#Sokka and Zuko just admire her (and each other)

[fanfic-gremlin-ft-trauma]

I’m like 99% sure that this has been done before but oh well :)

#zukki #sukka #zukka #idk the ship tag for Zuko x Suki #uhhh #suko? #zukki fan art #atla fanart #so yes this has probably been done before and so what #who can stop me? no one #also this is literally so unrelated but I read a zukka twilight au today and it changed my life #literally don’t remember who I was before reading it #anyway #zukki supremacy #suki is the brain cell #Sokka and Zuko just admire her (and each other) #thank u for coming to my ted talk <3

[zvtara-was-never-canon]

Can you give examples of Aang showing Empathy? Oh wait, you can't.

Actually, I can - because unlike you, I base my opinion of the characters on the actual stuff that happened in the story, not the bad faith takes dumb people on the internet come up with.

Zuko literally only survived past book 1 because Aang was the ONLY person amongst the heroes that gave a single fuck about his well-being. Aang offered to be FRIENDS with him as early as episode 13, even though this dude is trying to kidnap him.

In the first damn episode we see him realize and try to remedy Katara's struggle with no longer being able to act like a kid and have fun. He wants to travel with her so SHE gets to learn waterbending. He willingly lets Zuko take him into his ship because he understood that a conflict could lead to the people of the water tribe getting hurt or killed.

In Warriors of Kyoshi he apologizes to Katara for letting all the praise and admiration go to this head. He makes sure to put out the fires Zuko and his crew started in Suki's village.

He tries to help remedy the Hei-Bai situation, even though he is unsure of himself and even scared, because he knows he is the only one that has any chance of helping - and the thing that allows him to connect with Hei-Bai is the fact that he is ALSO upset about the destruction the Fire Nation has caused AND hopeful that the world would eventually heal.

He thinks Jet is awesome because he wants to help people that are being oppressed by the Fire Nation - and then is horrified when he finds out his intension is to "free" them by killing everyone

He wants to help the two rival groups not only safely cross the Great Divide, but also stop hating each other.

He confesses that he hid the map to Hakoda because Bato, Katara and Sokka are showing how much they appreciate and trust him and he feels unworthy of it after what he did because he knows it'd hurt him if the roles were reversed.

He is so devastated by the fact that he ACCIDENTALLY hurt Katara that he swears to never firebend again. He is also able to recognize the same principle behind his mistake in Zhao's fighting style, allowing him to win the battle against the bastard.

He accepts the fact that the Northern Air Temple is now occupied by people who not only don't belong to his culture but also don't understand it and unknowingly destroyed something sacred to him (and that one of them had been forced to make weapons for the Fire Nation) because these people have nowhere else to go and he doesn't want them to suffer.

He is furious at Pakku for refusing to teach Katara waterbending, because he knows how much it'd mean to her and how unfair it is that she can't learn it just because of her gender.

He is so devastated by the death of the Moon Spirit that the Ocean Spirit latches onto him to avenge it and save the day - and the leve of destruction it causes haunts Aang, even though the violence was against his enemies. And still, he tries to go into the Avatar state again because people are dying and he can't accept that.

After the fall of Omashu, he wants to rescue Bumi, not because he needs a teacher, but because they're friends.

He felt empathy for Toph when she was explaining to her parents how lonely and unappriacted their over-protection made her feel.

He and Katara both feel bad for snapping at Toph during "The Chase" and wanted to apologize for not understanding that being part of a group was a radical change to her, even though she had refused to even try. He also didn't have a problem with fighting alongside Zuko and Iroh against Azula, AND he looked concerned when Iroh was injured.

After Katara comments on the fact he called Toph Sifu but not her, he calls her Sifu while bowing, to show that he respects her both as his master and friend.

The hopelessness and downright depression he was feeling after Appa was stolen only starts healing because he saw a couple being happy with their newborn baby - the same couple he decided to help cross the Serpent's Pass, even though he and his friends had just been allowed to take a much safer route to Ba Sing Se.

His understanding and sympathy towards Jet, even after everything the guy did, was so strong that it freed him from literal brainwashing.

He doesn't want to push his love for Katara aside to gain power because he cares about her too much - and then does it anyway because, even though not making her his main focus 24/7 offers the risk of her being hurt, him neglecting his mission guarantees she'll get hurt.

He is devastated to learn that the world thinks he is dead because he knows he was everyone's last hope - and yet in the end he still accepts the burden of failure because he understood that, at that moment, everyone would be safer if no one else knew he was still alive.

He goes to a Fire Nation school and bonds with the kids, wanting to give them a taste of freedom and joy, as well as trying to understand what the war is like from their perspective. The same episode also has him pull Katara for a dance because he noticed she was feeling left out.

The boy felt empathy for, and understood the mistakes of, both Ruko and Sozin. SOZIN. Aang could see the humanity in the monster that is responsible for him losing his entire culture and everyone he loved.

When Zuko spoke about wanting to control his impulses so he wouldn't accidentally hurt anyone, Aang explicitly connected with that struggle and saw them being teacher and student as fate, and Zuko agreed because that's how deep their connection was.

Aang is not happy about Katara wanting to murder a man, but he still lets her take Appa on her mission and is not disapproving when she ultimately spares the guy but does not forgive him and makes it clear she never will.

He feels empathy for freaking Ozai, to the point that refuses to kill the guy - even as he has the balls to say that Aang's family, his people, deserved to die. He spared that guy - but only after he had a way to do that without it meaning the death of more innocents. Aang, the pacifist, was going to turn his back on everything he believed in just to avoid more human suffering.

So yeah, miss me with your bullshit and don't come back until your brain is developed enough to understand a cartoon aimed at kindergarterners.

#anti zutara #pro aang

[comradekatara]

hello, I’ve been thinking about Sokka in the finale and was wondering about your take I suppose? Or perhaps I just need to express this.

Sokka being a tactician rather than a warrior is a wonderful way to end his arc. Trusting two women who are, objectively, stronger in combat, while also being a guide & leader wow great love it.

And it’s great how he protects Toph. But I also think about how at the beginning Sokka is primed to die for Katara, and at the end he’s in the same self-sacrificial position. I don’t think this is bad writing but it kinda sucks for him lmao. His most triumphant moment is still one where it’s his job to die first.

It’s also interesting how this mirrors Zuko, who also self-sacrifices as a part of the completion of his arc. The way they’re both so willing to die is part of what makes Zukka compelling to me. But also! I wonder if Sokka would be jealous of Zuko being able to almost die for Katara.

I don’t think Sokka would think of it that way, but I can imagine his self-hate for almost letting Toph die, and then look! He wasn’t even there to die for Katara! Someone else had to do it! And maybe Zuko is a fine option if it’s not Sokka, but I don’t think its would be easy for Sokka to accept.

I don’t think he would know why he was angry, either. He’d just be mixed up with frustration and helplessness and probably concern for Zuko, too, and irritation at how stupid it was for Zuko to challenge Azula to an Agni Kai. God I hope they don’t break up over it.

okay, wow. a lot of interesting points here. i'm gonna try to respond to them in order (and number each paragraph so you can follow each point better).

1 while i would of course say that suki and toph both have unique strengths as fighters, i wouldn't discount sokka's skill either. yes, he is first and foremost a tactician who uses strategic maneuvering to win battles, and learning to prioritize his brains over his brawn is a huge facet of his arc, but crucially, he learns this first from suki, whose technique is all about strategic maneuvering against stronger opponents, and toph's fighting style is also about finding creative uses for her earthbending, instead of relying on feats of strength like the other earthbenders we see throughout the series. i would say that in this sense, toph, sokka, and suki are all quite evenly matched. they each have skills the other does not (arguably toph's skills are the most impressive, but sokka's accuracy with a boomerang and suki's little flippity flips – i.e., her abs of steel – in "the boiling rock" deserve acknowledgment).

of course, it's valuable that sokka trusts toph and suki entirely, and not solely because it reflects his implicit respect for girls as warriors (because like, we covered that at the very beginning of the series), but because it means he can overcome his control freak tendencies to delegate and trust others to be competent and succeed, which also means trusting that if they fail or choose to sacrifice themselves, it's not directly his fault (something he learns in "the boiling rock"). and of course toph and suki are probably the two people (who aren't directly related to him) he trusts, loves, and admires the most, which is what makes their team-up as a trio in the finale so lovely.

2 i actually think there's something really beautiful and poignant about the circularity of sokka's arc. as you say, it's a near-identical situation. sokka is faced down by fire nation soldiers, the only person in a position to fight back, while responsible for the safety and life of his little sister, and even though he puts up a valiant effort, he still must be saved by a third party who swoops in at the very last moment to save him before he bites it. in "the avatar returns," sokka's choice to die a martyr (in his mind) will finally fulfill his existential goal of protecting katara (which, again, in his mind, means doing for her what kya did), whereas now his existential goal is ending the war. either way, he is dying for his cause. the thing is, when aang returns to fight zuko, suddenly a new cause motivates sokka: to help the avatar. but now that the war is over, sokka's goals become less concrete. he must suddenly live past the end of his myth, which as we all know, is a perilous thing.

and as i've talked about before, i think this would motivate him to try and do everything he possibly can, because he no longer has one singular defined path, so to prove that he is worthy of existence he must now exercise control over everyone. as much as he trusts toph and suki and katara and aang and zuko (to an extent), i think his control freak tendencies would nonetheless be exacerbated by the end of the war, because instead of just imposing control on their little group to make sure they stay on schedule etc. etc., he now has the opportunity to impose control over the entire world. postwar sokka is kind of a nightmare i'm afraid.

