#i actually do like iroh btw

[ash-and-starlight]

.

[zukosdualdao]

just… the absolute trust between zutara in the finale is unreal. after zuko’s impromptu training attack session, yes, katara is surprised and even somewhat angry as she confronts him, but when she says “you could have hurt aang!” all it reminds me of is the fact that just a few episodes ago, she literally threatened to kill him if he ever gave her a reason to think he might so something to hurt aang. but here, now, even as she’s confronting him, she just… waits for him to explain, and she actually sees and agrees with his point once zuko tells the gaang about ozai’s plan.

there is also the absolutely, 100% synchronized way they fight during the simulated training session, something that calls back to their synchronization and teamwork in the southern raiders, and that inherently shows a lot of trust and understanding between them.

katara is the one who initially asks zuko what they should do after aang disappears. everyone else agrees, but it's katara who trusts him enough to position him, not just to herself but to everyone else, as someone they should listen to because of his history, skill, and experience, especially noteworthy because the reason she gives—“you are sort of the expert at tracking the avatar”—is what used to make him untrustworthy in their eyes. they’ve come such a long way.

then katara notices zuko freeze and sit in front of iroh’s tent, and when she asks if he’s okay, he just… completely trusts her with exactly what he’s feeling, and if he’s even a little worried that what he’s saying might cause her to act derisively, because what he’s referencing here is also what katara was angry and hurt about, he doesn’t show it. he just so completely trusts her with it, and her insistence that iroh will forgive him is born from her own trust of zuko, and she's able to tell him what he needs to hear because she was once in iroh's position and zuko proved his genuine remorse and care to her.

then, of course, we've got zuko not missing a beat as he asks katara to be the one to come with him to confront azula, and her ready acceptance. they make a good team, and they know it.

but when they get there and azula challenges zuko to an agni kai - though she initially has misgivings, katara ultimately trusts zuko when he says he can handle it and understands that he doesn't want her to get hurt if she doesn't have to. (an aspect of zuko's "i can't explain it, but she's slipping" line that i think gets underexamined, btw, is that that's not an inherently good thing for them. yes, maybe that means zuko will be able to take her, particularly because he knows azula and her fighting style well. but someone who is "slipping" is also, in this case, desperate, and more prone to being reckless with people's lives. zuko tries to mitigate that by fighting her alone, but it doesn't work because azula can't follow the terms she sets when she realizes she's losing.)

the lightning scene is a really interesting example of trust as it relates to zuko and katara, because to me, the emphasis there isn't quite so much on zuko and katara trusting each other. there's barely time for katara to think through what will happen to as azula aims for her or wonder what zuko will do, after all, and zuko is probably in too much pain and too out of it to think about katara coming to try to heal him. (though if they did have the time and mental faculties to think it through, i think they would both 120 percent trust the other to help them.)

instead, the emphasis is on the audience trusting the characters. from the moment zuko sees where azula's aiming, he doesn't hesitate, doesn't even think about, just. immediately jumps in front of the lightning before it can reach katara. i've said this before, but as soon as he understood what was happening, there was just no chance of that lightning ever getting to katara and that's the point. we've seen what zuko looks like when he's hesitating or conflicted, and the difference is stark. the show never wants you to question exactly what zuko will do, that he refuses to let katara get heart, that he'll save her.

and for her part, katara immediately runs to try and save zuko despite azula still being around and attacking, and tries again before realizing she needs to defeat azula in order to do so. but the entire scene of katara's defeating her, while obviously heroic and emblematic of katara's power and the culmination of her arc as a girl whose culture and identity was nearly stripped away from her to being a master waterbender, is also framed as katara defeating azula so she can get to zuko. she would have done it anyways, yes, but in this context, right now, she is fighting azula so she can get to zuko to heal him.

here, in the narrative culmination of their arcs together, it shows not just that they trust each other, but asks the audience to not doubt the development of the dynamic that’s been built, to trust that they will take care of each other. and they do.

[overtail]

hii can i request you weite zuko x chubby/plus sized reader? specifically just general dating headcanons (and possibly some smut hcs if you feel like writing that). id prefer a gender neutral reader but im not very picky about that type of thing. i love ur writing btw!!

ONG TY FOR THAT! Exposing myself here but I'm actually a chubby person (lore drop im not a girl) so this is very heartwarming for me :33

...

Zuko Headcannons - Dating a Chubby/Plus-Sized Reader

this is not meant to romanticize eating disorders

meeting you ִֶָ 𓂃⊹ ִֶָ

-when you walked into the tea shop, he thought you were the most beautiful person hes ever seen

-'hey uncle, i can serve them'

-immediately wanted to talk to you

-he was extremely nervous, acting like a lost turtleduck

-'what? jas..jasmine tea! oh yeah.'

-gave you an extra cookie

-always waves to you when you come in

-was excited when iroh told him that you asked where Zuko was when he was sick at home

-you're his favorite customer

-'Lee. My name's Lee.'

knowing you ִֶָ 𓂃⊹ ִֶָ

-after a while, Iroh hired you at the Jasmine Dragon when he got the shop

-you and zuko became very close

-you two had sleepovers at his and iroh's shared apartment

-iroh would make you guys sleep in the livingroom

-loved the way your waiter uniform hugged your curves

-would make you food all the time, even when you insisted you werent hungry

-protective whenever you served boys your age

-you came with him and iroh to serve tea at the palace to the king

-'zuko? you're the prince of the fire nation?'

-you werent as angry as he thought you would be

-you were locked up with him and katara in the catacombs

-came with him when he chose to fight alongside azula

dating him (royalty) ִֶָ 𓂃⊹ ִֶָ

-when zuko started living in the palace again, he immediately offered for you to live with him

-a week later, he confessed

-he told you how you were the most gorgeous person he's ever seen

-how you looked like a painting from the renaissance

-held you close at night when you two slept

-assigned a special place in the palace for your special interests

-noticed when you stopped eating much

-tried to offer you as much food as possible

-was confused when he saw you throwing up after dinner

-'(y/n)? did you get food poisoning?'

-consoled you when you started crying about your body

-'it's the one i imagined in my dreams.'

-🔞kissed your arms, your neck, your stomach and your thighs

-he loved seeing your stretch marks

-🔞seeing you naked for the first time was a dream come true

dating him (redemption) ִֶָ 𓂃⊹ ִֶָ

-you refused to let him go work with the avatar without you

-was there when he told ozai about wanting to be better

-comforted him when he learned the truth about his mom

-helped him create his introduction to the gaang

-'hello, zuko here!' *you laugh*

-fully defended him when nobody trusted him

-got angry when katara called you a traitor too

-cooked you lots of food while camping out

-always worshipping your body whenever alone

dating him (firelord) ִֶָ 𓂃⊹ ִֶָ

-immediately proposed to you after his coronation

-🔞got busy as soon as you guys got in your room on your wedding night

-loved getting clothes that hugged your body

-you were always there with him

-'what do mean they shouldn't be in this meeting?

-did anything to make you happy

-got you an extra cookie whenever you wanted a meal to remind you of when you guys first met

-very possesive of you

-beat the shit out of a soldier that made a rude comment about your body

[caruliaa]

atla fans acknowledge that iroh is both textually a nuanced character and while mostly a positive sympathetic character at times written in a shitty ways/to do or say shitty things while still being portrayed as in the right instead of either just uncritically hating him or uncritically loving him challenge !! (impossible!!!) extra hard challenge mode! thin atla fans acknowledge that part of the shitty ways that iroh is written includes the amount of fatphobic jokes tht are made at his expense that arent portrayed as being particularly wrong or that the audience is even meant to find funny !!! (even more impossible !!!)

one of the worst phenomena in fandom is when theres a character that everyone loves so much and thinks is the greatest guy ever who only ever does nice good things and then some other people start to point out examples of that not being true and then their narrative starts being that that character sucks forever so much and is only ever awful and the worst and we cant have any nuance about literally anything ever yayyy yipee !!!

