#how suki honor this by doing the same

[cienie-isengardu]

"Shells" from Nickelodeon Avatar The Last Airbender: Team Avatar Tales

[bloodbenderz]

there was a lot of mistakes made in the live action but the worst one without reservation was that the creators did not understand patriarchy and they did not understand women's liberation outside of an american context ( or any context if we're being honest )

it's easy to see on a surface level how that fucked up katara's whole character how she wasn't allowed to have her character defining moments how she wasn't allowed to be angry or even excited or impulsive but i think it doesn't really become clear how deeply wrong the show's conception of gender & patriarchy is (and the implications for the political landscape of the show) until you get into how they destroyed sokka's character too

sokka's whole Complex is born of patriarchy. i'm not trying to do men's rights advocacy here but in my experience when a people is under constant threat, constant assault, constant violence (much of which is gendered) and the traditional "protectors" or "providers" of that people are men, the masculine role becomes protecting women and children. i am not saying this is a good thing or a bad thing but it is true the narrative of violent resistance is overwhelmingly about men. to be a man in a time & place like this means fighting to protect your women, & to die for them is honorable. that is where sokka gets this idea that he has to be a warrior & he has to fight & if necessary die for katara & the rest of the tribe. it's about duty. everyone has a part to play, a role to fill

everyone including women! which is the other half of this. the duty of women is to keep up the home, to maintain a country worth fighting & dying for, to raise children so that the community can have a future. it becomes especially obvious in the context of the show when you see how the nwt lives & in specific how yue lives and dies.

many women participate in patriarchy. many colonized women participate in patriarchy. most of my family comes from or still lives in a country completely devastated by colonialism & its aftereffects & many women in my family believe wholeheartedly in the idea that everyone in the house has a role to play. it's not because these women are stupid or they hate themselves. but when you grow up believing that men & women are fundamentally different, and seeing that women are in specific danger because of their gender, it actually makes a lot of sense to expect the men in your family to protect you, and to raise your sons that way.

in practice that means that men aren't really expected to do anything around the house, especially when there's no actual danger. my aunt literally 2 days ago told me this lol like she doesn't make her sons do anything bc she wants to let their lives be easy before they have to go out into the world & take care of their wives & children.

what does women's liberation look like when an entire community is under threat? colonized women have been dealing with this question as long as colonialism has existed. the writers of this show don't even pretend to understand the question, much less to formulate a thoughtful response to it. they just say oh, well, katara, yue, & suki are all the exact same type of liberated girlboss for whom patriarchy is no significant obstacle.

which brings us back to sokka lol. sokka, at the beginning of the show, has completely subscribed to patriarchy, has integrated it into his sense of self. he has a lot of flaws, but he also has a lot of really good traits. his bravery, sense of honor, loyalty, work ethic, selflessness, all of this came from him striving to be a good man. he would die to protect katara, because she's his sister. he also has her wash his socks & mend his clothes, because she's his sister. even after he meets suki, humbles himself, & expands his view of the role a woman can play, he doesn't completely disengage from patriarchy. at the end of the day he believes in his soul that a good man's duty is to fight & if necessary die for his people, & that's exactly his plan. this is a very real psychic burden. pre-aang, it's also largely fictional & completely ridiculous. we're SUPPOSED to think it's ridiculous. he's spending his time training babies & working on his little watchtower. the swt hasn't been attacked since their mother was killed because it has been completely stripped of all value or danger it once held for the fire nation, & everybody knows this. there is very little "men's work" left, aside from hunting & fishing, which is so damaging to sokka's self image he resorts to toddler bootcamp to feel useful. the contradiction here is comical. it's also completely devastating. that's supposed to be the fucking POINTTTT like colonialism & patriarchy convinces this young boy he needs to be a soldier & die for his family. & you know what he does? He acts like a young boy about it. they didn't just leave this unexplored in the remake they completely changed the circumstances to 1. make sokka incompetent for some reason 2. make his "preparations" seem less ridiculous. Which ruins the whole character. Possibly the whole show.

all this makes the writing of katara & the other women infinitely more offensive to me. katara is a good character because she believes in revolution. she wants to liberate her people from imperialism, & she wants to liberate women from colonial gendered violence, traditional patriarchy in her own culture, & the complicated ways those things interact. it is LITERALLY the first thing you're supposed to learn about her. she's the PERFECT vehicle to address the question of women's liberation under colonialism. one of the things i was most looking forward to seeing in this show was how labor is distributed in a place where almost everything that needs to get done is "women's work" & how it affects katara & sokka's day to day relationship when their lives weren't at risk constantly. what actually are her responsibilities every day, & how do they compare to sokka's? how does her grandmother enforce these traditions with katara & sokka, & how is that informed by her own experiences in the nwt? what does patriarchy look like in a tribe made up of mostly women & children? it's so important to who katara is & what she believes! but why bother exploring any of that when u could instead make her a shein model who has nothing in common with the source material except her hairstyle lol.

yue is actually even worse to me bc yue is supposed to be sokka's counterpart. she's supposed to show you how destructive it is for women specifically to internalize this gendered duty so completely. it sucks for sokka, but he is a man & thus his prescribed role gives him some agency. yue's role affords her no agency whatsoever, & this is the POINT. to make her someone who's allowed to break things off with her fiance if she likes, who sneaks off to do what she wants when she's feeling stressed, whose will is respected as a monarch, like what is even the point of yue anymore? in the original the whole reason she was even allowed to spend time with sokka was because her father knew she was with a trustworthy boy. her story completely loses all significance when the dimension of patriarchy is removed from it. the crux of her whole story is that she is not just a princess but the literal & spiritual representation of the motherland. that's what women are supposed to represent during wartime, at the cost of their own sense of self. in order to fulfill her duty to her people she gives her life to them in every single way that matters.

it's just so unbelievably frustrating (and WRONG) that the only types of characters for these writers are "soulless misogynistic fuck" and "liberated american-style feminist." there's no nuance at all! they don't bother exploring how real love manifests in patriarchal communities, & how patriarchy defines the limits of that love. or how for so many of these people their idea of goodness, morality, & honor is gendered. or how imperialism affects not just individuals but entire cultures & their conceptions of gender. but why do any actual work when you could completely change sokka & katara's general demeanors, their entire personalities, & their roles in the tribe so you can dodge any & all nuance

Anyways. in conclusion. it was bad

[deadghosy]

🌊⛰️🔥🌪️

MODERN! READER WITH GAANG

𖤓PROMPT: you fell inside your comfort show.

✧ ೃ༄*ੈ✩it was during book 2, you were happy to see toph show her father that she can take care of herself. You had wished to see it in person. And booom! You were suddenly in the show where you can see Aang get busted free from the metal cage.

✧ ೃ༄*ੈ✩after the whole fight scene, toph noticed you and pointed you out. You knew there was no chance in running, so you outed yourself out. By calmly saying you are from another world. As much as you sounded crazy, they laughed while Toph knew you weren’t lying by your heart rate. You showed them your phone and that’s when the main Trio stops laughing and got curious

✧ ೃ༄*ੈ✩Sokka most definitely will ask if the ladies back in your time era are attractive, you said yes and this boy was asking to see what they look like on your phone 😭

✧ ೃ༄*ੈ✩and that’s how you got into the gaang. You were the therapist of the group, always listening to their troubles and helping them with all the knowledge you knew about their characters.

✧ ೃ༄*ੈ✩katara always likes to rant about her day to you, and you don’t mind which makes her feels comfortable around her. Book 1 katara was very open on making friends. Book 2, I’ll say the same. If you had meet book 3 katara, YOU BETTER HAD PRAY FOR MERCY LMAO.

✧ ೃ༄*ੈ✩aang likes to play with you with his airbending, and you enjoy the hell out of it. Literally you would smile with the brightest smile, and Aang smiles with you along. Just two sunshines having fun.

✧ ೃ༄*ੈ✩toph likes how you taught her swear words. You and toph curse like sailors😈 lmao. Aang accidentally got influenced and that make katara step in and shut shit down 😭😭.

✧ ೃ༄*ੈ✩you love appa and momo! These furry cuties love you too as appa always licks your face when you show up. Momo sometimes leaps on your shoulders, maybe even trying to share a fruit with you.

✧ ೃ༄*ੈ✩Aang steals your big shirts, and you would try to match with him which makes him even like you more as a friend. You turn into his best friend right there and now.

✧ ೃ༄*ੈ✩with you being a non-bender..protectiveness is to the roof! Literally even if you can fight. There’s still bending that can take you down without a single thought. The people who at your body guards are Aang, toph, Katara, and Zuko. The four powerful benders. But the ones who stick the most are Zuko and toph. Toph because she likes how fierce your personality is. Zuko, Zuko is just himself. Plus he needs more friends.