3 i think it's important to remember that sokka doesn't really get angry, he gets guilty. unlike katara, zuko, or even aang, sokka only really gets angry if he thinks someone is incompetent and/or evil. but mostly, when he internalizes his emotions, he doesn't lash out with rage, he points that anger inwards, feels as if he is the one at fault, even if the situation was not remotely in his control. i don't think sokka would be remotely mad at zuko for what he did. he might think zuko was stupid for what he did ("couldn't katara have just run out of the way?"), but he'd also be infinitely grateful. i think sokka would be furious at zuko had the reverse happened and katara been injured in any way – oh, then he would tear zuko to pieces. but zuko risking his life for katara (although i think in zuko's mind he expected he'd be fine and that he could just redirect the lightning in midair, but he'd never admit that to anyone ever, so.) would only make sokka feel guilty that someone else had to perform his duty.

i think a big problem for sokka after the war would be that now that he has all these different paths to follow, he cannot be in every location at once (being a man means knowing where you're needed the most, but what if you're needed everywhere??? what then???), and he cannot know every single piece of information implicitly. the fact that he had to be at the airship fleet meant that he had to trust that zuko and katara would be successful in their mission. and he clearly does trust them, but i imagine there's also a part of him wracked with fear over their fates the entire time that they're split up, especially because if katara isn't okay, that means that he failed and he wasn't even there. so yeah, i think he'd feel a mix of gratitude and guilt that zuko performed his big brother duties in sokka's place. but i don't think he'd be angry at zuko.

4 sokka's self-hate for almost letting toph die is so real though. yeah "the boiling rock" teaches him to let himself rely on others and not take every single failure so personally, and suki is especially significant in that regard for how she represents someone who is sokka's peer who can rescue him but also be rescued by him. and all that, thematically speaking, is very important and lovely. but he still hates himself for not doing more. which is of course crazy, because he literally used a boomerang and threw his sword with only one working arm and a broken leg while basically hanging off a falling ledge in the sky to kill two men, but sokka is crazy, so there's no way he's satisfied upon being told that he did all he can do. his limits are his failures. and if he can't even protect his best friend, then what is he good for?

i actually think that if toph hadn't been there to ground him, he would have been less concerned with staying alive, that he only held on for so long because he wanted to keep toph alive. when sokka tells toph that "it looks like this is the end," toph, understandably, starts to cry, but sokka only really seems sad at the idea that toph is about to die. he's not crying, why would he be? this is probably how he's always imagined his own death in his wildest fantasies (yes, if katara fantasizes about revenge, sokka fantasizes about dying, you know it's true). if sokka is crucial to helping toph recognize and accept her own vulnerability, toph helps sokka stay grounded to his humanity (and obviously aang and others perform these function for both parties as well, but sokka and toph's friendship is a really beautiful, special thing). and that means that sokka is excited to be saved by suki specifically because it means that she also saved toph. but there must also be a part of sokka after the war that's thinking "in the end, zuko saved katara, suki saved toph, some giant spirit creature saved aang........ what am i even good for?" because if there's one thing sokka's brain loves to do, it's reinforce his own worthlessness.

5 "god i hope they don't break up over it" was pretty funny to me, because i honestly think that if they ever get together (and jury's still out for me on that tbh) it would take a good decade. but also i recognize that the way i "ship zukka" is different from how everyone else feels about/imagines them, so that's not really relevant here.

#would it surprise you that i do in fact think about this all the time #you guys rly love enabling me huh #asks #dejaentends #put it under the cut even though i have way longer posts i didn't add readmores to. im unpredictable im crazy idk #sokka #toph #suki #zuko #katara #katara&sokka #sokka&toph #sokkaxsuki #sokkaxzuko #(kinda) #analysis #GODDDDD..... i love.........psychoanalyzing sokka...... peeling the onion....... he has LAYERS DONKEY!!!!!

[stardust948]

do you have any zutara or atla fic recs?

Oh yes! I have plenty!

Fluffy fics

Questions & Answers by @gemgirl28

Kya and Lu Ten learn about the Hundred Years War, and Kya has a lot of questions for her Father about his role in the war. Or The Steambabies learn the origin of Zuko's scar.

A Month of Sundays by ok_boomerang

Fire Lord Zuko is desperately trying, and continuously failing, to successfully propose to Ambassador Katara. She's oblivious; everyone else is entertained. Meanwhile, Zuko is giving weekly Sunday speeches to the Fire Nation in an effort to help his people feel closer to their government. This effort was not supposed to include telling the entire Fire Nation about his plans for a future with Katara before even she knew about them. But it's fine! They promised not to tell!

Even Dragons Need Hugs by EKWolf2020

Zuko is missing his wife while off for business. While she is gone, he can't help but feel prickly and clearly misses having her near him.

Fire Dance by HomeAgainRose

Zuko goes with the gang following the events of Crossroads of Destiny. This is what happens when they're first in the Fire Nation and Aang ends up at the Fire Nation School. Katara wasn't exactly prepared for the feelings that come out.

little rays of starlight by JasmineTeaLatte

Izumi had been a mere babe during her first and only trip to the Southern Water Tribe, back before Druk had even joined their family or the twins were even born. She remembered freezing white snow flurries and huddling in her father’s arms for warmth, but little else...   Or, the Fire Lord and his wife take their infant daughter out on a trip to see the Southern Lights during the crown princess' first visit to the Southern Water Tribe. Takes place in the timeline of "The Phoenix and the Dragon" but can be read as a standalone.

vitamin z by thetasteoflies

Katara has a cold and there's only one person in the world she wants to see.

Angst/More Mature Fics

Incendiary by Anon

Bizarrely, the first thing Katara felt was a wave of relief. Zuko. Not Ozai. They just wanted her to marry Prince Zuko. And then the horror of it washed over her, cold and harsh and insistent; an iron grip on her heart.

Past the World's Horizon by Mauve_Avenger / @the-badger-mole

When Katara finds herself with an unwanted secret admirer, she and Zuko end up on a frightening adventure.

The Scourge of the Mo Ce Sea by ajstyling

She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen and with one look at her face he understood the truth of her words. She would kill him and not lose a minute of sleep.

i'm still here by owedbetter

"You see me."

And somehow, that makes all the difference.

thicker than water by akaiiko

Zuko tries to pick up the pieces of Katara.

AUs/Slice of Life fics

The Worst Prisoner series by @emletish-fish

What if Sokka was there during the events of the Blue Spirit? What if he accidentally kidnapped Zuko? It's not a poor life choice of it's an accodent, right?

The Prince of the Fire Nation by HarrisonHolmes2014

Zuko was raised in the Fire Nation royal family alongside his sister Azula. He has never known any life outside the palace, his family, or his homeland. But when two slaves claim that he is their brother, Zuko must face a destiny he never asked for.

The Fire and the Flood by @badlucksav

Katara has lived in the same town with the same people her whole life, and since the death of her mother, she feels like her life has been on hold. But then she meets Zuko, an intriguing stranger, and everything changes.

what you want is what i want by zelzenik

Katara isn't alone. She has Bumi and Kya. The three of them are family.

Zuko isn't alone either. He has Izumi. The two of them are family.

But maybe... just maybe, they can all be family together.

It Runs In The Family by Anon

Katara and Zuko were a lot of things. War heroes. Master benders. Fire Lord and Fire Lady. Their favorite occupation? Parents. They'd managed to find each other again and had children, who are part of a brand new world and mixed nations family. While isn't exactly easy, as shown through a repeating series parent teacher conferences.

Or basically, steambaby shenanigans because they have Sokka as their uncle and how could they not be wreaking havoc?

Shameless Self Plugs

They have stolen the heart inside you; but this does not define you series

At a young age, Katara is taken to the Fire Nation as the first candidate in an experiment to assimilate the 'savages' instead of wiping them out. She grows up alongside the Royal Family before eventually escaping. Years later, an oddly familiar Fire Nation solider shows up at her village looking for the Avatar.

Kintsugi series

Kintsugi is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery by mending the areas of breakage with gold. It treats breakage and repair as part of the history of an object, rather than something to disguise. Zuko is tortured by Ozai after helping Katara and Aang escape Ba Sing Se.

Head Above Water

While running away from home after the Agni Kai, Zuko befriends a curious mermaid. He later learns how protective merfolk are.

Dead Hearts

Ozai is a mass serial killer who forces Zuko to lure his victims to him. It’s the same drill for as long as Zuko could remember until his father sets eyes on the new girl who just moved from the Southern Water Tribe.

Let beauty come out of ashes

Zuko is done with Spirit tales. Everyone knew worthless nobodies like him didn’t receive happy endings. He wasn’t even allowed to go to the ball to see his love, a veiled waterbender he met in the woods, in person. Zuko lost all hope until a mysterious dragon helped him with a bit of magic.

Always With Me

While moving away from the only home she’d ever known, Katara finds herself spirited away to a strange in between realm. There, she struggles to ink out a living with the help of a mysterious masked boy who promised to get her home.

Are There Still Beautiful Things?

Katara befriends a lonely boy and they spend the summer together until he suddenly moves away. She doesn't learn the dark truth about why he left until years later.

#long post #atla #zutara #zutara fics #fanfic recs

[lilbagdermole]

Hello! It's always great to meet another Taang shipper!

What do you love most about Taang?

I hope you have a great day!!!

Hey!!

Oh, it's so nice to see that Taang is still loved by so many people (and it's always really nice to see active blogs about them ^^)

What do I love most about Taang?