[oneatlatime]

Sokka's Master

pleasebegoodpleasebegoodpleasebegoodpleasebegoodpleasebegood

Strange choice of master but we'll see where this goes.

The meteor shower animation is quite meditative. I wouldn't mind it as a screensaver.

How to describe something exceptional to your blind friend: "You've never not seen anything like this." It's amazing the quality put into even the tiniest of throwaway jokes.

Are meteor strikes flammable?

I love how whenever Sokka's disappointed he gets noodle arms. A surprisingly consistent characterisation.

Momo butt skate.

Iroh. The fuck?

ok. So he's playing a part for the guards. Why?

Pretty.

Funny to think about, but as a former WWE character, Toph's probably had more hero worship than the Avatar.

Lots to say about this! First, I stand corrected! i honestly thought that Sokka would be immune to this specific insecurity by virtue of him not being a bender. I was wrong! Second, I love how, as soon as Sokka expresses that he feels that he isn't as talented as the rest of them, the others respond by listing his actual, invaluable talents, without which the group would be completely at sea. They don't respond with "no you're perfect!" they respond with "no one can read a map like you can" and how he keeps their spirits up with jokes. They're not using false praise. They are using specific facts. I love that an episode that looks like it's going to deal with a character feeling down on themselves establishes from the get go that the character is invaluable, actually. So often, the 'low self esteem stock episode' puts the affirmation of the character's value at the end. Which means the viewer spends the whole episode being convinced that the character in question might actually be useless. Here, we're told from the start that the character is invaluable - the problem is that they do not perceive themselves to be so. Quite on the nose for a show that deals so much with identity.

OMIGOD IT GETS BETTER!!!!!!!!!!

Validating Katara sweeps in and a) validates his feelings, while b) clearly explaining that his self-perception is not in line with how the others see him, which c) doesn't invalidate a) !!!!

Katara has such emotional intelligence when she chooses to use it.

Nuanced intelligent discussion of the complexities of emotions and self-perception in a Sokka episode I am so happy I am blessed the gods are shining on me today I'm sitting here twirling my hair and swinging my feet and doodling hearts on the corner of my journal

SHOPPING!!!!!

btw that's the same face he makes when he says SUKI!!!

"Reinvigorate my battling" this boy. just. this boy.

He lasted a lot longer than I would have with nun chucks.

Aang the Happy Meal toy.

Some say that Halberd is still spinning today.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I present: the 45 degree Sokka.

Some Foley artist had the time of their life with this weapons sequence.

Why thank you for that exposition, Mr. Exposition. Now walk away and we'll never see you again.

Toph does NOT move ONCE this whole scene and it's ever so slightly freaking me out.

Toph tells you she learned from Badgermoles and no one wants to discuss this further?!? We're going to gloss over that?

So this episode has a training montage theme.

Sokka goes freestyle on those door knockers.

That's one hell of a castle. Must be dark in there though. Tiny windows.

Which explains the several hundred candles. This show. Set up with one hand; slam dunk with the other.

This guy's reciting Sokka's s1 introduction on Kyoshi Island.

Sokka: Actually. I am a dumb. The Master: Sold.

The face of someone who is definitely picking up what you're putting down.

It's been ages since I watched the episode, but is some of what the Master saying here about swords an echo of what Zuko says to the kid in Zuko Alone when he's decapitating sunflowers?

A Sokka-less Gaang. Depressing and they know it.

The way Katara's voice actor says "oh everyone's a critic" is gold.

Multidisciplinary education vs. kid who's never been within a mile of the box he's being told to think outside of. Fight!

Yikes that was a meaty hit. Does Sokka have a nose left?

They're wearing beehives on their heads.

Was Sokka always this short?

The greens in this episode are such a delight.

The way he says "I'm finished!" Sounds like "Am finished" and you can actually hear the smiley emoji he throws in.

He's good.

What do they FEED him?

Sokka's voice actor had a great time this episode. All the voice actors had a great time actually.

Sokka invents the La Z Boy

Katara inadvertently invents a fandom war by attempting a joke.

They're all so useless and it's wonderful.

That was all only one day? That's a lot of outfit changes for one day.

"You mess things up in a very special way." Compliment? Let's go with compliment.

Sokka is so very Sokka this episode.

A reason to live is coming!

*thundering herds of shippers in the distance*

That's clever. The inciting incident gets smelted. Haven't seen that before.

This whole Iroh gets buff montage has been completely dialogue free on Iroh's part. Crazy levels of inner peace, that he'd doesn't need to snark back at the guard.

Seriously. What are they FEEDING these children. Also how is that door that shiny.

Sokka really has it in for those door knockers.

Apropos of nothing, the clouds in this episode are all so yummy. All these soft slate colours and misty layers.

Meteoric iron is actually a thing, right?

Ok but aren't mold made swords crappy?

HI YUE

I love how they managed to made a crafting montage where the character who does the least work is the one who looks like he's working the hardest.

"I saw a heart as strong as my garden decor"

"No it certainly wasn't your skills. You had none."

Creativity, versatility, intelligence, meat, sarcasm.

You've known him like two days and you can already tell he's more worthy than any man you've ever trained? Sounds like you had poor taste in students.

"No. This is my fight. Alone." Bro you are going to DIE. The first time you held a sword was two days ago. You might need the avatar on this one.

Guard who never shuts up actually kind of has a point here. He's a dick about as usual, but it's entirely possible that the rank and file of the Fire Nation army view Iroh's actions as a betrayal. Does anyone remember in Star Wars movie number 7, or maybe 8, when that Trooper sees Finn after he's switched sides and yells "traitor!" and it's the best part of the movie? Yeah, like that.

This episode throws the concept of linear time out the window. In two days, Iroh gets swole and Sokka masters sword fighting.

Do you think Sokka's realised yet that this is his final exam?

Yummy yummy clouds.

One in a million pocket sand shot.

One in a million stick placement.

So this master is like a sword spirit or something. He can't be human. There's no way he could get the scabbard to fly on perfectly without seeing.

"Try Lee, There's a million Lees. There's a tea shop in Ba Sing Se that has a super cranky waiter called Lee."

This guy's just this side of committing treason and I love it.

I see this Master is a devotee of the 'Hakoda school of shoving outrageously over the top compliments into Sokka's thick skull in the hopes that 1% of them will stick.' I approve.

This last scene has gorgeous hills and skies but you'll have to take my word for it because I've hit the image limit.

Sokka's been inducted into the super secret boy band!!!

He saved space earth for Toph! He's so considerate! He's fuelling the ships!

Let's compromise and call it space dirt instead.

Final Thoughts

This episode every two minutes: Sokka, you are currently flawless and you're about to get better. Me: Yes. Yep. Yeah. Seconded. I concur.

I like it! It's great! It's 24 minutes of the writers and characters fangirling over Sokka! Of course I like it! It made me criminally overuse exclamation marks! What else can I say?

Hands down my favourite episode is Bato of the Water Tribe. For Sokka's story, this episode is Bato of the Water Tribe part 2. Of course I'm going to love it. This episode was lab grown specifically for me.