✧ ೃ༄*ੈ✩Zuko awkwardly ask you a lot of questions from your generation. Like a lot to the point you grabbed his lips shut. That’s when Zuko knew, you weren’t playing games.

✧ ೃ༄*ੈ✩headcannon on zuko and you just being awkward teens not knowing how to start the conversation so all he starts off is, “so, is war a thing in your world?” The way you gave him a wild side glance.

✧ ೃ༄*ੈ✩I can see you making the gaang learn slangs LMAO. You made katara understand the wordings of “What you being messy for?” And she started to use on toph and Sokka 😭😭 you’d probably give Aang a short ass but wholesome slang.

✧ ೃ༄*ੈ✩if you had curly hair, and not some katara curly hair iykwim. I mean like 4c ass hair that I possibly have 😭. I can see katara just amazed and ask in g to comb it which you quickly say no to. Toph, just stands there but probably does touch it when bored. People who ask to touch it is suki, Zuko, and Aang. Those three are people who I can see ask before doing it. Sokka will ask, but will touch it as it ask after 🧍🏾

✧ ೃ༄*ੈ✩big headcannon Sokka training you on sword fighting, but then Zuko comes in because Sokka is apparently “showing” you the wrong way lol.

✧ ೃ༄*ੈ✩suki most definitely would love to teach you her ways of fighting. Plus chi blocking. Once you mastered it, she would take it up a notch and have you spar with her. In honor of her teaching, you agree. You had the upper hand until she practically cheated by distracting you. Making you lose your focus, she nailed you down. But in all warfare, it was full of laughter and friendship.

✧ ೃ༄*ੈ✩imainge you showing them that “car” comercial..(of course toph can’t see it lmao) 😭 ZUKO PROBABLY BURNT YOUR PHONE 😨 ALL BECAUSE HE GOT SCARED

[marymary-diva17]

A marriage of peace and political (3)

zuko x reader x male mai

The daughter that had been gone for many years had finally come home, arriving back at the nation of her birth. It had been so many years she had laid eyes on her people and they had laid eyes on her. She was no longer the young woman that had been married off for peace, she was a woman,wife, and mother, lady or fire nation and southern water tribe. She had become that is respect and trusted by all of the nation, she had master her skills in bending and ruling a nation as well.

Y/n " ......."

Sokka " there have been reports of former fir nation prisoners being released in numbers"

y/n " well yes it had been discussed those how didn't commit crimes that are very bad and make them a danger to the public, have been released and allowed to start over"

sokka " oh"

y/n " yes most of them have started brand new lives in earth kingdom"

katara " you seem to know alot about this"

y/n " I was the on who made the idea and spoke about to the fire nation council, and they have approved of it"

aang " that a wonderful idea y/n giving other a chance in life again"

y/n " yes"

earth king " lady y/n I will like to ask you about trade between the earth kingdom and fire nation, as my nation will like to use more metal in our stuff"

y/n " well your majesty you are in luck there are some companies that will, love to do with you company with a great deal in to them as well"

earth king " we can make that happen"

bato " it seems like thing have been going well for you in the fire nation, four sons and the title of lady y/n"

y/n " yes after the war had ended change had to come it was not easy, and slow at first but we are getting there"

hakoda " if you don't mind me asking how has the former fire lord been after that fight between him and the avatar" there had been uprising because of ozai which ended bad for him in the end, and good for everyone else.

sokka " yes the fire nation had taken him away"

y/n " he been placed under arrest in the nation watched closely, he can no longer bending after aang had taken it away"

aang " sorry about that"

y/n " it okay zuko and azula rule together as one"

toph " wow you think they will be fighting for the crown and title"

y/n " they haven't it seems like they came to terms that their father had used them"

katara " that good"

hakoda " has he meet the boys"

y/n " yes he has under the watch of zuko,azula, and iroh they don't trust him and either do I"

noble man " so the evil fire lord got to see the grandchildren before her own father"

y/n " my dear sir will you like to say that louder"

noble man " oh no I didn't mean it like ..."

y/n " I know how you meant it dear sir"

sokka " sister sorry about that"

y/n " it okay"

squire " excuse me the kyohsi warriors have arrived"

hakoda " that kyohis warriors"

squire " yes chef they ar the guards of your daughter and grandchildren"

sokka " that means suki with them let them in please" soon the door open and soon walked in suki and some of her warriors.

y/n " suki welcome I'm guessing my husbands sent you to come"

suki " y/n hello and yes I and some of the women came to, see you and my nephews where are they"

y/n " being their usual selves like always"

sokka " sukki welcome"

suki " sokka it good to see you are doing well" sukki had given sokka a cold glare.

hakoda " welcome ladies you will be our guests while you are all here guarding my daughter and grandson, I have warriors here if you need help"

kyohsi warrior " where has been for the last couple years oh yes here"

suki " I and my warriors are honored to be here and if we need help we will ask"

sokka " well I think we can call the meeting of day one to an end"

hakoda " yes I hope to have discussions with the fire lords and other fire nation officials"

y/n " you will father I will make sure of it" you had looked at your father and bowed your head in respect to the room and they did the same as well. You soon left the room with the kyoshi warriors following you as well.

suki " we have thought you will need some support against them"

y/n " thank you it going to be a very long time here"

y/n " let go find the boys" you soon started walking down the steps towards the village center.

????? " hey y/n wait up" you had heard your name getting called your siblings and their friends soon showed up, they race to meet you on the finally step.

katara " we were wondering if we can come with you"

y/n " oh"

sokka " well we haven't been with you in so many years we missed so much in your life"

toph " yes snow princess and it seems like sugar queen and boomerang boy have been dying to get to know their nephews, a bit more"

aang " yes we will love to get to now them knowing that I might be their uncle in the future"

katara " yes aang speaks the truth"

suki " i don't thin that a good idea...."

y/n " it okay suki you all can come with us to find the boys" you soon stepped off the finally step along with everyone else, you were trying to see the boys.

kid " hey come on we have to go see this match"

kid 2 " I'm coming I'm coming"

kid 3 " this will be so cool"

sokka " hey what going on here"

kid 4 " there this battle going to take place between some of boys here and some boys that arrived here for the event" you right away knew the other boys are your sons.

katara " we should go see what this is all about"

y/n " I have a feeling" the group of adults made their way to see what was the matter, and soon saw your four boys across from some other kids.

sokka " what going on here"

teen " just a friendly match that all we have been doing it all day while the adults are talking"

sokka " oh my spirts"

hakoda " what with all the chaos here"

sokka " dad it seems like the kids have found a way to keep themselves entertained by some matches"

hakoda " you all wish to battle these boys form fire nation"

crowd " fire nation boys"

hakoda " yes these boys are from very high rank family"

teen 2 " so they are nobility"

Muko " well yes and no"

hakoda " are you boys sure about this match this is way different here as it being snow, you might not be used to the environment"

izo " well I think we will do well"

uze " it seems like a good match as we been watching the rest and study"

man " study my boys here are good benders from our family they can take on anyone"

hakoda " boys are you sure about this"

muko,izo, and uze " yes" the three boys looked at their mother brother who seem, not to care that much about this whole situation.

zoja " I don't care it will be fun to knock down egotistical people down a bit"

teen 3 " you think you are going to beat us"

zoja " maybe"

muko " maybe we enter the battle sir as this is your tribe" hakoda looked at you as you nodded your head.

hakoda " sure"

y/n " boys remember what you father, aunt, uncles, and mother have helped you learn"

the boys " yes lady y/n"

suki " this is going to be interesting" everyone had taken their seats and started watching the battle began.

teen " we will go easy on you four"

zoja " oh we will make sure to go easy on you not wishing to humiliate you all front of everyone watching"

teen " huh ... ahhh" the first teen had soon been pinned against a ice wall by some draggers. These draggers belong to uze who was now smiling at the boy.

izo " lets go" izo and muko soon went after two of the fire bending at them, making the boys lost thier balance and soon fall down a small hole.

zoja " now are you going to give up or do we have to fight"

teen 4 " I will never back down" zoji had tossed some draggers at the boy but he missed it, which was part of zoja plan as the man had ran at him soon hitting his legs soon sending the boy falling to the ground.

teen 4 " hey I can't move what did you do"

zoja " found your pressure points dont worry I will fix it" zoji had undone what he did, the boy could move his legs again but had soon been pinned down a dragger in his shirt sleeve.

muko " mother did we make your proud" everyone was looking at you as the boys looked at you.

y/n " good job"

katara " that was amazing they moved so fast like it was nothing"

sokka " wait so muko and izo can bend fire while uze and zoja are no bender but fight like Mao and ...."

