#its about AANGS FAMILY

[freakurodani]

The parallel between Sokka and Tenzin as their fathers' sons.

Sokka, left at 13 as his father and all the other men head off to war. Hakoda tells him "being a man is knowing where he's needed the most" and he needs to protect his sister, his home.

Tenzin is the second airbender. He is also half water tribe, he's a man. When Aang dies, he will be the last airbender. He understands what he needs to do.

Untold amount of pressure and responsibility have been thrust upon them by their fathers. Though, I believe it is not all intentional, but the unfortunate circumstance of being the fathers of sons who take responsibility incredibly seriously.

In Sokka's case, "protect your sister" is a vague instruction. It was meant to give him purpose, to help him feel okay about being left behind, He is too young for war, his father does not want to bring his child to slaughter. But Sokka will die with purpose. He will train the children of his tribe so they will be protected, he will face a fire nation ship until his last breath. He cannot go to war, but Hakoda did not see that war was all around them. In trying to give Sokka purpose, Hakoda put their world on his shoulders.

We do not get to see Aang be a father (in the TV shows), but we know he had hopes for the future. All his children were air nomads, and the air acolytes brought his culture back, but Tenzin could bend. This part of their culture is one ONLY they share. I do not think Aang would hide this, he is joyous that he gets to share his culture. When he feels respected, he always is, he taught the air acolytes after all. Off handedly, he could say, "I'm hopeful for a future where there are lots more air benders," and that, which feels mostly innocuous to him, is the nail in the coffin of Tenzin's fate. He is Avatar Aang's son, and the future of the air benders. It would not matter that Aang meant a future in generations. Tenzin sees the responsibility and it's his. He is his father's only air bending child, he knows what he needs to do.

Being a parent is not understanding the way the things you say harm your children. Even those things that feel innocuous in the moment can be life altering. Especially the more the child respects the parent. Purpose and Hope for those with a broader perspective, can be death sentences to a life that could have been when expressed to those who idolize the former.

[thisloveforyourmom]

Call me crazy if u want but i dont think its that weird that the group of traumatized/abused child soldiers turned out to be pretty flawed parents. Like it makes sense to me that the only one of them who didnt seem to have that issue was the one whose entire arc was about unlearning generational patterns of trauma

[edgyandoverzealous]

I'm a Zokka shipper, I am in fandom purely for fun, as I am under the impression that everyone is.

[give-grian-rights]

i understand miguel has a thick ass but i do NOT UNDERSTAND HOW SO MANY PEOPLE SIMP FOR HIM. man beefed with a fifteen year old and wanted to rip him to shreds. because the boy didn't want his dad to die ?!??/

(Across the Spider-Verse spoiler)

[legosloth16]

watching this great video analysing Avatar just reminds me of why this show was soo great with art and detail with always having a clear story and how every bit of detail including music and colours were just thought out to perfection as well as the fact that you could watch any random ep without knowing the show and still understand the entire lore of the world but then you get the mess that is Legend of korra where soo many characters and lore were completely ruined

[rifari2037]

The reasons why I believe Zutara is secretly canon

Zutara and Avatar Official

Older Zuko and Katara drawn by the Korean Animation Director of Avatar! Look at their gestures!!

It's not really surprising, though!

"Warriors only show their back to someone they completely and fully trust," someone said.

Zuko and Katara trust each other enough to do that again and again!

Katara never wore flower in her hair, then she wore them in Jasmine Dragon, like out of nowhere??

Ah, apparently Avatar studio answered it. Same flower, same colour!

Are we delusional or are they denial, while ATLA Official Youtube Channel honoured Zutara Week???

Also, it written,"there is an undeniable connection and chemistry between these two elemental opposite that deserves to be recognise and celebrated!"

2. Zutara and The Writers

Joshua Hamilton : I'm Zutara. You know, I'm just originalist. Also Joshua Hamilton : I read the Bible a long time ago and it said they're supposed to get together

3. Zutara and ATLA Chibi

Yes, this is the thumbnail!! Also, they are soooo in love in ATLA chibi, like...

Sooo, Katara, you think Zuko is cute????

"My heart burns for you!" yeah, literally!!

4. Zutara and Fortnite Bundle

Fortnite knows who the real canon couple is when released Zutara bundle!!! And...

Hug! Hug! Let's hug anywhere!!!

...and love!!!

5. Zutara and The Actors

Really??? Put them side by side and let them pose like this??? Really??

Red and blue dresses? Sun and moon earrings? Don't tell me that isn't Zutara code!!!

The Question : Does Zuko like Katara in Avatar? Dallas Liu : (Smiling suspiciously) Is not a no, but is not a yes!

Couldn't they have been more clear? They could have said, "Zuko doesn't like Katara because they're enemies!"

I mean they're enemies in Season 1, right?? Right???

Why is the answer so clearly that Aang and Katara just like family relationship, but not for Zuko and Katara? Why???

6. Zutara and NATLA

Are you kidding me??? This scene is not necessary, at all, but Zutara crumbs is way important, so here we go!!!!

Dang! I'm about to upload another (a lot actually) Zutara crumbs, but I've reached my maximum limit! Too much Zutara in NATLA!

Zutara-Antis : Of course NATLA gives its fans lots of Zutara crumbs, otherwise they wouldn't watch it!

Actually, that's the point. If Zutara is unpopular or secretly canon, why would NATLA bother giving fans so many crumbs? Why not other couples?

If other couples are more popular, shouldn't NATLA be more worried about losing more fans?

7. Zutara and Video Fanmade

I LOVE THIS!!! I LOVE THIS!!! I LOVE THISSS!!!

Zuko : (Holding Katara's hand) Katara... Katara : (Healing Zuko's wound) You're not going anywhere...

And they're stick together!

8. Zutara and Children's Storybook

Yes, Zutara chemistry and relationship development is so beautiful, it is even written in a children's story book..

Beautiful.. So beautiful..

