#iroh is right looking for friends for zuko.... look at him all alone on his boat.... he should be at the club

[hauntingblue]

Unless they were AN IDIOT.

[attackfish]

So everybody here knows that I'm notorious for being a massive defender of Ursa, and that I have no patience for the "Ursa was a bad mother, she favored Zuko, and was abusive to Azula and abandoned her kids, and made Ozai abuse Zuko," narrative. That narrative is vile, victim blaming, and deeply stupid on a number of levels.

With that out of the way, I want to talk about some really really bad parenting we see Ursa do during the series. And it is to be clear really really bad.

In the Book Two episode, "Bitter Work", Zuko and Iroh have a conversation:

ZUKO: So Uncle, I've been thinking. It's only a matter of time before I run into Azula again. I'm going to need to know more advanced firebending if I want to stand a chance against her. I know what you're going to say, she's my sister and I should be trying to get along with her-

IROH: No, she's crazy, and she needs to go down.

This scene is a favorite of a certain type of Azula fan who wants to paint Iroh as a big meanie who didn't wave his magic redemption wand over Azula the way he clearly did over Zuko. See? See? He's writing her off here and calling her crazy.

This of course misses the context of that scene, which is that Zuko is taking care of a severely injured Iroh, who was injured by Azula, in what looked a heck of a lot like a murder attempt. Earlier in Book Two, in the episode, "The Avatar State", Azula unambiguously attempts to murder her brother after failing to capture him, and he is only saved by Iroh's quick reflexes.

But let's leave that argument aside for today because what interests me about this scene in the context of Ursa's parenting, is the line Zuko says right before Iroh's infamous declaration: "I know what you're going to say, she's my sister and I should be trying to get along with her."

Because in the context of Zuko and Iroh's situation, where Azula has recently attempted to kill Zuko, and just put Iroh into a coma that Zuko had to take care of him during, in which he has only just woken up from, this line from Zuko actually demonstrates some really warped thinking. It is not a healthy response to the situation at all. And his assumption is that a good caring parent figure like Iroh is going to respond to this situation by telling him that Zuko needs to get along with his sister, who is actively trying to hunt him down and capture or kill him.

So why does Zuko think that? What adult reacted that way to Azula's violence toward her brother in the past? It wasn't Ozai. Ozai is not going to use the language of getting along with one's siblings, when he is so bent on setting them against each other. So who was it?

The show answers this a few episodes before this scene, in the Book Two episode, "Zuko Alone." The answer is clear and heartbreaking: It was Ursa.

The scene in which this becomes plain, starts with Zuko and Ursa walking together. Mai spots them and smiles and blushes. Azula notices, and then turns to Ty Lee, and whispers, "Watch this!"

AZULA: Mom, can you make Zuko play with us? We need equal teams to play a game!

ZUKO: I am not cart-wheeling.

AZULA: You won't have to. Cart-wheeling's not a game, dum-dum.

ZUKO: I don't care. I don't want to play with you!

AZULA: We are brother and sister. It's important for us to spend time together. Don't you think so, Mom?

URSA: Yes, darling, I think it's a good idea to play with your sister. Go on now, just for a little while.

And then Ursa leaves Zuko alone with Azula and her friends.

There is a lot here that I want to talk about. I have in fact talked about this scene before, and what it tells us about Ursa's eagerness to reinforce Azula's seemingly kind and loving behavior: [Link], and even touched on why this is in fact an example of bad parenting from Ursa: [Link], but I think this deserves its own post, where we examine exactly what went on here, what this tells us about Ursa's parenting, and how this affected Zuko, and to a lesser extent, Azula.

In those previously linked posts, I talk about how this is clearly a pattern, that Azula has learned to predict and manipulate, and because we know it's a pattern, we know that this behavior on Ursa's part is repeated, and something her children have come to expect from her. Zuko and Azula know their mother wants her children to get along with each other, and love each other and have a good sibling relationship with each other so much that if Azula she plays into that, Ursa will force Zuko to spend time with his sister, and worse, that time will be unsupervised.

So, to be clear here, what Ursa is doing is giving Azula unsupervised access to her brother, against his will, as a reward for Azula momentarily acting nice. Or in other words, Ursa forces Zuko to spend time with his abuser against his will because she wants them to get along.

I think we can all see how that is some grade A terrible parenting.

And it does have negative effects on Azula. I think that we can see her learning how to manipulate people, learning how to lie and get what she wants from people, and that Ursa by giving her what she wants here, is showing her that this is a thing she can do to get what she wants. That is not a great lesson to teach your kid. I think it also feeds into Azula's possessiveness of her brother, and sense of entitlement towards him. She has learned that even the people who love and care about her brother, won't protect him from her. And she has learned that no matter what she does to him, he is supposed to try to get along with her.

These are some really terrible lessons, and we see some of the effects of them throughout the course of the show, so why is it that the "Ursa is a terrible mother" crowd never bring this up? I mean of course we know why, it doesn't fit their narrative. Their premise is not simply that Ursa is a bad mother, or even that her bad parenting explains Azula's behavior.

In fact frequently it isn't even about finding someone to blame for Azula's behavior, so that the responsibility isn't Azula's. (Which, to be clear is not how it would work anyway, because even if Ursa were exactly the type of horrible mother they said she was, Azula was still making the choices to do Very Bad Things, in the same way that just because Ozai is an abusive father, this doesn't mean Azula stopped being responsible for her own actions). It's more about proving that she has suffered enough that she deserves all the sympathy, and is allowed to be awful to other people, including Zuko, you know, as a treat.

The narrative that the "Ursa is a terrible mother" crowd are pushing is that Ursa didn't love her daughter, and thought she was a monster, Azula suffered so much, and it's so sad, and this is why she deserves to do very nasty things to everybody else, and no one should ever hold her accountable. Frequently there is some flavor of, "Zuko had a mother who loved him, you guys, unlike Azula, so he doesn't deserve sympathy, not like poor baby Azula!" Which is a deeply warped thought process on many many levels, but we're not going to go into that here.

The point is, that this type of bad parenting that I am pointing out here, doesn't fit this narrative, because this is not the kind of parenting mistake that a mother who doesn't love one of her children, and thinks that child is a monster, is going to make. This is the kind of mistake that a mother who loves her children very much, and wants them to have a good relationship, and doesn't recognize the threat that one of her children poses to the other, is going to make. In fact, the fact that she does it, proves that Ursa does in fact love her daughter and does not think she's a monster. So it does not fit the narrative these people are spinning, so they will never bring it up as an example of how Ursa was a bad mom.

Of course the other reason the "Ursa is a terrible mother" crowd aren't going to bring this part up is because it would mean acknowledging that Zuko deserved to be protected from Azula, and needed to be protected from Azula, when they were both children, which would go against the whole "she's a poor innocent child" thing they like to spin, and also because Azula is getting what she wants here, and Zuko is the one suffering, which is not going to get Azula any sympathy points.

And for the most part, Ursa was an excellent mother, who did the best job she could in horrible circumstances that she had very little control over, but she wasn't perfect, and she did make mistakes, which makes all of this a wonderful example of how even very good parents can make very bad choices that hurt their children and cause serious long-term damage.

I've talked some about the long term damage that Azula faces from this, learning about manipulation, and developing some really nasty entitlement issues with regards to her brother, but Zuko's long-term damage is if anything worse.

When we put this together with Zuko's line from "Bitter Work" quoted earlier, we can see that Zuko learns what Azula learns from the other angle, which is to say that he will not be protected from Azula by anyone, and not only will he not be protected, but he does not deserve to protect himself. Not only can he not defend himself, but he can't even protect himself by avoiding her. That's not allowed either. And in the face of her cruelty and violence towards him, it is still on him to make their relationship work, and to be clear, he should absolutely be making their relationship work. And the adults who love him are going to tell him this, no matter what Azula does to him.

I for one am really glad that Iroh is there to say no, that's a terrible idea, and you do not need to keep trying to get along with your sister who is trying to kill you. And it's significant that throughout Book Two, Iroh consistently protects Zuko from Azula, and teaches him what he needs to fight back.

[phsychobanana]

Denial is a river in..... Kyoshi Island?

Pairing: Zuko x Reader

WC: 1.1k

Summary: No chance, no way, she won't say it, no no!