I love their dynamics. They bounce off each other almost harmoniously, because they are opposites in so many aspects of their lives: beliefs and morals, elements, backgrounds and childhoods. They clash and struggle and are far from perfect, yet, no matter how big the storm, how complex the disagreement - they always reconcile, they always listen to one another, they always learn and grow and strive to become better people. They respect one another so much to work around their oppositions and thus balance and understand one another in ways that no other member of the ATLA cast can replicate (with Aang and Toph).

And though they are natural opposites, they still have so much in common if you delve deeper. Aang and Toph are the youngest in the Gaang - and share the same love for teasing and joking; they share a very deep connection with the the original benders of their respective elements (Toph with the Badgermoles and Aang with Appa); they both runaway from their homes at a young age because of paramount expectations; both are masters of their bending - even inventing a new form/bending style at 12 years-old (air scooter and metalbending).

Aang represented all Toph needed in her life - freedom, loyalty, companionship and a friend. He saw her beyond her perceived weakness and never underestimated her capabilities as an earthbender and his potential master. He taught her to trust and confide, understood her when no other person did and soften the hard edges that she'd constructed to protect herself from her suffocating reality. In a sense, Aang was a breath of fresh air in her life.

Toph, on the other hand, represented all Aang needed - stability, confidence, strength. Aang, being the Avatar, had been coddled and protected by almost everyone - Katara, Sokka, admirers, etc. He wasn't Aang, he was a symbol - a symbol of hope and peace. But Toph didn't care about his divine-like power, didn't care that everyone around him praised the very ground he stepped on - in Toph's perspective, Aang was Aang. A kid just like her and she treated him as equals; never afraid of pushing him to further his growth; she taught him to stand his ground, face his enemies head on, become a stronger, confident bender. She was the ground that anchored him to the mortal world and made him feel normal.

It's also poetic, in the finale - Toph is in the air whilst Aang is mostly on Earth. And, may I add, that at the end, whilst Zuko and Katara ultimately did teach him plenty so he could face the Firelord, Aang's preferred bending style, that was not his own, was Earthbending. The element that had once stumped him, frustrated him; the hardest element to master, his opposite... and now, he used it to protect himself, to shield and fight. He used every technique Toph taught him - rock armor, crushing earth, even seismic sense... Toph ultimately saved Aang during the Finale.

I can go on and on about them, but I'm in the midst of writing a dissertation on Toph and Aang's development and potential in ATLA - so I'll save most of my thoughts for that whenever I get to completing it.

And... let's be honest. Aang and Toph together just look so beautiful. They would be the IT COUPLE in ATLA - their canonical height difference should be reason enough to stan Taang. Avatar and The World's Greatest Earthbender... come on now! And it would just fit right - Aang as an adult would have to travel the world and Toph would gladly travel alongside him since she doesn't have a "home" (Aang is her home); and, as adults they could built Republic City from the ground up whilst also balancing raising a family... UGH! IT WOULD HAVE BEEN SO GOOD!!!

#lilbadgermoleask #taang

[riseswiththesun]

tell me what you really feel

mini drabble/ficlet based off this comic by @mayskalih! i saw her first hc about this and had wanted to write something but then she did the comic and i literally got up and wrote this sksks so thank you for the brainrot LOL

not sure when the canon time frame of this would be I kinda made it vague, so you can imagine it how you want tbh lol, I kinda imagine them a bit older, so like canon divergence/post canon

ao3 link

word count: 2.5k

title inspired by lyrics from the song like or like like by miniature tigers

He hates to admit how much the words sting when Sokka says them. 

Lovebirds.

Zuko feels like he did as a child; the way he feels is almost petulant, wanting something he knows he cannot have. The way feelings he can't quite discern—anger, jealousy, sadness, bitterness, perhaps, he isn't sure, and he doesn't even really want to know—pool at the bottom of his stomach, leaving him uneasy. But he knows all of this is so painfully trivial, pathetic even, how such a nonsensical word almost sends him into a downward spiral of emotions.

But Sokka only confirmed what he’s expected—what he’s known. 

He’s seen the way that the two of them smile at each other, the way she seems almost happier, lighter, brighter, around Aang—something he would be foolish to think she would ever be around him. And so even though he’s been clinging to their few brief moments of amicability, the few moments of vulnerability, and the few brief touches that he’s clung onto more than he likes to admit, he knows his place. He’s grateful for the forgiveness he’s been granted, and that, albeit unfortunately, will just have to be enough.

Zukko never wanted to come to terms with these feelings—if that’s what they even are. He’s tried to tuck them into the back of his mind, being content with where they currently remained—something he didn’t want to grapple with. But now, the painstaking realization has hit him that his feelings are large and grand, knowing that it’s more than just admiration or maybe even something as menial as a crush. He cares, feelings that feel large and grand in a way that he can’t quite comprehend. But he knows that he likes how he feels understood, and he likes how he feels that he’s not someone who’s broken, and he likes that he feels that he is someone who is capable of doing good things—of making a change, of becoming good again. And even aside from that, he likes that she is all things good, that she is hope, that she is someone who deserves better—which is something that he knows that he is not.

So because he cares, he allows for the upturn of his own lips as he watches the two of them, the sun casting down glowing rays—something almost out of a picture, and he thinks to himself: this is what she deserves, what she wants.

And because he cares, cares in a way that it aches in the deepest swells of his chest, he turns to Sokka, nodding in agreeance, the same smile on his face as he speaks.

“You’re right, Sokka,” he says almost breathily, forbidding any sort of indication of the affliction that hangs low in his throat to show in his voice. “We should help them.”

⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾𖤓 ⋆⁺₊⋆

Katara feels a shift—something is off. 

It feels harmless at first; she doesn’t think much of it. It starts with Sokka’s calculated glances towards her, almost as if he has some sort of intention behind his stares. He has the same look on his face when he talks about war plans or whenever he’s discussing something concerning logistics—he’s plotting, but she doesn’t know what. 

She sees the way he and Zuko share mutual looks, almost as if it’s something they’re in on together. It felt harmless at first, the way they’re insistent on certain things, guiding her to certain parts of the camp, directing her to do certain tasks that normally they wouldn’t have her do, but then it crosses into a certain territory where it raises flags, and she knows that something’s off, but she can’t quite figure out what.

It makes the energy within the camp feel strained—she can tell that Sokka is being sneaky, like he’s hiding something from her, or maybe even all of them, which only floods her with additional anxiety—something she already feels she has enough of, and doesn’t need more of at a time like this; Toph is indifferent as always; Suki constantly looks as if she’s worried, almost as if she knows what’s going on, but refuses to say much of anything; Aang tries to keep spirits up, acting as he always does, which that much she can appreciate, her one small semblance of normalcy; but then there’s Zuko, who she doesn’t know how to describe his behavior, but all she knows is his is the person’s behaviors whose bothers her the most. 

She hates that once she finally found herself comfortable with him, almost seeking him out, almost desiring to be near him, he’s decided he no longer wants to be near her, taking every opportunity to push her away. Every instance in which she attempted to even talk to him, whether it be for something small, or even when she tries to seek out his assistance, he’s quick to call someone in replacement of him.

Katara huffs to herself, feeling exasperated by everything that’s been going on the last few days. Part of her feels like she’s being dramatic, something everyone wouldn’t hesitate to tell her, but she knows that something is wrong, and she hates that it bothers her so much. 

She finds herself roaming aimlessly around their campsite, searching for some form of respite, anything at this to put her mind at her ease. She sees Aang and Zuko sitting and talking, prompting her to try and join them, hoping talking with them could jog her spirits even the smallest bit knowing the two of them are two people that as of lately, are the only ones who she feels like understand her most.

“Hey,” Katara calls out as she approaches them, a smile on her face, “Can I join you guys?” She takes a seat before they can even answer, assuming she’ll receive an eventual yes. She somewhat receives one in the form of Aang’s returned grin, but Zuko’s body stiffens at the sight of her. The smile she saw from afar has been replaced by a face she once deemed as cold—an expression she didn’t associate e 

“U-uh,” he hesitates, quickly standing up. “I-I gotta go…” Walking away before the two of them can question his reasonings for leaving.

Aang and Katara share confused glances, before both their eyes follow Zuko to the other side of their camp, joining Sokka in whatever it is he seems to be doing. Aang gives her a shrug before he continues the conversation, but Katara no longer has any interest in talking, her mood seemingly gone sour.

But most of all, she hates the feeling in her chest, something almost like a tear in her heart, that occurred the second that Zuko left, taking all the air in her lungs with him.

⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾𖤓 ⋆⁺₊⋆

Zuko concludes that solitude is the best course of action. 

He knows that he’s doing the right thing, the honorable one even, but it doesn’t make it any more bearable. He almost wishes that he felt the petty rage and jealousy that he felt with Mai—anger, at least, is an easier concept to grapple with. 

But he finds that whatever this is, he can only take in strides, the gravity of his feelings being a harsh reality that he’s been forced to come to terms with. Each time Zuko aids in this plan of theirs, he knows it’s for a greater purpose, one that he would put above his own desires and feelings (something that the Zuko before would have never considered), so he continues, and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. 

Though despite being someone who's changed, valuing those who he cares about, it’s in his innate being as a person to at times, wallow. So he concludes that solitude is in fact the best course of action. Because in isolation, there he can bask in his emotions without fear of being questioned; there is nobody to judge his seemingly childish tantrums, when all of it just feels so unfair, and why him; but most of all, there he can live in the bliss in  knowing he’s the only one who knows just how much his feelings have amounted to, and just how much he may have fucked up in allowing them to get to that point. 

So he keeps to himself in the moments that he can, doing whatever tasks he can alone, cherishing the few moments of privacy he gets to wrestle with his emotions. He clings to whatever noises around him, hoping they can somehow bring him back to earth, but it’s normally much to no avail—the crackle of the fire and the buzzing of insects in the night sky only provide cursory background noise to the never ending state of chaos of his mind. 

