like he isn't helping at all because of these mixed messages, no matter how involuntary. And honestly, while I understand that Iroh was heartbroken from Lu Ten's death, if he and the white lotus were a little bit more proactive and he tried to get back his throne, if only for the world's sake -because innocents were being harmed and if Aang is gonna be faulted for running away at 12, then all the more the reason to judge Iroh for it!!!!-, then many bad things wouldn't have happened.

Of course, the reason why I don't like criticizing him too much is that because the plot needed all of these events to move forward (it's as if the writers had an idea, but the problem is that it was somewhat too contrived at times and ended up not making as much sense as they would have wished because they would make things up on the go at the same time), and that Iroh was not meant to be what he ended up as + even Zuko was only there because they figured out that Ozai couldn't chase Aang himself as thr king of an imperialistic super power. Iroh was supposed to be a mole working for Ozai and slowing back Zuko, rather than the dethroned crown prince uncle fuddy-duddy who genuinely cares.

I hope this shit makes sense because english is my 3rd language so I worry my grammar or the way I write doesn't do my ideas justice (not that they are particularly stellar).

PS: *= enablers in real life don't have to be monsters or to agree that the abuse is rightful, they just have to be passive enough, no matter how right or wrong their reasons are, for it to happen, while supposedly having the power to stop it (NB: to the folks who are blaming Azula for Ozai's abuse, well...I hate to break it to you, but Iroh holds more responsibility in stopping it than she, a child, no matter how mean-spirited or competitive she was, actually did and this is very very very important for those of you who like to think about how Azula should have killef Ozai/intervened in the Agni Kai blah blah blah). Talking from personal experience, not gonna go into details.

On Zuko apologizing to Iroh

So I'm probably in the extremely low majority here, but I honestly don't think that Zuko should of had to apologize to Iroh for the choice he made back in Ba Sing Se at all.

The two of them were at sea for three years. During those three years, Zuko only wanted one thing: to return home and restore his honor. To get Ozai's praise and love. Iroh knew this. However, Iroh also knew how much of a bad person Ozai was at this point. I mean, he literally watched him burn half of his son's face. And yet he never tried to persuade Zuko that Ozai wasn't worth it, and that going back to him would do more harm than good. Especially once the two of them were on the run? That would have been the perfect time to get it into Zuko's head. To try and convince him that there was a better path than the one they were currently on. But Iroh never does this. He just continues to feed into Zuko's desire to return home.

Iroh, how exactly was Zuko supposed to just know what the correct way was when you, the only adult with him, never tried to tell him what it was? At least not in a way that made any sense to Zuko? Living in the Earth Kingdom and serving tea wasn't what Zuko wanted at that point. That wasn't the path for him. And yet Iroh tried to force it on him. So I honestly can't even blame Zuko for choosing what he did in the end. Azula gave him a clear path to return home with her, which was the path that he wanted. The path that Iroh gave to Zuko was unclear. The last thing you want to do is walk on a path that you can't see.

[wilcze-kudly]

People will go on about how "Katara's story is a tragedy" because she... ended up marrying the guy she loves, having children and grandchildren which she was always excited about and literally becoming a master waterbender and rising to the top of her field as a healer.

Yes, Katara's story has tragic aspects to it. And there are certainly flaws in how she is written in tlok (Though I will argue that there are actually more issues with how Toph and Zuko are just plopped in there for no reason in later seasons). And her storylines aren't perfect, for example her resolving her trauma around the murder of her mother being more used to prop up Zuko than her own internal turmoil. (Most of TSR is from Zuko's perspective and I hate that actually)

"Katara's story is a tragedy" Why do you have such a hard on for this woman's misery? Let her be happy, man.

You know what gaang girlie's life is an actual onscreen tragedy?

Toph's!

People will fucking downplay Toph's childhood abuse because she wasn't physically hurt, but her childhood was a never ending carousel of abelism, misogyny, neglect and isolation. The way Toph describes her parent's treatment of her as "pressure and pain" is heartbreaking.

Toph's only escape was Earth Rumble and earthbending, but despite her skills, she remained the perfect little lady her parents always wanted her to be. She's never known a different life, and she was only able to be her real self in secret.

And when Toph finally opens up to her parents, when she finally lays her real self bare in front of the people who are supposed to love and care for her?

She is met with what may be, in my opinion, the cruellest rejection in the show.

Despite this, even when Toph runs away, she still cares for her parents' approval. Hell, she's even lured into a trap due to her getting a forged letter from her mom and getting excited because it looked like her mom was finally accepting her.

It's also important to note how determined to be self sufficient and to prove herself Toph is. We can especially see this right after she joins the Gaang, where she refuses to participate in splitting with the rest of the group, insisting on "pulling her own weight". This isn't Toph being a brat, or spoilt, this is her wanting to prove that she can handle herself because people have handled and understimated her her entire life.

Eventually, Toph starts to learn to trust the members of the Gaang and this is a step in the right direction. She's literally making friends for the first time in her life I'm so proud of her.

However, I was genuinely upset when Toph's life changing field trip with Zuko didn't work out. When Toph was trying to connect with Zuko and he blew her off (I'm not blaming him tho they had shit to do), I couldn't help but remember the rejection Toph suffered from Lao.

Post canon, Toph continues to try and prove herself, starting a metalbending school and training new metalbenders.

She also reconciles with her father. Not before Lao disowns he rmultiple times and calls her a rude, ungrateful thing. And while he eventually comes to understand Toph and cherish her, that type of trauma sticks with you.