A/n~ Totally WASn't listening to I Won't Say I'm In Love while writing this 🤭

The air was thick with panic as the ash falls from the sky in flutters around the island. People trying to seek shelter while their homes were being burned right before their very eyes. The Kyoshi warriors trying their best to protect their people in the midst of the panic, while the gaang tries to come up with a plan to stop everything.

I grab Zuko's arm and look up at him, worried. When Iroh tried to stop him on the ship, he didn't listen to him. Which meant it was now my turn to try. Or, that's what Iroh said, at least. And Iroh's only sometimes wrong.

"Zu," I pause for a moment to make sure he looks at me while i speak, "we should go. You're destroying these people's homes. How is this any different than your father?"

Whoops, definitely not what you say to someone with daddy issues and anger problems...

"You're right," Zuko nods.

Excuse me?

"Excuse me?" *My brows shoot up in surprise.

"We should go back to the ship. We'll have other opportunities to capture the avatar. This can just be a warning of what'll happen if he doesn't comply. Let's get you to safety," Zuko speaks in an even tone, ushering me back to the ship as he does so.

I've never been more confused in my life, but if he's willing to listen, who am i to complain?

Zuko is practically sprinting with me, trying to get to the ship as fast as possible for some reason. But again, not complaining.

"Uncle, we're going," Zuko nods at Iroh, his tone stern.

"Ah, i knew you'd agree with her. Alright, let's retreat," I raise a brow at the older man's words, but don't say anything.

The horn blows, calling Zuko's troops back to the ship, to which they all come running back. Talk about effective.

And just as soon as we were there, we were out.

Zuko leaves, presumably to go brood in his chambers, leaving me to play Pai Sho with Iroh all alone.

"So, did you two finally confess?" Iroh asks randomly, causing me to choke on my spit.

"H-Huh?" I manage out through my coughs.

"Y/n, i had you talk to him for a reason."

"Which is..?"

"You're not just his best friend, you know. He cares about you much more than you know."

"Yeah, that's what friendship's about."

"No. Beyond friendship. Beyond the relationship you both have now. You are meant to be. Twin flames."

I raise an unimpressed brow. "Right. How much tea have you had to drink?"

"You're in love. Even if you don't know it yet."

Stupid Iroh and his stupidly true words. NO. I'm not in love. Never. That's gross. Especially not in love with Zuko. He's like...emo.

"Sure... Let's just keep playing, alright?" I look back down, only to find that he's beaten me.

"Good game, Y/n." Iroh smiles cheekily. Damn old man...

***

No matter how long ago it was, i never forgot that conversation with Iroh. Zuko and i had swapped sides, found his destiny, stopped his father, everything. We'd done it all. Together. And as much as i hate to say it, i enjoyed being with him so closely.

Suki had invited the gaang back to Kyoshi island for a nice getaway/vacation, since everyone had gotten so busy and stressed out due to existing. With Aang being peace to the world, and everyone trying to come back together as a whole, we've all been busy. Especially Zuko and i, trying to get rid of the brainwash wrapped around the Ozai defenders.

So, here we were. Sitting on the sand, chatting, drinks in hand, and all the couples being way too touchy for my liking. Aang was making flower crowns with Katara, and Suki and Sokka were just making out. And considering they were doing that the entire way here, i'd say my poor eyes need an insane amount of disinfectant.

At least Zuko, Toph and i were able to hang out without third wheeling anything.

Zuko left to go use the bathroom, leaving Toph and i to talk.

"So, when are you going to grow the balls to confess your feelings?" Toph asks as she draws in the sand. Granted, the drawings weren't good, but hey, she was trying.

"What do you mean?" I ask, playing stupid. Did everyone just know? Did that mean he knew, too? Oh, spirits...

"You know what i mean. Don't worry about him not liking you. He likes you so much, it's getting disgusting."

I chuckle at that, and glance over at Zuko, who's now walking back.

"I don't like him." I say, though my stuttered breaths, rapidly beating heart, and lovesick eyes say otherwise.

"Right. And i can see." Tops retorts with a scoff, making me push her face first into the sand.

"Seriously, Toph. Back off." I huff.

"I'm just sayin'. Denial's a river... and you're drownin' in it." Tops shrugs, and spits out a mouthful of sand. "You may deny it, but truth is, you're falling for him. Hard. So just tell him."

"Tell who what?" Zuko asks as he takes his seat beside me once more.

No chance, no way, i won't say it, no no...

"Hey, you. Don't worry about it. Heh..." I punch Zuko's shoulder lightly.

"Uhm...hi?" He rubs his shoulder, a clearly confused look on his face.

Spirits, he's cute when he's confused. And when he's mad. And happy. He's just always cute. And handsome. And hot. Pun very much intended!

Get a grip, girl!

I clear my throat awkwardly, and turn away from him. I glance at Toph, and can practically feel her urging me to confess.

I glare at her. I look over at Zuko with a smile, trying to act normal. My heart immediately skips in my chest at the sight of him.

No way, no how, i won't say it...

Zuko look over at me and smiles back, and i swear that time freezes around me.

No chance, nuh uh, i won't say it...

"You've got sand in your hair..." His voice is quiet, and soft, and flustered, and woah.... He reaches out to gently pick the bits of sand from my hair.

Get out my face, i won't say it...

"Thanks." I swallow, and look away.

Zuko ruffles my hair affectionately and leans down, so close that i can feel his breath fan over my face. Way closer than friends should be.

Get off my case, i won't say it...

"So..." He trails off.

"So..." I repeat.

At least out loud, i won't say i'm...in love...

[discordiansamba]

His nephew is at the North Pole.

The Avatar is also at the North Pole.

Iroh is not so naive to assume these two things are not linked. Clearly, his nephew must have joined up with the Avatar. He could not be more proud of him.

He only wishes the Avatar would stop avoiding him.

He does not understand it. He has met both the young earthbending girl and the young airbending boy that travel alongside him, and he has reunited with his nephew, but he has not yet met the Avatar himself. Zuko says that he'll try and talk to him, but always looks hesitant about it. He asks his friend Pakku for advice, and he simply says this is something the Avatar must work out for himself.

(The Avatar is an Earth Kingdom boy named Li, he knows. Perhaps it is not impossible that he or his family had been victims in his march to Ba Sing Se. He would understand why he would be hesitant to speak with him if that is the case. He will not push, just in case it is.)

The Fire Nation launches an attack on the Northern Water Tribe.

Iroh comes to help defend the city. The Avatar takes the sky bison, and flies out to attack the ships directly. Iroh just misses him.

He spends the first day of the invasion fighting alongside the young airbender. Aang is a very nice young man! He also comforts the young earthbender, who feels so very useless this far out of her element. He does not doubt that Toph is strong enough to be a master. He can see it in the way she carries herself.

He wonders where his nephew is, but he does not see him. Perhaps he is defending another part of the city. He may be with the waterbender girl from the South- he has not seen her nor her brother since the invasion began.

Night falls. The attack stops.

The Avatar returns to the city. Iroh chooses now to seek him out. As he is turning the corner, he hears his nephew speak.

"-it's no good," he hears him say, "-I can't take out all the ships with just firebending and airbending. My waterbending isn't anywhere near good enough to help much."

Iroh stops. He is not certain he heard his nephew right.

He gathers himself, and turns the corner. His nephew is alone on the sky bison's saddle.

His nephew, Iroh realizes, is the Avatar.

[kimwarris]

AU where Zuko joins the GAang after Azula attacked Iroh when they all cornered her in that abandoned Earth Kingdom town (Episode “The Chase”). Zuko yells at Katara to leave them alone, but Sokka reasons with him that it’s a bad idea with Azula and her friends still on the run, without supplies or shelter and Zuko obviously having no idea how to treat Iroh’s injury.

He notices that Zuko looks quite like a shadow of his former self - skinny and pale and as if he’d break into tears any minute. He also got rid of this stupid ponytail – short, dark hair covers his head now. He looks just human and that doesn’t sit right with Sokka, because it makes him feel sorry for Zuko.

Plus, the enemy of my enemy… it’s just logical to offer help to Zuko and Iroh, he reasons with himself.

They find a hide-out for the night and Zuko doesn’t leave Katara out of his sight, while she does her healing session. Iroh doesn’t awake right away, but Sokka reassures him several times that everything will be fine and that Katara would never pretend to heal somebody and then hurt them.