Now let's see if I can say something about this episode that isn't poorly disguised squealing.

I love how the characters respond to Sokka saying he's not special with an evidence-based refutation rather than blanket reassurance.

I love how shopping cheers up Sokka. I love how Katara knows that shopping will cheer him up. This must be something she's learned since the show started. I don't think there were malls in the South Pole. So Katara was paying attention when Sokka and Momo went through the bag saga.

I love how much the master is baffled yet impressed by Sokka. He seems almost charmed by this breath of fresh air. I think it's hilarious that, when Sokka first approaches him, he's expecting early season 1 Sokka. He'd better send Suki a thank you card.

I also really like "The way of the sword doesn't belong to any one nation." It seems obvious to us, but in a world where there are weaponisable skills that are quite literally inseparable from the nations their wielders inhabit, it's probably something no one in the Gaang has ever heard before.

Obviously the episode is a little rushed - half hour kid's show and all that - but it's still pretty crazy that you can apparently impart a solid basic knowledge of swordplay in two days.

Toph going all tsundere is funny, and makes Aang and Katara unapologetically desperate for Sokka's company twice as funny as it already is. Toph's like "whatever" and the other two spent the day making a welcome home banner.

I love how Sokka's happiness is always so loud and shameless. It makes it contagious.

This episode highlights what Sokka's actual strengths are, by instructing him in what he thinks his strengths are. If that makes sense? Sokka is brain, which he's finally starting to realise by attending brawn lessons.

He's also heart, and I'll die on that hill.

Iroh getting swole was honestly just a thing that happened. No comment really, except it was interesting to have a reminder from the guard that a character we perceive as the good guy is currently perceived as the bad guy by everyone but us. When the Fire Nation does inevitably get defeated, a whole nation is going to have to reset their worldview and that will not be an easy process.

More like this please!

[the-badger-mole]

Do you think Aula loved Zuko or her friends?

If you're asking if I think Azula loved them in canon, I'd say maybe? I think Azula could be read in more than one way, and I could see a good argument being made for any of them.If you're asking if I, as a writer who occasionally puts Azula into my stories, then I'd say, yes! But...

I think Azula's idea of what it means to love someone is skewed. I think she placed value on people by how useful they are to her, like Mai and Ty Lee (sincerely, if it wasn't for the chi blocking thing, I think she wouldn't have been friends with Ty Lee). As for Zuko, I think she loved him, and she also resented him. She was clearly fine with him being imprisoned and/or dying, and she has proven herself willing to do the deed herself, but if he had fallen in line, I think she would rather have him around than not. I personally, do think she loved them, in her own way, but a lot of abusers love their victims.

In my own headcanon, she was jealous in how easy it was for Zuko to be liked. He was Ozai's most disappointing, and least favorite child. He was not the court darling. He was a "weak" bender (not really, but in her and Ozai's minds), and he didn't have the stomach to do what Ozai and Azula would do for power. And yet, he was loved in a way that Azula hadn't been. He had Ursa's love (so did Azula, but she couldn't recognize it for what it was). He had friends who would fight for and with him, meanwhile Ty Lee and Mai turned on her. Zuko had a father who actually nurtured him (which was not on Iroh, btw. Azula didn't like him because Ozai didn't like him). Zuko was loved for who he was. Azula was prized by Ozai for being powerful and ruthless like he wanted to be.

I do think Azula genuinely loved her friends and family in her own way. I also think she wouldn't let them stand in the way of her ambitions, and love didn't stop her from doing horrible things to them.

[lily-alphonse]

So I finally finished watching ATLA (the animated series) all the way through, for the first time. Here's my final reaction post! You can see the others at the first tag listed below (#lily's atla reactions)

I had always known it was a good show from what little I saw of it. Im not a big TV watcher because a lot of it gets too intense for me. I can’t separate reality from fiction and get so stressed I would actually die watching something like Game of Thrones lol. So I’ve started going through series from my childhood and of course I was going to start with this classic.

(Im cutting this in case you are like me and took forever to watch this and dont want spoilers)

I unsurprisingly love this series. My boy Zuko stays on top, I love his emo ass. Uncle Iroh is a close second, I know, based lol. I was very pleasantly surprised by the Earth King, an unexpected little side character fave that I latched onto and WILL be writing for.

Honorable mention also to Appa. I adore Appa. His episode broke me. Absolutely broke my heart to see him lose his trust in people, and then when Suki found him OH MY GOD 😭 I was so relieved. (Which, btw, did not expect her to be such a big part of the series that was nice)

Speaking of animals though, the hardest I cried was for Roku dying with his dragon. When the dragon just jumped back in to the flames to die with his master I fucking lost it bro. It reminded me of how Aang and Appa nearly died together, and how Aang’s instinct with his dying breath was to protect them BOTH in that ball of ice BRO I SOBBED ALOUD.

Oh as far as characters I also have to mention the explodey eye guy. I love action and he was SO menacing I was always on the edge of my seat when he was around.

In general I love the scenery, I love pretty scenery and colors and I was so well fed. I am worried that if I continue on to LOK I won't like it as much, considering the time jump to the industrial era. I'm a renaissance faire girlie lol.

I love the heavy messages they didn't shy away from. I think the show probably helped conceptualize a lot of really heavy subjects for kids, and I'm grateful to it for that. How revenge hurts everyone, how mistakes don't define you, how grief works.

I love the friendship and found family, the Zuko adventures episodes were probably my favorite. I can see where everyone is coming from with their various Zuko ships, I'm hearing all of you. If I had to choose one, though, I might actually be pro Zuko/Aang? Which is kind of wild and unexpected because Aang isn't my favorite, but I honestly felt like their characters complemented each other the best. It's funny because I share Zukka art all the time and the only fic Ive read was a Zukka fic lol. They're hot together what can I say? I do like Sokka and Suki together though! I think the show really did them justice as a couple.

There were a couple of really cool moments in the ending. Toph falling onto the metal door and metalbending herself armor? SO badass. And Sokka's boomerang coming in clutch again. I love clever moments in action like that.

Overall, unfortunately... I did not love the ending. I wish I had more of a reaction for you, but I found myself being too critical in it, and that is not how I want to contribute to the fandom. I recognize it is a kid's show and I am an adult, and probably wouldn't have anything to say that hasn't been hammered into the ground over the years since it aired.

I loved the show, expect to see an Earth King fic from me someday (and maybe other ships? who knows). I might watch Gravity Falls next since I can't handle adult television lol. We shall seeeee

[hella1975]

honestly bumi being so jaded and bitter after 100 years of war loss and bloodshed is so.....

episode 4 be kind to me...

[biconickyoshi]

Duuudeee I legit read your fic in like, two days ( I had to give in to sleep eventually) and it was so so good!! I love the amount of care you put into making the characters feel as close to canon as possible, and my gosh having Iroh in the Gaang healed me a bit bc it's nice that they have an actual adult with them to help them out,,, the old man just has too many secrets up his sleeve </33 Loved this so much it completely satiated my curiosity for the zukaang ship, i've always been avoiding most of the fics just because it's too ooc and also it's just straight up nsfw lol

Can't wait for the next chapter, hope you're doing well and thanks again!! Love your art :D

Omg thank you so much for reading, anon!!! It makes me so happy to hear how many people have been binging it recently, especially bc of just how long it is now (and we're literally about only halfway through the entire fic at this point lmao). I love that you guys are enjoying it that much!!!