So it's no wonder really that Toph, someone who went her entire childhood seemingly without even speaking to someone her age, would have trouble forming connections. She has children with two different men, neither of which seem to stick around.

Toph tries to do right by her daughters and gives them the freedom she never got. Sadly, the pendulum swung too far to the other side, since it seems that she started to neglect her daughters, which led to them developing a sleugh of issues of their own.

Toph becomes the cheif of police, which kind of makes sense. Republic City was only slowly emerging as an actual metropolis. Toph took on a role as a protector, and probably as a way to prove herself. But as Republic City grew, Toph probably realised that she became something she hated. A cog in the machine, and started to despise her job.

Searching for a semblance of the freedom and happiness her travels afforded her in her childhood, Toph leaves the city and takes up the life of a hermit in a swamp. She managed to fix her relationship with Suyin to some extent, but still seems reluctant or simply unable to connect with her daughter or grandchildren. Since she apparently hasn't seen Opal, a grown 20 year old woman since she was a little girl.

On the surface old Toph doesn't seem terribly dissimilar to young Toph, still tough and spunky. But she is more jaded, depressed and pessimistic. She comes out to save Suyin from immediate harm and manages to somewhat reconcile with Lin, but then she fucks right back off to the swamp where she seems to literally hide until Wu and Korra straight up force her to come with them.

Toph's story began with her alone and it seems to end with her alone as well. It's a story of a girl who grew up isolated and handled by others, and was woefully unprepared for the real world, which only jaded her further. She lives with the guilt of fucking up her daughters' lives and a belief in the pointlessness of life.

Toph started off longing to experience the world and ended up willingly isolating herself from it.

If that isn't a tragedy, I'm not sure what is.

Mind you, this is not the trauma olympics. I'm not saying that Toph has suffered more than Katara or that Katara's trauma is not as valid as Toph's. Katara and Toph's experiences are completely different, Katara being a victim of genocide and war, Toph being a victim of child abuse. I'm just saying that, objectively, Katara had a happier 'ending' than Toph.

[zuzuslastbraincell]

Katara!

KATARA KATARA KATARA

why I like them

oh god where do i even start. katara just contains so many multitudes - she's sweet and feminine and caring and attentive but she's never reduced to just that, she's never just 'the girl', she's also allowed to get mad, to be petty, to laugh at her brother, to be headstrong and stubborn, to express vulnerability, to cry and to laugh, to make ridiculous facial expressions and *be* very expressive. she's dealing with a lot of trauma not simply from the loss of her mother but that loss represents also how her tribe have been decimated by the fire nation, how she's the last waterbender, how all this pressure exists on her shoulders (but also pride, but also determination, to bring it back) and that is expressed subtly throughout the series with the same depth and love that male characters are afforded with regard to their respective traumatic experiences. and despite all this she never tries to stop making the world good? She's always pushing for change, she's always wanting to make things better, she's relentless and doesn't give up when it comes to her vision for a better world... she has such a big heart. and that coexists with a deep anger in her, and deep hurt. Not to make an ocean metaphor so early on but she's as deadly and deep as the ocean but she chooses to be kind and warm and that's so powerful.

why i don't

honnestly while katara's instincts to mother people are a sad symptom of how she was forced to grow up to soon and automaically asigns herself a role of emotional responsibility she has mixed feelings about, i know that if katara tried to mother me, i would be annoyed. but that sounds more like a me problem.

favourite episode

oh it's either the episode where she beats the fucking shit out of pakku or it's the southern raiders. the first one because it's so gratifying to see how she's grown and developed as a bender and really come into her own. the second because... god i love how *messy* the southern raiders is, and it really taps into what i love about katara - she's flawed, she runs off on an ill-thought out revenge mission with zuko, she's got a great capability for darkness as she quite seriously considers murdering a man she has every right to loathe and to kill - but she chooses against it, in the end. it would not be right for her, if not him. she chooses what's right for her in the end.

favourite season

I'm gonna be a wee bit controversial and say book 1 had the best conception of katara's arc from student to master and really saw her grow and flourish, from someone yelling at her brother' oafish prejudice to a real master, that really solidified her as an idealist and presented that as the strength that is, that showed her struggling with petty jealousy of aang's progress and had her stumble in ways that made her character comeplling and interesting - like what an introduction to her character! book 2 had some fantastic moments but i can't think of anything particularly remarkable about hee character arc - largely because it tied into aang's romantic arc i think at this point. book 3 had some absolutely fantastic moments (scam queens katara and toph!! painted lady!! southern raiders!! the final agni kai) that really shone but also book 3 lays a lot of groundwork for fanon i hate (e.g. katara as the mom friend - wish that headcanon would die tbh)

favourite line

fuck there's a lot of good ones but my underrated fave is when sokka says he's kissed a girl before but she's never met her and katara says 'Who? Gran-gran? I've met gran-gran' and it's bruuutaaall

but my favourite serious line is 'I will never ever give up on people who need me'. powerful.

favourite outfit

water tribe anything!! and i actually think her book one/book two braids are her best hair. underrated katara hair. personally she looks just adorable in her parka in the flashback to when she was like. eight.

