#parallel: azula and toph

[nixariel]

#also I feel like there's this belief that self-sacrifice is inherently romantic#but I think that self-sacrifice in the name of platonic love is just as impactful#and saying that zuko has to be in love with katara perpetuates the idea that romantic  love is the only kind of strong love out there via whinyandcheese724

I think one of the reasons I dislike zutara as a ship so much is because their friendship is so beautiful on its own without romance and such a huge sign of growth and character development. zuko and katara were one of the first m/f relationships I saw in media where the characters weren’t related or love interests. and while there are several other m/f friendships katara was my favorite character when I first saw the show and as such their friendship was (and still is) very dear to me. 

also, I know everyone loves a good enemies-to-lovers, and I do too, but y’all are sleeping on the criminally underused trope of enemies-to-friends. in almost every enemies-to-lovers story I’ve read the reason that they get from enemies to lovers is because of some undeniable and immutable attraction. but what if we didn’t have that? what if you didn’t haunt my dreams at night? what if it wasn’t a struggle to pull my eyes away from you? what if I had every reason to hate you and all you had to give me was a late apology and a promise to do better? what if forgiving you was a choice I didn’t have to make? then what? I’d have to know you on purpose. you’d have to trust me when I forgive you because I’ve thought of every reason not to. 

and I hear some of you saying “oh but that could be a great enemies-to-lovers story too” and maybe it could, but you’re missing the point. the reason zuko and katara hits so hard for me is because they didn’t have to be friends. they both had other friends and other family and they both would have had happy and full lives. but they got past it anyways. and it didn’t have anything to do with romance or love. it was purely growth and self-improvement. zuko didn’t apologize because of a crush on a cute girl, he apologized because he regretted what he did and was maturing into a better and kinder and more thoughtful person. katara didn’t forgive him because he was hot, she forgave him because she understood that her anger and hate was poisoning her and she wanted to move on. 

tl;dr: the beauty of zutara’s friendship is that they became friends because of growth and maturity that had nothing to do with romance and throwing in that they were attracted to or in love with each other cheapens the significance of their character development and shows that romantic love is the only way to overcome personal challenges.

[beifong-brainrot]

Aang is great because almost every ship you can put him in instantly becomes top-tier.

Like:

Kataang- they literally make me cry every single time I think of them. Their love story is wonderful and genuinely heartwarming. It symbolises healing and peace for both of them and the literal world. He showed her the world and he's her biggest supporter and she always defends him and they find solace in each other because they understand what it's like to be the last of their respective kind. And they're each other's hope and just... ahhh. They're so much more than the vanilla hero gets the girl ship people paint it as. Haters stay mad or smth.

Zukaang- the symbolism? They're the actual Ying and Yang of the show! The Rozin parallels? Them standing in a vortex of rainbow fire as two dragons (the blue one like Aang's tatoos facing zuko and the other one, red like Zuko's general colour scheme facing Aang) forming a heart shape around them? Zuko was literally searching for Aang and found his redemption in Aang and Aang made him a better person and Aang is literally the only person who genuinely experienced Fire Nation culture before the war and he clearly values it and he's helping Zuko bring peace to the world and the nation...

Taang- The og tomboy x soft boy dynamic. He's literally the person that helped her free herself from her parents and Air is the element of freedom? And she teaches him when to stand firm like the Earth? And I love when they do synchronised earthbending it's so satisfying and they work so well together. Toph having lost her face in one of Aang's nightmares is also a nice parallel to Ummi and Kuruk. (One caveat though: i hate taang being used as a "get Aang out of the way" side ship to Zutara)

Sokaang- they kinda come out of left field for me but the more I think about them the more obsessed I become. It's all about a teenage boy who has been forced into a role that demanded way too much of him finally learning to trust and rely on others. It's about Sokka finally living out the childhood that he was forced to grow out of. Sokka also has such a cute bond with Momo and more importantly, Appa, Aang's animal soulmate. The fics write themselves.