NB : I got this picture a long time ago, I forgot who owns it. Please, please, if this picture is yours or if anyone knows the source, please let me know!

Come on, guys, give me more proof that Zutara is secretly canon!! I'm sure there's more!!!

[zutara-4-eva]

a reminder that just because i think zuko and katara are a better match than aang and katara DOES NOT MEAN that i do not like aang. I think hes a amazing character. In fact, i find that his relationship with Katara deminishes his storyline and growth as both a person and the avatar.

One of the problems ive always had with atla, is how hard they push for kataang. Yes, its cute, and yes, i think that its very understandable for aang to have crush on the first pretty, nice, and kind girl he sees after being frozen for 100 years. However, i think the narrative would have worked better for Aang's drive and motivation to not be about Katara solely. In particular, Im referencing the finale of Book 2. Instead of Katara being his teather to the mortal realm, i think it should have been all his friends.

it should have been the family he found and created. Hes lost everyone that has ever loved and cared about him, and now he has a new family. I think this slight shift in motivation would have been extremely beneficial in fleshing out Aang's grief and trauma over the genocide of the air nomads.

So, regardless of how you feel about either ships, i think that aang's would have been better off with a family and friend driven motivation for saving the world, rather than romance.

[azulaaaaaaah]

rating every zuko ship (cause that mf is shipped with everyone)

CLICKBAIT!!! this isn’t every zuko ship just the main ones i immediately lied lol. idk if any of these are hot takes or not but please don’t crucify me (might do a part 2 where it’s azula ships)

Jinko - Zuko/Jin

6/10

awwww it’s cute (for what it is)

and what it is was one singular date that was never really mentioned again

i really appreciate how jin is so unperturbed by zuko’s awkward angst and just genuinely likes him

howevvver she’s kinda one dimensional (as she’s only in like an episode) and i just don’t see this going anywhere longterm

less a ship, more a vehicle for zuko’s character development lol

Jetko- Zuko/Jet

3/10

jet being zuko’s first gay encounter is canon in my eyes

don’t ship them however cause i hate jet with the fire of a thousands suns

similar issues to jin as well where their interactions are extremely limited so personally have no clue how this could be a long term thing

Maiko- Zuko/Mai

5/10

i am so impartial on this ship it’s not even funny.

i get that it’s canon. i get that izumi looks suspiciously like mai so it’s endgame. i just don’t see HOW?? it feels as if the writers realised zutara was becoming popular and were like ‘OH SHIT WE GOTTA DEFUSE THIS SITUATION SOMEHOW’

their relationship is basically just mai being a cold asshole and zuko being an angry asshole and there’s no change or development between EITHER OF THEM

however when they’re cute they’re cute !!!!

‘i love zuko more than i fear you’ COLDEST LINE EVER

however again it’s like - you had a crush on him as a kid. he was BANISHED. you dated for like a month as teens. you argued the whole time. he left again- and shortly after you saved him from prison, but then you were imprisoned partly due to his actions. you get back together again, he becomes the ruler of a country, and then you’re surprised it’s isolating him/making him even more of an asshole???

on the other hand we as a society need to admit that zuko is weirdly possessive of her (ig that’s a positive if ur a booktok romance girlie but im not). like if i was mai i wouldn’t put up with that toxic shit either

at the end of the day, i honestly don’t care that they’re canon lol- but i think they’d probably best as a bitchy best friend duo

Zukaang - Zuko/Aang

1/10

not round here partner. not round here

my first issue is the age gap is objectively extremely weird if examined in canon. leaving it at that

i get that this is grumpy x sunshine in a way the other ships aren’t to me- but we’ve only ever seen these two characters interact with each other when there’s (again) A WEIRD AGE GAP

they are bros in the least homosexual way possible

the cherry on top of this situation is: isn’t aang the reincarnation of his great grandpa? isn’t that giving slight, uh, inc*st vibes??? imagine if people shipped korra and jinora isn’t that just WEIRD???

Zuki - Zuko/Suki

8/10

is this my most controversial take ???

i am a sucker for bodyguard x royal family dynamics guys

and the fact that this is girlboss x malewife is even BETTER

suki seems the most competent at handling his pissy ass in a way the other people on this list aren’t

like she’s real. she’s not sugarcoating his situation, BUT SHES COMPASSIONATE !!

i don’t like throuples typically but suzukki is even eliter than this, which removes the whole ‘going against the bro code’ element that arises from them being together

also i feel like if you haven’t read the comics this doesnt make sense At All so please do

-2 points for the lack of tangible reason to ship them lol

Zutara - Zuko/Katara

7.5/10

okay this one makes the most logistical sense to me within canon (solely examined as a zuko ship not overall)

it really seems as if they were gonna make this canon and swerved circa book 2

LIKE CMONNNN OG ENEMIES TO LOVERS WHERE THE GUY ACTUALLY HAS CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT AND ISN’T JUST EVIL? FIRE X WATER? ITS INTRIGUING

something about this makes me uncomfortable though. (despite the age gap which again a little weird)

something about katara potentially becoming the fire lady is so… icky. she’s a waterbender. the fire nation tried to systematically erase her kind. her mother is killed by the fire nation because they think she’s a waterbender. and katara…. what, becomes part of the royal family? it just seems wrong, and like something she wouldn’t be into

also i feel like their arguments would be a little too NUCLEAR. there’s like, a 50% chance of divorce

she deserves a better ending than that is all i’m saying

to paraphrase the hunger games: katara has plenty of fire herself. SHE NEEDS THAT DANDELION IN THE SPRING MAN

(i’m a kataang truther)

Zukka - Zuko/Sokka

9/10

my zuko related otp!!!

bros to lovers guys, where zuko falls first but sokka falls HARDER !!!

ik this will never be canon and im happy with that. i know there’s not even a whisper of romance between them in the show, but i just think it’s c u t e .

sokka (like suki) is very likely to call zuko out on his shit, but less likely to lose his own shit (like katara)

this in my heart of hearts is 10/10 however is still problematic in a similar way to zutara

his mother is killed by the fire nation and he (presumably) becomes consort ?

