#woodlaflababab

[woodlaflababab]

Just going crazy over Zuko in The Western Temple saying smth along the lines of, "why arent you saying anything? You once said you thought we could be friends, you know I have good in me." Just makes me fucking rabid man. That small moment that Aang thought for sure meant nothing to Zuko and turns out Zuko still thinks about it, still turns to that memory with hope, that little moment that wormed it's way into Zuko's brain and never really left him. The desperate way that it is Aang's opinion specifically he seeks after. UGH. Zuko, come ON, BE FR RIGHT NOW. He's so obsessed.

[woodlaflababab]

Anyone notices how their reactions to the dragons in these scenes match their reactions to eachother's first shows of real dangerous power? Aang faces the red dragon (Zuko's dragon) with a general "oh shit I am unprepared for this why is this a thing???" fear while Zuko faces the blue dragon (Aang's dragon) and has this face of surprise and awe and fear like he's unsure wtf he's supposed to be thinking rn

Even their movements match, in both scenes Aang is shaking/moving in a restless fear kind of way while in both scenes Zuko is frozen and uncomprehending.

@pscentral event 17: vibrance

[woodlaflababab]

Iroh says Aang gives Zuko hope and like, 10/10, love that

But I feel like the mirror of this is overlooked alot, or at least I don't see a lot of talk abt it.

Zuko is Aang's hope.

Zuko is the representation of the enemy, but Aang knows he's also just a kid, or teenager, like Aang, and he's someone who reminds Aang of Kuzon, one of his best friends. To Aang, Zuko is everything the fire nation is to him, something familiar and dear to his heart that's been twisted almost beyond recognition.

If Aang can see good in Zuko, if Aang can bring the good out from Zuko, then there is hope for the rest of the firenation. In his day, the fire nation people were friends, and in the modern day, they are enemies. If he can be friends with Zuko, that means there's hope that he can have just a piece of his old world back, even if it looks a little different.

Aang can never go back. He can never get his old family back, he can't truely revive what was lost, only preserve it with hopes it can be revived in the future. He can't undo geological changes, he can't rewrite history, but there's one thing of his old world he hopes he can still have, and that is friendship that trancends borders and cultures.

Nobody represents that more than Zuko, the person who Aang wants to be friends with like the old days, but cannot because of the war. Being friends with Zuko, a blatent act of defiance against the war and all it has changed and damaged, is the biggest connection Aang gets to the world he once knew since he got frozen in the iceberg.

Aang gives Zuko hope, but Zuko is Aang's hope.

[zvtara-was-never-canon]

https://www.tumblr.com/woodlaflababab/773344830294294528/omg-yes-far-more-positive-toward-kataang-than-op?source=share

What do you think? Maybe Sokka and Toph could have appeared, because yes, they are obviously like a family to Aang. However, it’s also important to recognize how much Katara means to him. She was the first person to believe in him, to support him, at a time when the entire world didn’t even know he existed.

I feel a bit torn: on the one hand, including Sokka and Toph would have highlighted the importance of the familial bonds Aang has built. But on the other hand, it makes sense for Katara to have that special place in this scene, given their closeness and how their relationship has evolved since the beginning of the story.

"Sokka and Toph are his family too" is such a bad argument to use as criticism of Katara being the one Aang sees in that vision because, by that logic, it shouldn't have been only Gyatso in his nightmare during The Storm, nor should his body have been the only one he saw when going back to the temple, since he was not the only one Aang loved/wish he had saved.

Gyatso is the only one he saw during that nightmare/the only body he saw because he was the one Aang loved the most and was closest to. Of all the bonds he had pre-iceberg, that was by far the strongest, and Gyatso was the one person trying to think of what was best for him as well instead of just what was best for the world. Of course he'd be singled out as THE loss that hurt Aang the most.