OTP

katara/personal fulfilment

katara/happiness

katara/fulfilling her goals and dreams

katara/loving minor background character who is never named

there's some ships i like in AU situations - yuetara is actually one i lov, especially with waterbender yue, i just love the whole sea/moon thing as well as katara and yue rebelling in loud/quiet ways, being girlfriends who refuse to have their lives defined by the expectations of older men, who have a great sense of duty towards their nations and won’t let gendered expectations stop them.

and most of you know i like the messy drama of katara/azula in a lighter AU situation where they're like, school or academic rivals, and the legacy of imperialism isn’t quite so personal (and azula makes better choices, obviously), but it’s not as much as i “ship” them as i just find the potential dynamic interesting, they’re both driven by a sense of duty for their home, it’s just that means *very* different things depending if you’re SWT or FN.

none of them are OTPs though - they’re more just fun thought experiments

brotp

katara & sokka - absolutely love their sibling dynamic its amazing. both have been impacted negatively by the shit in their lives and are not always dealing with it in functional ways but theyre there for each other, through thick and thin, always have each other's backs, they roast each other and bicker and sometimes make stupid decisions and sometimes lash out but at the end of the day their love pulls through, they’re able to work past those conflicts.

katara & aang - honestly while i feel kataang was just so poorly executed in the show (listen guys I just can’t after ember island players, i know that was a bad episode, but i can’t) & i cant imagine katara wanting to leave the south pole after the war for long spells (it would have to be long distance love, lots of profound and heartfelt letters and occasional visits, if anything, but i dont know if that’s what katara wants or needs? so maybe it wouldn’t pan out?), but regardless, i really do think these two had a life-changing friendship where each really represented hope for each other, that's at the core of it, they both truly believe in each other, and inspired each other. katara & aang good.

a headcanon

chief katara anyone?? chief katara?!?! 

oh oh OH i also think that katara, while primarily a combat bender during the war, actually takes to healing a lot more after the show and gets proper healing training at some point with the help of a trained medical expert and maybe yugoda. tbh i feel like the show was a bit dismissive of healing as an ability - i feel like having that is *extremely* useful in any combat situation, you always have a medic on hand - but i understand why katara, who wanted to be recognised as powerful regardless of her gender, and wanted to hold herself in a fight alongside sokka & aang, pushed for combat waterbending training because that is what 'powerful' looks like to her in the moment. obviously katara is capable of incredible healing feats (see: saving aang) but i think given we see her as a healer in lok (not a decision i necessarily disagree with) would mean a shift in focus. i think katara actually comes to realise she likes healing a great deal, but really she excels in all aspects of waterbending and is the south’s most respected master who helped rejuvenate southern style waterbending  

unpopular opinion

the main reason people think katara is straight is because we see her have very few meaningful interactions with other girls outside of toph. ATLA as a show is a bit romance obsessed, and very heteronormative in that regard, and so interactions with minor characters almost always line up with a potential crush for sokka or katara, and later, zuko (suki, haru, jet, yue, song, jin....). we rarely see katara build friendships with other girls and it’s such a damn shame.

(anyway bi katara for life)

a wish

the version of the puppetmaster we saw was actually fire nation propaganda, i feel like katara would have felt deep compassion for a prisoner of war and after maybe some clashes, would have agreed to help smuggle her out of the fire nation and secure passage home for hama, and tried to assure her that she still has a place there. the treatment of hama in that episode was awful (but also hama was written to be almost cartoonishly evil, very much an evil witch in her cottage in the spooky woods? like the whole horror movie / spooky story opening was such a big tell) and tbh i reject the thesis that we saw ‘katara’s dark potential’ in that episode completely, or that bloodbending as a power is inherently dark, or katara’s use of it to stop hama ‘corrupted’ her. I feel like katara might feel this way as a teenager perhaps but with time (she can be a little black and white at times), and especially with more training as a healer, i think she might realise that’s not the case, she’ll realise that she was right to try and oppose hama, her elder (she was lashing out rather than really trying to oppose the fire nation), and it wasn’t a betrayal of her or her beliefs, but also her use of bloodbending wasn’t wrong or evil inherently at all? and maybe she’d find ways to use it for healing purposes? anyway my wish is that, i like the idea that they meet again, speak about their differences, reconcile a little / come to an understanding, and katara learns more from hama again

an oh-god-please-don't-ever-happen

anything where katara’s character is reduced to a comforter or a healing device for a man and his trauma. particularly zuko. (they don’t have that dynamic in canon thankfully, zuko would never, zuko respects her too much)

5 words to describe them:

idealistic, hard-working, powerful, headstrong, kind

my nickname for them:

chief. or comrade. :^)

[hiatuswhore]

Henna

Physical Description: Blonde hair, Blue eyes, 5’4 small stature.

Best Qualities: Determined, Hard-Working, Independent, Funny, Calm, Adventurous

Worst Qualities: Socially Awkward, Stubborn, Sometimes too sassy.

Biggest Fear: Losing someone I love.

TV/Shows: Outer Banks and Atla (FUN FACT I read this and my dumbass went “What’s Atla?” My friends have yet to stop laughing at me)

Being a child in a time where the fire nation was raging war on all, you were what they called collateral damage. Living in the Southern tribe your people were divided amongst the ice within your own settlements. The first time they attacked you were too young to understand what was happening. The second time it had been two years you were now seven. It was clear that you were no bender and as the fire nation killed everyone insight you were hidden away. Closing your eyes tight you hugged yourself until eventually, you had fallen asleep. Coming out of hiding the sight before you only told a story of devastation. The base of the story is for the first time you were now all alone. Not reacting you were unsure of what you were seeing, turning away from all the blood you began walking. The uncertainty of where you were going did not matter. Holding onto yourself the tears came much later. Your feet aching and your lips nearing blue there was no destination in sight yet you continued on.