however though, i would still say it’s not as ruhroh as zutara bc firstly, sokka isn’t a waterbender, and secondly, ‘consort’ is a lot more open to interpretation than i think fire lady is. in my opinion a consort ≠ a fire lady, just like irl a consort ≠ a queen. it kinda means he can still be ambassador to the southern water tribe/a leader of his own people, while just so happening to be married to the fire lord.

overall i can’t help but stan a friends to lover ship cmOn now

[ecoterrorist-katara]

Why I feel like Ka/taang is one-sided, despite textual evidence 

ATLA does try to convince us that Katara has romantic feelings for Aang. For example: she seems thoughtful when she realizes that Aang is a powerful bender; she’s offended that he didn’t want to kiss her in the Cave of Two Lovers; she gets jealous when Sokka says On Ji and Aang look good together.

So…what’s wrong with anti-Kataangers? Do we just lack media comprehension? 

To be clear, on their own, these gestures can indicate romantic interest. But at the same time, we have stuff like “Aang is a sweet little guy, like Momo.” We have her ambivalent facial expression after he kisses her before the eclipse, and her hedging during Ember Island Players, and her anger when he kisses her anyway. In the context of these conflicting cues, Katara’s possibly romantic reactions can absolutely be interpreted in a different way, because: 

Acknowledging a friend as a potential romantic interest is not the same as actually being romantically interested in them. (Imo this is something young women struggle with, due to a combination of romance-centrism and heteronormativity that make women feel like they should be in romantic relationships, and that boys and girls who share intimate and deep feelings for one another must be romantically into each other) 

Wanting someone to find you desirable is not the same as desiring that person. (Which is something a lot of women, especially young women, struggle with. Remember all the discourse around Cat Person back in 2017?) 

Being jealous when someone flirts with your friend is not the same as wanting to be with your friend. (Especially when you see your friends as family, or if you’re accustomed to a specific type of devotion from that friend. It is jealousy, and it is possessiveness, but it doesn’t always arise from romantic feelings) 

Growing up in a patriarchal society means that your desires are always filtered through what men want from you, sometimes in an abstract male gaze-y way, and sometimes in a very visceral and interpersonal way when a boy wants you specifically. And Katara’s reactions are just that — reactions. Reactions to what other people — including Aunt Wu, Sokka, Aang himself — have insinuated about her and Aang. She’s not really proactive in her interest in Aang: we don’t really see Aang, romantically, from Katara’s POV. Under the framework of “Katara is reacting to a romantic prospect she’s kind of uncertain about,” it is completely plausible — and indeed likely — that she would sometimes act in ways that indicate romantic interest, in addition to moments where she indicates the opposite. 

Ka/taang shippers often bring up other evidence, like Katara’s despair when Azula hits Aang with lightning, or how protective she is of him when Zuko joins the Gaang. The thing is, these pieces of evidence aren’t necessarily indicative of romantic love. The fact that Katara genuinely loves Aang makes the whole thing more complicated, not less, because — especially at that age, especially when Aang is twelve years old and grew up in a sex-segregated society of monks — it is really difficult to tell the difference between platonic love and romantic love. Their mutual devotion is layered and complex yet straightforward in its sincerity. What was not straightforward, until the last five minutes of the show, is whether this devotion on Katara’s end is romantic. The romantic arc for Katara and Aang is not really an arc, as Sneezy discusses in this classic ZK video. Katara actually becomes more conflicted over time and we never see an event that clarifies her feelings. She seems more interested in him in The Headband than on the Day of the Black Sun, and she has never been more hostile to his romantic overtures than in the penultimate episode. 

And in light of this, it’s pretty easy for fans to fill in the blanks with a different interpretation: maybe Katara’s weird expression after their kiss at the invasion means she didn’t enjoy it; maybe the kiss made her realize that she doesn’t actually feel that way about Aang; maybe against her will and her better judgement, she’s developing feelings for another person, a person who hurt her and whom she fervently tried to hate until he pulled off what is in my opinion the greatest grovel of all time in the form of a life-changing field trip. Maybe. Am I saying that Zutara has more romantic interactions than Ka/taang? Of course not. But ironically, the lack of romantic interactions means that it’s not inherently one-sided, the way Ka/taang became in the latter half of season 3.

I’m not arguing that Katara’s unequivocally not into Aang. Obviously the text declares that she is, because they get married and have kids. But I am saying that there’s a very good reason that so many people, especially women, see Katara’s interest in Aang as ambiguous. It’s not because we can’t pick up “subtle” hints of growing affection. It’s because we know not all affection is romantic, and it’s really easy for someone else’s insistent romantic intentions to muddle what you want.

P.S. I first started thinking about these topics (platonic vs romantic love, desiring someone vs wanting to be desired, etc) in the context of compulsory heterosexuality, a term describing how queer women contort themselves into relationships with men even if they’re not really into men. I saw a post a few days ago joking about why so many queer women seem to be into Zutara. I wonder if part of the reason is because as queer women, we are very sensitive to the ways in which we can talk ourselves into wanting things we don’t actually want, and Katara’s romantic interest in Aang can be easily seen that way. 

[aangarchy]

Ok but the fact aang is a child. And thinks u have to forgive someone who killed ur family. I bet Monk gyatso and the others were rolling in their graves devastated they can't ever tell Aang the real deal that he would've been told when he got older.

Monk gyatso probably: NO AANG. ITS JUST ABT LETTING GO

Ah, yet another shining example of someone who missed the entire point of the show.