Zuko offers to do the first watch. They don’t light a fire, because even though they brought some distance between themselves and that abandoned town neither of them wants to risk being found by Azula again.

It’s quite a chilly night and it occurs to Sokka that firebenders thrive with warmth and the sun, so he comes to the conclusion that Zuko must be horribly cold. Sokka himself is not so bothered by the cool air - he grew up at the South Pole, he is used to the cold. But he doesn’t want to be held responsible for Zuko catching a cold and the former prince looks like he’s been through hell and back. Plus, the firebender pulled his knees close to his body and wrapped his arms around them. Zuko is not shaking, but to Sokka it’s obvious that he’s not doing well. It’s not going to be pleasant, but Sokka makes a decision. Zuko needs the blanket more than he does.

So Sokka gets up and walks over to Zuko holding the blanket out to him.

“Here, you must be cold.”

Zuko stares at him in complete disbelief.

“Uhm… are you serious?”

“Yeah, yeah, don’t make a fuss. You’re a firebender, you need to stay warm.”

“I’m a firebender. I don’t need a blanket to keep myself warm.”

Visible confusion shows on Sokka’s face and he feels like he’s just made a fool of himself in front of Zuko.

“But I thought…”

Zuko takes a deep breath and when he exhales a little flame comes out of his mouth.

Sokka thinks he’s never seen anything this hot in his entire life.

[stardust948]

Counting Stars

Expanded Guardian Lu Ten AU

Lu Ten is called into the guidance office and informed his uncle has been sent to jail for fraud and his cousins need a new guardian. He’s the only available option since Iroh is deployed and Ursa’s missing and deemed dead at this point. The counselor stresses he won’t be able to return to school because the position will be given to someone else. Lu Ten insists he has to do this or his cousins would be separated and sent to foster care.

He thinks it will be like babysitting the siblings again until he gets to the FN. Zuko’s face bandaged up and Azula’s hair is chopped up. Both look worse for wear. Lu Ten is deeply concerned but tries to lighten the mood. It doesn’t go over well, and he starts to think he’s in over his head.

Lu Ten take the siblings to Republic City. He tries to bond with them but they aren’t 6 and 4 anymore and there’s a huge disconnect. Azula’s silent and withdrawn. Zuko keeps getting into fights at school. Both keep asking to see Ozai. Lu Ten suspects Ozai abused them, so he keeps denying their request. He holds out that Iroh will return home from his military duties soon.

Lu Ten tries to act like the cool cousin and burns through his funds saved for military school. They downsize to a smaller apartment. Their neighbor, Kanna, offers to help out but Lu Ten brushes her off saying he’s an adult and can handle it.

But everything takes a downhill turn. Lu Ten’s new office job is stressful, the bills are stacking up, and he can’t stop Zuko and Azula’s constant fights and self-harming. The breaking point is finding out Iroh died on duty. After the funeral the cousins get into a big fight. Afterwards, Lu Ten cries in apartment stairwell. Kanna finds and comforts him. She tells him it’s okay to not know what to do and he doesn’t have to be alone. Lu Ten’s ready to accept help.

He stops trying to act like the substitute dad and just be himself with the siblings. Stays up with Azula who’s scared to go to sleep at night. Cuts his own hair in solidary with Zuko who has to keep it short while his wound heals. Kanna drops by with homemade meals and brings her grandchildren over who befriend Zuko and Azula. There are still mental health issues and Lu Ten is saving up for therapy for the kids (and himself as Kanna suggested) but it’s slowly getting better. Eventually the group becomes a closer family and start having fun again.

A few years later, right before Azula starts high school, Ozai is released early due to some strings pulled and demands kids back. Lu Ten fights to keep them but is denied. He promises to always be there for them and to call anytime. After a tearful goodbye, Lu Ten goes back to empty apartment. He’s beside himself with worry as are Kanna, Katara, Sokka, and the rest of their school friends.

A few weeks later the siblings are back. They ran away and made it all the way back to Republic City by themselves. Lu Ten’s overjoyed to be reunited with them but it also confirms his suspicion of Ozai’s abuse. Especially as time pass and there has been no missing report filed or cops at the door.

Lu Ten leaves to confront Ozai. He goes ahead and sign the paperwork making Lu Ten their legal guardian. Ozai doesn’t want the kids back because Lu Ten made them "useless like their mother”. Lu Ten punches Ozai. He’s then thrown into a holding cell for a couple of days for assault.

After Lu Ten’s released, he immediately heads home. Kanna’s been looking after the siblings during that time. They cry when Lu Ten returned, thinking he abandoned them also. Lu Ten promised he would never and tells them he’s officially their guardian. They never have to go back to Ozai ever again.

[linkemon]

Home (Zuko x Reader)

Friendly reminder that English is not my first language. You can check my Masterlists both in English and Polish here. Consider supporting me on Ko-fi. You can also check out my commissions if you’re interested.

Other oneshots can be found here.

"ʜᴇ ʟᴏᴏᴋᴇᴅ ᴀᴛ [ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ]. ʜᴇ ʀᴇᴀʟɪᴢᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ʜᴇ ʜᴀᴅ ʙᴇᴇɴ ᴡʀᴏɴɢ ꜱᴏ ꜰᴀʀ. ᴛʜɪꜱ ʜᴏᴜꜱᴇ ᴡᴀꜱ ɴᴏᴛ ᴄʀᴇᴀᴛᴇᴅ ʙʏ ꜱʜᴀᴘᴇꜱ, ᴄᴏʟᴏᴜʀꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ꜱᴍᴇʟʟꜱ ʙᴜᴛ ʙʏ ʜᴇʀ. ᴡɪᴛʜᴏᴜᴛ ʜᴇʀ, ɴᴏɴᴇ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ɪᴍᴀɢᴇꜱ ꜰʟᴀꜱʜɪɴɢ ᴛʜʀᴏᴜɢʜ ʜɪꜱ ʜᴇᴀᴅ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴇxɪꜱᴛ."

— I'd like a refill of jasmine tea. — Iroh was happily lounging on the couch.

Zuko sighed. His uncle looked almost healthy. He could make the brew himself. However, he willingly took advantage of the privileges of a sick person. The boy was forced to jump around him and serve him. He adjusted the pillows, listened to the nagging and also prepared drinks. The latter took the most time. Iroh was an expert and as a result, he was not satisfied with the first drink he came across. Usually [Reader] saved the situation. As a healer, she knew these things. In addition, she quickly became the favourite of the Dragon of the West.

The prince headed towards the kitchen. He hoped he would find the tray soon. The little temple was truly beautiful but there was a happy mess everywhere. Some rooms were used for drying herbs, others were converted into granaries and others into sick rooms. During the war, this must have been of particular importance. Currently, the only people who visited here were those from the villages below the hill. And now he and his injured uncle too.

[Reader] found them unconscious in the nearby forest. A chance encounter with a unit of Earth Kingdom soldiers ended in disaster. The boy's cuts and bruises healed quickly but he had strained his fire magic. The first day he woke up, he felt a strange emptiness. He couldn't do anything. There was no question of searching for the Avatar in this state. Only three days ago he managed to create a flame large enough to burn the wood in the fireplace. The healer, like Iroh, claimed that the condition of his tired soul was responsible for his illness. So, to heal it, he did all sorts of things. Starting with weeding the garden, sorting medicines and ending with cleaning up after Aiiro. The big, blue peacock gave him the most problems. The extremely proud animal did not like to move. He had to push it as hard as he could to get it to move. Sometimes it even snapped its beak but it never hurt him. After feeding, he felt like hitting it with a broom but he always remembered that it was that thing that had brought him to the temple, so he refrained.

Zuko took the tea leaves, the kettle and the clay cups. He put it all on the tray and headed back towards the living room. However, a familiar voice caught his attention:

— I'll say it one last time. They are my guests. You have no right to demand that I hand them over! — [Reader] was standing at the entrance to the temple.

— Consider this, even if we leave them alone according to the law, they can still convict you of treason. I say this as a friend.

The prince looked at the man behind the door. Slightly worn, green clothes and a straw hat marked the farmer. He must have come from Hefei. There were no other settlements nearby large enough to farm.

— Is this a threat? — The girl clenched her fist. — My family has been serving people for generations. We don't ask who they are, we just treat them. My grandmother delivered your mother, my mother delivered you and I delivered your children...