The same applies to Katara. She's literally the first thing Aang sees in a hundred years. She's the first friend he made post-iceberg, and is by far the one he's closest to. She was the first person who told him "The air-nomads might be gone, but you still have a family." She's the one that snaps him out of the Avatar State, sometimes with just a look, no words needed, because she understands him in a way no one else does. She gives him hope and keeps him grounded. Hurting her makes him hurt too and he's terrified of losing her (much like she's terrified of losing him).

She'll also be the person that will literally bring him back from the dead, and be the person he'll start a new family with.

Sokka and Toph are Aang's friends and family (and sifu in Toph's case). Katara is Aang's BEST friend, the family he's closest to, his waterbending master, his future wife (and the mother of his children), his reason to not give up the fight, the very reason he's not either dead or still frozen inside that iceberg.

Her meaning more to him is not the same as the others meaning nothing. Poiting out that, yes, the love of your life will hold a different piece of your heart than the people you love but are not in love with is not the same as saying "Therefore they're the ONLY thing that matters."

Not to mention: that scene is also a pattern in the writing about how Aang's role as the Avatar constantly denies him things he desperately wants. He longs to be a normal child, free of any responsibilities, but he's forced to be the world's savior (and has to a face a bigger challenge, having much less time to prepare). He wants to remain true to his pacifist world-view, but the war might force him to take a life and he has no choice but to be willing to make that sacrifice. He can't even stay in the same place too long without it making everyone around him a target.

And he wants to be the guy that is always there to support Katara, protect her if necessary, and hopefully be the one she's in love with.

But he ends up having to do things like learn from Pakku even though he REALLY wants to tell that old man to fuck off after he disrespects Katara, or having to temporarely let go of her so he can go into the Avatar State and save Ba Sing Se, and Katara herself eventually tells him that she doesn't know if they should be together because there's too much going on.

That scene isn't just about Aang learning to let go when necessary, it's about him trying to accept that he can't ever have the future he wants with Katara and she'll be just another friend/member of his family - only to basically get punished by the narrative by being immediately killed for it, then be brought back to life by Katara, who is then heartbroken when he tries to leave to go and fight Ozai the next episode.

It's the narrative straight up telling us (and Aang) that he can and SHOULD fight back against this expectation that he should sacrifice everything he holds dear to his heart because "his role as the Avatar demands it." And this future with Katara, where he's not just her closest friend, but also her husband and father of her kids, is what he wants the most, so it is THE unfair sacrifice the show is highlighting at that moment.

Katara means more to Aang, both because of their romance and regardless of it. It HAD to be just her on that moment, much like she had to say "I believe AANG can save the world" at the start of every episode, even though there's people helping him do it, including herself, because, in her eyes, he already did by validating her hopes. Plain and simple.

[zukaangweek]

(prompts list also in image alt text)

Thank you to everyone who voted! The theme for Zukaang Week 2024 will be The Blue Spirit.

There are two prompts for each day, which you can follow as closely or loosely as you'd like. And while the theme inspired the prompts, fanworks do not have to be related to The Blue Spirit - they can be about anything, as long as it's Zukaang!

Before you get started, please read the Rules & FAQ

Remember to tag your posts with "zukaang week 2024" (you can also tag us with @zukaangweek)

Don't forget to add your fic to the AO3 collection

We're super excited for Zukaang Week this year, and we can't wait to see what everyone creates 💛❤️

- The Mods Mori (@convertedzukaang) | Graphics Ginger (@woodlaflababab) | Social Media Choco (@chocomd/@theavatarandthefirelord) | Logistics

[woodlaflababab]

I Object Your Honor

In "The Promise" Roku was 100% team kill Zuko just because he was questioning some things and that was AFTER Zuko helped win the war. At this point in the series he's nothing more than a murderous firelord in the making as far as anyone is concerned.

It wasn't Roku who chose to save Zuko

It was Avatar "Saved him from the cold and his own fucking nation TWICE" Aang

After watching Netflix Avatar I knew it was my parental duty to make sure my kids saw the REAL Avatar all the way through, or as my son calls it now, the "Real REAL Avatar." And I realized once again how much I adore the fire temple episode. For one express reason.