suki " ty lee had taught all the boys here skills of taking down enemies"

katara " those were some water bending moves"

y/n " yes I taught them that"

aang " that amazing"

hakoda " that was amazing boys"

y/n " yes I proud of you all and it seems like iroh has helped you all learn some new moves as well"

zoja " yes and over some tea and wisdom" the boys soon help the other boys up and free from their traps.

muko " good match maybe in our rematch you can beat us"

teen " you have a deal and you taught us a good lesson thank you"

uze " your welcome"

suki "good jobs it seems like you are taking our lessons well"

the boys " aunt suki" the boys had ran to go greet thier aunt happy to see she was here.

sokka " wait so you knew of them this whole time"

suki ' yes as guard to the royal family I got to be there for your sister and them, when you were here helping the world"

uze " aunt suki had helped us learn some combat skills, wait so you are the guy she meet many years ago that was being rude and mad at women had beat him in combat"

sokka " oh you kids have bene told about that"

zoja " yes we have heard many things about you all from our mother and others"

katara " I hope they were all good things"

Muko " oh yes some good thing here and there"

y/n " come on children there is some place I wish to take you all" the kids had nodded their heads, and soon followed you outside form the village and towards some grave sites.

y/n " hello mother and gran gran I have come home it has been so long, since I was here but I haven't come alone I have brought my children as well .... I have a wonderful marriage and wonderful family as well" you had bowed your head toward the two graves and the kids had done the same as well.

katara " mom will be so proud of you sister she will be proud of us all"

y/n " yes she will be proud"

hakoda " yes she will be proud of our family and now we have four new members to add to the family" the boys had looked at each other and soon back at hakoda.

katara " dinner will be served later today will you and the children care to join us"

y/n " kids do you feel like having a family dinner"

muko " we will love that mom"

y/n " well then it agreed on we will love to come"

aang " good there will be meat options and vegetation as well, so there will be many cheese"

izo " thank you for telling us that avatar aang"

aang " you can call me aang boys" the boys had nodded their heads later on family dinner had been served, the boys seem to be having a good time.

katara " y/n are you really happy in your relationship with zuko and Mao, you did marry them after all that happened between the avatar team and them"

y/n " yes I'm happy with them katara and I was there as well during some of the moments of war, I have learned to forgive them and see them in good light"

katara " oh"

y/n " so when we will be expecting another but for you and aang this time around"

katara " we have been talking about marriage but the question hasn't been asked yet"

y/n " don't worry he will ask soon and I know your marriage will be good"

katara " thank you sister and when I get married I will love you and your family to be there as well, and maybe the boys will have cousins to play with in the future"

y/n " yes that will be wonderful"

katara " are you planning to have another kid or this four enough"

y/n " well yes I will love one more kid to added to my family and I have a feeling this time it will be water bender"

katara " that will be amazing to see my sister"

y/n " yes it will be" you had smiled while driving some tea and keeping up conversation with your sister and the others. It was easy to tell there was some unspoken tension between suki and sokka. The feast had come to end and everyone was heading back to their rooms they will be staying.

Hakoda " y/n I'm really happy you came home it has been to long, since you were here"

y/n " yes it has father"

sokka " maybe when you are here to we can see if you can talk you into staying here a bit longer"

Izo " staying here"

y/n " thank you brother but I will need to have that discussion with my husbands and the kids, before think about a matter of moving and them being the heirs of nation will not be easy"

sokka " yes we understand sister"

suki " we will be taking you back to where you are staying and it not far from us as well"

y/n " thank you good night everyone" you soon bowed your head toward your family and the rest of avatar team, as you had been escorted to where you will be staying with the kids. The boys had bene helped out of their clothes by the servants and soon went off to bed.

suki " what are you doing"

y/n " writing a letter to my husbands, my sister in law, and Iroh giving them an update of what happen today and hoping one of them will come a day sooner"

suki " that a good idea"

y/n " so you and sokka is that still a close scroll or no"

suki " i don't know things didn't end well between me and him, and I still haven't found a way to forgive him"

y/n " I understand suki but thank you for coming here"

suki " anything for my friend I will be retiring for the night but not far away, I also made a route for the guards to switch shifts tonight ... but we also have water tribe guards as well"

y/n " thank you suiki sleep well" suki soon left you had gotten done with the letters and rolled them up, as you walked towards the message hawk and place the rolled up letters into it hold.

y/n " be safe flying back home friend to the fire nation palace" the hawk soon took off into the air leaving the southern water tribe and the freezing north. You had soon got dressed for bed and laid in the bed, praying the rest of the time here will be good. There had been some news you had kept from everyone, that was meant to be shared later on but that might not go to plan after all. Right now your duty was to keep the peace for the two nation, and make sure you children stay safe as well. Just maybe you will be able to rebuild your relationship with your family and tribe, and everything will be god juts mayeb indeed.

[solar-plant-princess]

Everything I see and hear about the live action remake of Avatar is just a spit in the face. It’s so disrespectful to the characters. The writing is a mess and unfocused. And they routinely attempt to sanitize and soften all the characters, deflating the value and purpose of their character arcs.

There is nothing they can do to salvage this. The actors deserve far better than to be stuck in this poorly written disaster.

This is the end state of all soulless cash grab remakes. Gut out all the worthwhile character development in order to make room for empty set pieces and gags in a desperate attempt to replace heart with a modicum of entertainment value. They aren’t interested in telling a new or even good story, they just want to cash in on brand recognition and will take out all the worthwhile stuff and add unnecessary fluff the whole way.

Don’t give them anymore money, don’t watch the show, don’t watch the future seasons. Don’t waste your time on a show that will only ever respond to you wanting genuinely good content with a spit to the face.

Also the meta level sexism of removing ALL of Katara’s personality is just disgusting (same with literally every other named woman character, the genuine misogyny from the writers is on full display the entire time), it’s literally on par with the play episode where the actress is constantly whining about “hope” while doing nothing else, that’s legitimately where they are at.

Zuko fights back against his dad, and doesn’t even mention his honor ever, so what’s even the point of his redemption arc if he had that in him from the start?

Aang doesn’t run away from his responsibilities (or the Air Temple for that matter, he just gets caught in a storm by chance) or need to learn how to accept being the Avatar, or even feel guilt about what happened to the Air Nomads so what’s the point of his arc?

Sokka doesn’t need to unlearn his false bravado or learn how to be a real leader, literally being written out of the Jet episode where he was the starring protagonist, so what’s the point of his arc?

I’m willing to put actual money on Toph’s parents actually just letting her leave and in fact will not even condescend to her about her disability. What’s the fucking point of this show if none of the characters are allowed to have any flaws or growth or personality????

(I also simply can’t ever forgive them for the broad daylight murder and butchering of Suki. Taking a strong confident leader who humbled Sokka by force into accepting that women were just as worthy and capable as men and made him not just accept but embrace her culture. To a spoiled brat that spends her entire screen time being boy crazy, and teaches Sokka literally nothing other than some fighting moves while THANKING him for “bringing the world to me”, by which she means being a boy she can oogle at. This isn’t Suki, this isn’t Katara, the writers are beyond sexist pigs for this shit.

They wanted to improve Sokka’s reputation that wasn’t even threatened and in turn reduced every single named woman to flat-caricatures of incapable, quiet, obedient, boy obsessed little girls all of which rely entirely on the men in the show to do anything.

This is beyond the pale in overt but unacknowledged misogyny which is an insult to every member of the audience especially all the women in the audience. They make it very clear they actually just agree with not-that-covert sexism and patriarchy and it’s disgusting. Never watch this show, dear god never show this to kids who might pick up on this dogshit misogyny)

[casualdadnomad]

in honor of having to choose my classes for next semester this week (not excited), modern gaang in class headcanons <3

masterpost :)

everyone has to take gen ed classes obviously which means they're making toph talk about literature and aang do math

headcanon: katara fucking sucks at art

i think she would definitely put a lot of effort in but it just wouldn’t look how she wanted it to

it definitely pisses her off

so for her art credit she took ceramics and smashed a few vases

the thing about sokka is that genuinely he is seen in the show as having an interest in EVERYTHING

he does art, he is athletic, he does math and science, he goes to the library, he does poetry COME ON

he is practically the group tutor at this point

someone give me a flaw for him academically because i can’t find one!

aang hates math so fucking much

he takes a foundational math class for his gen ed and it is his worst class probably ever

he absolutely loves classes that are more nuanced and subjective though, like ethics and philosophy courses