Sukaang- ok, I know Suki and Aang barely interacted in the show but like Hear me out.Suki is so connected to one of Aang's past lives. And she saved Appa, which would totally bond her and Aang (genuinely distressed that this was never discussed in canon). And they both value a sense of community so much, and Aang was one of the people who inspired Suki to leave Kyoshi to help others. Plus, there could be some amazing Rangshi parallels if Suki became Aang's bodyguard instead of Zuko's, which could be very plausible.

Azulaang- I adore this ship because I genuinely think Aang could really help Azula find her redemption. Hell, he was so nice to her in The Search and she literally killed him. Plus I've already laughed about how it would absolutely kill Ozai. The mental crisis Azula would go through due to fallingin love with Aang would be hilarious, and also the guilt over everything she's done, as Aang's kindness makes her realsie she was on the wrong side this whole time. He's one of the only people who can beat her at her prime and he doesn't seem to fear her at all, which is rare for her. Aang could give her the unconditional love she so desperately craves and needs.

Maiaang- genuinely adorable to me. Other than the obvious grumpy x sunshine trope, Maiaang has a lot of potential. Mai seems to genuinely like Aang in the comics, which is really cute. I also think Aang would be able to help Mai express her more positive emotions, other than just anger. Also something about the girl who was forced to remain silent and passive her whole life learning to finally let go and allow herself to just live with the help of probably one of the most active and expressive characters of the show has me by the throat. Plus, he got along great with her lil bro!

Tyaang- They're so similar and cute and bubbly! They'd have tons of fun together and I just know Ty Lee would teach Aang some gymnastics and he really enjoy it! I think he can also find Ty Lee's chiblocking very cool, since it is essentially a great way to deal with a conflict without causing permanent damage. Very airbendery. Speaking of which, Ty Lee is also very airbendry herself. I can genuinely see her finding herself in Air Nomad culture and be excited to help revive it.

Onjaang- i just find this ship so funny because imagine being a random schoolgirl in the fire nation and not only rizzing up a demigod but rizzing that demigod up successfully. This ship can also go so many ways depending on On Ji's reaction to that random cute guy who threw a cool dance party is actually the Avatar, so it's certainly interesting.

Yuaang- the ultimate cinnamon roll x cinnamon roll ship. But more than that, there's of course the Yue becoming the Moon Spirit and Aang getting lowkey possessed by the grieving Ocean Spirit. There's Yue appearing when Aang needed her most, while he's stranded in the middle of the ocean and helping him. They both understand sacrifice and responsibility, and maybe they could comfort each other through it. Also Aang being the bridge between the spirit worlds and Yue being a Spirit could lead to a very interesting romance, depending on how much the Avatar could interact with the Moon Spirit.

Jetaang- ok, Aang was just as infatuated with Jet as Katara was, right? And I think Aang was heavily affected by Jet's actions and behaviour. Also Aang really not wanting to hurt Jet while fighting him (twice!) was really cute. And Aang helping Jet snap out of the Dai Li brainwashing could be a really cool ship moment the more you think anout it.

Teoaang- Honestly their little one sided rivalry at the beginning of the episode was really cute. And I think there could be some interesting symbolism between them. Aang symbolising the old and Teo symbolising the new. They compliment each other like that. Teo comforting Aang by showing him that the critters of the temple are still alive and well is also sweet. And Aang admitting that Teo has the spirit of an airbender is so sweet.

Kuzaang- they're adorable. I loved the comic about them. Aang calling Kuzon "Hotman" is really funny. Aang helping Kuzon make a bigger flame with airbending is also really sweet. I especially like this ship in combination with Zukaang. It's such tasty symbolism.

Aang may just be the most shippable charater of this franchise, argue with the wall. He's so filled with love I have no choice but to multiship.