— That's different! They murdered innocent people! Our entire nation suffers because of them! — Hate burned in the man's eyes.

Zuko knew that look well. Almost everyone looked at him that way. The Earth Nation, the Water Nation, the Fire Nation after they were banished, the Avatar, his sister and most of all, his father. Everyone wanted him gone. He missed his mother. He had the feeling that apart from his uncle, she was the only one who truly loved him. And now he met [Reader] and for the first time in a long time he felt that someone had truly dismissed his mistakes. She looked at him, believing that he had changed, even though she knew how much evil he had done in the past. It was like a warm ray of sunshine after a long winter. That's why he froze with his tray, listening for the answer. He was scared. However, it was not that if he was extradited, he should run away. He was afraid of rejection. A girl standing a few steps away gave him hope. He didn't want to lose her.

— Go away! — The healer pointed to the stairs.

— Pack your bags!

— Are they coming for us? What a pity. I didn't have time to finish my tea. - The general put down his cup sadly.

Zuko was used to his uncle's calmness but [Reader's] composure told him something was wrong.

— Why aren't you packing? — he asked, leading Aiiro out.

— Because I'm not going anywhere. — The girl calmly handed him the saddle.

The prince froze as he reached for the item.

— You're not serious, are you?

— My family has lived here for generations. It is my house. We even survived the Fire Nation War. I will stay here like everyone before me.

The healer passed the boy and began to saddle the peacock. The bird sensed anxiety. He began to pace impatiently in place.

— It's stupid!

— Do you think years of tradition are stupid?

— Yes! If there's a chance you'll die from it, then yes!

Zuko grabbed the strap of his bag. He squeezed it as tight as he could.

— You can heal people anywhere — he added. — I think your ancestors would have wanted you to do this, even if not in this temple.

— I won't be able to help. There are all the plants and books here and…— Her voice broke. — Here's everything I know, Zuko. I grew up here. How do I leave it? — Tears welled up in her eyes.

— I know what it's like to leave home — he took a deep breath — but it will get better with time.

The moment of exile flashed before his eyes. When his father declared him a traitor, he lost his home. Since then, he has been desperately trying to get it back. Every step in recent years was supposed to bring him closer to his goal. His search for the Avatar brought him to this place. So did he have the right to ask her to leave? If he could turn back time, would he oppose the general? Would he agree to Agni Kai with his father? He wasn't sure. Yet he tried to force someone to voluntarily abandon their home.

He looked over the white marble columns. Over a dozen or so days, he managed to like the atmosphere of this place. The scents of lemon trees and flowers surrounded him. There were many little creatures living in the garden. He saw frogs, butterflies and birds. Even snails, although they destroyed crops. [Reader] didn't have the heart to kill them. Fat koi fish swam lazily in the pond. He felt at peace as he crossed the bridge over them. He felt like the last time he felt this feeling was when he and his mother were feeding the ducks. He was a little boy then. The times when they formed a family together with Azula and their father seemed very distant.

And now he had the impression that he was on vacation on the Amber Island again and like a child he didn't have to worry about anything. The curtains on the temple terrace fluttered slightly. He sat in the shade on soft pillows. A healer was sitting opposite him in the sun. Iroh poured tea for everyone while explaining the rules of pai sho. He set up the board, chattering happily. Zuko paid no attention to the ongoing conversation. He smelled fresh laundry. It was hanging on a string a little further away. His nose also told him that another batch of herbs was drying nearby. He took a sip of the warm drink. It had a mild, chamomile aftertaste. He bit into the cereal cookie, enjoying the crunch of the dried fruit. He glanced at [Reader] and saw Ursa for a moment. However, the impression quickly dissipated. He laughed at his uncle's weak joke as he moved his pawn. He knew he was losing because he wasn't focusing on the rules. He should be annoyed. After all, he was wasting his time and Aang was still enjoying his freedom. Still, this moment seemed too beautiful to care. The undisturbed idyll was stuck in his head. For some reason, he remembered this ordinary afternoon the best. He felt that it would come back to him again.

It was difficult for him to leave this place. It was hard for him to admit it to himself. Waking up at dawn on a cold morning, breakfasts with freshly brewed tea, hand-dug vegetables for dinner, afternoon walks in the shade of trees, afternoon teas with games, dinners by the warm fireplace and nightly reading of books — all this would now become just a memory. He knew he would leave this place one day, so why did it hurt inside like he was thirteen again?

— Zuko, get in, we don't have time! — The general grabbed Aiiro's reins.

Is it really about the place? This question occupied his mind.

He looked at [Reader]. He realized that he had been wrong so far. This house was not created by shapes, colours and smells but by her. Without her, none of the images flashing through his head would exist.

The boy threw all his supplies out of the bag and handed it to the girl.

— What are you...

— Take all the seeds and books you can fit in here. We will hold them until your return! — The flame flared up above the prince's fingertips.

— Better late than never! — Iroh, pleased, pointed to his nephew's fire.

Was this the balance they talked about so much? Now had his soul finally found a good reason to release the embers?

He created a wall of fire. It burned as brightly as when he fought Azula. He felt strangely calm. There was no nervous, battle fever about it. It was replaced by composure mixed with the belief that what he was doing was right.

Zuko looked up. That night, the starry sky was decorated with hundreds of constellations. The moon lit the way and the dense summer beneath them. Aiiro flapped his powerful wings, creating strong gusts of air. Uncle's loud snoring could be heard from the saddle.

— Zuko. — The girl's quiet voice woke him from his thoughts.

— You're not sleeping yet? — he sighed.

— I could not fall asleep. — She moved closer.

Up there it was hard to hear what others were saying. The wind effectively drowned out the words.

— Me neither — he admitted.

He knew it would be a long time before he forgot about the hill temple. The envious inhabitants of Hefei used his fire in anger. They burned everything that could be destroyed. From the peacock's back he saw first a burning glow and then thick, gray smoke. Ash danced in the cool air along with shreds of pages from ancient books.

— Thank you. — [Reader] wrapped the blanket tighter around herself.

— What for? For burning down your house? — There was regret in his voice.

— You know very well that you didn't burn it.

The prince knew that what she was saying was true. And yet he didn't realize how much he needed to hear it from her.

— If I had stayed there, who knows…— She looked behind her. — Maybe I wouldn't be here anymore.

— I couldn't leave you there because…— The unspoken words hung between them.

He was afraid of another loss. That was the truth. He managed to trust someone and didn't want to face the pain again.

The healer spread her arms. He tentatively snuggled into her. She still smelled of flowers and herbs. Her hair tickled his face. For the first time in years, he allowed himself to cry. He didn't know why he was crying anymore. Was it from longing for a temple or a palace? Was it for family and a future that could never exist or for [Reader] who could be dead? Was he crying for himself or for others? It didn't matter. He sobbed like a little child, who deep inside he still was. In the cool air, hundreds of meters above the ground, the firebender found warmth.

[prying-pandora666]

“The Search” Rewrites, Book 4: Air, Leaks, and A Call for Help from the Fandom

I’ve talked a little about the Book 4: Air restoration project @book4air. If you haven’t seen it yet, check it out! Three full episodes are already out and episode 4 is going to cover Zuko’s early days right after his banishment, exploring his relationship with Iroh and the world as Zuko understands it as a lost boy rapidly coming into manhood.

Wait until you hear the VA’s performance with music and everything! It’ll break your heart.

But I want to talk a little bit about what comes after these next few episodes: our adaptation of “The Search”.

If you’ve seen our adaptation of “The Promise”, you’ll know it was quite faithful. This won’t be the case for “The Search”. For the purposes of the overarching story we are telling, this story is getting overhauled. (Please still support the original release if you’d like to see the canon version).

The biggest change that’s been announced is the addition of Toph. The team felt that a story about family, identity, and faces could benefit from including Toph’s perspective as she comes from a unique but toxic family situation, has a strong conflict between the performance expected of her versus who she really is, and is completely blind and so faces don’t even register for her.

Here is the sample scene we released:

But I want to talk a little bit about what we are changing about Zuko and Azula’s roles in the story. While the set up is virtually unchanged, there is one small alteration that makes a big difference.

(Sorry for the poor quality, this is technically unreleased content and I’m being kinda risky leaking it.)

Ursa’s letters are now a diary. This means that rather than get random flashbacks, the narrative framing now becomes Zuko and Azula reading these entries together. As a result, they get to discuss their discoveries about their family, and even share each other’s perspectives.