And I'm also glad to hear you like Iroh being with the Gaang! Even though he's the only adult there, I still try to make sure that he allows the kids to have agency - like he's not a strict parent to them, he's a nice comforting familial figure that everyone can go to for emotional support lol. Also being the only adult does not mean he's the most mature by any means. He's just a goofy old guy (who has also committed some war crimes) :)

Funnily enough, I actually didn't even consider shipping Zukaang until 2021 when I started thinking about all of their parallels and intertwined destinies one day, and I basically thought "huh, if they were closer in age this would literally be one of the most iconic ships of all time". So I decided to write my own version of the story where that is exactly the case lol. But even in general, I am kinda surprised it's not a more popular ship - like their age gap isn't a problem at all once they're both adults (4 years is literally the age gap of me and my husband at ages 26 and 30), and there's a lot of potential for exploration in settings like my AU where they're only a year or two apart.

Also BTW (if you haven't read it already lol), I just posted a new chapter last night! :) Thanks so much for the kind ask, and I hope you have a lovely day!

[sokkastyles]

I saw this post and some reblogs of it, and I wanted to know what you thought.

This is the post.

And these are the reblogs.

This reminds me of people who try to argue that enemies to lovers is abuse by ignoring the difference between opponents fighting on a battlefield in a fantasy setting and someone hitting on their spouse. The latter involves a power dynamic that is not present in the former. The difference between Zuko fighting Azula to end the war (and Aang fighting Ozai to end the war), and Ozai manipulating Zuko inro a fight he could not win for the purpose of terrorizing, publicly humiliating, and mutilating him should be obvious. Zuko's age is emphasized because Ozai is his father and because Ozai used that relationship and the power he had because of it against his son. He deliberately let his son believe he would be fighting someone else, and used Zuko's loyalty to him against him while his son was surrendering. It's not just Zuko's age that is important here, although his age informs the other things about it.

Azula was a child at fourteen during her agni kai with Zuko, but so was Zuko at sixteen, just two years older, and age has never given Zuko power over Azula anyway. Zuko also faces Azula openly in battle and even agrees to the terms she sets to even the playing field. She also is the antagonist in rhe situation

If there's a parallel to be made, it's that Azula becomes the same crying child on the ground after she is defeated, but only after she realizes she can't win, not out of love or loyalty to a family member. This was a fight she wanted and was eager for, and literally says was "meant to be."

Comparing that to Zuko's father deliberately harming a child under his power who has already surrendered shows a gross lack of understanding of the context. OP says they aren't belittling the awfulness of what Ozai did, but they absolutely %100 are and their argument is so ugly and tone deaf I don'/ even know what to say.

I've also talked about the ridiculousness of the argument that Iroh must have imagined Azula in the flashback because it just makes no sense as an argument, narratively. If Iroh were biased against Azula, that would have to be shown or revisited somehow. Otherwise there is no reason to question that it didn't happen exactly the way we are shown.

Also, the claims that Azula would not look like that at 11 seem shaky to me and also rest on claims about how adolescent girls look at that age that are just not true. Girls, especially, certainly can and do change a lot in the tween years, often moreso than boys, who tend to have their growthspurts a little later.

Which actually does fit with what we are shown of their character designs. Let's look at the sceeenshots.

Here is Azula at 8(ish), her child design remaining pretty consistently the same on the show:

And here she is at 11 in Iroh's flashback:

Btw I feel it necessary to mention that the picture with the child design is from Zuko's flashback, so if we're going by the argument that Iroh is imagining Azula looking more mature because he's biased, and we're also arguing that Zuko is biased against Azula, how come that bias doesn't seem to show in his flashback, huh? You would think that Zuko would picture Azula looking even more mature, since she was closer to his own age and more of a peer (whom the power dynamic was skewed in favor of). But, again, there's no reason to think that these flashbacks are biased. They are not framed as imperfect memories and the show never gives us a reason to question that they didn't happen exactly as they are shown. And trying to read them that way is actively misreading what we're shown.

If you're going to assume bias where none is shown, what is stopping you from questioning literally everything the narrative establishes? But if you do that, you're breaking the contract of the narrative. Fictional stories require that unspoken contract, that necessary buy in, otherwise there is no story. There has to be some baseline established, otherwise it's just the show presenting things and the audience going "nuh-uh!" A bias has to be established to give the audience a reason to question the narrative contract. That's why in stories with unreliable narrators or stories that play with or otherwise deconstruct the narrative contract, there are techniques used to establish that we're supposed to question things. None of those are present here.

There is an obvious difference between Azula's design in the second flashback compared to the first. She looks more like the Azula we see in the present timeline in the show.

But does she look the same?

Here's Azula at fourteen. Yes, if you compare it to the picture from Iroh's flashback, they look closer to each other than Azula's child design, but they do not, in fact, look the same. In Iroh's flashback she's wearing the makeup she is almost never seen without in the present timeline, and that's the biggest difference. But that's not unusual for a child entering their tween years to be experimenting with make up. Azula at 11 is wearing makeup, but her lipstick appears to be lighter, more girlish shade. She might be wearing eyeliner, which would explain why her eyes look narrower than her child design, but that also is just the natural progression of depicting a character's age in animation. Notice that Azula in the present timeline has even smaller eyes, darker lipstick, and a more defined face shape than in Zuiko's agni kai, where she still has a somewhat rounded baby face.

I've also argued before that it makes sense for the character for Azula to wear makeup. 11-14 is young to wear makeup but not uncommon, and for Azula, it makes sense that a character obsessed with appearance of perfection would wear it. It also makes sense for Zuko's agni kai to be the time when this transition happens in Azula, after her mother leaves and her father gains complete control over his children's lives, and Azula realizes even more that she needs to maintain that mask of perfection. I've also talked before about how Azula at fourteen seems very familiar with war meeting whereas Zuko at thirteen had to argue his way into one. This is unusual, it is a sign that something is not right, but we already know this. We know how Ozai is treating his kids. We know how he puts pressure on Azula to be his golden child, we know that he actively sabotages Zuko so he can fulfill his role as the scapegoat. Something is absolutely rotten in Denmark, but it's not narrative bias. Pay attention to the story actually being told.

I also want to compare Azula's character designs in the show to Zuko's as a child and an older teen. Let's look at Zuko's design from "Zuko Alone," where he is roughly 10ish when Azula is 8ish.

One of the reblogs made the argument that Zuko looks the same when he's ten vs when he's thirteen. Let's take a look.

Pretty similar, although I would argue there are differences. He's a little taller, his face is less round and babyish in the second picture. (He's also got a cute little forelock, hi!)

But yeah, he still has his "child" design for the most part. He hasn't yet bridged the gap to his present timeline appearance.

However, in season three we get a flashback to Zuko at the same age, thirteen, but shortly after his banishment, and he looks like this:

Here, his character design is similar to his familiar character design from the beginning of book one. It's a pretty stark change, but just like with Azula at the agni kai, this character design is meant to tell us something about the character and the changes he has gone through. Azula may go through those changes earlier because girls do tend to have their growth spurts earlier than boys, but if you actually look at the timeline, both Zuko and Azula changed at roughly the same time, surrounding the singular event of Zuko's banishment. But like with Azula, we could also go back even before that. An interesting detail is that Zuko after Ursa's banishment (as seen in "The Storm,") is wearing the more militaristic uniform that is part of his book one design, the high collar and armored shoulder pads as opposed to the looser clothing he wears in childhood (which is actually similar to what redeemed Zuko wears). This, like Azula's makeup, is reflective of the loss of vulnerability, of innocence, the need for armor, for protection. It makes them look more mature but also highlights how they're not, and are traumatized children desperately trying to protect themselves.