[burst-of-iridescent]

ana's meta masterlist

Pro-Zutara:

the official zutara dissertation: part 1 | part 2

zuko, aang and taking lightning for katara

zutara and romantic coding

"you rise with the moon, i rise with the sun" is a zutara line

zutara and thematic significance

zutara vs jetara

zutara parallels in the awakening

zutara's narrative culmination

zutara in the crossroads of destiny:

azula vs katara

love as resistance in the catacombs

zutara in the southern raiders:

the true source of katara's anger at zuko

zuko staying up for katara

katara bloodbending in front of zuko

the narrative relevance of zutara

zutara and bloodbending

zutara's narrative symmetry

why zuko had to betray katara in ba sing se

Anti Anti-Zutara:

the official zutara dissertation (p.3)

"zutara would face too much opposition from their countries"

"zuko and katara are a colonizer/colonized ship"

"zuko and katara would fight all the time”

"platonic zutara is better than romantic zutara"

"fire lady katara is racist"

“zuko would’ve taken lightning for anyone”

“katara is too traumatized by the fire nation”

“shipping zutara is amatonormative”

“zuko didn’t actually care about katara”

“zutara is unhealthy because they trauma bonded”

ATLA Ship Criticism:

the official zutara dissertation: part 4 | part 5 | part 6

why mai.ko was never intended to be canon

mailee is a better ship than mai.ko

how kat.aang could've been fixed

kat.aang's lack of trust in the southern raiders

emotional labour in kat.aang

kat.aang’s narrative imbalance

comparing katara and aang's parenting

the fortuneteller does not foreshadow kat.aang

gendered expectations in kat.aang

kat.aang is not a good friends-to-lovers ship

ATLA/LOK:

azula/katara parallels

katara's choice in the crossroads of destiny

on katara becoming a healer

the culmination of katara’s arc: book 2 vs book 3

was zuko's betrayal in-character?

zuko's comments in the southern raiders

zuko's comments in the southern raiders (pt. 2)

zuko is not a “bad boy”

zuko’s treatment of aang in sozin’s comet

the significance of the blue spirit

sokka didn't feel inferior to katara

did mai fear azula?

comparing mai and toph

azula vs zuko: the tragedy of narrative foils

should aang have killed ozai?

sexism in the water tribes

thoughts on the atla comics

thoughts on the atla comics (pt. 2)

writing a final battle: kung fu panda vs atla

south asian and hindu influences in atla:

book 1

book 2

book 3

gratuitous violence in the legend of korra

The Hunger Games:

zutara and everlark parallels

zutara and everlark parallels (pt. 2)

gale's arc in the hunger games trilogy

the myth of humanity's inherent evil

the ending of lucy gray

Squid Game:

individualism under capitalism

the ethics of billionaires

[witch-of-the-world]

Facts from the ATLA Cookbook

-Aang would eat Air Nation desserts for every meal but Katara says no.

-Momo's absolute favorite fruit is moon peaches.

-Katara is very concerned about preservation of traditional Water Tribe recipes.

-Kanna taught Katara to make the most of all the food they got in order to conserve it.

-Katara had to supervise when Sokka learned to cook. One of the first things he was allowed to make without supervision was pickled fish.

-The Northern Water Tribe created mooncakes to honor Yue, as if the Chang'e parallels weren't clear enough.

-Toph calls cooking things underground "the most earthbendiest of cooking styles".

-Toph liked to take tea eggs on picnics with badgermoles. She had to keep a stash of them in her room because the badgermoles would frequently steal them all. She used this skill on the road with the gaang to keep Sokka from stealing them all.

-Iroh always makes jook for Zuko if Zuko is sick or sad.

-Iroh wants the Fire Nation palace chefs to make roast duck like Song's mother did, but they hem and haw about it because "the ducks are different here".

-The Order of the White Lotus gambles for cookies instead of money on Pai Sho games. But everyone gets cookies anyway.

-Along with tea, the Jasmine Dragon serves juices, kombucha, and boba tea.

-Zuko: "If it's not spicy, it's not from the Fire Nation."

-Zuko's favorite afternoon snack is sizzle-crisps: bacon pieces marinated in spicy sauce and then baked til they're just a bit burnt.

-When Zuko was a kid, he and Iroh would sneak into the palace kitchens and steal freshly-fried komodo chicken until the chefs caught them and chased them out.