If you think monk Gyatso would be "rolling in his grave" (which he doesn't even have, and i'm pretty sure air nomads don't do graves anyway) to see Aang grant Ozai mercy, you have completely misunderstood what air nomad culture represents. Air is the element of freedom. Yes, it's about letting go, not having any attachments. But not having attachments also means letting go of your feelings of hatred, letting go of grudges, and not letting your feelings consume you. Aang understands that remaining angry and bitter will not bring his people back. All he can do, is try his best to preserve and protect his culture, and part of that culture is an oath of pacifism. Aang choosing to spare Ozai does not mean he forgives him, or his predecessors for what they have done to the world. Instead, he lets go of his anger and hatred towards them so he himself can be free. Maybe eventually Aang will forgive them, but i personally don't believe it's then and there.

If anything, monk Gyatso would be proud of the decision Aang made in the end. It's the ultimate middle finger to the fire nation to show that they failed at destroying the air nation. Aang is not only a symbol of hope for the other remaining nations to end the war, but also for his own culture to prevail, and keep existing in whatever limited form Aang can preserve.

I think what you're referring to is TSR, with "thinks u have to forgive someone who killed ur family", when he tried to teach Katara about letting go and forgiving. Aang wasn't doing that bc he's against Katara getting justice. If anything, he agreed Katara needed to face Yon Rah for her own closure. But he's not trying to teach Katara forgiveness so he can save Yon Rah, he's doing it so he can save Katara. He knew that if Katara went through with this she'd get consumed by hate and anger for the rest of her life. Zuko even admitted in the end that Aang was right about what Katara needed, and it wasn't killing her mother's killer. And Katara did end up forgiving someone at the end of the episode, namely Zuko. Katara still learned and accepted Aang's lesson by the end, when at first she insisted forgiveness was impossible.

Also I think you're forgetting that Air nomads swear a non violence oath. Gyatso swore this oath as well. So again, idk where you're getting this idea that Gyatso would be "rolling in his grave" to see Aang stick to this oath.

[illycanary]

What Aang’s Relationship With His Kids Tells Us About His Relationship With Katara

Bumi: “Oh, boo-hoo. Must've been real hard for you, flying around the world with dad, riding elephant-koi all day.”

Tenzin: “Oh, so that's what this is all about.”

Kya: “That's what it's always been about. You think you're some savior who has to carry on dad's legacy.”

Tenzin: “Who else is going to do it?”

Kya: “How about all of us?”

Bumi: “Yeah, we're Aang's kids too.”

The whole problem with this family is, Aang didn’t believe that.

Aang has a long, undeviating track record of never questioning anything he believes about the Air Nomads. Who the hell has a perfect and complete understanding of their society, government, international relations, education system, religion, morality, genetics, and reproduction at age 12? According to Aang? He does. 

The entire lynchpin of Aang’s Book 3 arc is all about how Air Nomads are pacifists and cannot ever under any circumstances harm a life. (We’re going to ignore the body count Aang’s already wracked up over the first two seasons for the sake of preserving his feelings because those were soulless NPCs or something.) 

And yet Aang never questions this…

Monk Gyatso’s bones surrounded by a pile of Fire Nation soldier bones. The picture doesn’t fit Aang’s image of Air Nomad peace and harmony, so he ignores it entirely. It NEVER comes up despite its overwhelming relevance to Aang’s internal conflict and the sorts of advice he seeks from authority figures in the third season (despite Monk Gyatso being the penultimate authority figure in Aang’s life).

Another thing Aang never questions?

There’s no such thing as a non-airbending Air Nomad. They’re just all born that spiritual. And spirituality is the golden key that unlocks bending. (Because Bryke said so.)

Despite Guru Pathik not being a bender. Despite the fact that Zhao, literal spirit murderer, is one. Despite Toph—the most un-spiritual, cynical, feet-on-the-ground-head-nowhere-near-the-clouds member of Aang’s friend group—being the most powerful bender of the lot. Despite Hama being a waterbender equal to none but Katara while completely cut off from her culture and turning her back on everything we believe about water bending’s inherent ties to community, connectedness, and love (Iroh’s words). Despite Azula mastering the god-tier lightning technique BECAUSE she’s practically dead inside and values life least of all things. Despite the fact that Princess Yue has the literal MOON SPIRIT THAT IS THE SOURCE OF ALL WATERBENDING living inside her, and yet she still somehow manages to not be a bender.

Despite the fact that Air Nomads roam all over the world, sewing their wilds oats throughout every nation, yet no airbending toddlers ever crop up in Fire Nation or Earth Kingdom preschools. 

Despite the fact that non-monogamous societies where men have multiple partners father more children and boost the population faster than in societies that favor “attached” relationships, yet the all-airbending Air Nomads still somehow have the smallest population of any ethnic group in the world. 

Despite the fact that Aang’s twin, Ty Lee, is RIGHT. THERE. with her unparalleled aura-seeing, chakra blocking spirituality and her GRAY EYES in a world where color coding is ~totally~ not a thing… *sigh* 

But nope. Air Nomad parentage = airbending child. Always.

So when Katara births a child that is… not an airbender? Not any kind of bender at all, in fact. There’s only one logical conclusion (in Aang’s mind). 

That is not Aang’s child. 

Aang never had a problem traveling with non-airbenders before. He was non-exclusionary by nature. Katara and Toph and Zuko were welcome. Sokka and Suki were welcome. The more, the merrier, in fact. Because Aang loves nothing as much as he loves an adoring audience.

Yet Bumi never travelled with Aang.

Bumi’s as old in this picture as Aang was in the first series. He had an entire decade in which he should have been the most important thing in his parents’ lives. His personality was already more or less formed (not completed, but the groundwork was laid) by the time Tenzin came along. Bumi’s inferiority issues began long before there were any airbending children around to siphon Aang’s attention for training purposes. 

Aang and Katara didn’t have another child until Bumi was on the verge of adolescence because Aang was convinced that Katara cheated. And I’m guessing it took Mr. “Let Your Anger Out, And Then Let It Go” about ten years to forgive his wife and give her the chance to get it right. (Which is at least four years longer than he gave her to forgive her mother’s murderer, in case you forgot.)

Acolyte: “Sorry, I thought you were the servants.”

Bumi: “We’re Tenzin’s brother and sister!”