Everyone's all chained up, Zuko included, and they're all about to get their faces burnt off (One of these four knows exactly what that feels like and isn't thrilled about going through that again.)

But this terrifying being is coming straight at them.

Dude look at that thing! No one's walking out of this!

These guys sure as heck are gonna feel it.

But....

...team Avatar is fine. Not a scratch on them. The fire is hot enough to disintegrate their chains yet none of them get so much as an ember in their face.

And you know who else doesn't get hurt at all?

Zuko.

Zuko doesn't get hurt in the least. His chains disintegrate and he takes his less than graceful leave.

We know Aang doesn't like to hurt people, and Zhao doesn't get killed or anything. But the dude still gets fire in his face and as far as Aang is concerned, Zuko is no different than Zhao and should have received the same treatment. Except Aang isn't the one in charge and Roku knows exactly who Zuko is and who he's meant to be.

[atla-confessions]

Ok chat, woodlaflababab's comment about AO3 being new and the Zutara Katara slave fics being much older got me to do more digging.

A03 was created in 2008 and went into beta in 2009. The last episode of ATLA aired in 2008 so it's a fair assumption that AO3 has captured a majority of the fandom's fics.

But let's go older.

FF.net was established in 1998 and is older than a good portion of this fandom. FF.net does not have a search function so I had to rely on google search results.

Searching Zutara slave fic I got two hits, one that was already on AO3 and was crossposted to FF.net and another Zuko slave fic.

Searching Katara slave fic, I got a star wars Katara, Ty Lee, Jaba crossover fic, an Azula enslaves Katara and is saved by Zuko a fic which I'll kind of count and an enslaved Katara Kataang fic 👀

So we're still at 3.5, maaaaybe 4 Zutara Katara slave fics only now it's out of 9000 or .0004%.

I also wanted to know who was making these claims about zk's creating so, so many of these disgusting enslaved Katara Zutara fics. So I did a general search of slave Katara on Tumblr and while I shouldn’t be surprised it is a bit disheartening to find that it's Kataang shippers who have grabbed what is - at .0004% - essentially a made up and false narrative and ran with it ☹️

After some of the things I've seen, I think we should be waaaay more worried about Zuko than Katara.

I ain’t even know FF.net was that old

[asukas-numberone-defender]

in light of recent events for the zukaang community,,, (anyone who was in the server remember to join the new one @woodlaflababab made ^^)

[woodlaflababab]

As a multishipper I can and will read into any ship and make connections that aren't there and I stand by my right to pretend ship moments are more meaningful then they are. That being said, one of my favorite things is how the avatar team really went all in on the zukaang relationship and nobody stopped to think "... Is this too much? Is literally dancing together with symbolic dragons and rainbow fire too much?" Or if they did someone else out there went "no, it's not enough, have them both struck by lightning but in obvious symbolism to the way they are foils to each other and give them matching scars" and ig everyone agreed because someone was like "okay, just in case people still didn't pick up on this relationship, we have to make sure to mention in LoK that Zuko was the closest person to Aang."

Like, even outside of shipping, these two are tied together. You can't have one without the other and I love that so so much.

the best thing about zukaang is that the creators MADE IT as deep and meaningful and intentional as it seems

[woodlaflababab]

Thinking about the fight in Ba Sing Se. There's a moment when Zuko first comes in when he looks between Azula and Aang. In that moment, Aang also looked at him, and he doesn't look at him like an enemy, he looks like he's waiting because he is. He's waiting for Zuko to make a choice between him and Azula, and you're literally shown the second he realizes Zuko is choosing Azula, because he panics, almost surprised by this.