Btw, anyone who thinks makeup can't change your appearance that much clearly doesn't know very much about makeup.

Also, stop calling child heroes in fantasy shows child soldiers, I am begging you. It's not just the age difference between Ozai and Zuko that makes what he did abuse, there's also a purposeful abuse of a power dynamic that is absent from your standard child-hero of an adventure series fighting the evil adults. Even taking into account Aang's trauma over being the chosen one or Jet and his group of orphans, it's not the same thing as real children being forced to be child soldiers, and will never be. These children, as action heroes in a fantasy series meant for children, have more power and agency than even most adults in the real world will ever have, and even as interested as ATLA is in exploring trauma, it will never be able to address the real trauma and horror of child soldiers, and wasn't meant to.

[zvtara-was-never-canon]

How does world diplomacy even work in Zutara headcanons btw? I mean you’ve got the Avatar refusing to speak to the Firelord because the Firelord is with the girl that the Avatar is in love with. In some headcanons, he actively tries to STOP their marriage. You’ve got the Firelord ditching his responsibilities to go hang out with the Southern Water tribe Ambassador to the Fire Nation. The Firelord seems predominantly occupied with restoring the relationship between the South at the expense of the rest of the world. And Sokka, Toph, Suki, and Iroh are far more preoccupied in getting Zutara together than they are in world affairs. Surprised the 100 year war hasn’t broke out yet again.

Even if we are VERY generous and assume Katara's break up with Aang was totally mutual and amicable and she only got together with Zuko much later, or even that they never dated at all, and thus there's no conflict with Aang, and that Zuko is doing EVERYTHING right as Fire Lord, meaning both his nation and the others are happy with his political decisions.

His nation is still very racist. It is still filled with people who not only supported, but PARTICIPATED in genocide - genocide against Katara's tribe.

If he marries her, there will be outrage. There'll be riots. Possibly a civil war even, with people trying to stage a coup. And even if Zuko and Katara win, it'd still be A LOT to deal with, lots of risks taken, and, yes, innocents getting killed. Obviously it would not be their fault that people are intolerant, but the point still stands that Zuko marrying a foreigner would lead to several politcal complications.

Not to mention, Katara is the daughter of the Souther Water Tribe's chieftain. Her children could very easily have claim to it. This could lead to anxieties that Zuko is trying to take over the whole world like the previous Fire Lords, only he is doing it through political schemes and marriages that are meant to benefit his interests instead of open hostility and war.

That's why I always find it RIDICULOUS when Zutarians try to claim Katara would totally be in the highest position in the list of potential brides once it was time for Zuko to get married and have heirs. My guy, she's not on the list. At all.

If Zuko were to ever marry a foreigner - and that's a BIG if that would still likely have serious consequences - it likely be someone like Toph. From the Earth Kingdom, that was likely seen as more "civilized" than the air-nomads and water tribes. Noble, rich, and influential but not royal.

But chances are, if Zuko and Mai were to break up, the safest option would still be for him to marry someone of the Fire Nation. His children would probably need to do the same, or at least just the heir. Once it's time for one of his grandkids to rise to the throne, and all the imperialism is a thing of the past since most of the people involved in it are dead, THEN it'd be safe for a Fire Lord to marry someone of a different nation.

Too bad most Zutarians are too focused on empty Water/Fire, Sun/Moon "symbolism" to actually do something interesting and have Zuko and Katara decide to be apart for the greater good, or be together in secret, or come up with some insane but brilliant tactics to deal with the inevitable backlash to their union. It has to be a forced "They get married and everyone is happy about it because it will magically fix all the years of war and racism."

[jubilantmedusa]

Hey I just wanted to let you know that I really like your fics! The way you write the characters is just mwah. Chef's kiss. I'm excited about any future projects you might have :D

(btw congrats on finishing inktober! I liked Ur art a lot)

Awww, thank you so much! ❤️❤️ it’s always so nice to hear that people enjoy the writing.

It doesn’t take much to get me talking about WIPs, so here you go. I have two that I am actively working on right now — my WIP and the story I started to distract myself from my WIP 😂

—

I am in an excerpting mood.

The “distraction” I started about two weeks ago? My first attempt to fill a prompt from the Bad Things Bingo card I requested in November 2023 and haven’t written a story for yet (though I have Ideas). Prompt is “Locked in a Freezer” - this basically requires me to do a “boiling rock, but it goes wrong” story, right?

Working title is “Cooler with You” (and that may become the actual title because I actually like it!). It’s a one-shot, currently sitting at around 3.5k right now and I am hoping (🤞🤞) I get it done by the end of the year. No guarantees though because I am “pants-ing” it as they say and I don’t really know where it’s going yet.

—

My other WIP I’ve been chiseling away at since April - an objectively silly time to start a story because I was one month postpartum 😂. This partially explains why it’s been so hard to get through - I keep needing to put it down because Life.

The basic premise is that Zuko & Iroh are captured by someone from Iroh’s past - someone who quickly discovers that the most effective way to hurt Iroh is to hurt Zuko.

But here’s an excerpt from the first scene, before all the whump stuff.

Now I’m wondering if I should change the instrument reference from pipa to tsungi horn, hmmm.

Currently sitting at around 9.5k. Was originally going to be a one shot and now it’s a multichapter (writing chapter 4 currently). So who knows how long it will be. I do know how this one ends. There’s (if I do it right) and emotional arc. So I am quite determined to finish this!

Hopefully before the baby turns one!

[balanceoflightanddark]

Hello @balanceoflightanddark how are you doing?

I’ve got a few questions (and also comments!) about your story “The monsters we create”. (Which is really good so far btw) I hope that is okay?

Why does everyone in the Fire Nation have a warriness and fear of Azula and not just the citizens of the other (formerly warring) nations? Comparatively, Azula’s own actions on the war were less (outright) destructive than say Iroh or Zuko. She never burned down a village (Zuko) or subjected a megalopolis to a grueling 600 day siege (Iroh). When she took over a city, it was bloodless and via espionage. She’d didn’t do so out of charity mind you, Azula just saw other alternate means to win the war. Still, people are judged by actions.

I guess what I’m asking is, if Iroh and the White Lotus have been spreading propaganda (making use of Azula’s breakdown and her stay in the “asylum”) to further destroy her reputation and secure Zuko’s reign?

I’m wondering about the population levels of the Western Earth Kingdom in your story. Yu Dao specifically. I removed reading somewhere that most of the Fire National population had been kicked out of their conquered territories following the war’s conclusion (at least I think it was your story?). The lone exception being Yu Dao and it’s surrounding lands.

What are the population levels of Yue Dao. Does it have a majority Fire National population? Or just a polarity? Or are Earth Kingdomers (best Demonym I could come up with) the majority still. Has a hybrid Fire Nation/Earth kingdom culture spawned in Yu Dao?

Full disclosure but I’ve never read any of the comics. The only info I know them is either from wiki or excerpts online. Coincidentally, most of those experts were from your own post on the matter! As well as a few from others that discussed how Azula’s raw power levels have increased significantly. With instant lighting and all that. As well as other examples.

But from these excerpts, Zuko is a rather poor leader. And an even worse sibling. What with going to Ozai for advice and all. Also leaving his sister to sequester in an abusive “asylum”.