What that means is that when things like Zuko dangling Azula over the cliff happen, now we actually are forced to address it. The characters have to talk about how they treat each other and the reasons why. They have to confront the toxic family dynamic they’ve been forced and groomed into since childhood. Zuko has to realize his mentally ill little sister isn’t the monster here and in fact he’s the one with all the power now, and Azula has to realize that Zuko can be trusted if she can let go of her fear long enough to talk to him about her vulnerabilities.

We also address issues like this:

Many people criticize this for being OOC, but I think there’s a way this could easily not be. Sokka has been known to be juvenile and reactionary as a first response, the difference is that he always eventually apologizes and learns from his mistakes. Without even needing to be asked.

Threatening a mentally ill person who has just been removed from an asylum—even as a joke—is not okay. It would be questionable even if they’d been friends before this, but considering their prior relationship it really does seem like an boneheaded lack of awareness or compassion for how triggering this could be.

So rather than remove this interaction, we addressed it. And I am really taking a risk posting this here, but here is a brand new script page:

Sokka isn’t just comic relief. Sokka is smart, Sokka is compassionate, Sokka is brave, and Sokka knows when it’s time to apologize and reach out versus when it’s time to fight.

Safe to say, there are several things that stay the same and we tried to keep faithful to the spirit of the story, but there’s a lot we wanted to do for the Gaang and for the Fire Sibs, and I hope you’ll join us on this adventure, whether you’re a diehard fan of the comics and just looking for a fun AU, or you hate the comics and would like a rewrite, or even if you’ve never read them and would just love to return to the world of ATLA.

The only trouble is, we can’t do it alone. The project is very expensive and time consuming to produce. Our team pays for everything out of pocket and some of us don’t even have reliable housing, so it’s been a hard time.

If you can help in any way, even only by spreading the word so YouTube will stop burying us in the algorithm, that would be huge!

If you can afford to help, we have a Patreon where you can get all sorts of early goodies.

Reblogs and comments greatly appreciated! As the head writer and voice of Azula, this project is very near and dear to me. Avatar was my first pro-writing gig when I was just a homeless 19 year old, and it’s here for me again as I struggle to rebuild my life and health that COVID destroyed.

I love this series and the community that has helped me through the hardest times in my life. I can’t wait to make something beautiful with you all!

[cienie-isengardu]

Lo and Li and their (not) looking after Azula and Zuko in "The Beach"

I have talked a lot about Zuko and Azula lately because “The Beach” episode gives a lot of context for their relationship, but it would be a crime to omit the most funny detail (implication) coming from this episode: the presence of Lo and Li.

Those two older women were introduced into the series as Azula’s teachers (that definitely fueled her unhealthy sense of perfectionism) and some sort of advisors before the princess recruited Ty Lee and Mai on the hunt for Zuko, Iroh and later, the Avatar. The story alone gives little about Lo and Li, but considering their relationship and influences on the princess, we can assume they had, if not outright trust, then at least Ozai’s approval to keep an eye on his “precious”, prodigy daughter. As they were the only adults connected to Fire Lord and at whose house the Royal Siblings and their friends stayed in "The Beach" episode, I thought of them as not really nannies, but more like chaperones.

Zuko and Azula faced Avatar and survived, Mai and Ty Lee proved to be capable of beating down full grown men one on one (or more precisely, one vs many). So fine, ok, Ozai may trust his kids to be able to defend themselves - if the thought about their safety even occurred to him at all. But Zuko and Azula are, and I can’t stress it enough, teenagers sent on vacation and teenagers may do stupid stuff for fun just to taste the little freedom granted them. So it makes sense to me that Lo and Li should supervise the Royal Siblings, because vacation or not, they are still prince and princess, the precious heirs to the throne. And like, Zuko is with his girlfriend (official fiancee?) and you can never be sure what teenagers in love and with buzzing hormones will do, right? Same with Azula, who as we learn through the episode, will happily grab the occasion to flirt with a  handsome, popular boy and the innocent kiss turned out quickly into her passionate rant: “Together, you and I will be the strongest couple in the entire world! We will dominate the Earth!”. 

Azula’s mind really jumped from casual fun (no harm done if Ozai won’t learn about it) to the conclusion that boy she knew for what? a few hours at best will be her boyfriend and part of the future (military?) plans and understandable Chen freaked out and ran away. The taste of freedom affected even Azula, our so emotionally composed, clever girl, because again, a teenager, adolescent curiosity, lack of supervision and buzzing hormones are a dangerous mix. 

(I suspect Zuko getting Mai pregnant would be less scandalous than if Azula - the princess - ended with a bastard child at the age of 14/15. If Ozai would even allow the kid to be born.)

And what Lo and Li were doing the whole episode? Either giving some cryptic speech about how Ember Island is a magical place or encourage kids.

“Time to hit the beach!“ they said

while never bothering going with kids there

(or did Lo and Li have fun on their own ignoring the bunch of their temporary wards?).

And when Azula, Zuko and Ty Lee talked about Chen and why Azula didn’t betray their Royal Family status (and presumably of going to the night party)? Again, the two old women did nothing besides giving some more cryptic advice and saying “to the party!”.

Like, they were totally okay that Fire Royal Siblings (in range of age from 14 to 16) planned to stay at house of unknown boy(s) for the whole night. Again, Zuko is 16, at best almost 17, but Azula is 14 (at best 15) and I don’t think this is an appropriate age to let a girl - especially the princess you are responsible for - go to a party with presumably much older boys. 

(Unless this is why Azula demanded Zuko, her older brother, to be invited alongside her? Not like he checked out if she is alright before he was kicked out for the fight with Mai over some guy but I guess, with a sister like Azula it is easy to assume she doesn’t need babysitting, because Azula could and would kick Chen or anyone else’s ass if they pissed her off). 

My point is, Lo and Li could give the girls and Zuko some serious talk or at least ask to be careful or anything the supposed chaperons should say (or like,  outright demand from Zuko to keep an eye on his younger sister and the noble girls as the oldest and you know, the guy). Because Azula is first and foremost a princess, the same as Zuko is the prince and like, the Royal Family does not need any teenage drama and scandal (and from the previous episode we know Azula and Zuko are now the public figures at the capital).

I’m not sure if perceiving Lo and Li as some sort chaperons to the “banished for a weekend” Royal Siblings was author’s intention or not, but there is something incredible funny how those old women introduced as strict teachers criticizing Azula for not perfect hairstyle while she is working on her lighting technique - a skill absolutely amazing to have at the age of 14 - won’t even bother to keep an eye on the same girl and just let the whole bunch of emotionally stunted and traumatized teenagers freely roam on the “magical” beach and go to night party to total strangers. It is pretty hilarious if not a bit sad. Because wow, Ozai did not give much fuck about any of his kids one way or another. 

Aaand this is what I get when rewatching ATLA as an adult lol.

I know this is animations for kids/teenagers, but what if Chen didn’t freak out? Would Azula be curious enough to experience something more than just a kiss? And well, we assume Chen and Ruon-Jian are in age close to Zuko & Azula (as if they were adults they would be enrolled into army, I think?) But there is still a room for them being older than Zuko who himself is two years older than Azula. Also, them inviting Ty Lee & Mai specifically for how they look without bothering to ask for their name and the way a group of boys cornered Ty Lee to the point she needed to chi-blocking all of them kinda gives me the feeling the party was an occasion for them to pick up girl for night or something along the way. Dunno if I read the scene/intention right but it gives that vibe I guess…?

[thebeautyoffanfics]

Hiiii about the zukka requests I would love if you wrote something with one of them being touchstarved!!!

sokka x zuko

a/n : HII thank you sm for the request!! I hope this turned out alright and that you enjoy it !! [ALSO i refer to their little group as team avatar throughout this but suki isn’t there don’t massacre me i just didn’t feel like thinking up explanations 🙏 they are in a polycule in my heart.  i just need self indulgent zukka hehe<3] warnings : none word count : 1108

Zuko hadn’t known what it was like to not be touch-starved since his mother was around. When she was gone, Zuko was quick to know warm arms and gentle touches had left with her. And so, he truly had not expected to find that type of affection when he joined Aang’s group. Not from Aang, thank god, and definitely not from Katara or Toph. Sure, there was the occasional hug, a hand on his back, or a punch which was supposed to be affection but really just left a Toph’s-fist-sized bruise on his arm. Instead, Zuko found those touches in Sokka, who very well may have been virtually the opposite of Zuko.