(there it is that’s gotta be sokkas weakness)

katara loves history

suki and azula are in a lot of the same classes and are insanely competitive with their grades

suki usually comes out on top

zuko and azula both take the same firebending courses and it’s nightmarish

whenever there’s sparring to do azula will volunteer herself and zuko so she can annihilate his ass

zuko and ty lee as theatre students decided to take their science credit together and ended up in a biology class and hate it

they understand none of it and they’ll get together to study and then just look at each other like “do u know what we’re supposed to do? no? me neither.”

mai takes a still life drawing class for an art credit and low key has the time of her life

she really enjoys it and finds it relaxing, even when she pretends not to

toph being in earth bending and chemistry means a lot of science and i think she would really enjoy that

however

she does have to take some humanities classes for gen ed and she HATES those

like sokka she doesn’t love subjective classes

there needs to be a right answer and if there’s not she will MAKE a right answer

this one’s a little short but i am very sleepy and it is only noon thirty thank u for reading 😁

[narrativelysignificantturtleduck]

ok i know the sex ed post was ages ago but I saw it in your most liked tab and it got me thinking, particularly with zukka, that even though they had sex ed they wouldn't have had gay sex ed. zuko grew up with sailors + the royal family in homophobic fire nation, and sokka got probably taught by gran gran about having babies. so all i can think is that if they decided to take that step when older, they are gonna have no clue what to do. queue sokka very very awkwardly shuffling up to bato who he knows is in a relationship with his dad and saying can I ask a question. promise not to laugh at me. except bato is less amused and more mildly horrified that sokka has chosen him to answer these questions

oh my god yeah. like, i'm not sure gran-gran's sex ed would've been heteronormative - depends on what you think the southern water tribe's attitudes are - but there's a very strong possibility that sokka, as a sexist teenage boy who thought he was straight, may have been like GRAN-GRAN EWWW STOP LALALA I'M NOT LISTENING

like the convo went: here's how babies happen -> sometimes grown-ups do this without the intent to make babies -> people can also do it with people of the same physical sex -> sokka running away screaming

he now regrets that.

for zuko, i think he might have. um. hands-on experience. y'know. on the ferry. with jet. does that prepare him for being in an actual relationship? probably not.

i'm not sure either of them would want to ask for guidance tbh. both of them canonically have experience with women (azula saying "mai seems to be in a good mood lately" had an undertone to it, sokka and suki in "the southern raiders") and zuko has some experience with men, so they'd probably just assume it's fine. figure it out as they go. it can't be that hard, right?

that said the image of sokka asking bato for advice on having gay sex is SO funny. bato knew he was signing up to be a dad when he started dating hakoda but he didn't think he'd have to give The Talk. also he has to be really careful about what examples he uses since his current gay sex partner is sokka's dad. (i imagine bato had some other relationships, but they all ended bc they realized he'd never value them above hakoda.) also sokka is asking specifically because he wants to have sex with the fire lord and like bato knew they were dating but he's never gonna get over how weird his life is now. "my stepson is asking me advice on gay sex so he can fuck the fire lord". truly wild.

meanwhile zuko has started spending time at piandao's bc he needs a father figure since iroh fucked off to ba sing se (plus piandao knows fire nation politics & can help him navigate being the fire lord) so he walks in one day and is like "yeah i have a question. not about politics but uhh. personal stuff" and piandao's like "oh what is it" and zuko tells him and piandao is like "i'm so honored you're asking me" and goes to his library and finds him a guide to gay sex that got banned in the fire nation but piandao managed to find a copy (he has a lot of illegal gay lit) and hands it to him like. go have fun kiddo. i'm rooting for you guys.

the other possibility is that suki (who is still dating sokka, they have an open relationship) finds out they want to have sex and knowing the state of their sex ed decides that they need a Lesson. it's a very good lesson because kyoshi island has very good queer positive sex ed but sokka has some interesting feelings about his girlfriend teaching him how to have sex with his boyfriend. not bad feelings. just interesting

ANYWAYS this is a fun topic and thank you for the mental image of sokka asking bato about gay sex

[jet-apologistmybadhomies]

i find it VERY funny everytime ppl call sokka the "rizzmaster" or "backbender" and then CANON sokka is over here Like

" do u want to do an .. Activity together" before he puts food in his mouth to stop talking also i think" i am also kinda a Prince where i am from" should get mentioned its funny

same with suki "sorry for interupting your dance lessons ladies" ( or Something like that)

THAT MAN DOES NOT KNOW HOW TO FLIRT HE IS JUST CUTE😭

even in Comics he often fails very badly in flirting

the only time he genuinly is good at it is in ba sing se Where he was spitting Bars fr fr

but then he fucked it up last minute and got kicked out😭

(btw no qoute here is 100% accurate but it still is what he said )

also Something i think should get a honorable mention is

"hellloooo" BRO

look at his lil feet

[chaoticly-shy-dragon]

so I am working - dragging my feet - through natla (1 episode left) and I thought I would share some of my thoughts and commentary:

Iroh: You must use your tact, your empathy-

Season 1 Zuko: [looks back at him]

*

Canon s1 ep3 Zuko: You... are working with Zhao. Willingly.

Show s1 ep3 Zuko: Yes? What's the problem? He is annoying but that's mostly it.

Canon!Zuko: UNCLE! DID YOU PUT SPIRIT MUSHROOMS IN MY TEA AGAIN?! I'M HAVING LUCID NIGHTMARES!!

Other random thoughts:

[Suki proceeds to defy gravity with her fan to impress Sokka]

Me, exasperation incarnate: Suki, I didn't know you were an airbender!

and

[Previous incarnation avatar bashing sesh]

Me: [...] But I love Zuko-Iroh interactions

[The one scene. Zuko is shouting how they can't just ask around. Iroh is offering advice until he gets distracted by street food.]

Me: The fact Zuko stood there for a few seconds trying to figure what this proverb means before he realizes its very much not a proverb - cackling

Second-hand long-suffering friend, who is at the end of her wits after hearing me talk about the butchering of Kyoshi's character for 20 minutes: XDDDD He legit thought rice had sth to do with it XD

there is more but it's more of

Oh no, he is hot.

And oh no he is also hot

Why is every extremist hot?!

Bumi is very bitter. Very.... Jaded.

Aang has no situational awareness: He did not just ask Zhao (Zuko too) to let him go so he can go save other enemies of the Fire Nation. He didn't.

Also. Why the firebender this, firebender that. Are the Fire Nation non-benders saints or something??

Mai casually says Ozai sucks for not thinking Azula is perfect <- Me: I mean she is absolutely right but she would not say that.

Azula's whole. Thing. I felt the narrative was trying very desperately to make her seem competent and clever but the fact that Iroh's thoughts insinuated the frontal attack on the Northern Water Tribe was her idea left me in stitches

But yeah. They nerfed Azula

Zuko - feral, bloodthirsty, a loser. <- Me: Oh my god they captured his essence! Minus the honor thing!

ZUKO NOT SAYING HONOR

THE TRAVESTY OF SOKKA NOT WEARING A DRESS

I WANT SOKKA IN KYOSHI WARRIOR UNIFORM

Katara not having any emotions ::: Aang walks all over her saying he can't support her in her fight against the patriarchy that is actually just Pakku and Yugoda or whatever was happening in the 7th episode: Katara doesn't blow up at him. Sokka calling her a little girl and never actually apologizing about the whole Jet accusation especially when he did the same with the Mechanist. : Katara doesn't blow up at him

Me: sounds fake but okay

At this point when Toph comes along Katara will let her not be a part of the Team (no Gaang just Team Avatar) and not contribute and not bond and NO FOUND FAMILY TROPE

Aang teaching Katara waterbending, Aang not goofing off, No Kataraang (not even a smidge) - something in me shriveled up and died.

Why is Azula soft??????

And why is Ty Lee assertive and forthcoming??? Just?? Why????

And finally, my second favorite:

Azula, trying very hard not to mention Zuko's ludicrous tenacity: Commander Zhao is a great asset... Maybe he needs better resources to showcase his true potential.

Zhao who barely passed his exams according to Jee the gossip queen: Yes, I do need the best resources. Give me all the 'sources.

[sokkastyles]

ATLA LA Ep2 Let's go:

I love that they kept a lot of the original music, but one thing I could have done without is the generic three-note chord to signal a cut to a scene with a villainous character. Those specific notes have been parodied too often for me to take it seriously. It's one thing that always jarred me in the original and it is especially jarring in live action to hear music that signifies a cartoon villain is about to walk on screen.

Zuko throwing things and chewing the scenery my beloved

"He ran! He's a coward!" I do love the angle of Zuko being confronted with the reality of what he thought would be a glorious destiny. There are two reasons Zuko associates not fighting with cowardice. One is because of what he believes about the fire nation as a whole, but also because of what his father made him believe about himself.