But I do have a question for your story from this. If Zuko is so determined to hold onto Yu Dao, it must have a not insignificant population of Fire Nationals in it. Is Zuko trying to intergrate the Colby into the Fire Nation directly? Like is he trying to establish a sort of Imperial Federation? Like some British politicians suggested in the 19th and 20th centuries. Or is Zuko just being stubborn?

Speaking of the citizens of Yu Dao. I like this new take on Kori Marishta. I’m digging the archery! I also like secret air bender Maina. I’m excited to learn more about her people and their connection to Moth. Hopefully the two prove to be less…treacherously inclined than Azula’s two previous friends. Though with Azula beginning to abandon the imperialist mindset of her father, that will hopefully be easier.

I also concur with Kyoshi in her little talk with Aang. Azula is a bit like Yun. Both prodigies, who at their full strength outclass pretty much everyone in their elements. They had both been betrayed by Guardians Jianzhu for Yun and Ozai/Ursa for Azula (I’d say that Iroh abandoned Azula as well, but that would imply he was ever actually their for her in the first place). As well as been betrayed by friends (though I’d argue that Yun betrayal by his friend was more his perception than truth, but Azula was in actuality betrayed by friends (and brother).

In regards to pairings in the story, I noticed you tagged it Katara/Aang. I also remember seeing you in a reblog post to a tag by @waterfire1848 that you also liked Azutara and Azulaang as ships as well. What do you think of the Azula/Katara/Aang ship? It it possible? I know it’s unlikely, but a shipper has to ship, no?

Either way I’m happy with any the story develops! Though part of me does wonder if all the characters will end up eaten by Godzilla.

————————————————————————

Those were the last of my questions about your story. But I also noticed several of your other post mention that you are fan of Mass Effect. I am as well, and I’ve had a little plot idea regarding the series and everyone’s favorite Firebender. And I’d like to run it by you.

Say when Azula is in the “asylum” there is some sort of dimensional disturbance that takes her out of the hellish place. This exposes her to element zero. Making Azula a biotic as well. This disturbance sends Azula to the planet of Mindoir. Where she is found and picked up by a local family. A family by the sir name “Shepard”. Over the next two or three years Azula becomes closer to this family. They help her deal with her past (her guilt and feelings of betrayal) and Azula comes to know what a true familial bond is like.

Everything is great, until Batarian slavers arrive in the Skillan Verge. Azula tried her hardest, even manages to defeat quite a few of the slavers. But it’s not enough and her new family is cruelly taken from her. Azula is only saved by a passing alliance patrol (colonist background)

She is recruited into the navy under admiral David Anderson. Who would quickly become a father figure to her. Azula’s own “uncle Iroh” in a sense.

Azula would likely also follow the Ruthless service history, and become the butcher of Torfan.

But how do you think the story of Mass Effect would play out with Azula Shepard? Would she save the council of leave it to die? Who would she romance (if anyone)? Would she choose either control, destroy, or integrate? Would she choose to save or destroy the collector base? Etcetera What do you think would happen?

Hey, thanks for asking.

The first question is that the perception of the Fire Nation towards Azula, at least from Zuko and Iroh's point of view, is very skewed. She's very non-traditionalist in terms of being a Princess that's accomplished so much and was made the heir apparent to the throne when usually it's the male royals who could lay claim to that. Not to mention in a society that's dominated by social darwinism (weakness being frowned upon) and her breakdown, she's not going to be very highly regarded among the elite since she's got some "flaw" that they're going to use. Plus given how much hold the role of Fire Lord has over the populace (we see how much presence Ozai has over commoners with building huge ass statues and plastering his face all over academies), the fear and hesitation that Fire Lord Zuko would have about Azula is going to be reflected in at least some portion of the populace that's conditioned to live under such a rule.

Doesn't mean she's universally disliked though. We're going to get more Fire Nation characters both from the military and the populace as the story goes along that not everyone really buys Zuko's word. The next arc in particular.

As for Yu Dao, I'd describe it as a fairly sizable population. It has been hinted at in the past for being one of the origin points for Republic City, and in the comics, its influence and economic value was enough to prompt Zuko to make a bid for them, particularly in the face of Kuei's aggression. Which we see in The Monsters We Create. So I could imagine the colonies (Yu Dao in particular) having a fairly sizable population using those indicators we have in canon.

The population I imagine would also be an even mix between Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom. I mean they've been there for 100 years, so it's likely there would've been plenty of intermarrying and offspring that comes with any clash of cultures like in real life. Plus, I think it would be a good way of showing how the Earth Kingdom would've fared under Fire Nation rule. Mainly with the Fire Nation on top and hoarding the wealth while the Earth Kingdom citizens get scraps.

In regards to Zuko, his main argument about hanging on to the colonies was keeping the economic value for the Fire Nation. I could see him deescalate and allow the colonies to secede, but mainly as client states in order to keep the ties with the Fire Nation strong. Mainly because...I don't think his arc was complete yet in the series. He's getting there, but I don't think he was fully redeemed yet. At this point, he is trying to do the right thing, but like Azula, he's going at this from a background of Fire Nation superiority. Even if he knows they did wrong, he doesn't quite know how to...well "be good". Hell, it's something he pointed out to himself with his "WHY AM I SO BAD AT BEING GOOD?!" Trust me, as much I don't like him, I'm not going to keep him in this state though. It's just a bit of a work in progress. He'll get better as the story goes along.

Anyways, thanks for my take on Kori. I do genuinely like her (Not just because she tried to kill Comics!Zuko) and want to do some stuff with her and Maina (I actually did base her off a character from the Godzilla anime trilogy where she's one of the twin priestesses of Mothra). I see them as a fresh start for Azula. As for Kyoshi, I wanted her to bring Yun up since...well she did have experience with people like Azula in the past and there's no way she wanted the same thing to happen twice.

I'm...also not aware of Azula/Katara/Aang. I mean, I have read fics where either Aang or Katara gets demonized for the ship to work, but I don't think that's fair for them. I just included Aang/Katara cause I figured it would be important to their character.

As for Godzilla...next chapter is not going to be pretty.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Oh hell, people are recognizing I'm a fan of Mass Effect.

I could definitely see her being a human supremacist at first. I mean having her have history with the Batarians is a really bad first impression. Plus she already has a bit of a ruthless streak to her. But I don't think she'd be too...cold-hearted either. She's efficient in series and it's not really like her to go execute enemy combatants (she did take the Kyoshi Warriors and the survivors of the Black Sun Invasion prisoner after all). Plus I could see her trying to be cordial with the Council ("In our country, we say hello") until they start getting under her skin.

That being said, I'm not sure if she'd let the Council die or not. On the one hand, it would put humanity in a better position to rule the galaxy. On the other hand...by this point, she'd know that the Reapers ARE a thing so I'm not sure if she'd want to attract scrutiny to the Alliance by making a blatant power grab with those things lurking about. Maybe make the Council in debt to her and make them hold an "IOU" once the Reapers come around. Or she could believe that a human-led Citadel would be more effective at preparing for a Reaper Invasion. There's arguments for both sides and it would depend on how far along her character development is. Personally, I'd think she'd see the value in having strong alien allies since she did rely on the Dai Li in her takeover of Ba Sing Se so...maybe leaning towards sparing the Council? But that's me being charitable.

Romance: Miranda. There's no competition. At all. Both are conditioned supporters of human supremacy from childhood and being conditioned to strive towards perfection. Both are professional and keep their problems close. And both have issues with their families. If they don't see the similarities then I don't know what else to say.

Alternatively: Garrus. I mean, both have black-and-white morality worldviews and were raised in militant societies. Not to mention either one is willing to get dirty if the situation calls for it. I could see the two bond over that sort of thing.