Stopping in your tracks you had been staring at the ground as you walked. There was the most peculiar thing suddenly blocking your path. Raising your head to look up at the out of place creature it towered high above you. A snowflake landing onto your nose a weary expression plagued you.

“Hi,” Your small voice echoed but the creature seemingly did not react. Raising its paws it reached out lightly connecting its claw with your forehead. Furrowing your eyebrows you did not move as another claw touched your chest. Squinting at the shining light surrounding you, naturally, your eyes shut at the unknown. A warm feeling of safety surrounding you as the light and creatures paw retracted. Leaving it hovering next to you, you could not explain why but you climbed on. Raising you high leaving you to discover an island on its back. This was only the interlude of your life.

Aang

The first time you encountered the Avatar and his friends is when they came to Kyoshi Island. Growing up there after your short time with the bizarre creature it left you here. The Islanders were not only kind but confused by your sudden appearance on the shoreline. You were not a Kyoshi warrior but you were trained like one. Not very interested in the Avatar or his friends you carried on with your typical day to day things. It was only when the Unagi began to attack that you decided to help the visitors. Nearly being crushed by the Unagi is when you discovered your bending. Revealing to yourself and others you were somehow an air bender not only did everyone else have questions so did you. This was the first of many things for you, encountering Zuko and the fire nation for the first time.

Sokka

Despite not being able to answer any of their questions about your bending you and Sokka became fast friends. He was unsure about you at first but once he saw the Southern Water tribe emblem your friendship took off. The two of you were thick as thieves, but none of that mattered when it came to a certain fire bender. No matter how many times he proved you wrong you were always so sure Zuko could be a good person. The last conversation the two of you had he screamed at you that you would get them all killed. Ever since the two of only spoke a few words to each other at a time and it usually ended in an argument.

Toph

Your failing friendship with Sokka led to an even more amazing friendship with as you liked to tease her for, the blind bandit. The two of you always getting into something your friendship with the tiny girl always brought many adventures. She also found your faith in Zuko to be foolish but she did not fault you for it. So used to her parents not believing in her, Toph admired how you could see the good in everyone. Even when you tried to say the same for Azula. Through Toph is how you and Sokka reconciled, it was not the same as before but the tension was no longer there.

Zuko

At first, he had no hesitation when it came to facing you. Surprised to find an air bender he just saw you as another person in his way of restoring his honor. Teaming up with the Blue Spirit to save Aang from fire nation you could not explain it but you just knew it was Zuko. Before he ran off still donning his mask it was the first time you told him you were almost sure he could be a good person. Starting to cross paths less and less you lingered in his mind. Your last face-off being in the Earth Kingdom despite him standing with Azula you stilled called out to him. Telling him he could choose to be better, to be happy.

Main Story Arcs

First Story Arc is definitely in childhood not necessarily the massacre of your people but that journey with what you would learn much later in life was the Air lion turtle. Gaining your bending from it throughout your childhood on Kyoshi Island there were little signs of your bending that just went unnoticed.

Second Story Arc is learning of your bending and going off with Team Avatar. At first, it is really confusing as you do not understand how you are an air bender. No one really has answers for you. Mainly learning your bending from Aang most of your journey is traveling with them learning how it is to have a family again.

Final Arc not making it out with the others you were also captured by the fire nation with Iroh. In your cell, you refused to speak to anyone. Even when Zuko came to check on you, your turned your back on him. Telling him he has a choice to make you are not angry with him but just tired. Asking him if he knows anything with Aang and the others he has nothing for you. It did not surprise you when Zuko broke you out as you were holding out hope he would make the right choice. The real problem was getting the others to forgive.

[woeismyhoe]

Zuko and Azula’s childhood

Like every other toxic siblings, Zuko and Azula weren’t always so hostile to each other, willing to kill each other if necessary and whatnot. Contrary to some people’s opinions, Zuko and Azula were actually close when they were younger, at least until before Ursa left anyway.

‘He’s even trying to kick me, just like when we were little. And just as I was then, I’m faster and better than he is. I’d almost forgotten how much fun this is.’

- Azula (Tale of Azula)

It’s moments like these that tells us that Zuko and Azula had at least a somewhat normal relationship where the little sister would always torment her older brother and hate each other but still play together afterwards. Even if they would bicker and things would start to turn violent, they would still occasionally run around chasing one another just like they used to back in Ember Island when they were younger and reconcile.

The turning point of their relationship was after Ursa left. Ursa’s banishment affected Zuko and Azula’s relationship deeply. In Zuko’s flashbacks and the comics, we saw how it was always Ursa correcting her children’s wrongs and reprimanding them (usually Azula). But without Ursa, no one was there to teach them what was right and wrong anymore.

I can imagine that this was somewhat what Ozai told Zuko and Azula when they felt guilty for something when they were younger, that they should never apologize to anyone because guilt and remorse are only for the weak. That’s why we rarely saw Zuko or Azula apologizing.

It’s possible that Ozai tried to instill his principles and ideals into Zuko at the beginning but found little success because of Ursa’s guidance and protection, though he did find more success in Azula since she was more closed off with her mother. Hence after Ursa left, Ozai managed to drill everything into Zuko and Azula with no restraint since they were left completely exposed and vulnerable.