Acolyte: “Avatar Aang had other children? The world is filled with more airbenders?!”

Kya: “We’re not airbenders.”

Acolyte: “Oh… I’m so sorry.”

The Air Acolytes—whose whole identity, purpose, lifestyle, and religion center around every detail of this man's life and beliefs—didn't know Aang had more than one child.

The best case scenario here is that Aang simply pretended his older children didn’t exist because he was ashamed of them and made Katara keep them shut away at all times. 

And maybe that could have worked… If Aang and Katara had ever had any privacy in their relationship. But they didn’t.

The Air Acolytes have been following Aang and Katara since the comics. They’ve been there at every step of Aang and Katara’s life together. Observing. Fangirling. Emulating. Diefying. Looking for weaknesses in the relationship because Katara was only his “first girlfriend.” 

Yet, somehow, they didn’t know Aang had three children. 

I can’t imagine a way for them not to know unless Aang actively told people, “Those aren’t my kids,” and let Katara bear the shame and stigma of having the world believe she was unfaithful. 

All because Aang couldn't entertain the idea that he was wrong about some facet of a society he never understood clearly.

[burst-of-iridescent]

i've written before about how fire lady katara isn't an inherently disempowering or racist trope, as have many others, but lately i've been thinking about how arguments against fire lady katara often tend to utilise a surface-level interpretation of colonial trauma.

[edit: this post will use the term "colonial trauma" because those who argue against fire lady katara usually use the same wording or are referring to that concept. but it's important to note that according to show canon, the fire nation did not colonize the southern water tribe and zuko and katara did not have a colonizer/colonized relationship.]

antis who present this argument usually posit that marrying zuko would be a form of re-traumatization for katara, while marrying aang would "protect" her. katara is supposedly more shielded from confronting the impact of colonization in the southern water tribe or on air temple island than she would be with zuko in the fire nation, which contextualizes colonial trauma purely through the lens of physical interaction with the colonial power (ie. living in the fire nation or looking after the people of the fire nation). whether intended or not, this argument inadvertently limits colonial trauma to the geographical boundaries of the colonizing country and implies that it can be reduced or averted solely by minimizing contact with said country.

even leaving aside that we have seen katara in the fire nation (and enjoying herself there), the implication here is that active engagement with a colonial power as a member of colonized peoples is an inherent form of re-traumatization... which i take issue with for multiple reasons.

firstly, katara lives in a world that has been permanently shaped and changed by imperialism, and that's going to affect her no matter where she goes. sequestering herself in the south pole her whole life and never seeing a glimpse of fire nation red again won't allow katara to escape the legacy of colonization or the trauma it has caused her, because its influence is rooted in everything from her family to her tribe to her own bending. believe me, i understand the appeal of a world where women of colour can avoid reckoning with the impact of colonization by simply never setting foot in the colonizing country again, and why people might be uncomfortable with zutara individually as a result - but i can't accept it as a valid argument against the ship, because that's just not how colonial trauma works.

secondly, the idea that this "protects" katara reeks of paternalism because katara is not a character who chooses her path simply based on how safe or comfortable it is. if that was the case, she would never have left the southern water tribe at all! she could've remained there her whole life and likely been safe, since the fire nation had no real interest in the south pole any longer. katara is fundamentally defined by how relentlessly revolutionary she is - over and over, she chooses to do what is right, what is hard, what is unexpected, even at cost to herself. she challenges injustice and discrimination and bigotry; she fights for the downtrodden and speaks for those who can't speak for themselves; she will never ever turn her back on the people who need her. does that truly sound like someone who needs to be hid away and protected from her own supposed re-traumatization?

thirdly - and i fully accept that there are those who might disagree with this - katara actively choosing to engage with her colonial trauma can be empowering just as it can be traumatizing. don't get me wrong: as a woc and a minority in my own country, i understand how tiring it is to do this. i understand the exhaustion of confronting what was done to you and your people, of facing down bigotry over and over. i understand the desire to run away from it all, and why it can be wish fulfilment for others to let katara do so. i really, really do.

but there is also wish fulfilment in letting katara fight, as a brown girl with power and resources that few brown girls in the real world hold. there is a power fantasy in seeing katara head into the belly of the beast and emerging triumphant. there is empowerment to be found in seeing katara struggle with racism and ignorance and mindless hate to enact change - and succeed. i love reading and writing about katara unpacking her trauma regarding the fire nation, about growing to love the place she once hated, about reconciling both her homes and healing from the wounds of her childhood.

and ultimately, i think that's what katara would want for herself. after throwing herself head first into the fight against the fire nation, after facing down her greatest trauma instead of letting it consume her, after helping and protecting the people of the fire nation, after refusing to let the fire nation take anything else from her - i firmly believe that the last thing katara would do is allow herself to be ruled by the fire nation instead of being the one ruling it.

personally, i find that a more hopeful and victorious narrative than one where she remains safe and sheltered away from the fire nation, but forever haunted and dictated by her trauma. would that be realistic? perhaps. but the entire point of foiling katara with characters like jet and hama is to show that she's not doomed to be mired in the pain of her past. that where their stories could only end in tragedy, hers can - and does - end in hope for something better, as she always believed it could.

[beifong-brainrot]

One thing I love about tlok is how it cleary shows parental figures as real, human people who struggle and make mistakes, despite loving their children. I think a lot of media, especially for younger people has a tendency to polarise parent characters, characterising them as either ubiquitously good and caring, or malicious and abusive.

This was one of my biggest, if not only gripes with atla. The parents in that show were presented as very black and white. Ozai was an horrible father, who burned his son and used his daughter. Iroh is an always loving and supportive fatherly figure. Kya the og died for her daughter and we only hear good things about her. The most nuance had are in Ursa, Hakoda and the Beifongs. But even then, Ursa and Hakoda's 'parenting fails' are presented as out of their control, due to an abusive marriage or war respectively. And the Beifongs are mainly swept off to the side, being the least relevant to the story.