Maybe it shouldn’t have been surprising. Zuko could have guessed that when Sokka cared, he cared with his entire heart--he saw the way he’d protect his friends, and how he interacted with them when their lives weren’t in immediate danger. Sokka was a close person, and Zuko had gathered that it was how he was raised and just… how he was. He’d seen the Southern Water Tribe families, and seen just how familial they were (nothing like his household, he used to think to himself with contempt; now, it was nothing but heartwarming). He just never expected Sokka could be that way with him. 

Talking close, sitting close, a grip on his arm, a whisper that brought his face closer than Zuko had expected anyone from “Team Avatar” would be with him. And when Zuko had proven himself? God, no, when feelings Zuko were just certain weren’t reciprocated got spilled post-coronation?

Zuko thought he might die. An arm around his shoulder, grabbing his hand, pinching his face, a kiss? He’d be scared to admit it when it made his face warm, his skin tingle, his stomach butterfly-filled-- but Zuko needed that touch, more than he needed anything. 

That’s why, after a few months of Sokka visiting the Southern Water Tribe, Zuko had felt more alone than he had in ages. Fire Lord duties could only distract him for so long. Unless he saw Uncle Iroh, who offered Zuko hugs upon arrival and departure, Zuko was without human touch after just having it back. That’s why, now that the “Team Avatar” was back together (and on a mini-vacation of sorts, courtesy of Zuko’s old house on the beach), Zuko could barely be seen apart from Sokka.

The reunion was sweet--they always were, for everyone. Aang’s odd slang that Zuko still didn’t understand, Katara’s politeness (that he knew was very limited), a punch or two from Toph, and countless hugs and hair-ruffles and face-pinches and kisses from Sokka. 

And now, the day long over, three of their group fast asleep or preparing to be, Zuko had what he’d been wanting all day. Maybe it was selfish, but he was royalty, and royally in love. All he wanted was alone-time with his boyfriend, and, for once, getting what he wanted was the sweetest victory.

“Your hair’s gotten so long,” Sokka noted, interrupting the comfortable silence that had enveloped them since the rest of their friends opted to rest. His hands ran through Zuko’s hair, gently combing it and bringing a relaxing feeling that made Zuko practically purr like a contented housecat. 

“Yeah, I guess… I had long hair throughout my childhood, so it feels… right. I don’t really notice it.”

“It looks nice! When it’s up in your highness’ hairdo, you look juuust like a spoiled prince.”

Zuko knew that was a teasing tone, and felt himself grinning when Sokka placed his hands on his face, squishing him lightly. At one point, Zuko knew he wouldn’t have accepted teasing-- to respond to it with joy made himself feel proud, a pride he wasn’t ashamed of anymore. 

“You grew your hair out too,” Zuko responded, rolling his eyes in an attempt to return the teasing. Reaching out, he ran a few fingers along the shaved sides of Sokka’s head, before reaching farther. Swiftly, Zuko yanked the tie from Sokka’s hair, letting it fall loose. 

Sokka laughed a bit, “Yeah, it got pretty long, so I was like ‘sure, why not, keep it.’”

“It looks nice.” Zuko’s tone was genuine, and had such admiration in it that Sokka felt as though he had been caught off-guard. “I, uhm,” Zuko continued, coughing a bit. It was his turn to feel flustered, not sure why he wanted to say this. Sokka’s honesty seemed to rub off on Zuko, on top of how comfortable Sokka made him feel. Like he wanted to tell him anything and everything, but never had the words (or sociability). “I missed you. It feels like I haven’t, uh… had a hug in ages. It sounds stupid, but you’re the only person who ever gets close to me.”

Sokka’s face grew red, a flustered laugh leaving his mouth. “I missed you too, man. I’ve missed being close to you,” He spoke, bringing his hands to squish the sides of Zuko’s face together once more. With Zuko’s face squished, Sokka placed a silly kiss on his puckered lips. “Calling your boyfriend ‘man’ doesn’t sound right, you know,” Zuko responded, taking a moment to fight the flustered feeling he always got around Sokka, especially when they’d kiss.

“Sorry, your Fire Lord-iness, I’ll be sure to call you more romantic names.”

Despite the teasing, Sokka let go of Zuko’s face, pulling him in for a hug instead. Though Zuko wanted to complain about the names, he instead found his mind faltering, as his head landed softly against Sokka’s shoulder. 

“What are you doing?” Zuko questioned, though he didn’t make any attempts to move. “Uhh, hugging you? Didn’t you just say you missed me being close to you?”

Zuko knew that wasn’t exactly what he said, but… he wasn’t going to argue. Not when it was true. Not when having someone show him that they cared like this felt so comforting, so reassuring, like he couldn’t deny that Sokka was real, he was there because Zuko could feel it was true. Sokka’s hands were quick to find their places, one on Zuko’s back and the other in his hair, massaging its way into his scalp, then gently combing the hair out. 

Zuko had thought himself at ease already, but Sokka’s loving ministrations seemed to coax him into a relaxed state he hardly knew. His heart felt full, and his skin felt warm with contact. 

“Thanks, Sokka,” He mumbled, hardly wanting to move enough to talk properly. All he wanted was this moment--this boy. Zuko could hear the smile in Sokka’s voice, “Yeah. You don’t need to thank me, really-- I like being near you.”

[lizajane2]

Avatar the Last Airbender Live Action Episode 4

"I'm really starting to see the kind of person he is."

No, no Aang you're wrong. Zuko is under the impression that gaining his father's acceptance and love are more important. He's confused and lost. Just needs guidance. There is good in him.

"He'll listen to you." Sometimes.

Bitch no when Iroh and Aang are at the end of their conversation you can slightly hear Leaves from the Vine playing in the background.

How do you make King Bumi crazier than he was in the animated series?

"Look at the power you have. That's because of me."

Let me just scooch in here: "WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?!"

Not me singing along to "Secret Tunnel." LOL. I just couldn't help myself.

"You were a butcher!" Perspective is important here and I love that they added this scene with the earthbender because we've always seen Iroh as this tea-loving and wise old man who has a good heart, but you never saw the pain he caused other people with his actions.

This scene was spoiled for me, but I was not prepared for it at all. Iroh was alone in his pain and suffering, even Ozai his own brother didn't sit with him, but Zuko did. And I'm ugly sobbing right now. THE WRITERS KNEW WHAT THEY WERE DOING WITH THAT RENDITION OF LEAVES FROM THE VINE!!!

They kept this in!!

Cause this:

Was so attractive to me when I was a teenager (I have no reason as to why it was). It's the little things that make me love this show.

Okay, the fact that they used Sokka and Katara's love for each other as a family to find their way out of the tunnel is touching. It's a weird decision but I don't hate it.

"You think like a child." Well, Bumi that's cause he is one. LOL. And I feel like Bumi has a right to feel that he was abandoned by Aang. That was his best friend and he just disappeared. I get it.

"You wanna come with me?" Zuko sounded so surprised.

"How about a friend?"

"Home. Everything I need is on this boat."

[procrastinatingwriting]

Legacy of fire

Zuko breaks. Simple as that. After a few easily avoided assassination atempts and being left alone in the castle by his friends - the war won't stop itself - he just. Breaks. Starts banishing staff from the castle, or imprisoning them for the smallest things, claiming they were with Ozai and wanted to kill him. Mai gives up trying to reason with him, they break up. She writes for the gaang to tell hem what's happening, and sends a search for Iroh.

Azula is being treated in her room, and hears nothing of anyone for a long time. She is still shaky after the breakdown, but doing better. In one night, Zuko invades her room and looks in shock to see her calmly laying on her bed. He babbles about her having to stop going into his room to taunt him. She hadn't been doing that. Azula frowns, and deduces what's happening. She teases him saying if she wanted the throne back she would just challenge him again, but she didn't. Zuko calms down, but is still restless. They bond over being left behind with the crown by who they love.