That’s why a 13 yr old Zuko was able to speak so rudely to his uncle. An 11 yr old Zuko with Ursa’s love and guidance would’ve never said such things even if aggravated. Those words came from a child whose views of his uncle has been so twisted by his father that he no longer cared whether it was hurtful or not. In a way, Zuko became somewhat more like Azula except just more hotheaded and temperamental, but still with a sharp poisonous tongue.

It was inevitable that Zuko and Azula’s relationship would only worsen after Ursa’s banishment. Even as a child, Zuko would reject playing with Azula because of her antics and would only do so after Ursa’s encouragement. Without Ursa, there was no one to encourage the siblings to spend time together anymore.

The envy that both siblings held for another also only grew worse. When Ursa was still there, Azula was being neglected by both parents and her envy against Zuko came from Ursa’s love of Zuko. Of course, Zuko envied Azula as well since she had their father’s approval and acknowledgement but Ursa’s love was strong enough for him to not dwell on it for too long. However, after Ursa left, their roles became reversed and they began to fall out. With Ozai’s constant comparing of both of them, having his pride and ego hurt because his younger sister was better than him, all attention being solely on her, Azula’s taunting, and with the constant reminder by Ozai that he was worthless and a disappointment compared to his sister, it was only a matter of time before he would grow to resent her and block her out completely.

In turn, Azula’s opinion of Zuko only grew worse under Ozai’s complete influence with no one to tell her otherwise. She could only see the faults and mistakes of Zuko because she grew up watching only his mistakes being pointed out. Her father had successfully drilled into her at an early age that power was above everything else and considered the powerless weak and undeserving of respect. Azula hadn’t taken this mindset entirely yet when she was younger because she could see at certain times that her brother was actually fun to be around with and they still spent time with each other. That’s the main priority for a child, fun. But as time progressed, Azula grew to resent Zuko even more as well because her brother became more aloof and her father had a clear low opinion of him.

That’s why in this flashback scene, Azula could be seen smiling, and looking even happier when Ozai was about to burn Zuko.

My guess is that first of all, after realizing their father was Zuko’s opponent, she expected to see a brilliant display of Ozai’s power. It was her first time to see her father fight in front of her eyes (even if it was against her brother). Of course she’d be excited. But Zuko refused to fight and that bored and disappointed Azula. So when Ozai raised his fist, this excited her once more. ‘Finally! Some action!’

Next thing, by this point, Zuko and Azula’s relationship had dropped to a very low point.

I think it’s fine to say that both of them cared very little for each other and they were almost like strangers. All that Azula thought of Zuko by then was just that he was a weak whiny boy who hated her, who scared too easily and didn’t have a backbone. All of those were qualities that Ozai taught her were inferior, disgusting and just despicable. With that mindset, Azula was more than happy enough to see her brother finally get what he ‘deserved’ for being weak and especially losing his honour the moment he begged for forgiveness.

Another factor to consider is her age.

Azula was roughly around 10-11 when she watched the Agni Kai between her brother and father. Believe it or not, but this is a typical reaction from children (and even adults except they mask it well) when they see the person they truly hate, being punished, especially when they believe that the person deserves it and it’s being done by someone they admire. Agni Kais were frequently held as well (to the point that the palace even had its own chamber for it), so this probably wasn’t her first time seeing someone actually get burned.

Most people label her reaction as sadism but it’s actually not. It’s Schadenfreude.

Sadism is when someone takes pleasure in inflicting pain and suffering upon others.

Schadenfreude is when someone takes pleasure from watching people suffer.

Children typically experience Schadenfreude since they’re more prone to expressing their emotions compared to adults. Azula hated her brother. He was nothing more than her weak whiny brooding older brother who stole her mother from her. That was how Azula perceived Zuko.

And finally the most obvious reason for Azula to be smiling upon her brother’s downfall:

She would be Crown Princess of the Fire Nation.

We know that even from a young age that Azula had a desire for power, a quality that was even more so encouraged by Ozai. So when she realized she would be Crown Princess, the next Fire Lord, she couldn’t help but just smile in triumphant. By refusing to fight their father and dishonoring himself, that stripped Zuko off of his honor and birthright to be Crown Prince since a dishonored Prince could not be the heir.

When it comes down to everything, Azula was smiling because she absolutely hated her brother and just did not care for him. They knew they both hated each other and they were basically strangers.

Why would she show concern when Zuko could’ve just defended himself against their father and just fought him as required? By refusing to fight their father, their Fire Lord and finally disgracing himself by begging for forgiveness, this brought dishonor and shame to their father not just once, but twice.

You reap what you sow.

That was what Azula was thinking.

Now this certainly doesn’t excuse Azula’s later actions or Zuko in Book 1, but it does explain why they turned out that way. Zuko would’ve become like Azula, maybe even worse had it not been for Iroh.

Ozai had twisted his children so horribly in those 2 years that they became merely a shadow of their former selves.

Ursa thought she was protecting Zuko, but all that really accomplished was for both her children to be raised by strangers and a monster, turning out even worse off than before.

[intergalacticrp]

NAME :// ZUKO YU ORIGIN :// AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER AGE :// TWENTY-ONE JOB :// SOLDIER FC :// CHITTAPHON LEECHAIYAPORNKUL (TEN)

Another head aches, another heart breaks           I am so much older than I can take                     And my affection, well it comes and goes                               I need direction to perfection, no no no no

BIOGRAPHY ://

Zuko was born into royalty as the eldest child of Ursa and Ozai Yu, but as he grew older the more obvious it became that despite being older, he was not the child that his father wanted to put on the throne. He had always been gentle and soft-spoken as a child, never one to speak up or shout orders. It was due to this nature of his that he grew close with his mother and uncle and his father grew to resent him. He watched from the sidelines as his baby sister Azula quickly took on the leadership that he once believed was meant for him. She did so with ease, tackling problems in minutes that took Zuko hours to find solutions for. He listened silently as he heard her give orders to troops, sending them to their deaths, an action he himself had never quite been capable of doing. His father called him weak yet his mother called him strong for the action. Claiming that in a world torn by war, it took a brave soul to not add to the horrors. But Zuko found it difficult to believe her. After all, everything around him told him differently.