I...might have to go into a more detailed post since this one has gone on long enough, but thanks for the ask!

[shrinkthisviolet]

Talk Shop Tuesday - so 'main gehra tamas tu sunehra savera (main tera)' is one of the best and most heartbreaking ATLA fics I've ever read, and I'd love to know how you wrote it and what advice you have for anyone who wants to do a fusion fic like that, because the way you combined the two was excellent.

Ahhh thank you, I’m so glad you liked it! To be honest, I wrote it because when I was watching the Hasan x Aisha episode of Ms. Marvel (the flashback one), I kept thinking “wow this would be a really cool Maiko AU”, and then I told one of my friends that, and she basically went “👀👀” because of course she did, she’s my top enabler 😂

So from there, it was just a matter of figuring out the logistics. I’ve had a bunch of fusion crossover ideas (and this isn’t even the first fusion fic I’ve written for Maiko), but logistics are definitely the tricky part…though here, it wasn’t altogether difficult.

Here’s the link to the fic for those who don’t know it! More discussion about it (+ advice about fusion fics) under the cut:

It meant ATLA canon divergence, obviously, because canon Maiko wouldn’t jive with this - they’ve known each other since they were small kids. So, in this version, I decided they never did. Mai met Azula and Ty Lee after Zuko’s banishment, and they were friends. Three years pass Ty Lee runs off to join the circus, and Ozai pushes for Azula to be declared Crown Princess a year early on her upcoming 15th birthday, since Zuko is of age to be Crown Prince but not around to actually be declared so.

Ofc the Sages are reluctant, since Zuko is only missing and not dead, so Azula convinces Mai to go out and find Zuko and bring him back to be executed.

(And also, btw, in this fic, Zuko isn’t involved in any of the Avatar business. He just kinda went off and made a quiet life for himself somewhere else. Maybe Iroh was with him at one point, but…he isn’t anymore, because that didn’t fit the framing of this fic.)

And that, in essence, lays the groundwork. This enables Mai and Zuko to meet much like Hasan and Aisha did, on a distant farmhouse where they then fall in love. The rest of it kinda fell into place after that…though ofc with the addition of Izumi.

And ofc Aisha’s “magic” became Zuko’s rainbow fire here - presumably he learned the proper way to firebend during his years away, and his firebending can change color at will now.

Honestly, my advice for fusion fics is this: I haven’t written all my fusion fic ideas, because some of them just don’t get to the writing stage, but for the ones that do, the logistics fell into place because I went “okay, I clearly need to change canon, but what do I have to change and what can I keep?” Be open to possibly having to throw out chunks of canon that you might’ve liked, to make it fit in a fusion…but if it doesn’t work, then don’t force it. Most people won’t get too hung up on the little details, but you’re the writer - if you’re not satisfied with it, then that’ll show in the fic. It’s okay if an idea doesn’t work…and maybe it will later, you never know! Just give it time, and be patient with it. Fusion fics tend to be tricky beasts, but they’re incredibly satisfying to get right. More power to anyone who has written a fusion fic (or multiple), I salute you. It’s not easy.

Oh also…suggestion: don’t expect them to be popular 😂 even if you’re combining two very popular fandoms, it’s not always a guarantee that people will like it, because crossovers aren’t always popular (Arrowverse shows being the exception, because tbh they’re all one big fandom). This one WAS fairly popular, much to my pleasant surprise—it’s still one of my most popular fics—but my other fusion fic wasn’t so much. And that’s fine—I had fun writing it, and the person I wrote it for loved it, and that’s all I needed. If even a few people are happy with my fic and touched by it, and it makes me happy, that’s worth it 💞

talk shop tuesday!

[jiabeewrites]

STAR WARS ATLA HEADCANONS

(because I'm now obsessed with this idea, thank you @vulpesarctica for your lovely posts)

THE CLONE WARS || OG TRILOGY || REBELS || MANDO ERA

GENERAL AU HEADCANONS: - for the sake of the story let's flip the original atla timeline on it's head - republic city came first, and then the whole "100 year war" - i actually haven't watched all of lok so pls bear with me - sidious is some sort of chancellor, still - dooku is firelord, however he's NOT A BENDER - I MUST STRESS THE FACT THAT HE CANNOT BEND - *cough*atleastothepublic*cough* - *cough*he'stotallyafirebender*cough* - anyways he's very "antibender" - and ig benders are a lot like jedi, bc they hafta be "disciplined" or whatever - except, yk, more organized than the benders in atla - but dooku declares war, on benders, and the rest of the world, yadayada - badabing badabang badabingbangboom - btw i have ZERO clue how clones would work in atla but let's just say they're all hired fighters or smth that look the same idk - or they're like the dai li - idk - ANYWAYS let's excuse my sucky worldbuilding skills and get onto the headcanons :)

ANAKIN SKYWALKER: SANDBENDER FIREBENDER 🔥 - actually tho imagine if he was a sandbender - okay so he would TOTALLY be a firebender like cmon - he's feisty and chaotic and fire is fucking perfect for him - but in this case firebending wouldn't be, like, taboo because of the circumstances of the war - and it's canon that darth vader cannot use sith lightning so let's make it (head)canon that anakin cannot summon lightning - he's salty abt it - sidious probably eventually burns him but blames it on obiwan - except his marriage with padme wouldn't be taboo either??? let's just say she's very anti-war so the rest of the temple doesn't really like her

OBI-WAN KENOBI: WATERBENDER 🌊 - so at first i thought that obi would be an airbender - but then i read iroh's lil speech on airbenders and it doesn't fit obi-wan - so waterbender he is :) - he was taught by qui-gon, who is an earthbender (he's so stubborn cmon) - so obi-wan definitely has some earthbender qualities to him - i think that obi-wan does eventually bloodbend, when maul captures satine - it wasn't something taught in the temple, but obi-wan is obi-wan - (ventress taught it to him) - and he fucking hated that feeling and vowed to never do it again

AHSOKA TANO: EARTHBENDER 🪨 - so ik that the post linked above has ahsoka down as a waterbender - and while it does, in fact, fit her - she possesses a LOT of earthbending qualities and honestly i think this fits her better - no, it doesn't make sense that anakin is a firebender and teaches her but then again - iroh said that people have to learn from each other and so that's what the temple does :) - ahsoka gets her fiery temper and overall chaoticness from anakin - and her adaptability from obi-wan - but her stubborness and her resolve? that's all her own - she's strong and she's not afraid to show it :D - tbh she's basically the avatar with all of her mentors but can't actually bend all the elements but whatever

MACE WINDU: EARTHBENDER 🪨 - i feel like this doesn't need to be explained - but i shall anyway - he's very headstrong - he has strong morals and isn't afraid to fight you on them - what other explanation do you want ;-;

PLO KOON: WATERBENDER 🌊 - *pulls out powerpoint presentation* PLO IS SUCH A WATERENDER AND HERE'S WHY - ok so i was SO FUCKING CLOSE to putting him down as an airbender but ultimately i had to choose water as plo's element - because he's a very peaceful person and we see that a LOT - but i had to make him a waterbender because he's a family man and so loving and that's what made me choose water for him - *cough*wolffepack*cough* - ily plo

KIT FISTO: AIRBENDER 🌪 - he doesn't really need any elaboration - he's just an airbender - he's very free-spirited, and we do see him joke around a bit during clone wars - very peaceful dude