Things start to get better in the palace, the staff being able to hold their jobs for longer than a week before being sent away for 'attempted treason'. Azula is seen outside often now, either training or spending time with the firelord (aka convincing him that no, those gardeners are not going to use the scissors to try and assassinate him). They feed the turtleducks and talk about mom and dad, and how it wasn't fair. Azula talks about how Iroh leaving Zuko must feel the same as father leaving her in the day of the black sun, and Zuko has a meltdown after finally breaking through denial. Azula admits she accepted that Ozai never loved her after that day, and had the same reaction. They joke that at least he wouldn't be challenged to an agni kai in his own meltdown, and he apologizes.

Azula never allows Mai to tag allong in their bonding moments, but sometimes allows Ty Lee. Mai is livid, but won't admit. Ty Lee is just glad to have her friend back.

It's in the middle of a meeting when Zuko truly breaks down. He panics and attacks his advisors, screaming, breathing and kicking fire. Azula takes him down and when Ty Lee chi blocks him, Zuko goes limp. Azula is crowned as temporary fire lord and follows through with the plan to end the war since she doesn't really minds it anyways. She isn't following orders anymore. She does keeps some of their colonies though, and there comes the issue.

Aang couldn't stop what he was doing to go back at the fire nation because, quote, 'Zuko wasn't feeling well' as per Mai's words, but when the colony issue arrived, he changed his schedule and went to grab his friends to solve the problem. What a surprise when they see it's Azula giving orders, not Zuko. Ty Lee explains the situation and is supported by the Kyoshi warriors, but Aang demands to see Zuko. Katara is tense. Azula too. She denies them claiming her brother being too tired to be visited. Aang finds it fishy and keeps guard at night to try and contact Zuko by breaking in through his window (maybe Azula is holding him prisioner right?). Zuko is not only crazy and terrified, but also hallucinating apparently, and fights Aang until his eventual collapse, and Azula comes out of nowhere to help.

Azula: Can't get him to eat anything. Three of the last 6 attempts involved food, he hasn't had much since.

Aang:

Aang: pardon?

Azula: My brother is weak, avatar, would you leave us alone so he can keep at least a piece of his dignity?

Aang becomes number one member of the "let's give azula a chance" club. They all realize that it was deffinetly NOT a good choice to leave Zuko alone in the palace, and that Azula shouldn't be burdened with it either (and maybe, just MAYBE, they were a little too rough in the judgement of her). He calls Bumi and Azula agrees to let him help keep things in order until they decide what to do, but declines to have her position revoked.

I remember I had a vision with this but it was too long ago and I am currently working on another AU. I might come back for this one latter, though.

[highfantasy-soul]

NATLA Episode 8 - Legends (4/4)

[Masterlist of my NATLA thoughts]

Of course, full spoilers ahead.

<previous

I think the live-action show wraps up the season a lot better than the animated show did. The animated show just…ends with no dialogue between the Gaang, no momentum forward for the next season. Aang just turns back into himself, hugs Katara, and the three of them stare out over the water, the battle won. There's no lingering on the cost, there's no decisions for the future, it's just…over. I like that the live-action has them grapple with what just happened, process the battle and the losses and how it's not going to end. We see the actual loss from the battle - there's none of that in the animated show. We see Hahn's body, the body of the young waterbender who called Katara master, and we get to see Aang's horror at the violence of war (and what the Avatar state can do) now, right after it happened rather than just ending on the 'high' of him defeating everyone and saving the trauma for next season.

We reiterate the arcs of the season: we can't run away from the pain of war, all we can do is keep fighting for a better future. Sokka's worth isn't in his fighting ability but in his heart and using every aspect of his being to help out. Katara is growth and change and standing up for what's right even when the whole world tells her no - and reminding others of those truths too. And above all, they're going to lean on each other to help save the world - they don't have to do it alone.

Again, we have Katara herself being the one to change Pakku's mind, not some connection with a past love, but Katara and her showing him by her actions and arguments that she was right. Love that he offers her a place helping train new waterbenders, recognizing that she has things to teach that no one else knows - but she turns it down because her place is beside Aang for now. They've got a journey to complete.

The scene with Zuko and Iroh is pulled right from the animated and it's another instance of them knowing exactly what to keep the same - but this time, I feel like Zuko is even MORE tired than in the animated show. This really does leave his path forward more open than it was in the animated series. While his father hasn't outright said he can never return, even if he gets the Avatar, Zuko is now questioning if Zhao was right and what he should do if he is. I think that season 2 can open very similarly to the animated series and I'm looking forward to how they do that.

This final scene with the Gaang is a wonderful summation of the season: this war isn't Aang's fault - death and pain are going to keep coming as long as the fire nation can act with impunity, so Aang needs to let go of the past (not let it paralyze him with the fear that it'll happen again) and take steps toward building a better future. Learn the elements, master the Avatar state, and take down the Fire Lord.

Their little banter right at the end was so cute!!!! Sokka talking about food, Katara judging him for it, Aang joking around - perfect Gaang dynamic there. I love that that's the last thing we see of our protagonists this season: not some epic inspiring speech or act, but just three friends bantering as they get ready to take on an insurmountable challenge - a lighthearted moment after all that darkness.

The stinger of the Fire Nation is a great way to set up next season and the specific challenges the Gaang will face. The full circle strategy of drawing the attention to one place while really attacking to debilitate another was such an awesome callback to Sozin's plan with the Air Nomad invasion. Ozai, I think, is playing it even more intricately. He sets many pieces out on the board and even though he has a feeling certain ones will succeed while others fail, the 'weaker' options still have the change of surprising him.

Ozai says it was always a long shot that Zhao could take the North, but Zhao almost surprised him with his ingenuity of the 'killing the moon spirit' plan. Not that it worked out for him, but there was at least a chance it could have worked. Ozai really sent Azula out to take Omashu - the target that had a greater chance to fall than the entire Northern Water Tribe and gave that plan the best chance to succeed - and it did. He's playing the same game with Azula herself and Zuko - he has a feeling Azula is going to be the one to come out on top, so he waters her the most and gives her the greater resources and tasks that have a chance of success, but he's still waiting to see if all the games and hitting of pressure points sparks something in Zuko that will make him claw to the tops of the ranks. He's the underdog, but I don't believe Ozai has counted him entirely out of the running yet.

I think next season can pick up pretty much the same place the animated series did: Ty Lee at the circus now that Azula is off in the world doing things, Mai and her family taking over Omoshu as 'New Ozai', and Azula sent off into the world to collect Zuko and bring him home since his quest hasn't borne any fruit. Then the Gaang hanging out and training Aang with waterbending and then off to find Aang an earthbending teacher. I think there's also a good chance they'll seed in something of a Jong Jong episode where Aang will attempt firebending as well and include some of the other storylines that didn't make it into season 1. I'll write another post about the storylines cut and why I think that might have been as well as a post about storylines they added.

Overall, I think they did a really great job adapting the animated series to this new format. They deepened a lot of things I thought were glossed over in the animated series (Iroh's past as a general and the loss of characters we got to know and like) and added some really great threads such as Katara's waterbending journey being fully linked to the fire nation trying to destroy her culture and the death of her mother, Sokka learning how to be a whole person and not deny parts of himself just because 'traditional masculinity' is what he thought was needed in this time of war, and Aang really taking the time to grapple with coming to terms with the past and stepping into the future to take his place as the Avatar.

I think they kept the hearts of the characters the same - I genuinely believe they kept Katara's anger and fire (but added more layers to it which I think added depth, it didn't 'water it down'), Sokka's unhealthy relationship with non-traditional masculinity and needing to be in charge added realism and a deeper story than just flat, 2000's sexism, and I love love love how we got to see more of Gyatzo and Aang's relationship heightening Aang's desire to keep the Air Nomad traditions of diplomacy, non-violence, and open friendship alive like he wants to in the animated show.

Aang truly is the Avatar needed for this time. He brings joy and the belief that people are, at heart, good back to a world that has been suffering through a 100 year war.

[marriedzukka]

5, 11, 17 for retgmt <3

hi jo beloved my number one retgmt warrior <3<3

5. Where did you write this fic? Is that your favorite spot to write?

all over, but probably mostly in my bed or at the desk in my room. i write a lot at work too when there's downtime but I prefer doing it at home in my cozy space with no interruptions (other than my cat)

11. Was there a scene that you hadn't originally planned to include? Why did you decide to fit it in?

soo many omg...but there a few that come to mind:

1) jet giving sokka a pep talk. jet only plays a very small part in this story so I wasn't sure if I should keep it in, but sokka also needed a reality check from someone who didn't care about his feelings as much as his friends/family lmao.