In Zuko's mind, he feels as though there’s a constant influx of emotions, so much so that he almost doesn’t feel smaller hands against his back, jolting him out of his thoughts, stopping him in his tracks. 

“Hey, Zuko,” a voice that could belong to nobody other than Katara calls out from behind him. He feels his body stiffen at her touch, no longer used to the close contact, even in the few instances it had occurred. Zuko turns to face her, her face showing clear signs of displeasure, but before Zuko can even question why, she keeps talking. “Why are you avoiding me?” She asks, anger, or maybe even hurt, Zuko thinks, hanging in her voice. 

His eyes go wide, but he quickly tries to regain his composure, not wanting to raise any sort of concern. He thinks to what he’s done for the entirety of the week whenever Katara’s had any sort of issue, knowing there’s a better solution than him to her problems. 

“Let me go get Aang…” He says gently, trying not to make matters worse. 

Her face scrunches at this, releasing out a huff—she’s upset. Zuko tries to think of what he could’ve done to upset her, all he’s done since they’ve made amends is try his hardest to do right by her, and he feels like he constantly keeps coming up short, only confirming what he’s known for so long—she deserves better. 

“You’re not going anywhere—you don’t need to get Aang, this has nothing to do with him,” she starts, closing the distance between them. Zuko can see the telltale signs of her anger, the face she makes when she’s fed up with all of them, when they’ve pushed her buttons too hard, or worn her patience too thin—the furrow between her brows, the narrow of her eyes, the rosiness in her cheeks, the exasperation in her voice. “What’s wrong, Zuko? Why are you avoiding me? Why is it that every time I try to talk to you or ask for your help, you suddenly call Aang or leave?” She asks angrily, before her voice gets quiet, as if she’s nervous to finish the rest of her sentence, “Did I… do something?” 

Zuko didn’t think there was a feeling that felt worse than how he already did, but the look on Katara’s face, one that had just been filled with anger, that now holds so much hurt, is enough to make him fess up to the whole ruse—he doesn’t want to leave any room for misinterpretation. 

“I-I wanted to help you and Aang!” He blurts out. “Sokka told me you liked each other, so we’ve… been trying to help you two. Maybe it wasn’t the best idea but… that’s why I’ve been doing that, for you two.”

Her face twists, this time not in anger, but what he thinks is annoyance. Katara lets out a pained huff, pinching her nose and closing her eyes, almost as if she had to take a moment to process his words. 

“You two are idiots,” she sighs. 

This time, it’s Zuko's turn for his face to scrunch up, but for him, rather than anger or annoyance, it’s in confusion. He raises his brows, leaning against the wall behind him, “What?”

Katara steps closer, cutting the distance between them from arm’s length to inches away in just a few seconds. She leans in, pressing her hands against the stone wall behind him for support. Their faces are so close he can feel her breath tickling his cheek, he feels his heart racing and his palms growing sweaty, the result of too many emotions and her presence alone. 

“Zuko, I don’t like Aang…” She says. “I like you.”

He blinks at her, feeling dumbfounded. The words hang in the air, almost as if they’re waiting for Zuko to take them and physically make himself process them, screaming at him to comprehend the gravity of what she means, but Katara, instead, does it for him, giving him no time for things like insecurity or misunderstanding. She closes the distance between them, pressing her lips onto his. 

At first, Zuko feels his body tense—one too many shocking proclamations have occurred, leaving him incapable of processing things at a normal rate. By the time his mind has finally processed her words, I like you, his body finally has caught up to reality, taking him out of the state of limbo he’s since been existing in—those few seconds between before and after her profession—he feels Katara pull away, just after he’d finally become accustomed to the way her lips felt against his. 

He feels his cheeks flush, seeing the way she looks at him, waiting for his response. Her eyes have a look in them, softness almost, something akin to hope, Zuko thinks. They stare at one another, at a loss for words, both too scared to break the silence between them, the only sound their bated breaths and the drumming of their heartbeats. 

Zuko has never been the best at emotions or words, he thinks the best course of action in this scenario is just doing. So this time, it’s Zuko who leans forward, cupping her cheek affectionately before pressing his lips onto hers with a confidence he didn’t know that he had in himself. 

And though Zuko isn’t perfect, and he still has so much to learn, so much growing to still do, maybe he is deserving of good things, and there are people who are capable of seeing the good in him too. He thinks that maybe later they can talk more about their feelings and specifics and whatever other misunderstandings may have occurred, but for now, he enjoys the way she feels underneath his touch, a feeling he wants to tattoo in his memory, a moment like this he will remember forever. 

All the feelings of self doubt and insecurity and the little voices that scream inside him, you aren’t enough, begin to dissipate with every little press of her mouth against his. It feels sweet and it feels new and it feels like the good in life that he’s been searching for. 

When he finally pulls away, he looks at her, admiring how the fire casts a glow on her face, her cheeks rosy, and her lips plush. Her eyes sparkle, and Zuko never realized, or at least he’s never allowed himself to admit just how beautiful she really is. 

He feels a warmth settle inside him, the corners of his lips upturning. And there’s more that he wants to say, but his mind, always an influx of emotions, albeit this time, positive ones, settles on: “I like you too, Katara.”

#zutara #atla #zutara fic #zuko x katara #zk #vi’s drabbles

[burst-of-iridescent]

the official zutara dissertation (p.1)

or: i yell about zutara for 16k words straight, because i have nothing else to do with my life.

This essay will explore the canonical dynamics of Prince Zuko and Katara of the Southern Water Tribe, the subtext and foreshadowing in the narrative, and the themes of the show. It will argue that Zutara becoming canon would have developed and completed Zuko and Katara’s character arcs and exemplified the themes and narratives of ATLA. It will also show that Zuko and Katara’s canon relationships did a disservice to their characters and those of their canon partners, were poorly developed, and ran contrary to the messages and themes of the show itself. For these reasons, this essay will prove that Zutara should have been the endgame ship of Avatar: The Last Airbender.

(Includes bonus frustrated commentary.)

BOOK 1: WHY ZUKO AND KATARA ARE PERFECT FOR EACH OTHER

1. Zuko and Katara share the same fundamental moral compass and core values. 

They are both empathetic and compassionate people who are angered by the injustices of the world and want to right them. While all the members of Team Avatar are good-hearted individuals, none of them share Zuko and Katara’s need to help, even at their own expense. Sokka and Toph are pragmatists who focus on the big picture (ending the war), while Aang’s desire to help is inextricably tied to his duties as the Avatar, rather than just Aang himself as an individual.

Zuko and Katara, however, are fundamentally different from the rest of Team Avatar in this regard. Their need to help, no matter what the cost, forms the basis of their personalities and character arcs. Katara’s empathy and compassion are demonstrated multiple times throughout the series, such as when she willingly lets herself be captured in order to save imprisoned Earthbenders (Book 1: Imprisoned) and refuses to abandon a suffering Fire Nation village even when it puts them behind time for the invasion (Book 3: The Painted Lady).

In both of these instances, Katara’s motivations are at odds with those of her friends. They want to move on; she cannot leave people in need. They want to do the safe thing; Katara insists on doing the right thing. Katara’s drive and desire to help is unmatched by the rest of Team Avatar, who only follow her lead because she cannot be swayed from her decision. Katara’s entire character can be summed up with “I will never, ever turn my back on people who need me!” (Book 3: The Painted Lady) because that is the kind of person she is – someone who will never abide injustice or suffering if she can do something about it.

Similarly, Zuko’s entire character arc is kickstarted by his compassion, when he speaks out against sacrificing soldiers when even seasoned generals did not (Book 1: The Storm). It is this decision that led to Zuko’s banishment, and it is a direct result of Zuko’s kindness – a quality that Zuko tries to bury to earn his father’s love, and which he ultimately realizes is a strength, not a weakness.

Even in his time as an antagonist, there are plenty of hints at Zuko’s true empathetic nature, one that resurfaces even when he tries to stifle it: Zuko putting his own life in danger to rescue his helmsman (Book 1: The Storm), sparing Admiral Zhao in the Agni Kai although he knew Zhao would never have returned the favour (Book 1: The Southern Air Temple) and attempting to save him even though Zhao had tried to kill him (Book 1: The Siege of the North Part 2), exposing his true identity and risking his safety to protect an Earth Kingdom village (Book 2: Zuko Alone), reaching out to Katara with genuine kindness though she was still his enemy at this point, and had been yelling at him just moments before (Book 2: The Crossroads of Destiny).

This is a non-exhaustive list of Zuko’s moments of compassion, but they indicate who he is at his core – someone very similar to Katara, someone who cannot leave others in a state of need with an easy conscience. Neither Zuko nor Katara have an obligation to help, the way that Aang does as the Avatar, but they both choose to do so anyway because that is who they are. Zuko and Katara would work well together because they share core qualities, ones that shape their personalities and desires, and can thus understand and support one another’s motivations and decisions. This would have made them perfect rulers for the Fire Nation and great world leaders overall, as they would fight for those who needed their help and would never abandon any of their people to fend for themselves.

2. It is with each other, and only each other, that Zuko and Katara can be fully and completely themselves. 

 Katara’s role in much of the show is a motherly one, putting her needs and feelings second to take care of those around her. With Zuko, however, this dynamic is reversed. This is not to say that Katara does not care for or support Zuko – she does. For the first time, however, this support is returned to her. Zuko sees her at her most vulnerable in the Crystal Catacombs (Book 2: The Crossroads of Destiny) and turns to comfort her, to tell her that she is not alone. This is the first time someone reaches out to help Katara, the first time she is in a position where she is receiving emotional support instead of providing it, and it is telling that it is with Zuko – someone who, due to their history as enemies, Katara does not feel the need to coddle, and can meet on an even keel.