I do like that Aang is identifying that controlling the Avatar State is a problem he needs to solve. It gives me hope that the writers are trying to actually flesh out that plot point where the original failed. I don't like that there's been no mention yet of him needing to learn waterbending. Which brings me to...

Yes, Katara, it IS unbelievable that you've learned waterbending in a day all because Aang said some mumbo to you about energy. That's why I don't believe it. Katara does grow fast in the original, too, but it still feels organic. Here it doesn't and once again, it feels like they are giving that credit all to Aang and I hate that. I also hate that this is Katara's motivation rather than the Katara who took it upon herself to make sure the Avatar learned waterbending whether he wanted to or not.

There is something missed by Kanna giving Katara the waterbending scroll. Idk, trying not to compare to the original because I did want Kanna to be more active in Katara's life. But I get the same feeling of loss here as Aang already having Appa's whistle. Those two things in the original were part of a point about the tragedy of cultural attrition, that Aang has to buy back a cultural artifact that the seller does not even know the true meaning of, that Katara has to steal hers from pirates who already stole from her culture. It also begs the question that if Kanna had that scroll the whole time, why didn't she show it to Katara before, who was so desperate to learn waterbending?

Zuko talking about being gone three years, clearly ecstatic at the thought that his banishment will come to an end, while Iroh looks like he's about to send his son to his death for the second time. Kudos to the actors' faces expressing so much in that one scene.

The actor for Sokka is very good-looking.

Aang and Katara playing in the water was cute, but they seem even farther apart in maturity here than in the original. Even that scene comes across as a much older sister honoring a young child. I don't get a sense of Katara as someone yearning to be a child.

She's not wrong about the Avatar bringing connections, but Aang showing off isn't really the best illustration of that concept.

Okay, so, I saw some people complaining about Suki wanting to leave home "because of a boy" and like, that also happened in the original. What feels kinda pat here is that we've also added overprotective mom to the mix, which I don't love. When I said I wanted Suki's mom I meant I wanted to know how Suki became a warrior, I wanted to see more women bonding with other women and women's autonomy being treated as normal. Not whatever this is.

So they don't already know Zhao here? That's less interesting. Also "actual royalty." Another log to keep the "Zhao is a royal bastard" theory burning. Heh, burning.

Sokka is still a prick about girls fighting, everyone can rest easy now. Also his reaction when Suki tries to flirt with him the same way he does with her is exactly how that would play out in real life.

Aang avoiding fighting out of fear of his own power adds an interesting dimension to his character which is only briefly touched on in the original.

Zuko and Katara 1v1 yes!!!

Katara flashbacking to her mom's death during her first real fight is a nice touch.

KYOSHI!!!

Zhao wasn't very impressive until Zuko accidentally gave him a foothold, then that shit-eating grin was great.

I'll hold off on really commenting on this because I haven't gotten that far yet, but I heard that Ozai is more willing to praise Zuko here and it just does not make a lot of sense to me, not only because that is not how that kind of parent works, but also because hearing the news from Zhao, who would 100% play up Zuko having discovered and then LOST the Avatar, would just make Ozai see Zuko as more of a failure for having come close. Unless Zuko does something spectacular in the next few episodes I don't see Ozai being impressed.

[cienie-isengardu]

The Last Agni Kai is my top favorite fight in the ATLA because of the music, colors, choreography and the tragic sense of two siblings forced to battle each other but I’m still not sure why Zuko and Katara needed to confront Azula instead of being part of team Avatar in the final, the most important battle. Like, I get it thematically, as Azula and Zuko had their own storyline to resolve and so on, but from the perspective of in-universe events? Taking the title of Fire Lord would mean nothing, if Aang was killed by Ozai and the man returned to Fire Nation as a winner against Avatar, leaving Zuko and Katara on enemy territory all on their own, to either fight to the last breath or flee. 

Azula, as just crowned Fire Lord, was not that big of threat at that moment because ATLA takes place in a world that has limited long-distance communication and it was not like she had an idea what was going on with Ozai or if he was attacked by Avatar or not. She was far away from Earth Kingdom and would not be able to travel fast enough to aid her father, no matter how much she would want to do so. She would need to learn first about her father’s defeat to plan revenge or counterattack - what gives the White Lotus & alliance forces some time to plan the next step. With Ozai defeated, Zuko could come back to challenge her for the throne the same as he did originally. And even if he died during the final battle against Ozai and/or Ozai’s forces, there is still Iroh with a legit claim to the throne, right? Not to mention the psychological blow to Fire Nation’s psyche, if Avatar came to Fire Nation with their dead or depowered “great” Fire Lord.

And sure, Zuko taking throne with Avatar’s support wouldn’t put him in the best light, considering how his people were raised on imperialism and propaganda, but let’s be real here, his original regime was too controversial for the sole fact he left his country to aid Avatar and his future politics were aimed at peace and repairing damage done by Fire Nation across the world. On that matter alone, coming back to face Azula with the whole Gaang at his side won’t change that much.

My problem with how Zuko and Katara were sidelined on a different mission is not just the whole Iroh’s hypocrisy of I can’t fight my brother ‘cause history will remember it bad but you definitely should go fight your sister for the Fire Lord title. It is just the disappointment we didn’t have a chance to see Zuko, Katara, Sokka, Toph and Suki united like the Old Masters, all different elements in harmony, benders and non-benders supporting each other and together defeating the common enemy; the new generation all here for Avatar so their friend could focus on his task. Dunno if I make sense, but I truly wish that our young representatives of all cultures were there together, as there should be Zuko - firebender - standing against the corruption and deprivation of once honorable Nation, the same as Katara (waterbender) should be allowed to partake in mission alongside her brother, as they together went against the world since the first episode. 

Like I said, I love The Last Agni Kai, but damn, we were robbed of Gaang’s final battle against Sozin’s Legacy. Because we have never(?) truly seen them all together at the same time in full battle? Shame. Just shame…

[feral-jackdaw]

On the morning after his trip with Katara, Zuko doesn't show up for breakfast. Katara says he's probably just getting some extra sleep since he didn't get any the night before, but Sokka still isn't convinced. Together with Suki, they decide to go check on him.

Their knocking on the door of Zuko's bedroom was met with no response, just like Sokka expected. He slowly opens the door and sees the firebender still in his bed, seemingly asleep. But something is not right. Zuko looks so pale; his skin is almost the same shade as his bedsheets. On top of that, he's all drenched in sweat.

“You alright, buddy?” Sokka asks.

There is no response.

“Hey, Zuko,” Sokka tries again, this time gently shaking the boy.

Zuko eventually opens his eyes and looks at Sokka, but only a few seconds later he passes back out.

“What happened to him?” Suki asks.

“I don't know,” Sokka replies. “You stay here, I'll go get Katara,” he decides and he rushes out of the room.

He almost bumps into his sister when he gets outside. She looks like she's about to scold him, but now it's not the time for that.

“Katara, something is wrong,” he says.

Katara's anger fades right away.

“With Zuko...?” she asks.

Sokka nods in response and they both rush to Zuko's room.

“Oh,” Katara gasps, seeing the boy's condition. “Zuko, hey, can you hear me?” she calls, stepping closer and beginning to examine him more closely.

“We tried too, but he just won't wake up,” Suki reports.

Katara places her hand on Zuko's forehead.

“He's all burning up,” she announces.

“Can you help him?” Sokka asks. “He will get better, right...?”

Before Katara can answer, Aang and Toph poke their heads inside the room.

“What is happening?” Toph asks. “Why is everyone here?”

“And what's the matter with Zuko?” Aang asks. “We were supposed to be training,” he points out.

“Zuko is sick,” Sokka explains. “Katara is trying to help him.”

“There isn't much I can do,” Katara claims. “I'll try to bring his fever down for now,” she decides.

She gets to work right away, gathering some water around her hands and placing her palms on Zuko's forehead.

After a while, a pained grimace appears on the boy's face. He groans quietly, as if he was protesting against the sudden cold, but Katara doesn't stop.

“N-no...” Zuko groans again. “No, please...”

His eyes are now open, but they seem absent, as if he couldn't actually see anything around him.

“Zuko, what's wrong?” Katara asks.

Zuko doesn't respond. Instead, he curls up into a ball and covers his face with his hands.

“Please,” he repeats. “Please father, it hurts...”

“Hey, it's me, Katara,” the girl speaks. And then she freezes, as if she's only now realized the meaning behind Zuko's words.

Please father.

Katara turns to Sokka and he can see that she's just as shocked as he is. His own father. His own father did that to him.

The whole room falls silent as the horrible realization dawns on them. Sure, they knew that the Firelord was not exactly the nicest person, they heard how Zuko kept talking about his father and restoring his honor, but probably none of them expected this.