It got me thinking about it and I realized this is a call back to the fight they had in the abandoned town during The Chase. There too, Zuko came in in the middle of a confrontation between Aang and Azula, then too there was a period of time in which Zuko looked between Azula and Aang, making a decision on who to attack, and he attacked Azula. He took Aang's side. He and Aang (and co. as they come in) work together against Azula.

Now, was this because he really 'sided' with Aang? No. It was because Zuko needed Aang for himself, and Aang knows this. This has happened before, during the blue spirit, where the two of them work together, not because Zuko is defending Aang, but because he needs him for himself. There's been an established pattern that, while Zuko and Aang are enemies, any third player becomes a common enemy, and they work together against that person. If there is a third threat, Aang and Zuko are on the same team (and there's a twisted kind of companionship in that, relying on someone to have your back because you know they want to be the one to defeat you).

During Ba Sing Se, Zuko once again enters. It's the same scene, and I think part of Aang expected the same thing to happen, but it doesn't. Zuko picks Azula's side, and Aang was surprised (and might I even say betrayed?) by this.

"Back off Azula, he's mine." Aang took those words to heart, and Zuko went back on them.

[woodlaflababab]

Book three Aang, my beloved. 

Just thinking about the way he handled Zuko's return. The fact that he remains quiet while the other's talk bc he's thinking things through. The fact that he was never against Zuko or for Zuko, but rather making decisions as the Avatar based on actual thought and valuing the input of those he trusts. Like, literally, the fact that it zooms in on Aang's face as Zuko walks away and you can see the resigned conflict in him, the fact that he's STILL thinking it through, even as he accepts his friend's judgment for the time being. 

Then when they all talk about it, while Katara and Sokka both discuss how awful Zuko is, Aang pipes in in defense of Zuko, but still accepts their input. Then when Toph starts defending Zuko, Aang joins the others in their frustration because even as he sees Zuko's good, he sees his bad in equal measure and believes, ultimately, given what they've seen, trusting Zuko is the wrong choice.

Every time they talk about it, Aang is thinking. He's on the side of 'keep Zuko out' but he's never there out of feeling, he's there out of putting together pieces and determining what's best. He very rarely actually adds input and is most often just listening. 

As soon as Aang hears Zuko say "I don't want you hunting the Avatar anymore" to Combustion Man, he is Paying Attention. When Zuko comes to talk to them a second time, Sokka and Katara are still taking aggressive faces, but Aang is open. Not accepting, but open and hearing him out. Even with every reason Not to trust Zuko, Aang is still thinking, and allowing himself to consider the bigger picture as it changes. 

And then even when he says he thinks Zuko is supposed to be his firebending teacher and that, for all intents and purposes, he could've stuck to that and the others would just have to go with it (bc what are you gonna do, stop the avatar?), he still holds off and asks each member their opinions, allowing everyone a voice, taking in every angle. And you KNOW if Katara said no in that moment, Aang would have accepted it. He wouldn't have necessarily been happy about it, but he was well aware that Katara could say no and looked genuinely concerned about how she felt. 

Ugh, I love Aang in the episode so so much. Even him vs the Combustion Man I love watching, the casualty with which he pulls off feats of airbending, ugh

Aang may not have wanted it, but you can clearly see, Aang was built to be the Avatar.

[woodlaflababab]

TIL Aang's face is on the money in LoK. You know Aang's not the one to do that. Someone made the decision to put Aang's face on every bill for a new nation.

Funny how the face looks suspiciously similar to the statue. You know, the one Zuko commisioned? Funny that.

[woodlaflababab]

As a military brat, this is something that is especially upsetting. My father being deployed, and having constantly changing shift schedules, some of which meant we pretty much never saw him, has never been something I would ever consider calling him a bad dad for. There are many ways my childhood and relationship with my father was negatively impacted by my father's career. Yet, my father was and is a fantastic father. He has given his everything to supporting us. He has loved us and raised us and taught us so many core values that have saved me countless times. He is my biggest fan and easiest friend.