After he joins the Gaang, Zuko consistently puts Katara’s needs first – accepting that her anger at him is justified, asking her what he can do to make it up to her, trying to earn her forgiveness. He makes the effort to get to the root of Katara’s hurt and anger, even when she’s not giving him much to work with, and gives her all the agency in the situation, never putting his need to earn her forgiveness over her needs. We don’t ever see any other member of the Gaang give this much thought or consideration to Katara’s feelings. On their hunt for Yon Rha, Zuko supports Katara absolutely and unconditionally. He sees the full depths of her rage and grief, the lengths she is willing to go to for vengeance, her willingness to use bloodbending – and instead of condemning or judging her, he accepts all of it without question.  

Katara does not suppress her needs for Zuko’s sake, the way she does with the rest of the Gaang, and is not shoehorned into the position of his caretaker or mother. She is allowed to break out of the role of emotional backbone, a role she often assumes to her own detriment, as the person who gives and never receives. With Zuko, Katara can be herself in all her aspects – the grieving daughter, the fierce warrior, the caring friend – and is a far more multi-faceted and complex individual because of it.

In return, Zuko finds in Katara someone who has seen him at his absolute highest and lowest. All of Team Avatar have seen (and fought) Zuko as their enemy, but it was Katara who witnessed the true depths of his feelings about his scar and Katara who was betrayed by Zuko, an integral part of the worst mistake he ever made. Out of all of Team Avatar, only Katara truly witnessed Zuko at his lowest point, his decision to side with Azula, and still chose to forgive and befriend him.

Furthermore, Zuko does not need to hide who he truly is with Katara, or become someone he is not, as he is forced to in the Fire Nation. He can open up to her without fear of being manipulated (like Azula) or shut down (like Mai), and she validates and soothes his worries without coddling him. Katara sees Zuko in his entirety – at his best and worst, his strongest and most vulnerable – and accepts and supports him through all of it. Zuko and Katara are thus able to be themselves in all their aspects with one another, creating a relationship based on mutual understanding, acceptance, and trust.

3. Zuko and Katara have the deepest and most intimate non‐familial relationship out of all of Team Avatar. 

Apart from sharing character traits and motivations, Zuko and Katara are both marked by similar foundational events that sent them along parallel arcs – the loss of their mothers – and this enables them to understand one another on a far deeper and more intimate level that no one else can hope to achieve.

But Sokka lost his mother too! Aang lost his people!

Yes, those are both horrible, traumatic losses. But they are not Katara’s loss. Losing Kya marked a turning point in Katara’s life as the moment she was forced into the role of mother in her family, a role she should never have been burdened with. Not only did she take on this role, however, she did it so efficiently that Sokka admits to no longer remembering his mother’s face, because Katara is the only motherly figure he can picture (Book 3: The Runaway). Katara, a traumatized child, had to deal with the grief of losing her mother and, at the same time, assume that position to keep her family together, at the expense of her own childhood and well-being. Neither Sokka nor Aang had to deal with these deeper layers of trauma because both of them were looked after, and looked after well, by Katara – and for that reason, they will never understand her pain.

If her own brother and canonical love interest don’t understand, how could Zuko? Because, just like Katara, Zuko’s loss marked a turning point in his life and changed him fundamentally. Just like Katara, Zuko’s loss of his mother meant the end of his childhood, leaving him exposed to the cruelty of his father and sister. Ursa’s disappearance signified the start of Zuko’s path to becoming someone he didn’t want to be and should never have been, just as Kya’s death pushed Katara into a role she should never have been forced to take on. Ursa sacrificed herself to protect Zuko just as Kya sacrificed herself to protect Katara. Zuko and Katara’s losses, both significant aspects of their characters and foundational events of their childhood, parallel one another and give them a unique understanding of each other. It is significant that Zuko is the only person Katara ever fully opens up to about her mother’s death and the pain it has caused her because it is a loss that mirrors Zuko’s own, and thus enables them to connect with one another.

Zuko and Katara’s interaction in the Crystal Catacombs is the perfect illustration of this, because it is their shared loss that leads them to see each other for the first time as people instead of enemies. Their mutual pain allows them to become deeply vulnerable and intimate with each other as they have never been with anyone else. Katara is the only person Zuko opens up to about his conflict over his destiny and the first person he allows to touch his scar. In return, Katara offers her precious spirit water to heal him – her staunch enemy – with no hesitation and is the first one to genuinely believe in Zuko’s capacity to change, which is why his betrayal later affects her so deeply (although Aang is the first person to reach out to Zuko in Book 1, he is also utterly unsurprised when Zuko tries to capture him in return, in contrast to Katara’s genuine shock and hurt at Zuko’s betrayal – indicating that she’d trusted him where Aang had not). As Zuko is the only member of the Gaang to truly empathize with Katara’s trauma, it is thus fitting that he is the one to help her find closure from it.

The Southern Raiders tackles the deepest trauma of Katara’s life, and it is not with Sokka, her brother or Aang, her canonical love interest – but Zuko. While there are some issues with the writing, it’s unsurprising that Zuko takes Katara’s side rather than Sokka and Aang’s, because the lingering effects of Katara’s trauma and her desperate need for closure to the event that has haunted her all her life reflects his own, and so he can empathize with her in a way they never can. Zuko, who did confront the man responsible for the loss of his mother and made peace with his trauma, understands better than the rest of Team Avatar why it is necessary for Katara to do the same, as he knows first-hand how cathartic it can be.  

Zuko and Katara’s arc in the Southern Raiders is based on the intimacy that already existed between them from the Crossroads of Destiny, but within the episode itself, this intimacy only grows deeper. Zuko sees the “darkest” side of Katara and accepts her regardless, while Katara separates Zuko once and for all from the title of enemy and sees him once more as just Zuko, a boy like her, someone worthy of her affection and friendship. It is the episode of their reconciliation because they both break out of their defining roles for good in one another’s eyes and embrace each other for who they truly are, having seen each other at their best and worst in a way no one else ever has.

After this, Zuko and Katara’s relationship just gets more intimate, natural and comfortable. They spend the final episodes of the series together, often positioned right next to or parallel to one another. They adopt co-parental positions in the Gaang (Zuko has Peak Tired Dad energy), comfort one another, offer support, and have complete trust in each other. Katara looks to Zuko to take the lead when Aang goes missing (Book 3: Sozin’s Comet, Part 2), and Zuko turns to Katara for reassurance right before he goes to ask his uncle for forgiveness. Zuko has no hesitation in asking Katara to accompany him to the final Agni Kai and she in turn completely trusts his judgement in choosing to fight Azula on his own (Book 3: Sozin’s Comet, Part 3). They fight together in beautiful harmony, protecting each other and working side-by-side with seamless efficiency (Book 3: The Southern Raiders, Book 3: Sozin’s Comet, Part 1). We never see Katara fighting with any other individual in such perfect, wordless synchronicity, and the only other person who has this sort of bond with Zuko is Iroh, the person he loves most.

(Also, the parallel between Zuko waiting outside Katara’s tent and Zuko waiting by Iroh’s bed for both of them to wake up??? This boy’s love language is clearly I-will-stay-up-all-night-to-earn-your-forgiveness-because-you matter-the-most-to-me-in-the-world.)

Book 3 brings Zutara closer just as it separates them from their canon pairings, culminating in the final deepest layer of connection and intimacy in the finale as Zuko literally sacrifices himself to save Katara – and then does a heel-face turn and shoves them back with their canon partners (seriously, what the fuck). While their canon pairings would never have worked without some serious rewriting, making them endgame at the very moment where Zuko had never been more distant from Mai and Katara from Aang, while Zutara had hit their peak in terms of intimacy, understanding, trust and emotional connection, only drove home all the more why Zutara should have been endgame instead.

#zutara #zutara meta #the official zutara dissertation #i'm finally dropping it yall #buckle up this is going to be long as fuck #we have like. 5 more parts to go #oops

[impossiblycolorfulpanda]

An alternate scene of mine about the debate of Ozai's fate if Aang was separated from the gaang and was held captive by the FN right after being revived in Ba Sing Se until Zuko delivers him back to the gaang as he tries joining.

Suki: But he looks so sweet and innocent.

Zuko: Well that sweet kid grew up to be a monster and the worst father in the history of fathers.

Aang: But he's still your father none the less.

Zuko: You're going to defend him?

Aang: No. I know he's done horrible deeds and I know that I had to take lives at the North Temple and the North Pole to protect innocent people and Gyatso resorted to taking lives when he tried to save himself. But I don't think I can destroy the fire lord this time.

Sokka: Sure you can. You're the Avatar. If it's in the name of keeping balance, I'm pretty sure the universe will forgive you.

Aang: Would the fire nation feel the same way?

Sokka: Yeah...?

Aang: Regardless of what he is, the fire nation idolize him. They appreciate him as their ruler, not to mention Sozin has been spreading lies about me and other nations for generations. Everyone was indoctrinated, including Ozai and Azula. We need to show them that we're the good guys.

Zuko: An admirable idea, but it's not possible. My father finds the very concepts of mercy and peace to be laughable weaknesses. Indoctrinated or not he's not gonna stop doing horrible things.

Aang: Not everyone in the fire nation feel the same way. I believe if we showed mercy to the fire lord, they'll appreciate it, Azula included, even if he doesn't.

Katara: Azula?

Aang: She's not as ruthless as her father is. She tries to be only because she loves her father. He has to live, for Azula's sake if nothing else.