2) iroh's letter to lu ten. it started as just an exercise in trying to find his voice, and i almost didn't include it because it was hard to find a good spot for it. but people still comment about that part specifically so I'm really glad I kept it in!!

3) sokka's conversation with katara, aang, and toph when zuko was Going Through It. round-table scenes like that are so hard because there's so many people to keep track of and i wasn't sure if it was too clunky, but sokka also needed a pep talk and new perspective from his people so I decided to keep it.

4) zuko's conversation with hakoda. I don't know what it was about this scene that was so damn hard to write but other than the huge emotional parts of that chapter, this was definitely the hardest scene to get right. I knew that I wanted them to have a conversation but i couldn't figure out how to get the two of them alone in a way that was natural. But then it finally clicked when I remembered that I had literally already set up the fact that Sokka was trying to pay more attention to when Zuko needed a break, so it gave me a chance to show Sokka actually doing that AND get Zuko alone.

17. What was the hardest scene to write?

hmmm. tough choice, I've cried so many very real tears writing this thing but apart from the big relationship moments, which I'm always concerned with getting just right, I think the hardest to write was when Zuko finally breaks down in chp. 14. That shit was rough. I had to really dig into those feelings and try to express what grief feels like (it feels like So Much), and also simplify it in a way that made sense and resonated. And then because I love making things even more complicated for myself, I decided to put some flashbacks in that scene too. Those ended up being necessary but I was definitely struggling to make the whole thing flow in a way that made sense.

13.My favorite line of dialogue from this fic was [xyz]. What inspired it?

🥺🥺🥺 i love that line too, I think it sums them up so well. I'm not sure if there was anything specific that inspired it, but I wanted to call back to earlier in the chapter when they were looking through pictures together and Sokka made him say that he deserved good things. And it got to a point when Sokka was finally like, fine- don't believe me? I'll show you myself!!!!

[fungalhazard]

following off of the previous au idea, an au where something goes funky while aang is in the iceberg with the avatar state and it doesn't change much, except when he comes out of the ice berg and sneezes, he doesn't air bend but firebend and like, oh boy is this kid definitely not admitting to being the avatar, and he doesn't know about the war so in a moment of panic and confusion is just like ‘oh yeah i'm a firebender h a h a h a totally not the avatar or an air bender pfft what are you talking about why would you think that?’ and besides, there's nothing wrong with firebenders,,,

right?

except sokka and katara immediately go on edge, but because katara has the brain cell that Doesn't Crave As Much Violence as Sokka, they still take him back to their village because he's a confused kid that was in an iceberg with a giant flying bison?? and so that kind of just goes the way it went in canon except with a fair bit more caution and suspicion, and maybe aang's having trouble controlling the element he's supposed to be using, and maybe even after processing things and realising the villagers would be less caution if he just came out and said he was the avatar, except he's decidedly Not Thinking About That and Still Very Confused, and then the abandoned fire nation ship happens and oh boy he should really, really tell katara but also a war?? a hundred years?? he is not processing

and then he gets kicked out of the village, and zuko shows up looking for the avatar and then suddenly there's this kid there who's dressed in air temple clothes but bending fire really, really poorly, and isn't the avatar supposed to be over a hundred years old?? master of all elements?? an air bender???

and maybe he's projecting a bit because this kid can't be him, then he thinks about that time he visited the southern air temple, and how it really isn't

far from here, is it, and he thinks about his own banishment, and the ease his father did it, which he tries not to do but really, this kid is so painfully a kid even to him, and then he puts two and two together, takes a dive into the metaphorical math trash for the biggest number he can catch and latches onto that with his stubborn, traumatised fists

and he comes to the conclusion that maybe this kid was banished too, left behind by a ship passing by and spent his days surviving alone surrounded by the remains of a culture, and he wonders how young the kid would have been, to pick up the scraps of that culture and make it his own despite the fire nation upbringing, how he seems to have based his bending forms off of the air nomads- the tattoos, even, how did the kid manage to do that?! and how did the kid even wind up in the southern water tribe? (later he'll see appa and that'll just add more questions)

so he sees this kid who's a fire bender as far away from home as himself, and sure a lot of things don't make sense about his train of thought but zuko is nothing but stubborn, and he can't leave this kid here can he? even with the avatar hunt? he really wishes he could ask uncle what to do but he's pretty sure iroh is taking a nap somewhere and he really doesn't want to disturb him, and really, he needs to find the avatar, but this kid- he's imagined himself like that before, what would have happened to him if uncle hadn't been there? would he have been that alone?

so he makes the split second decision to take the kid in and teach him proper fire bending and culture- the avatar is obviously not in this village anymore- what kind of avatar makes a bunch of kids fight a warship anyway? and so starts the travels of aang, who has no idea what mental gymnastics zuko just did but is a bit too friendly to just flee for his life, katara and sokka, who i haven't quite figured out why they're there but can't separate the gaang

and are just Very Confused, zuko, who can't do math and is perhaps a little too stuborn, and iroh, who can absolutely do math but deems seeing his nephew making friends for possibly the first time in his life far more important than reminding zuko that two plus two generally equals four

[sunflowericescribbles]

Avatar Live Action - yeaaa no

Phew, so I had nothing better to do this weekend than watch the LA and compare it to the cartoon series. The first 2 episodes were fine I have to admit and got my hopes up. Then it got stupid.

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD

The good stuff:

The world looks beautiful and honestly I loved all the places and the scenes, so many details everywhere.

The costumes, I really can´t complain about them, because I don´t care if they´re not dirty enough or what else. You can see the details and structures on every different type of clothes, even a simple Kimono has details and I love it. The Kyoshi warriors looked beautiful. (And seriously stop comparing the costumes to cosplays as if that is insult. Maybe if they looked like bought costumes than I would agree, but we´re talking about handmade costumes here!)

Iroh & Zuko relationship is good, love that.

Surprisingly Sokka is not that big of a problem for me with his lacking sexism.

I liked Zhao, at least how he was potrayed.

Jet is good, they got the important point about him across I think.

They showed Katara diligently practicing water bending even in the back ground, which I really appreciated.

The bad stuff:

The humor is seriously lacking and I miss that. The only funny ones are sometimes Iroh and Zuko

Aang gets told multiple times how he should not have any friends and rather be alone, which I find stupid. Hence why most of the time he´s portrayed as a sad boy, and I really really miss his playful side in this.

Sokka is way too serious though. And they robbed us of him in a Kyoshi warrior outfit T_____T

Katara lacks serious rage. She´s... too mild? I don´t know exactly how to describe it but I never really felt much?

they ASSASSINETED Azula´s character! I cannot comprehend how they made her a whiny child who has to prove anything to her father which is way too similar to Zuko! Azula certainly is NOT LOOSING CONTROL over her emotions like that. She´s perfect, she´s the golden child, why does she get played like that? What the hell?? With every new scene I saw it got worse. Yea she is manipulative, you got that right, but everything else about her that makes her terrifying was thrown out of the window because of what??

Omashu and the way too many plots in one.

The mechanic and his son Teo are suddenly there and their reasons for all what they´re doing is infuriating me to no end, because it´s so stupid.

The tunnel is stupid stupid stupid and I hate it. If that is how they wanted to avoid the AangxKatara romance but still wanted to plant their LOVE message in there, then they can keep it. Not that I´m against sibling´s love, but I am against the idea that a wild animal will simply forgive you for trespassing if you hold on tight enough on your beloved sibling >_> And it was useless! The whole tunnel search to get to the prisons was useless! The beautiful glowing stones that ARE THE GUIDES are useless!

Bumi IS NOT BITTER! Why did you do this to him? No wait, I know why you can do this to him, but it still makes me angry, because Aang is already weighed down enough and not even his one old friend can just be happy about him being alive and well.

Aang does not once water bend! Wasn´t the first season about learning at least water bending?

They managed to cram so much into Omashu, but they couldn´t be bothered to add the rivalry between Sokka and Yue´s fiance? Why? Honestly, of all the things they let drop it was the engagement part?

The precise timing of the one day in the year where both gods are mortal so Zhao could kill one of them. Too many mental gymnastics and luck of timing for that kind of plan, seriously.

Result:

I can enjoy it for the pictures and the costumes, but characters and plot are giving me grief.