It seems like no one dares to speak or even breathe. All they do is exchange looks; Sokka can see the mix of shock and anger on Katara's and Suki's faces, he can see the tears forming in Aang's eyes. Even Toph seems rather shaken.

“His hear is beating really fast,” she says quietly.

Sokka shifts his gaze back to Zuko, who's still lying there curled up, and he knows he can't just stand and stare.

“Hey, Zuko,” he speaks softly. “Can you hear me, buddy? It's me, Sokka.”

Zuko reluctantly pulls his hands away from his face and looks up at Sokka. He doesn't say anything, but it seems like this time he can actually see him.

“It's okay, it's just us in here,” Sokka continues. “Katara was just trying to reduce your fever. Everything is fine, you are safe,” he reassures.

“Will you let me help you?” Katara asks calmly.

Zuko nods in response and Katara starts working on him again, and soon his fever is gone. Katara still makes him stay in bed, but this time, they all crawl in the bed with him, trapping him in the biggest group hug.

[arabella-s-arts]

Watched the new atla show. And now I will share my thoughts because I need to put them somewhere.

I agree with people that it kind of fell flat. More like an impersonation than the actual show. Also, people are right, where is Katara's rage? I'm not going to dive into it, because people already have, but Katara is stubborn and righteous, so where'd they put those qualities?

I wish the show would stop telling us everything. Like, stop telling me that Ozai thought finding the Avatar would be impossible, and sent Zuko on this quest anyway. I know, it's obvious. I don't need to be told the subtext, that's why it's subtext. Subtality could do this show a world of good.

Zhao's death sucked. It was perfect how it was in the original, it showed Zuko's kindness, and Zhao's hubris being his downfall was perfect. Also, this isn't necessarily a complaint, just something I noticed, Zhao feels different in the show. A guy with similar aspirations and ideas, yes, but not the same guy we all hate.

The acting wasn't always the greatest, but I can't tell if it's actually the actor's fault or script (probably script).

I wish Sokka was involved in the Jet plotline, he played a big part in it originally, and it really showed his true character.

Why did Katara and Aang never get any actual training in Northern Water Tribe? That's what they were there to do. Somehow, magically Katara became a master waterbender, because she what? Believed in herself? That's not how learning a skill works. Imagine trying to learn the flute, you're confident, and you figured out on your own how to play a few notes. But you still need someone to teach you the rest of the notes, how to trill, how to read the sheet music, etc. You can't learn everything just from confidence.

The costumes bothered me so much. Sokka and Katara's coats looked so light weight, which is probably more comfortable for the actors, but those coats could not shield you from a light breeze, much less a frozen tundra. Also someone pointed out that their clothes don't actually look worn, and they're right.

What on earth was the scarf scene? Why was it there? What was the point? I am not a Zutara shipper (though I have no hate for the shippers, just dislike for the ship), and now online is just going to be posts about that.

Was Suki just not wearing her warrior make-up because she had to kiss Sokka? Either way, it's still upsetting. The one time she doesn't wear her warrior make-up (which is an honor to wear) is when she's finally in a real fight, and on the day Kyoshi shows up too. Also, no Sokka wearing warrior make-up? I get if they couldn't fit it in, but it's still a bit sad.

I don't understand them getting rid of the fact that Aang ran away, I think it really makes his character more complex as he struggles to take on the responsibilities of the Avatar.

They sorta switched Sokka and Katara's roles in the Omashu tunnels, which I don't get.

Having Zuko fight Ozai in the Agni Kai was a terrible idea.

I'm sorry to say this, because I don't like Zuko being in pain. But Zuko's scar is smaller and a lot more understated than in the animation. I don't know much about burnt tissue, or how it will scar, especially with their technology. But we rarely see heroes with facial scars beyond a line through the eye or something, I don't want it taken away. The scar doesn't even seem to reach his ear. And I'm sad about them confirming his sight was fine. Zuko with some hearing and vision loss is technically just a headcanon. But then why did Zuko only leave his unscarred side up when sleeping around people he didn't trust in the animated version?

I could tell that Aang was airbending during it, so it wasn't really flying. But it's a little too similar, especially considering how significant flying is in Korra.

The thing that bothered me the most was Yue's death. Why was it barely acknowledged?! Yue made a huge sacrifice, but instead we're making up a plotline that causes Aang to have the spotlight instead. And when Sokka was talking to Arnook about Yue, somehow the conversation became focused on Sokka, and his insecurity, instead of someone they both deeply miss (though Sokka and Yue's relationship development could've been better). Sokka is joking around again by the end of the episode, it feels like her death never happened! And why make her a fish! No offense to fishes, but it feels less impactful, and in the original, we could see how Yue was able to keep some of herself alive in the way she presents herself as a spirit, she doesn't do that here.

Some things I liked:

Zuko being upset about Aang stealing his journal.

Sokka and Suki had really good chemistry (though, the show doesn't really give us a reason why Suki likes him, she seems annoyed with him when they first meet).

The effects were good, and I liked a lot of the fight scenes.

Kyoshi.

Oma and Shu being lesbians.

That one lady hitting Zuko for trying to hurt Aang.

Suki being awkward and beating up the guy she likes.

I am impressed with how they were able to overlap some story lines. That must have been difficult to figure out.

The sets.

Azula.

[juniperhillpatient]

Jet, Yue, & Azula are (in my opinion) three of the most tragic characters in Avatar. They’re child soldiers who could’ve grown as characters & had a life & a future but were never given the opportunity. I’ve written countless metas about Azula. But Yue & Jet are two of the only important characters who actually die. So, let’s talk about them. Why am I willing to accept that Yue’s death is tragic but necessary to the story yet I dislike Jet’s death? Aside from the unrealistic & vague nature of his death? (Yeah yeah Nickelodeon censors I know I know.) There are a lot of reasons.

I think what it comes down to is that I think that character deaths can be good writing (& often are despite fandom outcry because people conflate ‘this makes me feel sad’ with ‘this should not have been part of the story’) & also that not every character death has to be incredibly meaningful especially depending on the genre (sometimes side character’s deaths are just about creating stakes or showing a situation’s reality for the main characters & that’s ok) are ideas that can & should coexist.

BUT I think that if you ARE going to kill a character with any level of meaningful development or impact on the story & main cast, it should matter. In tv especially because it’s long form storytelling, if you’re going to kill a character who matters at all in the story, then it should be for good reason & it should impact the other characters & the story moving forward in ways that matter.

I think that’s why while both Yue & Jet’s deaths make me sad I can accept that one was necessary for the story & the other was not. It has nothing to do with me liking one character more or less than the other either because I’ve thought about it a lot & I think I like them about equally. But, even if I didn’t, I would be willing to consider being onboard with Jet’s death as a writing decision (even though it makes me sad) IF just a few things were changed.

Let’s examine briefly both deaths & what they mean for the characters & how they impact the narrative & the other characters. Yue is a tragic figure from the very start. She places duty above all else. We see her break down at the mere mention of arranged marriage, but she’s unwilling to rebel against it because she believes it is what her people need from her. Yue was blessed by the moon spirit as a child & given the gift of life, though it was never hers to keep. When Zhao attempts to kill the moon spirit, which would cause chaos for everyone, she sacrifices herself & becomes the new moon spirit in a choice that is one of the most selfless & honorable of the entire series. Furthermore, while I wish it had been brought up a little more, Yue’s loss is felt throughout the rest of the series. Sokka sees a vision of Yue in the swamp, he brings her up while hallucinating in the desert, & her loss makes him afraid to get close to Suki. Yue’s sacrifice is a beautiful & tragic story & it’s important to the other characters (mainly Sokka, & I do wish Katara & Aang were allowed to grieve a little more but also there’s a balance because it is a kid’s cartoon & it aired weekly rather than streaming like we’re used to so it’s amazing the level of impact things were allowed to have as it is.)

Jet was introduced as an antagonist. He & Zuko meet when they’re both considering letting go of their past & moving forward but not quite there. Jet becomes obsessed first with befriending Zuko & then with outing him as a fire-bender. This obsessive hate is a remnant of his past. It’s the same person who was willing o flood a village. He can’t move forward even though his closest friends (Smellerbee & Longshot) are begging him to let this go so they can all have a fresh start. And it’s tragic not just because he can’t move forward but because he’s right. Everyone around Jet acts like he’s crazy even though not only is he right that Zuko & Iroh are fire-benders, they’re Fire Nation royalty & both personally responsible for a lot of harm caused by the Fire Nation. By the end of the season Zuko will help the Fire Nation conquer Ba Sing Se & Jet will be dead.