Zuko: My father's a bad influence on Azula, she'll be better off with him dead.

Aang: How do you know she won't become worse than ever in the process of trying to avenge him? Can he at least live long enough until she and the others are shown the truth and reject his policies like you?

Sokka: Buddy, Azula shot you with lightning, right after Katara healed you, she held you, Suki, and my dad prisoner, she's a good enough of a liar to fool even Toph, and she was the one who inspired the fire lord to commit the same genocide as the air nomads in the first place. She's clearly evil in her own right.

Aang: She could've taken my life again in the worst of ways. She could've done the same to Suki and your dad. She could've placed me in the boiling rock next to them. But she didn't. She promised to be civil if I was civil first and she delivered. I got to spend the most time with her and I know there is good in her. I can feel it. She can be saved. She can be turned to the good side, but not if I kill her father.

Toph: Azula brainwashed you the same way Long Feng brainwashed Jet, didn't she.

Aang: No.

Zuko: I get where you're coming from. She was the one who overturned my banishment and kept quiet about my secret conversations with our uncle. She even asked me to go to the beach with her. But we may have to prepare to put her out of the way as well if she becomes a big enough problem.

Aang: You can't seriously mean that! She's your sister, she wouldn't have done any of those things if she wasn't capable of love!

Katara: Aang, we understand what your saying it's just...

Aang: Just what, Katara? What?

Katara: We're trying to help!

Aang: Then, when you figure out a way for me to save the Fire Lord, the Fire Nation, and Azula from themselves and restore their internal balance, I'd love to hear it! (Walks away.)

Katara: Aang, don't walk away from this! (Walks toward Aang.)

Zuko: (Puts a hand on Katara's shoulder to stop her.) Let him go. He needs time to sort it out by himself.

Suki: He and Azula didn't have a thing, did they?

Zuko: I don't know. But they did seem close and friendliest to each other until the war meeting, they even danced together at a party that was not too far from here before he helped us burn it all down.

#atla #atla au #azulaang #sort of #ozai #aang #azula

[old-people-like-avatar]

Netflix Avatar the Last Airbender -- S1E3 Omashu Review [Spoilers]

Episode 3 of the show was noticeably weaker than the first two, unfortunately.

THE GOOD

Appa, yip yip! The way Gordon Cormier's face totally lit up when he said this was just pure joy and the embodiment of Aang.

Commander Zhao: I continue to be interested in Zhao's failure in officer training and scheming/conniving. More of this please.

Fire Nation resistance: I appreciated the introduction of the idea of Fire Nation rebels, planting the seed that not all Fire Nation citizens are bad. I also liked that Azula was instrumental in rooting them out and destroying them. Because of course she would be. And of course Ozai would roast them all alive.

THE I-APPRECIATED-WHAT-THEY-WERE-DOING-BUT-NOT-SURE-THEY-PULLED-IT-OFF

Jet/Katara: There was a lot to like about this dynamic. Jet had swagger. He had decent lines. "That's the price of freedom." They also had a good scene where they shared their pain and Jet helped Katara access her feelings for waterbending. But the "innocent people are going to die" line really didn't land with me because, well, no one died in the explosion we saw earlier in the episode. The explosion seemed kind of... small?

It makes no sense that Zuko/Iroh went to Omashu. I like seeing Zuko and Iroh together and seeing their dynamic develop. And they probably needed to get these characters there to set up later developments. But story-wise, in universe, it makes absolutely no sense that they went into an Earth Kingdom stronghold. Like what?

THE BAD

Clunky, terrible dialogue continues: "I just want to help people!" "One person at a time!" Wince.

Teo/Mechanist: Wooden, wooden, wooden. I hated all of their lines. All of them. These characters were flat and less than two-dimensional.

My cabbages: I love the Cabbage Merchant, but he just did not translate here in the live action. "My cabbages" felt totally off and like random pointless fan service, which it was, sadly.

UNKNOWN

Azula and sibling rivalry...? "He's done the impossible." Not sure whether this will pay off, but they have framed Ozai as playing Azula and Zuko off each other and Azula to be motivated by sibling rivalry. It's a different take and I am interested in seeing where it goes.

Zuko: Dallas Liu is doing an admirable job. I like what the actor is doing with the role. But... character Zuko thus far has not done much to earn cred with the audience. He's threatened to kill both Sokka and Katara in a rage. So far he's fully in villain camp with not much shading. Am willing to let this continue to play out before judging.

Onto the next one...

#avatar the last airbender #avatar: the last airbender #atla #live action avatar #live action atla #natla #netflix avatar #netflix atla

[hello-nichya-here]

“Realistically I see Aang to be the type to have many different lovers with his free spirit rather than only be with one person the rest of his life.”

You say realistically, do you even know what that word means? When did Aang and his free spirit ever express the desire to be with multiple people? Hell, to be with anyone other than Katara? Sure he had many admirers, but he expressed no interest to be with them. He was just his regular charming self and everyone swooned. His eyes were set solely on Katara and in more than one occasion he made a commitment to her. Meanwhile, Sokka and Zuko each had multiple love interests or people that they’ve went out on dates with. I don’t see you saying anything about “free love!” with them. I’d blame this on LOK, but I also think this is mainly fandom shoving a narrative onto Aang that doesn’t exist solely because they want him out of the way of their non-canon ship. I just wish they’d be more transparent.

“It’s much more realistic for Aang to sleep his way through the world to help repopulate the air nomads than to spend his life with one person!” Never mind the fact that there were multiple episodes dedicated to how Aang has issues with detachment and values his personal relationships highly. Aang is about as monogamous as they come. Also, you forgot to add another bad Zutara take: Aang is a sleazy fuckboy who would cheat on Katara with anything that moves (assuming that Katara doesn’t cheat on him with Zuko first).

I had actually not seen that trope before, but holy damn, it sounds so fucking bad. Way to assassinate Aang's character to try and fail to make your ship look better, zutarians. These people just never fucking learn, do they?

And let's pretend for a second that Aang had multiple crushes during the show - how is a 12-year-old going through puberty and starting to experience attraction to girls the same as an adult realizing the he wasn't really made to be in a monogamous relationship? Do these idiots think that all it takes to be poly is feeling attracted to more than one person in your WHOLE LIFE? By that logic, Katara will never settle down, since she had a crush on Jet, dated Aang, and had some lowkey flirty moments with Haru.

Like you said, it's just another shitty excuse to go "KATAANG WON'T LAST! EVERYONE PLEASE SWITCH TO MY SHIP NOW!"

That and people not knowing the difference between pacifist monks and free-love hippies that think everyone should just get high and fuck instead of fighting.

#asks #anti zutara #pro kataang

[fanfic-gremlin-ft-trauma]

I've been cooking this one up for a while but early 90s (like set between 91 to 92) college au. Mai, Suki, and zuko are goths who does sokka's makeup every chance they get. they would chilling in sokka's dorm, and Mai would be like "someone hand me the white face paint".

the rest of the gaang + azula/ty lee is still in high school. they're doing a HS trip of the college. azula sees zuko and Mai eating lunch. she gets the attention of the tour guide, points at them, and says "I want THEM to tour us." also azula loves calling Mai and zuko, "Gomez and morticia".

she also does not hesitate to call zuko 'koko' in public and she will do it every time she sees him.

when toph is bored, she likes to fuck around with katara's answering machine at the ungodly hours of night. like when all the tv goes off (bc back in those days, the TV literally turned off. like It was just static), she'll call her, knowing she won't answer and just fuck around. katara would like wake up to fifteen messages on the answering message, all from toph. half of them are just her rambling about random ass shit, and the other half is jokes. Gran Gran would be like "your friend surely does talk a lot."

yue comes into town. she ends up going to the college and meets sokka, whom she becomes friends with. she's really heavily impacted katara's sense in fashion and makeup. yue's fashion & makeup is inspired by the 60s and 70s. she wears a lot of flowy dresses, skirts, and shirts. a lot of white, light blue, and other light colors in the blue family. yue teached katara some brown girl makeup hacks bc she knows how hard it is to find makeup for brown skin. she used to take katara shopping too like she was like the big sister she never had 😭

then zhao did some shit and yue & her family had to move.

SO SOKKA HAD A CAMCORDER WHICH WAS HIS DAD'S AND HE USES IT TO RECORD RANDOM SHIT AND DAY TO DAY LIFE 😭. one of the tapes was sokka and zuko trying to bring up their TV up the stairs since they just brought it. suki was recording. sokka's hand slips and the tv goes down the stairs and breaks. it just gasps and a beat of slience 😭.

and POLAROIDS. SO MANY POLAROIDS.

NDJISNDCNUOXSANUAOXSXNOSAUONAXSUUONASXNUO YOU GENIUS YOU INCREDIBLE HUMAN EATING THIS SHOVING IT IN MY MOUTH THROWING UP!!!!

ohhhhhhhh this gives me so many ideas. I could rave about every single one of these. Katara yue Bestiesm yes pls sharing makeup + fashion ideas would be so them. The 90s college vibes in fic are always immaculate and THIS. Sokka would absolutely use a camcorder ohhhhh I can see it. Nothing has ever been more canon than that. Him recording so many little fun aspects of their life and he gives it as a present to the friend group- like a lil memories vhs thingy. ALSO THE POLAROIDSSSS YES YES. omg that’s immediately reminding me of the wonderful @petricorah ‘s All Time art of modern au zukka in a Polaroid. I need more vibes like this I’ll invest actually.

Also thank u for truthing abt Zuko mai and suki gothism bc it’s so important to me. Also that toph and katara anecdote IM ROLLINGGG. SHE WOULD 💀. like she is such A Little Shit and would make Katara’s life hell (also god forbid in a modern modern au someone gives her discord. she’d abuse the /tts command to its full potential.)