I understand why this was done, and I don't think its a bad choice entirely, especially with Hakoda and Ozai being somewhat foils of each other. But it's still feels like a bit of a boring brick wall in what usually is a very finely detailed storyline.

But tlok gives us a show of characters failing as parents, not out of malice like Ozai, but because parenting is hard.

I actually adore the choice to make Aang and Toph 'flawed parents'. They both cared for their children, but had a lot ot things in their lives that made it difficult to fully act on it. Aang was busy and dealing with the weight of the world and Toph had never been subjected to healthy parenting, therefore she struggled to adjust to it.

Tonraq and Tenzin also struggle to parent properly, their struggle coming from their daughters' respective growth. This is a common struggle many parents have as their kids grow up and it's nice to see it represented in a way that isn't just a parent wiping their tear with the old 'my lil girls all grown up and destroying things'. There's often resistance, there's butting heads, but that doesn't mean there is malice, or a lack of care and love.

Suyin is probably the most controversial mother/motherly figure in the show and that's why I love her so much. I've already yammered on about how Suyin's motherhood makes her so polarising in the fandom. But the long and short of it is that she combines both previously mentioned 'flaw types' and they feed into each other. She, like Toph, struggles due to having a poor parental figure, and she tries to compensate and cope through her family and Zaofu. This leads to her being overprotective and a bit controlling with her children. She responds emotionally when threatened or upsetm

But all of them, Aang, Toph, Tenzin, Tonraq and Suyin still love their children very much. Still care for them and still try, despite their difficulties. And I think that's something I love about tlok.

[atlaculture]

Cultural Architecture: NWT Totem Poles - The Specifics Pt. 2

Among most of the totem poles we see throughout the Northern Water Tribe (NWT), four representations appear consistently throughout. For this post, I will be covering the final two.

Koi Fish

The third totem is clearly a koi fish with long whiskers and a marking on its forehead. In other words, it's a reference to the physical forms of the moon and ocean spirit. I can't help but wonder if Aang's realization of Tui and La's true forms was unconsciously informed by the all the koi head totems omnipresent throughout the NWT.

Culturally, koi fish are yet another example of the Chinese influence in the NWT. In Chinese culture, koi represent fame, family harmony and wealth. There's also a famous Chinese folktale about koi fish and other carp:

Along the Yellow River, there is a legendary waterfall that cascades from a magical mountain top known as Longmen (登龍門), meaning the Dragon's Gate. If a carp can swim upstream against the currents and hop over the waterfall into Longmen, the fish will transform into a dragon.

Thus, koi fish can also represent determination, courage, and perseverance. The connection between koi and dragons also strengthens the fan theory that the dragons Ran and Shaw might be the Fire Nation's equivalent to Tui and La. Perhaps the dragons are the spirit of Sun and Fire respectively?

Wolf

The totem beneath the koi depicts a wolf. The wolf head totem also bares a striking resemblance to the headdress that Sokka wears in "Day of the Black Sun" (Season 3, Episode 11). Wolves are prominent figures in the mythologies of many Indigenous American cultures, particularly those whose societies were oriented around hunting.

Within different Inuit groups, wolves are called amarok (multiple groups), amagok (Inuvialuit), and amaguk (Inupiat). These names refer both to normal wolves and to the gigantic, supernatural wolf of Inuit religion. There are two Amarok-focused tales that I'd like to detail in this post:

A persecuted and physically stunted boy seeks to increase his strength. When he calls out to the lord of strength, Amarok appears and wrestles him to the ground with its tail. This causes a number of small bones to fall from the boy's body. The Amarok tells the boy that the bones had prevented his growth; he instructs the boy to return daily in order to develop his strength. After several days of wrestling with the Amarok, the boy is strong enough to overcome three large bears, thus gaining him the esteem of his village.

The land was once full of caribou; the people lived well and were happy. But the hunters only killed those caribou that were big and strong. Soon all that was left were the weak and the sick. The people began to starve. And so they called upon Amorak, the spirit of the wolf, to winnow out the weak and the sick, so that the herd would once again be strong. The people realized that the caribou and the wolf were one, for although the caribou feeds the wolf, it is the wolf that keeps the caribou strong.

From these two stories, we get quite a nuanced conception of what the wolf represents in Inuit culture. While wolves represent strength in many cultures, these tales really emphasize the wolf as a creature that strengthens those around it. Through this worldview, we understand strength not as an innate or individualistic quality, but one that's nurtured through mentorship and interdependence.

This makes Sokka's adoption of wolf imagery during "Day of Black Sun" all the more appropriate. Sokka is certainly not the most powerful character in the show, but his role as the leader strengthens the group as a whole.

Like what I’m doing? Tips always appreciated, never expected. ^_^

https://ko-fi.com/atlaculture

[signorcerullo]

I rewatched The Avatar and the Fire Lord a few days ago, and god, what a good episode. Revealing that Zuko is a descendant of both Sozin and Roku was a genius move (and that's not even getting into the Zuko/Aang parallels of it all). But there's something the show doesn't seem to think of, and that I haven't seen anyone in the fandom discuss either — the fact that Zuko isn't the only one descendant from both these men. Azula is, too.

The conclusion of this story that Iroh presents to Zuko at the end of the episode is that he alone — because of his lineage from both men the war was started from — is uniquely capable of cleansing the sins of his family and the fire nation and bringing peace to the world. But, the thing is, there's two sides of this conflict, and therefor two sides to its legacy. The external and the personal. The legacy of the external is the war, but the legacy of the personal is the sibling rivalries that kept repeating through generations of the royal family.

Though Roku and Sozin were not actually related, they were childhood friends as close as siblings and fucking shared a birthday, so the symbolism works. We know very little about Azulon's childhood or if he even had any direct sibling rivalries like this at all, but from what I can find on his wiki page, we know that Sozin favoured him over "other family" (I'm assuming his siblings). What we know very well, however, is what happened in the next generation between Iroh and Ozai. We know Azulon favoured Iroh over Ozai, and that this likely is the initial source of their hatred for each other, which resulted in perhaps the worst sibling rivalry of them all (what with the indirect patricide and throne stealing).