This in itself isn’t a writing problem for me. It hurts, but shit, that’s a freaking impactful story. Jet getting arrested & brain washed for being right is disturbing. Jet dying is tragic. Zuko learning about Jet’s death could have been an impactful moment for his character. Jet’s death right before he could discover his new beginning & grow as a person could have been a meaningful moment about the horror of war & child soldiers. But…….it wasn’t?

The problem with this potentially meaningful story is that it’s not utilized at all. Zuko doesn’t learn about Jet’s death until almost the end & it’s played for laughs. Jet is only ever brought up once by the Gaang & it’s done to remind Katara not to prioritize vengeance the way that Jet once did. This would’ve actually been a more meaningful way to make Katara question her decisions if Jet had never come back into her life & died. So what purpose did Jet’s death serve within the story? None.

That’s the problem I have. I need the deaths of characters I care about to feel like they mattered within the story. I’m not against characters that I like dying. I’m only against characters with development & impact on the story dying in a way that absolutely did not impact the story or other characters at all.

[elvisqueso]

hey, mutuals who ship zutara, do you think this tristan and iseult au has any potential:

The prow of the Fire Imperial cruiser splits through the waves like a drill through soft wood.  The ocean spray mottles Katara’s dress and catches salt in her hair and on her cheeks.  Ahead of her is her destiny.  Behind her is the man delivering her to it.

Prince Zuko stands some few paces away and still as a statue with his eyes carefully forward.  He does her the courtesy of neither being directly out of her sight, nor being obnoxiously within it.  She should not still hate him: they had made peace, despite his transgressions.  He’d even vowed his loyalty to her – something about a code of honor, that he places his life in service to her own.  She doesn’t pretend to understand it.  And yet—

And yet.

“How much longer?”  She asks, as she has often done when she doesn’t want to continue her thoughts as they have been going.

“One week.  We’ll be arriving by the equinox.”  The prince’s voice is a grating rasp— as though his vocal chords had been shredded and left jagged.  The scar on his face certainly suggests the type of life which leads to common cries of pain.  On occasions when the winds are too harsh or the waves too high and she’s trying not to hate him, she will have him tell her the tales over tea and Pai Sho.

“Why me?”  She asks this often, too.  His answer is always the same:

“Destiny.”

“Who knows destiny?  The Avatar was never meant to be a diviner.”

“No.  But he asked for you.”

Katara doesn’t hate the Avatar, but she resents his presumptions.  It was her who broke him from a prison of ice all those years ago, but she hadn’t seen him since.  That the boy she remembers a single afternoon of penguin-sliding with had somehow fixed his heart on her is disquieting.

But he is the Avatar.  Perhaps it will be a good marriage anyway.

Something else must show on her face, however, because Prince Zuko asks a nearby servant to fetch some cordial wine.  She hates how well he seems to anticipate her needs.

But how can she be surprised?  This is the same man whose almost obsessive determination accomplished all that brought him to her, despite all the disadvantage and disgrace of his birth and hateful lot in life.  He is too thorough with everything, she thinks, and that, too, in the pursuit of his repentance towards her still makes her spine tighten in anger.

She breathes and makes herself let it go again.  The same servant returns with a small wine jug.  It’s folly to try and pour wine out on the deck of a ship, so they must drink it straight.

“My Lady,” the prince says, as he always does.

She says nothing in return, but takes and quaffs half the jar.  To him, she hands the other half to finish.  Between one moment and the next, they look at each other.

The world stops for both of them.

-

Katara’s Gran-Gran had given her a potion before she left to be married to the Avatar: a potion, she’d said, that would make her love him for three years (give or take some months).  It’s one of their women’s secrets, this trick to make a strange marriage less treacherous.  Three years of ease, where the potion fostered love between the couple.  After the effects die down, ideally there would be a child and the marriage could turn focus towards the raising.

One other person on the vessel knows of the potion, and that’s Suki: Katara’s sister-in-law who had volunteered to act as her lady-in-waiting during the trip.  The wine jar the potion had been stored in had been in her care.  Somehow, the servant had found it and mistook it for mere wine.

Suki scrambles onto the deck the moment Katara’s eyes catch with Prince Zuko’s, and screams when she sees the empty jar between them.

-

It’s Suki who then tearfully explains what has happened to Prince Zuko.  Katara can’t bear to look at him, let alone explain what fate they’ve fallen into together.

And even feeling the heat of his presence nearby sets her heart pounding.  The love she now has for him is painful and foreign, and yet sweet and strong.  She feels like a velvet stake has been jammed through her chest.  She wants him to hold her.  She wants to never see him again.

She can feel his eyes on her as Suki tells him of what purpose the potion had been.  She hears the awful crush of emotion in his voice when he says: “I understand.”  She can even taste the salt of unshed tears when he vows to stay away from her for the rest of the voyage and to disappear soon afterward, so as not to jeopardize her impending marriage.

She wants to die right then; it would be preferrable to being without him for even a moment.

-

They manage to stay apart for three days.

Three days she spends in her cabin or on the deck, trying desperately not to think of Zuko.  She remembers the first time she’d truly met him, not just felt the enemy specter she’d loathed, but the man on whom she’d once swore vengeance, only to have the opportunity swept out from under her by his damned noble actions.  She had tended him after he’d defeated Admiral Zhao’s mad attempt to destroy the Moon Spirit, and subsequently saved her people.

It was a poor retribution for his previous crimes, she had told herself, but one she had to accept.

She remembers all too clearly his convalescence in her home.  Him in an herbal bath with his eyes on her, wary, while she moved chi along the energy pathways of his body, soothing aches and healing injuries.  He had always been well formed and handsome, despite the scar on his face.  But he’d had the humility to accept her hatred of him then, and never treated her mercy as something to be taken for granted.

Yes, she’d hated him.  And her love for him now feels almost exactly the same.

Zuko has quarantined himself in his own quarters, and taken to slipping around the ship’s dark corners to avoid her.  The few times she’d catch a glimpse of him, his fingers would clench to whiteness and he’d grit his teeth as he turned away and retreated to somewhere else.  His honor dictates no less than the absolute preservation of her virtue.  She loves him for it.  She hates him.

She can bear it no longer.

On the third night, she enters his quarters, silent and unseen.  She finds him seated on his bed, bowed over with his head in his hands and his fingers twisted painfully tight in his hair.  It feels like her heart wants to shred itself to pieces in sight of his suffering.

As long as she lives, she’ll never forget the look in his eyes— bloodshot, wide and fearful— when she calls out his name.  She’ll never forget, too, the speed of his body, the heat of his hands, nor the bruising worship of his lips when she simply asks him: “please.”

Destiny is a funny thing.

-

For much of his life, Zuko has understood love to be the same as fear.  It makes sense that his love for Katara is the same: the fear and the love, the desire and the pain.  His uncle tried to teach him how to separate the two, once.  For a short time, he thinks he might have succeeded.  No chance now, Zuko muses, his mouth occupied with the taste of her skin and his back covered in red marks from her nails.  Loving Katara is only more proof that he’d been right all along: love is fear is pain is desire.  There can be no other explanation for just why it feels the way it does.  And guilt is the currency they transact in: when they finish he listens to her doubts, her anger and frustration over the path set out before her by foreign men.  His guilt is, at first, in being a villain in her story; now it is in failing to be a hero.  He thinks often on how he might turn, how he could so easily decide to simply not deliver her.  He knows the sea-roads well; perhaps even a determined and wrathful Avatar might fail to find them if Zuko puts his mind to hiding her away.

The possessiveness, too, is familiar.

The week passes, and they continue to give in.  Sometimes he thinks love is too small a word for what he feels for her.  Other times, he cannot describe it as anything but.  When she’s coming apart under him, eyes glazed over with pleasure and her kiss-plump lips pouring out a small symphony of sweet sounds, he feels perhaps that words are not sufficient at all.  There is only the feeling and the breath and the heat that they share.  Nothing else matters within those minutes, hours, days— each eternity they spend in each others’ embrace.

He is a man for whom sincere words are difficult; but, for her, he braves attempt to lay the his soul out naked for her audience.  And when his poor utterings succeed in bringing a smile to her beautiful face, he feels that perhaps this is what he was really born to do: his existence focused squarely on the slight chance that he could make her even a little happy.  He tells her as much once, and she kisses him and says she would never want him to see himself as something so small.

“Not even when you hated me?”  He asks.

“Not even then,” she answers.

[animation-cartoon-fan-writings]

I recently saw this post about how things would change in a hypothetical live action tlok say natla goes for a canon zutara ending.

While I like what they did here, here is how I would do things personally.

And let me show you family tree style

Generation AtLA

Zuko & Katara

Zuko and Katara would have three kids together (two girls and one boy). All three kids grow up loved equally by both parents, healthy, and happy in their own individual endeavors.