All he had ever wanted was for his father to be proud of him and Zuko tried everything in his power to do so but, nothing seemed to ever be enough to please him. Things with his father had always been tense, but his whole world fell apart with the disappearance of his mother. Zuko was devastated and no matter how many words of comfort his uncle offered, nothing helped, not when his father suddenly became even more harsh than ever before. Ozai was cold towards Zuko, treating him almost as if he weren’t his own son. The only time he ever addressed him as such was to remind him of what a disappointment he was, especially in comparison to his sister. It terrified him, to see that Azula seemed to be turning into their father, that she was growing up to be just as cruel.

Unlike his sister, the majority of Zuko’s life was not spent at the royal palace in comfort, but instead spent fighting in the war that had ravaged their planet for nearly a century. The very same one that his family had started. It began at a war meeting, where instead of sitting quietly, Zuko’s anger got the best of him and he did the one thing he had always been warned not to: he spoke out of turn. It was revealed that hundreds of soldiers were to be used as a distraction, sent away to die. Zuko refused to sit idly by and just let it happen. He stood up, shouting about how it was an unnecessary loss of life. His father responded by splashing his face with boiling water, an action that left him partially blind in one eye and changed his life.

He was sent to go fight in the war after, told he could return home once he had brought honor on his family. His uncle accompanied him and it was through his guidance that Zuko began to understand that he didn’t need to be the person his father wanted him to be. But he was young, lost, and angry at the world, forgetting everything he had ever been taught wasn’t something he was ready to do. Yet even in the darkness that swarmed him during his time in the war, it was where he first met the group that would later be his closest friends. At this time, they were his enemies and he did a lot of things he wasn’t proud of. Even now, Zuko doesn’t like much to speak of the war or his home. All it ever seems to accomplish is bring up memories he simply wants to forget.

When the war ended, Zuko returned home briefly, in the hopes of reconciling his relationship with both his sister and his father. It was a hope that was short-lived. Upon his arrival it wasn’t difficult to see that not much had changed in terms of his acceptance. So he shipped off again, thinking that fighting would be the only thing that ever made his father even the slightest bit proud. It was joining up as a soldier on the asteroid that he finally discovered what a home was. He had never been all that social of a person and he often kept to himself, an ability that allowed for him to keep the identity of who he was a secret. It was a new beginning, a place where he wasn’t known for his father or what atrocities his family had committed. He was just Zuko, the awkward soldier who didn’t smile all that often and enjoyed drinking tea.

Adjusting to life on the asteroid was a difficult transition for Zuko in the beginning. He was used to being alone but with the unfamiliarity of the area around him, loneliness crept in. Along with the growing realization that this wouldn’t make a difference, his father would never care for him as he should, made Zuko feel more lost than he had been in the war. Coming to terms with the knowledge that the man he had spent his whole life trying to make proud, never would be, forced him to wonder what he was even doing. It was at this time that he befriended that group who he had once only known as enemies. He offered an apology and an explanation for his actions and, to his surprise, they accepted it.

Sokka, Aang, Katara, and Toph quickly became Zuko’s first ever real friends. He built up walls at first, constantly keeping his guard up, afraid to let anyone in because he didn’t want to disappoint them. He didn’t want them to abandon him. But, even with his history, they never did. There were moments it didn’t even seem real and Zuko himself wondered why they stuck with him. Friendship was a bit of a foreign concept growing up and there were times he still was unsure if he entirely understood it, but he was starting to.

Now, Zuko finds himself still in the position of a soldier. It’s a much calmer job than it had been back on the planet he grew up on but even though he has the opportunity to do something else, it’s what he’s always known. It’s what he’s always done and now he’s made friends through his career that allow for him to enjoy the work. For as long as he can remember, he’s only held onto his hatred for everything and everyone. But, that’s all washed away now and even if he still is quick to anger or easily annoyed, he’s content. There’s a part of him that’s uneasy because his sister is on the asteroid and he knows her, he knows she’s here to gain power of her own. Despite this, Zuko is happy and he has a home he wants to protect and fight for, not to make someone proud, but because it’s his.

AESTHETIC ://

the ceremonial cutting of hair, being unable to hold back a smile, flames licking at your heels, clenching your fists tight to dispel the pain, the quiet of a forest, loose leaf tea, the warmth of a single touch, holding another’s hand like it’s something precious, never covering your scars, breathing exercises, tentative laughter.