Then we go on to Zuko and Azula, whose upbringing kept going in the same patterns, but the key difference is them being the first ones to both be descendant from the men who started it all. If Zuko having this lineage makes him uniquely capable of ending the cycle of war in his country and restoring balance to the world, shouldn't that mean that both he and Azula having this lineage makes them uniquely capable of ending the cycle of brutal sibling rivalries and restoring balance to their family?

This conclusion I've presented seems to fit perfectly with the lesson Aang draws from the same story as well:

"Roku was just as much Fire Nation as Sozin was, right? If anything, their story proves that anyone's capable of great good and great evil. Everyone, even the Fire Lord and the Fire Nation, have to be treated like they're worth giving a chance."

I know this is supposed to be foreshadowing to Aang refusing to kill Ozai later, but I can't help but think it's even more applicable to fourteen year old Azula. It's really so ironic that the show runners thought Azula deserved what she got when their own show seems to be telling them that Zuko mending his relationship with her is what he ultimately should've done.

But, then again... that does sort of make her the perfect tragedy.

[system-to-the-madness]

Fire Bending - Zuko x Reader

Word Count: 2 329 Warnings: kidnapping, slavery, human trafficking, colonialism, mentions of: torture, physical violence, death Summary: You learn about a camp where your kidnapped sister might be held, so Zuko and you head out to find her   A/N: Part Seven of the series Perfect (10 times Zuko thought you were perfect and the first time he told you)

It was the middle of the night, when Zuko woke up. Staring at the fabric to the tent stretching over his head, he wondered whether there was a specific reason why he had woken up. There was no noise outside, no storm or rain, no voices, no footsteps either.

It had been not even a full day since he had come back to ember island with you after saving your sister. Upon your arrival in the middle of the night, Aang, Katara, Sokka, Suki and Toph had welcomed you excitedly, immediately making sure Xiang got as much to eat as she liked and preparing a tent for her, even though she ended up sleeping in yours. Zuko had slept in late that day, and after he had gotten up, had learnt more about Xiang’s story, which just had reinforced his resolve in making sure the school, and any other of its kind would be disband after his father had been defeated.

The whole day Zuko had wanted to talk more to you, about your Fire Bending, about your sister and family, about anything at all, really, as long as it gave him an excuse to talk to you. But you had been so busy with taking care of your sister, getting her new clothes, food, introducing her to everyone around, that there had only been little time for him, and while Zuko felt a little frustrated, he could perfectly understand your priorities.

After a few minutes of laying in the dark, he started feeling more awake than sleepy, and thus decided that perhaps it was time to get up. Crawling out of his tent, he found the night was warm, making the combination of his simple tunic together with his trousers enough to not get cold. Quickly he slipped into his sandals and snuck past the other tents. A soft glow, emitted by some glow-stone Toph had found for Xiang, shone from your tent, and for a moment Zuko was tempted to see whether you were awake, but reminded himself just in time that it was the middle of the night. So instead, he crept on, quietly making his way past the tents and towards the beach. He had always loved this beach. It was secluded, sealed away from the other beaches by the spiky rocks the island was made of. The only ways to access it were the stairs that lead down from his family’s holiday home or the cliff on which team Avatar had taken up camp. Even during the busiest days of the summer, nobody ever came down to this beach, except for him and his family. But it had to have been years since either of them had last relaxed in the white sand.

All the more he was surprised, when he now spotted some figure close to the water, lit up in the moonlight. It only took him a moment to recognize the person as you, and he almost would have called out your name, when suddenly the glow of fire, originating in your palms, lit up your face. Were you practicing Fire Bending? He stopped in his tracks and watched as the flame died down again, only to grow back a moment later. You were timing the size of the flame with your breathing, he realized. It was an exercise his teachers had made him do for hours on end when he had first started out learning how to Fire Bend. How did you know about that? Had you come up with this yourself?

He wasn’t sure whether he had made a sound or a movement you had noticed, but suddenly the flames died down completely, and you called his name.

“Zuko, is that you?”

Quickly he nodded and slithered down the last meter to the sand.

“Yeah, it is,” he answered, walking over to where you stood at the water. “What are you doing up?”

“Couldn’t sleep,” you admitted. “What about you?”

“Me neither,” he shrugged. “You were practicing Fire Bending?”

“Not really…”

“Show me,” he demanded, crossing his arms over his chest and earning an eye roll from you.

“But don’t laugh, okay,” you requested.

Really? Why would he laugh at you? You were practicing, and any kind of practice was admirable, not something to be belittled.

Zuko kept those thoughts to himself and only nodded before he watched you lift your hands in front of you, the right hand, palm facing downwards hovering over your left hand, its palm facing up.

You inhaled deeply and with the exhale, a flame flickered alight between your palms, it danced and flickered, as if threatening to go out again, and as you inhaled again, it did. It disappeared into a small cloud of smoke and reappeared as you exhaled once more, still as fragile and small as the first time around.

“This already looks pretty promising,” Zuko nodded approvingly. “What made you think to time it with your breathing?”

You let your hands sink to your sides and shrugged.

“Back when I was still living in Yu Dao, before we moved to the earth kingdom, there were kids in my school who were Fire Benders. They always would show off their Bending with this exercise,” you recalled.

So, you hadn’t figured it out by yourself? Zuko was almost relieved, otherwise he’d have to deal with the most brilliant Fire Bender the world had ever seen. But then again, you had, without any training whatsoever, produced fire spears, so you still might be considered more talented than even his father.

“But I can’t seem to keep the flame around,” you admitted. “It always extinguishes when I inhale.”

Zuko nodded. “It’s hard to maintain the flame for a longer period of time,” he agreed. “But it’s a good exercise. May I ask why you’re training down here, at night? And not up on the cliff during the day?”