ASAJJ VENTRESS: BLOODBENDER 🩸 - okay so i need to explain this for a sec - dooku's whole thing is against benders - but if we include some of the niche bending, like metalbending and bloodbending - which aren't really out there if yk what i mean - then nobody would know that it was ventress who was technically bending - i feel like there is a potential way for bloodbending to be used for good, and that's kinda where the whole nightsister thing would come in - people think they're witches but no, they're just really good waterbenders - (the nightsisters use bloodbending for kinda gray-area purposes) - (but they use it to help maul later and you'll see what i mean)

SHAAK TI: AIRBENDER 🌪 - i'm pretty sure that shaak ti could fall under waterbender, because she cares a LOT for the clones and i totally agree with her being their "mom" like how plo is their "dad" - but she's very peaceful, and i'm in AWE every single time she's on screen - like how tf is she so calm - so airbender she is :)

YODA: AIRBENDER 🌪 - he is an airbender and you can fucking fight me on this - HE CHECKS ALL THE BOXES HELLO - "detached themselves from worldly concerns" CHECK - "and they found peace and freedom" CHECK - "and they apparently had great senses of humor” DEBATABLE BUT CHECK - bro could literally be the former avatar but whatever - he's amazing and we love him - people sometimes think he's just a really weird spirit - and he probably is - but whatever

MAUL: FIREBENDER 🔥 - okay so i actually did consider making him a bloodbender - because of ventress & the nightsisters and that whole thing - however - there's no way that sidious would have taken him on as his apprentice if he wasn't a firebender so uhhhh yeah - he's a firebender, with a LOT of rage - a lil too much tbh

BARRIS OFFEE: AIRBENDER 🌪 - i think that barris is an airbender - she's very calm, most of the time - however she does have the capability to blow up, and we can see that when she frames ahsoka - aang blew up too tho so it's okay :) - i don't know a lot about her or her master so idk if this is good or not

also quinlan vos is an airbender okay bye

[ssreeder]

WE’RE BACK IN BUSINESS BABYYYYYY

hi sreedie :3

fuck you sreedie no zukka cuddles >:(

but also… maybe not fuck you, it depends on what we DO get in this chapter… you’re on THIN ICE

on another note, I love jee <3

surely just like employ some of the kyoshi warriors to be dishwashers??

pls tell me why when rasu was like “I can sniff whatever I want” I immediately went COCAINE T-T

oh ?? jee what did you DO omg spill bestie

I KNEW jee was a slay, he’s also sus of iroh’s methods

LMAO jee wdym you “know that prince zuko was not into men” literally HOW would you know that information T-T

but anyways yes I’m loving that the hair touching is making a COMEBACK bc I absolutely adore how the fire nation views hair and all the glorious nuances that come with it ughhhhhh… now I’m mad again about shen being dead bc his reaction to the haircut sitch was ICONIC

YOOOOO JEE NOTICED IT TOO SREEDIE I THINK JEE MIGHT BE MY SOULMATE HE ALSO SAW HOW SOKKA HAS ABSORBED ZUKOS PERSONALITY TRAITS WHILE ZUKO IS OUT OF COMMISSION

not jee being offended about the perceived slight agains his cooking skills-

here come the iroh thoughts… I will add them at the end (or potentially in another ask??? I don’t want this to be more mammoth than usual)

OH SHIT OH NO OH FUCK OH ZUKO IS GONNA FIND OUT THAT JEE KILLED SHEN oh okay at least jee has some common sense !! good for him

LMAO not jee being a gossip queen (truly my soulmate, this is actually why we got divorced sreedie you can’t compare)

“dumpling boy” ohmygod obsessed

A TEABAG why is that fucking hilarious pls tell me you have some kind of fire nation lore behind that insult

the reading scene is so sweet ;-; and like I know from second hand experience that being read to when you can’t read yourself is a Huge Deal bc when my cousin had a major back operation our aunt read to her for HOURS daily and it literally bonded them so much. so like, very important scene sreedie you’ve got me in my feels (and I’m WAITING IMPATIENTLY for rasu and zuko to become besties again)

wow the “delivered” part is so gut wrenching. that’s really the tragedy of war isn’t it? everyone just becomes a pawn unless they’re one of the chess players themselves

LMAO not the kiddos getting into fisticuffs upstairs and disturbing one of the most politically tense conversations in the fic

OH SHIT HAKODA LETTERS OMG THE PLOT IS PLOTTING SREEDIE ITS PLOTTING

ohnooooooo stop I’m so fucking sad about hakoda and thinking katara was ignoring him on purpose STOP

ah fuck sokka trauma reveal xxxx

literally so siblings to have bled and shit on each other. something something I’ve had the worst parts of you inflicted on me but I have to love you anyway

sokka trauma time !!

damn baby’s first kill… forgot about the warden tbh

“everyone is always trying to kill zuko” so true bestie they should stop!! stop trying to kill zuko fr omg!! (read that like that one tweet where that white girl was telling isis to stop terrorism lmao)

“what sokka had experienced had layers” LIKE AN ONION please why am I unable to take anything seriously anymore it’s bad

CHANG CHANG CHANG CHANG is the chang bato ship called chato or bang OMG BANG THATS ICONIC love that we’re sticking with it

(in case it wasn’t already obvious I love chang btw)

lmao chang said end sexism in the grumpiest grouchiest way possible

ykw I’m a fan of?? the fact that hakoda has the brain to plan like sokka but the resources to plan like zuko and I think that it’s fucking hilarious

“speak for yourself I’m in fucking agony” I LOVE CHANG I DEDICATE MY LIFE TO CHANG I GIVE CHANG MY WHOLE HEART

ohohohoho sokka you are actually going to be CLOSER to zuko isn’t that dandy

omg eve ;-; our lovely forest lesbians ;-; that you MURDERED

NO ZUKKA CUDDLES BUT ZUKKA WAVE??!!?!?! call me a masochist but I’m enjoying this. anyways.

ZUKKA AND CHANG REUNION OMFG I WILL CRY especially zuko chang reunion ;-; (do Not get me started on my feelings on chang vs iroh) ((jokes I will be talking about in a soon to be sent ask))

also obsessed with sokka having active beef with jee and jee is just like… this kid needs therapy ~cue rbf~

YES MY BBYGORL AZULA READY TO FUCK SHIT UP (but yeah can she pls hold off for a tad longer thx sm <3)

okokok I’ll get onto my iroh thoughts now (in another ask.. bc uh.. this is Huge) but that’s gonna take a hot minute bc I have to become Coherent.

also no longer sick!! for now. (I probably should’ve gone to see a dr much sooner anyways but too late now ig)

HUGS KISSES AND A DRAMATIC HAIR FLIP TO BID YOU FAREWELL <333

*dances on thin ice*

OLLLOOOOO LEEKIE

Yes Jee offend the group of women warriors by asking them to come wash dishes hahaha…. Nice one leekie!

Jee sailed on a ship with Zuko for 3 years… & during that time his gaydar must have broken (I feel like we can blame Zuko for breaking it somehow)

Oh iroh…. You silly silly man <3

I think rasu reading to Zuko meant a lot to him so hopefully baby steps in the right direction ;)

Hahaha it’s ok the onion joke & the sand joke legit never stop…. Damn it media for influencing words so much.

Haha Chang iroh interaction is something I’m looking forward to. It’ll be INTERESTING ;;);)

Ok leekie I’m sorry I know I said I would respond yesterday but I’m a horrible person and this is why we’re divorced! GLAD YOURE NOT SICK ANYMORE WOHOOOO

*sprinkles germs in your food*