MISC ://

zuko was thirteen when he was permanently half-blinded in his left eye. he spoke out of turn at one of his father’s war meetings, calling out at the obviously needless killings of thousands of their own men, and he suffered for it. his father threw boiling nearly boiling water at him where it was keeping their food warm, and no one in the war room said a word about it, in zuko’s defense or otherwise. they moved on as if nothing had even happened.

he became a soldier in his father’s war after that, but the war was over before he could prove anything. little zuko with his rash decision making was sixteen with no war to make him a hero.

when zuko was eighteen, he became a soldier stationed on the asteroid in an attempt to win back his father’s favor. however, it’s been three long years, and he’s not holding old for any kind of ozai-related miracles anymore. he’s a soldier to this day because that’s all he knows how to be.

he’s from the same planet at jet, smellerbee and longshot; his father was the king that killed their families. it’s a bad part of himself that zuko can’t expel, but he doesn’t know how to tell his new friends that he was that boy and yet isn’t now. everything feels like mud when he tries to think it into clarity. sokka, katara, toph and aang are from the same planet too, but they know exactly who he is. they don’t care. 

he didn’t expect azula to follow him across the universe, nor for her to bring her little friends. she was always father’s favorite, always pretty and perfect in every single way, practical azula who can fight well and think better. sometimes, zuko can see their mother in her face before he has to look away, willing himself not to let her ruin the memories he still has.

CONNECTION ://

azula yu : his little sister, who kind of terrifies him.

sokka hakoda, katara hakoda, aang roku, zuko yu and toph beifong : the friends zuko has made in the here and now. they helped him out of his darkest place.  

jet laogai, shan “smellerbee” lin and lok “longshot” sun : new friends, zuko doesn’t know how to tell them who he is.

ty lee and mai ukano : his sister’s friends. ty lee is nice, and mai is dry, so he generally likes them better than his actual sister.

AVAILABILITY :// OPEN || TAKEN BY LEAH

[agentdagonet]

Echoes, Ch. 35

Find it here on AO3

Find it here on tumblr:  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34

Fic Summary: Feet dangling off the edge of the bed, hands still resting on the earpieces of his glasses, Eggsy opened his eyes.

And promptly shut them again, screwing them shut like a child who had the distinct misfortune of biting into a raw lemon. Breathing harshly in his nose and out his mouth, trying to stave off whatever delusional panic had befallen him, Eggsy reopened his eyes.

‘Harry?’

Or: The Hologram Story Nobody Asked For

AND THAT'S THE END, FOLKS! Let me say that this has been an adventure to write, and a privilege to share, and if any of you have been here since the beginning THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR WAITING and I sincerely hope that the wait was worth it. I don't think I ever could have written this story without knowing you all were there.

To our tiny little fandom, I thank you so much for sharing this experience.

ALTERNATE ENDING WILL BE POSTED AS A SEPARATE STORY IN THIS SERIES. WILL JUST BE TITLED ALTERNATE. The first chapter of it will be a basic repost of the Butterflies conversation with some alterations at the end. I really hope you enjoy it, and I look forward to chatting in the comments!!!

          ‘Someone’s gotta turn off the fuckin’ sun.’ Harry had been dozing, half-asleep, for a while and did not particularly feel up to moving just yet. Eggsy’s demand was certainly not enough to spark action at the moment.

           ‘Well it certainly won’t be me.’ Harry kept his eyes closed, grateful that he was not turned toward the window, and smiled as Eggsy shifted slightly closer and hid his head in Harry’s back. 

           ‘Guess we’ve got to stay in, then. What horror.’ Eggsy’s voice was muffled in the fabric of Harry’s back, which brought the awareness that they were both still fully dressed. ‘How’d we get here, anyway?’

           ‘I’d assume Merlin, somehow; if my memory hasn’t failed me entirely he did meet us in the hanger. The rest of our arrival is fuzzy, though.’ Harry had given up on going back to sleep, content to soak in these moments of simple pleasures. The two of them with no obligations, able to take their time recovering from their too-enthusiastic celebratory distraction. He barely opened his eyes, ready for the overly-bright room, and was met with a card on the nightstand. He reached out a hand, pulling it closer, and opened his eyes fully.

           ‘Seems we’ve been left a message, Eggsy.’

           ‘Mmyeah?’

           ‘Merlin’s left us an experimental hangover cure, some paracetamol if that doesn’t work, and says that he will come for us when he’s good and ready to let us leave.’

           ‘You’re makin’ him sound like a villain, love.’ Harry smiled at the sleepy use of the endearment, all to easily imagining many mornings spent in much this manner, and passed it backward without shifting.

           ‘Read for yourself, then- you’d be surprised how often the man simply doesn’t give a toss about the way other people read his words. Alternatively, he truly is a villain and we’re all doomed. ‘ Harry listened to Eggsy read it under his breath before chuckling.

           ‘Dunno which is worse, but I ain’t gettin’ on his bad side either way.’ Harry hummed agreement, and reached again to the nightstand to grab the unlabelled packets from R&D.

           ‘Kingsman’s had a pill that assists the body in processing alcohol quicker, to allow agents to drink more heavily on missions, for many years. Unfortunately it must be taken before drinking, as any alcohol already present in the system makes it useless. My guess is that this has been in development for some time but the Lake didn’t want to lose the opportunity to test it with real circumstances and not fabricated ones.’ He opened the packets, passed one unmarked phial to Eggsy, ‘To your health,’ he raised it briefly above them before downing the contents in one go.

           It tasted foul, not unlike the grit that remains after having breathed in too much ash, but it left as soon as it had settled on his palate and left behind mint in its wake. Beside him Eggsy gagged briefly, having made the mistake of smelling it before consumption. It was a lesson he was not likely to need again, but Harry laughed all the same at his reaction. At the least he could safely say that the concoction was a success, as the pounding behind his eyes lessened and his stomach ceased its churning.

           ‘And now you know not to let yourself taste anything the Lake gives you to test. Flavour is the absolute last consideration when it comes to developing anything for the Table.’