People also come at Aang for favoritism. My mother has a horrible favoritism problem, it's very clear. She still was and is a fantastic mother who has supported and cared and bled herself dry for all of us. She is my role model and her wisdom and kindness set the base for who I am today. She is the reason I strive to always better myself because she has always been someone who sought to acknowledge her flaws and improve. She's the reason I know how to say sorry and mean it.

There is a hell of a difference between a flawed parent and a bad parent and it's annoying at best and downright insulting at worst to see people tear into and degrade Aang for being a realistic parent.

Me when I think about Aang and how tragic of a character he is

Also, I know people don't like that Aang wasn't the best Dad to his kids supposedly, but I actually think that's a domino effect of so many things. Aang is the Avatar, they're building Republic City, restoring peace to their world, among other things and he's often very busy. Sadly, as the Avatar, his duties take away much of the time he could spend with his kids.

And then there's the fact he's the last surviving member of an entire nation of people. This is the effect of a genocide as he alone does his best to keep the teachings and culture of his people alive. Along with his Avatar duties.

His kids have the right to say they wished Aang could've been around more, but I also think they understood that their father carried so much on his shoulders at all times. In reality, I think it's meant to show the long-lasting effects of the Fire Nations horrific genocide of the Air Nomads and the weight of responsibility the Avatars have to carry.

[woodlaflababab]

Still on Kataang energy, and just, we see mentions of Aang "getting the girl" but like, honestly, Katara is the one who won the prize like, she scored the fucking avatar. What a flex. Oh yeah, master in my element at 14, singlehandedly brought southern waterbenders and airbenders back to life, and got the avatar. Yeah, he was hooked on me from the moment he saw me. I didn't even have to do shit, I'm just that good. God I love her.

[woodlaflababab]

Thinking about how, in the promise, Zuko says "That was like asking you to figure out right and wrong for me. I didn't just want you as my safety net. I wanted you as my escape hatch." and "I knew somehow that you wouldn't let me die." and "You're not the one who's flawed, Aang."

Zuko canonically thinks Aang is perfect. This boy has a problem istg

Like, the whole conflict of The Promise is just Zuko being so convinced that Aang can't possibly be wrong that he decides he's basically his dad now because he disagrees with Aang.

[woodlaflababab]

Aang's forgiveness @ Zuko always hits me so hard and I think it's because it's more than forgiveness. I think Aang truly understands where Zuko is coming from on an almost painful level.

I mean like, if someone told Aang there was a way he could go back home, that there was a way to bring back all the people he lost, how much would Aang be willing to do for that? How much of himself would he lose and sacrifice just for that chance?

Also, when Zuko comes to ask to join them the second time, he says "I've been through a lot in the past few years, and it's been hard. But I'm realizing that I had to go through all those things to learn the truth. I thought I had lost my honor, and that somehow my father could return it to me."

This sounds like the mash up of a few things Aang has said, from when he met baby Hope, "I've been going through a really hard time lately," (a hard time that has led to him doing things he regrets) and when he woke up after Ba Sing Se "I need to redeem myself. I need my honor back." (An idea that led to him making a bad decision) Aang knows that it has been the process of going through these struggles that have made him who he is.

And then to quote some tags from @theavatarandthefirelord from this post "#he's thinking about their relationship esp since their moments in The Storm/The Blue Spirit #also the way aang sees himself reflected in zuko as well #primarily with him burning katara but also moments like in The Desert #and losing control in the Avatar State"

Aang also relates to Zuko's anger issues. He intimately knows the mindset that leads someone to do bad things and, unlike the others (for example Katara) Aang also understand the guilt and regret that comes after it, the same guilt and regret Zuko shows in this scene.

Zuko doesn't just explain himself, he explains Aang as well.

I love the forgiveness trope that's so often featured in this ship, esp in fics, and part of why I love it is because it's not blind forgiveness, it's 'I've been there, and I could've gone down similar paths given different circumstances, to forgive you is to forgive myself'

And I just think that's so beautiful.