Also omg Gomez and morticia so true bc mai is the hot unbothered kick ass goth lady and Zuko just. follows her around. adores n admires. as he should.

oh and I saw this addition and wanted it to be in the same post cuz. it’s just so amazing I’m LAUGHINGGGG

THIS IS SO CANON SO TRUE THEY WOULD DESTROOOOYYY EACH OTHER FOR THOSE YEARBOOK PICTURES. and like. what’s funny is Zuko’s one is kinda canon. Iroh absolutely did his hair in hs bc that boy was an awkward mess and had no time to worry about his appearance.

this is literally giving me life omfg thank u for this

#asks #sofia speaks about herself #atla #princess-irene #<- you’re just gonna get ur own tag cuz atp you’re feeding my hyper fixation and deserve recognition #literally obsessed obseeeeessed w this I’ll die actually #thank u for these asks like I don’t think u understand #had such a shit day this made it 1 million times better #atla hcs

[epickiya722]

For the anime ask game, can I ask :

Balance : Unlimited, Vanitas no Carte and ATLA?

BALANCE UNLIMITED 💴

Favorite Character: Haru Kato! From his design to his personality, Haru easily became my favorite character.

Favorite Arc/Episode/Scene: The entirety of episode 4. It's just too funny to me that Daisuke left the house because he got natto for breakfast, left his phone by accident, and has to stay with Haru because he refuses to go back home. He slept in the bathtub! 😆

Character I Think is Underrated: The whole Detective Division. They're actually very enjoyable characters to me and a lot of the scenes they have together are favorites of mine.

Character I Think is Overrated: We all know it's Daisuke. Remember when that show came out?! Oh my gosh... still love him though.

Favorite Ship/Pairing: DaiHaru, that will always be my ship!

Something I Love About the Show/Movie: The gag that at the end of each episode shows the total balance of how much money was spent is something that I love. Whoever thought to do that, I applaud them. Also, just the overall vibe of the show. To me, it's an anime worth a rewatch. I find myself doing so once in a while. The opening song is one of my favorite anime openings still!

**

VANITAS NO CARTE ✒

Favorite Character: Noé is everything to me. He actually holds a very special place in my heart because he looks like a character I created way back in middle school.

Favorite Arc/Episode/Scene: One of my favorite scenes has to be that Vanitas had pushed Noé to the point of being scary. First season when they're facing Roland and Noé takes Vanitas hostage. The way Vanitas reacts will always have me in tears and Noé? Me watching that scene "you're doing amazing, sweetie!"

Character I Think is Underrated: I feel like Amelia is underrated. She's nice, I like her.

Character I Think is Overrated: Noé definitely, but more so Vanitas is overrated.

Favorite Ship/Pairing: Vanitas and Noé! Their dynamic is everything to me, okay?

Something I Love About the Show/Movie: The anime, to me, is very beautifully animated to me. The music though? That first ending song, oh my gosh. That song is just... I can't even describe. You ever listen to a song and it just puts you in a trance and it relaxes you? That's what that song is like.

**

AVATAR THE LAST AIRBENDER 💨

Note: ATLA isn't an anime. But I'll answer for it.

Favorite Character: ATLA has such a good cast of characters, it's hard to choose a character. But for me, it's Yue! When watching her episodes as a kid, I couldn't help but admire her. Still do!

Favorite Arc/Episode/Scene: Other than Yue scenes, The Beach is definitely one of my favorite episodes. Another would have to be "Firebending Masters". My favorite scene is when Aang and Zuko gets stuck in that trap and Aang yells for help and Zuko responds "who are you yelling to? No one has lived here for centuries!"

Character I Think is Underrated: Hmm... okay any Avatar that isn't Roku, Aang and Kyoshi. Avatar Yangchen being one.

Character I Think is Overrated: The main cast, but can you blame them? To pick... I'm giving it to Zuko and Sokka here.

Favorite Ship/Pairing: Sokka/Suki will always be one of my favorite canon relationships. It's just so sweet! And admittedly, I am also a fan of Zukka.

Something I Love About the Show/Movie: The characters, love them. The plot, amazing. Music, on point. One thing I really like about the show is the number of memorable quotes. It's been over a year since I actually watched the show, but almost every day I or anyone in my family will quote something from it.

"Let us leave!"

"Lettuce leaf?"

"My aura has never been pinker!"

"My own mother thought I was a monster. She was right, of course, but it still hurts."

"I CAN STILL FIGHT!!"

"It just says... 'bear'."

You get the picture.

Anime Ask Game

#kiya answers #balance unlimited #fugou keiji balance: unlimited #fkbu #vanitas no shuki #vanitas no carte #the case study of vanitas #vnc #avatar the last airbender #atla

[zvtara-was-never-canon]

I don’t understand Zut’s obsession with bloodbending. This technique, as we can see, is used for taking control over other body for the purposes of fighting the enemy, torture, abuse. We see Katara’s horror at having to learn and use it in the Puppetmaster and her disgust of the idea that someone should invade the body and control other being against their will. We see her using it in Southern Raiders and realizing that she went too far from the line she drew for herself – and it works to show her pain there. But to take it and say she should have used it more, for healing and power? I don’t get it.

Their logic is "This looks cool, therefore it is empowering, and she only ever used willingly one time, when Zuko was around, so OBVIOUSLY that means Zuko empowers her."

Nevermind that, like you pointed out, Katara did NOT feel empowered during these moments: on the first one she felt coerced, abused, terrified, and manipulated, and on the second she felt like she had betrayed her core vallues in a moment of blinding rage.

And it's just crazy to me to notice how zutarians are constantly trying to force parallels between Zuko and Katara - yet they are ignoring the one that is right in front of their faces.

Zuko was disfigured by his own father, who justified his abusive behavior as being for his son's own good and "teaching him a lesson. Hama masks her intentions of forcing Katara to learn bloodbending by claiming she just wants to bond with her as her teacher.

On the day of the eclipse, to keep Zuko around until he's able to try and kill him, Ozai manipulates his son by using his love for Ursa against him, offering to tell him what actually happened to her. To force Katara to bloodbend, Hama uses her love for Sokka and Aang against her, controlling them so they'll kill each other unless Katara steps in.

When Zuko has his Agni Kai with Zhao, he almost gives him a scar as well, but decides to spare him at the last moment because, even though he's still in denial about being abused, deep down he already knows he doesn't want to be a monster like Ozai. When Katara uses bloodbending on who she thinks is her mother's killer, then realizes her mistake, she gets quite a brutal awakening that makes her realize she's not simply going after justice or even revenge, but rather allowing herself to fall victim to cycle of violence and abuse like Hama did.

This is a genuine, not at all forced parallel between Zuko and Katara, and that the writers basically handed to the shippers in a neat little bow - and they threw it in the garbage because it did not allow them to glorify violence, romanticize Zuko's past as a villain who was prone to violence, pretend Zuko and Katara only have positive traits in common and could only ever bring out the best in each other, and demonize Aang as this abusive person that wants to control what Katara can or cannot do.

And ironically enough, in doing so, they not only disregard the meaningful theme of an abused child refusing to repeat the same mistakes of their abuser, but they also make excuses for the ONE person in the entire show who was everything they claimed Aang is.

Hama felt entitled to Katara's loyalty, obedience, admiration and respect. She felt she had the right to dictate how Katara should or should not fight, what was or wasn't against her moral code. She was deliberately manipulative to get Katara trust her, then waited until there was no one else around to help her to make her true intentions clear - and then proved she was VERY willing to react with violence if she didn't get what she wanted.

Zutarians go on and on about how their ship is the "feminist, pro-Katara ship" and how Aang is totally abusive, then turn around and glorify the actions of the ONE person in the entire show that fits the definition of "Katara's abuser."

#anti zutara #pro kataang

[captain-azoren]

Thoughts of a former Zuko stan

This may come as a surprise, but I used to be a huge fan of Zuko back when Avatar first aired. To make a long story short, I identified with Zuko's redemption arc and struggles very, very strongly as I was also going through my own sort of redemption at the time. I was devastated when he joined Azula in BSS, because it felt like I was hopeless.

On that note, I also viewed Azula the same way Zuko did, in a way. She represented all the terrible, snobby people who had been tormenting me and lording their power and status over me. While on some level I thought she was cool, I could not really get over how the way she treated others, especially Zuko, reminded me of how I was treated, and so I also kind of hated her.

It has been a long time since then, however. I don't really identify with Zuko anymore, at least not nearly as strongly. I do, however, like Azula now after a long time of just thinking about how my own bias and the show itself made me hate her, and if she really deserved that.

I think it was an entry on TVTropes that described how if Azula was as evil as Ozai, she would not have broken down like she did, because she would not have been so hurt by her friends' betrayals. From there I ended up reading more analyses on Azula's character from her fans, not the ones who just liked her for being a cool, evil badass, but the fans who identified with her on a level I had not, fans who in some way admired her for being such a talented young woman, and how they were saddened by her fall.

And as weird as it is, the artwork in The Search and Smoke and Shadow by Guri Hiru really helped turn me. As troublesome and as badly handed Azula was in the comics, her expressions while she was under stress and hallucinating really got to me. These days, I'm starting to understand the potential mental illnesses I've suffered in secret over the years, and I just can't help but want to see Azula saved from that kind of suffering.

All that said, I'd like to lay out all of what I used to believe about Zuko and Azula when I first watched the show, and how my opinion has changed since.