           ‘You coulda warned me!’

           ‘Of all the things I missed while in my coma, forgive me if common sense was on my list of things I need not teach you.’

           ‘OI!’ Eggsy sat up partially, enough to throw himself bodily over Harry’s side, and there was truly no way to go back to sleep from an action like that.

           ‘This isn’t your most convincing argument to provide you with warnings, my dear.’ Harry left his eyes mostly closed, but slowly reached out a hand to jab into Eggsy’s ribs from his blind spot. Eggsy flailed in surprise and attempted to fight back, but Harry easily flipped them over and pinned him easily, one hand gripping both wrists as the other tickled him mercilessly. When Eggsy’s face was red and he was barely making any noise, Harry let up and let his weight pull him to one side and fell back to the mattress.

           The ways that Eggsy had managed to permeate his life were innumerable, but laughter was by far his favourite

           Eggsy tiredly slapped a hand in Harry’s general direction, but Harry caught it and instead laced their fingers together. What was the point of denying himself the simple pleasure of contact? Eggsy squeezed their joined hands, chest still heaving, and Harry found himself unable to curtail the grin stretching across his face.

           ‘You- bastard.’

           ‘I believe that you’ve been reliably informed that my parents were married at the time of my birth- but if believing otherwise is somehow comforting then who am I to stop you?’ Eggsy’s other hand came out to attempt a hit, but Harry caught that one as well, and turned to face Eggsy with both hands clasped between them. The younger man turned his head, seemingly unwilling to move his body even slightly from where it was, and smiled.

           Fuck the plan.

           ‘I love you.’ There was no hesitation, no pause, no slow blink or glance away as Eggsy spoke- but Harry couldn’t bring himself to reply. ‘I don’ mean I love the idea of you, or the shit Haz taught me, I mean you with the Zuko scar and an unnatural hatred of mornings. I mean the you who argues so well I forget we’re fighting. The you who brings toys for my sister but refuses to take credit for them and instead leaves anonymous notes as if my mum don’t recognise your handwriting by now. The you that managed to get my mum to open back up after everythin’ by trying to apologise for shit you couldn’t change if you tried. And, yeah, I ain’t gonna lie and say that Haz had nothin’ to do with the way it started goin’ from the superficial shit to the real kind of love- don’ think I’d have let myself think of you as human without him, to be honest.

           ‘And I know we’ve been avoiding talkin’ about this- and I don’t need some fancy label or piece of paper sayin’ we’re importan’ to one another. We know, an’ that’s enough; I just want you t’know without any doubts: I love you, and I ain’t going anywhere.’ Eggsy closed his eyes, smile still plastered to his face, and they simply shared air together for a moment before Harry could bring himself to speak.

           ‘Did you know,’ Harry stared at their hands, marvelling at how well they fit together, ‘that I stopped looking for love over a decade ago?’ It was conversational, and Eggsy hummed slightly in reply but made no move to pull away from Harry’s grip. ‘So, naturally, the universe decided to throw you into my life once I had settled firmly into bachelorhood. I had resigned myself to a life without true partnership- our world makes such things impractical and dangerous- had reconciled myself to being married to my work, as it were. I was content, yes- but I’d come to the conclusion that happiness simply wasn’t in the cards for me.

           ‘I’m glad to see that I was wrong. I’ve grown accustomed to your face, as it happens, and I’m greatly looking forward to seeing where our life takes us.’ Harry lifted both hands to his lips, kissing them softly before lowering them back to the bed.

[akiizayoi4869]

#the only times iroh actually tried to guide zuko he either#1) gave zuko advice in a way zuko consistently and explicitly expressed did not make sense to him (aka proverbs)#or 2) spoke directly to him but only mid action after zuko had made his decision and that decision was in progress#its like advising someone not to pick up a sword in a language they don’t speak#or telling them not to cut anything when they’re already on on the down swing#and then afterwards#when he was in prison#he refused to speak to him when zuko tried to reconcile#zuko was a child and iroh was an adult#but boy does his behavior not support that#zuko didn’t owe him that apology#zuko only ever owed the people he hurt and moved against in support of the fn#and that wasn’ iroh#iroh meta#zuko

On Zuko apologizing to Iroh

So I'm probably in the extremely low majority here, but I honestly don't think that Zuko should of had to apologize to Iroh for the choice he made back in Ba Sing Se at all.

The two of them were at sea for three years. During those three years, Zuko only wanted one thing: to return home and restore his honor. To get Ozai's praise and love. Iroh knew this. However, Iroh also knew how much of a bad person Ozai was at this point. I mean, he literally watched him burn half of his son's face. And yet he never tried to persuade Zuko that Ozai wasn't worth it, and that going back to him would do more harm than good. Especially once the two of them were on the run? That would have been the perfect time to get it into Zuko's head. To try and convince him that there was a better path than the one they were currently on. But Iroh never does this. He just continues to feed into Zuko's desire to return home.

Iroh, how exactly was Zuko supposed to just know what the correct way was when you, the only adult with him, never tried to tell him what it was? At least not in a way that made any sense to Zuko? Living in the Earth Kingdom and serving tea wasn't what Zuko wanted at that point. That wasn't the path for him. And yet Iroh tried to force it on him. So I honestly can't even blame Zuko for choosing what he did in the end. Azula gave him a clear path to return home with her, which was the path that he wanted. The path that Iroh gave to Zuko was unclear. The last thing you want to do is walk on a path that you can't see.