The oldest would be Kya. She would be a waterbender and go on to be a master just like her mother. When she got old enough, Kya ultimately decided to abdicate her place in line for the throne, something her parents supported wholeheartedly.

The middle child (and youngest daughter) would be Izumi. She would be a firebender. After Kya decides to abdicate, Izumi takes her place as next in line for the throne. She becomes Fire Lord at the age of 25 after her father retires. She is the first mixed-race Fire Lord and she definitely continues to honor the legacy of her parents by using her power to help those who are less fortunate. Like her father before her, she has a kind heart, strong values, and unquestionable honor.

The youngest (and only son) is Kallik. He is a nonbender, but is still treated with the same amount of love by his parents regardless.

All three steamkids maintain a close relationship with their parents into their adulthood, always keeping contact as much as possible and visiting anytime they could.

Animal note: Ran and Shaw end up reproducing two years after the war. Shaw lays five eggs. The tiniest one of which is passed on to Zuko. The little runt of the dragon litter is named Druk and is a fierce protector of all the steambabies.

Aang

Aang would end up coming out as pansexual and polyamorous.

Through his multiple relationships, he would help produce many children who would all be raised at the air temple with their mothers.

Sadly, especially in those early years, many of the children he fathered would end up dying, sometimes due to SIDS or another pre-existing condition that caused these children to pass before the age of 13.

Only a few children Aang fathered would end up being airbenders, and only one that was able to live to adulthood: Tenzin. Unfortunately, Tenzin’s mom would end up passing during childbirth, leaving Aang to raise Tenzin on his own as a single father.

While he paid most of his attention to Tenzin, he still acknowledged his other kids and made sure they and their moms were all properly taken care of.

He only stopped trying to produce more children after the birth of his youngest son, Bumi.

By the time Aang himself passed, he had about 20 living adult children, 8 living partners (four male, four female), and many many grandkids.

Aang was also an Uncle figure to his friends’ kids.

Animal note: In my AU, Sky Bison are able to reproduce asexually (a la Titans in The Owl House). So, Appa is able to create many little sky bisons without issue.

Sokka and Suki

No surprise, but Sokka and Suki get married and have five kids together. They live in the South Pole for the first two years of marriage, plus their oldest child’s first three years of life. But then they ultimately decide to uproot their family and raise their kids in Republic City.

The oldest is a boy named Varrick (yep that Varrick). He grows up to be an inventor like his dad.

The second oldest is another boy named Jacy. He grows up a warrior like his mother and an innovative thinker like his father.

The third oldest is a girl named Sakari. She is fierce like her mother and has her father’s dry sense of humor. She also picks up the boomerang like a champ.

The youngest are fraternal twins: a boy named Unalaq and a girl named Amka.

Amka is the oldest of the two and has a strong, rebellious nature. She spent much of her teen years in Republic City, hanging out with Toph’s youngest daughter Su.

Unalaq, however, was another story (more about that later on in this post).

Toph

Toph, as in the cartoon, would end up creating her own earthbending and metalbending academy. Through that academy, she would accumulate her own wealth and make her own fortune.

As far as her relationship with her own parents is concerned, after the war, she tried to reach out and reconnect with them. Unfortunately, her father was still as controlling and refused to see Toph for who she really is.

After her promised “life-changing field trip” with Zuko, Toph, at the age of 19, made the painful decision to go no-contact with her parents.

Through her earth and metal bending academy, she met two young orphaned sibling earthbenders: Lin and Su.

The girls had lost their parents in the war and only had each other to rely on.

Seeing their potential as earthbenders, Toph took the girls under her wing. A few years later, with a little encouragement from her friends, Toph finally gave in and formally adopted Su and Lin as her own.

A few years after finalizing the adoption, Su asked Toph about her own parents. Toph sat the two girls down and told them the truth as best she could. She also told them that, when they are older and they wish to reach out to them on their own, she won’t stop them from doing so.

Toph herself was as good a mother as she could be to the girls, maintaining a good relationship with them into their adulthood.

Generation LoK

Kya

In her adulthood, Kya moved to her mother’s homeland: The Southern Water Tribe.

There, she would help her Uncle Sokka create a Waterbending Academy, where she helped train many young waterbenders.

Kya also had many romantic relationships in her life, with both men and women (Kya is bisexual in my AU). In her 20s, she meets Tonraq, a nonbender, and they fall in love. They eventually get married.

They have their first and only child together around the time Aang passes. Kya and Tonraq have a girl and they name their daughter Korra.

When Korra starts going through puberty at around 8-years-old, it is discovered that she is the Avatar. Kya ends up being her Waterbending Master, with the help of her own mother Katara.

Aunt Izumi and Grandpa Zuko also take up the mantle of being Korra’s Firebending Maters.

Tenzin becomes Korra’s Airbending Master and Toph becomes her Earthbending Master.

Kya and Tonraq would eventually break up, but remained cordial and good friends for the rest of their lives.

Izumi

As previously stated, Izumi became Fire Lord at age 25.

By the time Izumi reached her 30s, medical advancements in reproductive health care allowed her the ability to produce children of her own without having to find a partner first.

So, thanks to the help of an anonymous sperm donor and the work of the royal doctors, Izumi had two kids (both boys) on her own. She was also the first Fire Lord to never get married (she is asexual in my AU).

Her first child, Iroh II, would grow up to be a general like his namesake.

Her youngest child, Kova, would be born three years after Iroh. Kova would grow up to be Representative to Republic City.

Kallik

As an adult, Kallik spent a lot of time traveling the world, exploring and learning about everything he possibly could. Sometimes, he would travel with one or both of his parents.

He doesn’t have any children nor desires to get married anytime soon.

He is simply happy with traveling the world and exploring new places and cultures.

Su

Su and her older sister Lin were orphaned as young children after their parents died during the war.

Su was 9-years-old when she and Lin were formally adopted by Toph.

Both she and Lin are earthbenders.

As a teenager, Su was very rebellious, much like Toph had been. It soon became a running joke between Toph and the rest of the Gaang about how much Su resembles a young Toph in terms of her personality.

After moving with Toph and Lin to Republic City, Su began to spend most of her time with Sokka’s youngest daughter Amka. Even in adulthood, Su and Amka maintained a very close friendship.

As an adult, Su met her current husband and relocated to Ba Sing Se after getting married. She has three children with him and they all continue to live in Ba Sing Se.

Lin

When Toph formally adopted her, along with her younger sister Su, Lin was 12-years-old.

Her relationship with Toph was cold at first, but eventually Lin warmed up to her.

In young adulthood, Lin began a relationship with Aang’s oldest son Tenzin. The relationship eventually ended on good terms and they maintain a solid friendship.

Lin would stay in Republic City for the rest of her life.

Tenzin

Tenzin is the golden child of Aang.

He is a master airbender and resides at the Northern Air Temple with his wife, Penma, and their three children.

Bumi

Bumi is the youngest son of Aang. His mother was an Air Acolyte.

Being the youngest of 20, he barely knew his father.

Bumi is a nonbender. When he turned 18, he left the southern air temple where he was raised and moved to Omashu, where he primarily resides to this day.

As an adult, he became an aviator pilot, something he is very happy about.

Varrik

Varrik is the oldest child of Sokka and Suki.

Character wise, Varrik is essentially the same as in the Nickelodeon cartoon. The only difference is that he knows who is parents and has a close relationship with his Aunt Katara and Uncle Zuko.

Jacy

Jacy is the second child of Sokka and Suki. He is two years younger than his brother Varrik and three years older than his sister Sakari.

He becomes Chief of the Southern Water Tribe after his own father passes.

Sakari

Sakari is the third child and oldest daughter of Sokka and Suki. She is three years older than her younger brother and sister.

Sakari grew up in Republic City, but left to train with the Kyoshi Warriors after turning 18.

After her mom passed, Sakari takes her spot as leader of the Kyoshi Warriors.

Unalaq

Unalaq is the youngest son of Sokka and Suki and twin brother to Amka.

He is a waterbender and the only bender among all his siblings.

As an adult, Unalaq would eventually move from Republic City to the Northern Water Tribe.

After slowly ascending the ranks of power, Unalaq eventually became Chief of the North.

He was a good leader at first. Unfortunately, after Sokka passed away (only five years after Suki’s passing), he began to sink into darkness and isolation.

Amka

Amka is the youngest daughter of Sokka and Suki and twin sister to Unalaq.

She was born and raised in Republic City and stayed there into her adult years.

Her best friend is Su Beifong, whom she first met as a teenager.

As an adult, Amka became a talented artist. Her paintings are quite popular and she makes a lot of money through commissions and selling her original pieces at galleries and showcases.

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