To sum it all up, I basically saw Azula as having much more agency than she actually had, and I identified too much with Zuko to really see his own flaws. I thought that Zuko was a completely good kid who was only doing bad things because Ozai messed him up, and I assumed Azula was bad all on her own without being influenced by Ozai. I thought that she had Ozai's attention and approval because she was naturally a bad kid, rather than that behavior being fostered by him.

I used to think that Azula's downfall was karmic justice, and meant to contrast with Zuko's growth, but I can't call it karmic if she had little choice. I used to see her pragmatism as another facet of how dangerous she was, rather than as a sign of restraint and a sign she had her own lines she didn't cross. I used to think that Azula needed to be humbled and kicked off her high horse, that she was an elitist snob and Zuko was the everyman underdog that could prove otherwise. I see now that Zuko, while in a tough spot, was still mostly a privileged royal compared to Aang, Katara, and Sokka for most of the series.

I have a lot of specific takes, and maybe I'll list them later as I think of them, but I think you get the idea. I might go through each episode to help me remember what my old opinions were.

#zuko #azula #avatar #atla #avatar the last airbender #former zuko stan

[theowritesfiction]

'The Serpent's Pass'

I love this episode because two sorely missed characters - Suki and Jet - make their return.

I loved how after having to be an absolute rock during the previous episode, this one starts off with Katara getting to be playful and just enjoy herself. I loved her waterbending bomb. She's adorable.

The worsening refugee situation is yet another aspect of the war revealed very effectively by this episode. Can't fault the people for thinking that Ba Sing Se is safe...

Ah, the return of Jet! Immediate Jetko rights. There is some serious Jetko bonding in this chapter and it's great to see. Jet and Zuko's little operation to liberate the food for refugees... @juniperhillpatient, for how dysfunctional Jetko can be, you have to admit, they worked together very efficiently! Also, hearing Jet speak about how he has re-evaluated his life and is going to BSS for a second chance... why the fuck did they have to kill him off? He could have played such an interesting part in the story.

I'm glad Iroh is approaching his return to Ba Sing Se with the grace and dignity... of a complete and utter clown. Sometimes I wonder what the hell is wrong with that old man. Misgendering Smellerbee, what the fuck? 40 Jerk Points.

Damn, the Sukkka reunion is hideously sweet. Suki playing the tough guard and playfully harassing Sokka was so gosh darn cute. I re-watched that part at least four times. Sokka being super protective of Suki after what happened to Yue makes so much sense, even if he comes off annoyingly overbearing, it's still fun to see him trying to protect Suki from a spider. Sokka still missing Yue is a tearjerker moment. I'm glad Sokka pulled himself together at the end though. With how criminally little screen time Suki is given in this show, Sokka you better take any chance you have to kiss that girl.

I am going to give Aang huge credit for agreeing to guide the refugees through the Serpent's Pass even if he's depressed and lacking motivation. I want to slap Sokka for complaining about that, especially when he wanted to use the pass in the first place. Also, I can completely understand Katara being horrified by Aang's talk of abandoning hope. Katara is someone for who hope means everything.

I really enjoyed the action while fighting the giant serpent. Katara's waterbending has come such a long way. The awkward moment of Toph kissing Suki while thinking she was saved by Sokka was funny, but also kind of... weirdly set up? So all the previous abuse Toph hurled at Sokka was because she secretly liked him? I don't know how to feel about that.

Could my admiration for Katara grow any higher? The way she takes charge of the situation after the refugee lady goes into labor is impressive. At the age of 14, she's helped Kanna deliver babies back at the South Pole. When I think back to what I was like when I was 14, it just makes me blush and cringe.

Seeing Aang regain his hope at the end of the episode was so touching. I also remember how at the start of Book 2, I thought to myself: meh, this is the season where they started to push Kataang. Except... they haven't? Only Cave of Two Lovers contained traces of Kataang. This episode? It's all about sweet and caring friends energy, sorry.

Also I love the cliffhanger this episode ends on, the shot of the Fire Army drill was so ominous, like... I don't know what the hell is that thing, but it's scary.

Okay, so only Iroh was supposed to get Jerk Points for this chapter, but I'm going to touch on something that ties into the previous episode. I've always felt that Katara is criminally underappreciated by the fans and the ATLA writers, but also by the other characters on the show, she is literally ALWAYS just taken for granted. She put up with so much BS leading the group out of the desert alive, and yet she received no recognition for it, not even a single thank you? I'm giving the rest of the Gaang 30 Jerk Points each for taking Katara for granted.

Jerk Points for Book 2:

Iroh - 550 Azulon - 300 Ursa, General Fong  - 200 Aang - 160 Zuko - 120 Ozai, Toph Beifong - 100 Sokka - 70 Bumi, Lao Beifong - 50 Pakku - 30

Iroh is really pulling away at the top... can anyone challenge him this season? Long Feng has his work cut out for him.

#my atla rewatch #atla book 2 #the serpent's pass

[seyaryminamoto]

What I’m trying to say is that I think there would always be tension between Zuko and Azula. But it doesn’t mean Zuko wouldn’t try to help her. And it doesn’t mean she’s incapable of caring for her brother.

Now this we can certainly be in full agreement about. Zuko doesn't try to help her in this story at all, like I've explained many times now, because he's absolutely stuck on a very toxic mindset that he refuses to break. It's a concept that I wanted to explore because of how often I've seen people reiterating that he's "allowed" to resent her and never forgive her and have nothing else to do with her.

I'm not even that harsh with Zuko in that story, I'd say (bet a bunch of you thought I'd have another Sokka-punch straight to Zuko's face if they came face-to-face in this one, huh? X'D), I refused to write him wanting her executed because, while certain fans HAVE said that, I don't think I want to write a Zuko who spirals to THAT extent. But of course, I wanted to show through the story what it means for some people, unlike yourself, to believe that Zuko can't possibly help her, that he shouldn't, that it's even unethical to expect him to do it, and just... why? Why would this be the hill you want to die on? Why would you want this traumatized boy to never learn to work through his trauma and never learn to see more than his own pain? It was a lot of pain, nobody needs to hide that... but for a character who's constantly touted for being such a symbol of empathy, it makes very little sense that some of those fans, the very ones who talk about him being all about empathy, would demand that he shows none towards his sister.

So... yeah. This particular AU is a rarity for me because I really don't want to explore Zuko in this direction. I mean, nothing good would come from it, either: if I went any further, he'd likely wind up losing everything if he keeps clinging to this mindset. One of the ironies of Zuko's behavior in this story is that, in clinging to resentment, he ends up effectively reversing the situation that led to Azula's breakdown in canon: first, Sokka picked Azula over Zuko. Then, Katara and Aang do it too. Toph, as well, by helping them when she does. Iroh did, too, by harboring Azula when he did. Slowly and surely, Zuko ends up resenting ALL these people he loved for not choosing to support him on his "Azula cannot be forgiven!" crusade, and he takes it as a betrayal, just as Mai and Ty Lee betrayed Azula for his sake. And if the fact that Zuko could spiral into a situation that mirrors Azula's breakdown doesn't feel like a massive red flag about this headcanon, I don't know what will. But I do believe that nobody who loves this guy should ever want him to wind up in a position like this one.

As for Azula, I absolutely agree, though I also believe that her way of caring about Zuko isn't what most people want it to be. I don't think Azula could ever become someone who coddles him and treats him reverently... but I do think she could look after him in tough-love sort of ways. I do think she could want to protect him if harm comes his way. Theirs would likely be a complicated relationship, I suppose... but I guess that's why people say that there's no set way to love a person. Love comes in many shapes and forms, and not everyone can love others the same way someone else does. I don't think Azula can love Zuko the way he wants to be loved by a sibling... just as I don't think Zuko can do that for Azula, either. But if they learn to accept each other, to truly understand one another, I do believe they could reach a level of respect and, who knows, even lowkey admiration for each other in the best of cases, and accept each other's care and affection in whatever form it comes, provided it's genuine, of course. As long as they learn to see each other with clearer eyes, I don't think their relationship could ever lose all hope. It could work... it just has to be done thoroughly, and the work to amend it NEEDS to come from both sides. Zuko making all the efforts for an unresponsive and ungrateful Azula would be just as unreasonable as Azula making all the efforts for an unresponsive and ungrateful Zuko. So, provided they both grow up a lot, individually, I believe they can grow as siblings...

... Which is something I have been doing for them in a certain other massive AU in which I may or may not have written my most wholesome and positive version of their bond, unintentionally :'D

I do think that it's possible these two could learn to let go of the spite and resentment, to be honest. It can be done, provided that they're handled by writers who know how to guide the characters in the direction necessary to achieve that goal. And I say this because I feel like I've done it pretty organically in Gladiator, obviously some people might disagree, but I actually feel good about the place where I've taken their sibling bond there. So I don't think it's beyond the realm of possibilities for these two to heal. Their bond can be better, but it takes mutual understanding, then mutual forgiveness, to make sure they can become better siblings for each other. It would take time too, yes... but when you're talking to someone who's spent a decade writing a fic, being told that developing something like this "takes time" almost comes off as a joke to me. Of course it would: that's no reason not to put in the work to make it pay off if you want it to. Otherwise, I would have given up on Gladiator in like 20 chapters, upon realizing it was going to be my biggest venture in this fandom and that I wouldn't possibly know how much time it was going to take me to finish it :')

#anon #leap of faith #for someone who has picked so many bones #with Zuko and with Ursa #I am surprisingly nice to them lately #it is weird #but I think you guys will understand why #somewhat soon #provided you read a certain insane huge fic of mine too #:'DDDDDDDDDDD #but yeah I refuse to believe Zuko and Azula can't heal #the only reason why they wouldn't is if the writer creating stories about them #be it fics or official ones #doesn't care to make it happen #simple as that