You averted your eyes almost shamefully, making a knot appear in Zuko’s stomach.

“I don’t want the others to be scared. And if I lose control over the fire, I can use the sea water to extinguish it.”

“I see…” Zuko watched you for a moment. “You know, the moon and the water are making it harder for you to bend, right? Water is the natural opposite of fire. Just like Aang struggled with Earth Bending, because it’s the natural opposite of Air Bending. Us Fire Benders, you know, we’re the most powerful in the sun. You’re throwing boulders in your way if you train by moonlight this close to the water.”

“But what if I lose control? I can’t let anyone get hurt!”

“Well,” Zuko stepped forward and grabbed your wrist softly, guiding you a few steps away from the water. “I’m here now. Let’s bring some distance between you and the water, and if you lose control, I’m here to help, alright?”

You nodded and allowed him to guide you into the middle of the beach, a safe distance away from both the cliffs and the water, over which the horizon was gradually growing brighter. The night was almost over.

“Now try again,” he encouraged, and you lifted your hands once more, summoning the small flame. It still extinguished upon your inhale, but this time it seemed to flicker less.

“Can I give you some tips,” Zuko asked, making you drop your hands again and you nodded. “First of all: your hands. You’re holding them very stiffly away from your body. Try holding them like this instead.”

He reached out, carefully adjusting your hands so your elbows were bent and your hands closer to your body.

“Having the fire so close can be scary, but it allows for better control of the flame,” he told you.

“Okay,” you breathed, trying to calm down.

“And your stance… you’re standing very straight. Try to bring your feet apart a little, like this, and bend your knees.” Zuko demonstrated what he was trying to explain, watching your attempt to mirror him.

“Like this?”

“Hm, almost,” Zuko tilted his head, trying to remember how his teachers had guided him when he had been little. They had always stood behind him, guiding his small body’s movements with their own body. “May I?”

You nodded even though you didn’t really seem to know what he was up to, and he felt you stiffen up, when he walked around you, standing right behind your back.

“Your feet need to be a little more like this,” he instructed, placing his hands at your waist and using his foot to adjust yours. “And bend your knees a little.” Using his own knee, he nudged yours from behind and into the right position. “And now you just have to take your hands like this…”

He let go of your waist and reached around you, taking your wrists and maneuvered them to where he thought they needed to be.

And suddenly he realized the position the two of you were in. Him, standing behind you, his whole front pressed to your back, you completely trusting him not to hurt you. After months and months of chasing you and threatening to hurt your friends, you now stood so close to him, utterly defenceless. And all Zuko could think about was how nice your body felt against his, warm and alive.

“Zuko? Uhm…”

Zuko had frozen in place and only your slightly confused voice tore him out of his stupor.

“What do I do now?”

Quickly he let go of you and stumbled backwards, apologizing over and over again.

“I didn’t mean to- I’m sorry, I didn’t realize-”

“Zuko, Zuko!”

Your call for his name interrupted his rambling as you caught his wrist in your hand the same way he had done so many times with yours already.

“It’s okay, you hear? I would’ve said something if I had minded.”

You were standing too close; he couldn’t think properly. All he could think about was how beautiful you looked, with the sky that kept growing brighter reflecting in your eyes and your face so close to his. It wasn’t fair, really. How perfect you were all the time. It made catching a clear thought very hard.

Instead, all he could think about was how much he wanted to kiss you. Yeah, it was a stupid, romantic idea, kissing you, his former enemy, during a sunrise at the beach. But what else was he supposed to think with how close you had moved to him, your hand still around his, the other one lightly resting against his chest where his heart seemed to be beating twice as hard as it usually did. Could you really blame him for having such thoughts now?

His eyes skipped to your lips, and he was sure he had to be blushing, but if you minded, you didn’t mention it. Instead, he realized that your own eyes had skipped to his lips as well, and a moment later a smile tucked at your lips as you looked back up to his eyes.

“Can I kiss you?”

Zuko couldn’t help the furrow that appeared between his brows. He had never asked Mai if she wanted him to kiss her, nor had she asked him. Getting asked was… it was nice. It felt like he had some sort of control over the situation, when really, he felt anything but control over the way his thoughts were so completely focused on you and his heart beating harder than he had ever imagined possible.

Instead of answering, he just nodded weakly, watching how your eyes skipped back and forth between his eyes and lips a few times before you slowly leant in, brushing your lips against his. The kiss was awkward and slow, but at the same time it was the best kiss Zuko could imagine. It made his heart soar, and as ridiculous as it sounded, it made him feel like he was where he belonged. As if something had snapped into place, and he was finally on the right track. Everything seemed so clear in this moment, clearest of all that you and he were made for each other.

You gasped against his lips as he placed his hands on your hips and pulled you closer to his body, but wrapped your arms around his neck, making him smile into the kiss. When had been the last time he had been this happy? He couldn’t remember. Had he ever been? Feeling your body against his, your lips, your hands, it made him feel like after all that had happened, he might still have the chance for a happy end, one where he was actually happy and not just at the place, he had always imagined he should be at.

By the time you moved away from the gentle, and truthfully rather innocent kisses he had been sharing with you, the sun had risen over the horizon, blinding him as he blinked his eyes open. You were smiling at him, and for a long moment he couldn’t understand why life should ever be anything other than kissing under the sunrise.

“Do you… ahm… do you want to try Fire Bending again,” he offered, suddenly feeling awkward, but at the same time utterly content with this latest development.

Determined you nodded.

“Now with the sun up it should be easier, right,” you asked, turning in his arms so your back was turned to him. “What was the stance again? Like this?”

You tried assuming the stance Zuko had guided you into earlier, making him smile.

“Almost,” he nodded, moving closer behind you, the smile on his lips broadening as he felt you relax against him. “Just bend your knees more like this.”

By the time the rest of the team woke up, you were still not able to produce a continuous flame, but the flames you did produce were a lot more stable. And Zuko was grinning from one ear to the other for no apparent reason at all.

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