-Jiang Hui (the super polluted starving fishing village) is now famous for its seafood exports, especially clams.

-Fire Nation schools are now required to teach Sun Warrior-style firebending, though the location and identity of the Sun Warriors is still a secret.

-Mai's favorite flavor of ice cream is spicy cherry.

-Azula hates cherries ever since the cherry pit incident.

-Which makes Mai like the spicy cherry ice cream even more.

In conclusion, Zuko

[starlight-bread-blog]

Why I No Longer Ship Zvtara

Warning: This is a very anti zvtara & pro kataang post. This is your chance to leave.

As some of you may know, I am (or rather was), a Zvtara shipper. But lately I've been shying away from the ship. A lot of the arguments I used to believe in, for me, don't hold water anymore. And given how vocal I was about shipping Zvtara, I feel like I owe you an explanation. In this post I will go through common pro Zvtara & anti kataang arguments and unpack why I can no longer support them in good faith. (I will kinda burn through them though, it's just that feel like I owe you this).

"Zvko and Katara's character arcs & characters are parallels"

This is interesting because I wrote an essay on this very subject, and I still stand by everything I said in the essay, but only as a platonic reading of it. See, A:TLA is full of parallels and symbolism. Zuko also has parallels with Aang, Katara has parallels with Azula, etc. In a show like this, the parallels between Zuko and Katara don't carry enough weight to justify some specialness. They have a great, incredibly well written relationship, but in my opinion, the extent of it can remain platonic without standing out.

"Tui and La represent Zvtara"

Tui and La are The Ocean and the Moon spirits and very explicitly represent Yin and Yang. I can't see Yin and Yang as Zutara for two reasons:

1) Yin is the moon, feminine and shade. The moon & feminine, that's Katara. But Yin is characterized by dark, wetness, cold, passivity, disintegration etc). Katara might have an edge, but she is not dark. Not to mention passive. And disintegration seems like the opposite of a waterbender. Katara fundamentally is not a Yin.

2) Yin and Yang is a dynamic. A self perpetuating dynamic of two opposites creating and controlling each other. Katara and Zuko never created each other. While you can argue that they control each other by being "capturing the avatar" vs "protecting the avatar", the only time this conflict of interest ever turned into a dynamic was in the north pole, and by then Zuko would go on a season long journey far away from Katara.

"Making Zvtara canon would be thematically cohesive"

I also wrote an essay on this subject, and just like my other essay, I still stand by a platonic reading of it. I even went back and edited it to make that reading more prominent. The thematic cohesion is already achieved through their platonic bond. In any show, naturally the relationships between characters are going to reflect the themes, that's just how writing works. It doesn't mean the relationship should be romantic. They already have a thematically cohesive relationship, making it a romantic one doesn't add anything.

"Aang idealizes Katara"

For context, there are some instances where Aang is dismissing Katara's anger. For example, in The Chase:

Toph: You're blaming me for this?

Katara tosses aside her sleeping bag and gestures with her hands, challenging Toph to move closer. Aang jumps in between the two.

Aang[Desperately.]: No! No, she's not blaming you.

Katara[Angrily.]: No, I'm blaming her!

Rather these instances reflect of idealization, or merely of Aang's peace seeking nature that's trying to de escalate the situation, is up to interpretation. I choose to interpret them as the latter, because of The Southern Raiders.

Katara: We're going to find the man who took my mother from me.

Sokka pauses and stands up, surprised.

Zuko: Sokka told me the story of what happened. I know who did it and I know how to find him.

Aang: Um ... and what exactly do you think this will accomplish?

A really common talking point in the Zvtara fandom is that Aang just assumes that Katara is going to murder her mother's killer, instead of simply confronting him. Either way, he knows\thinks she's talking about murder. If he'd idealized her, he'd make a different assumption.

"Kataang harms Aang's character arc"

This is referring to the dilemma presented to Aang in The Guru. He had to let go of his attachment to Katara in order to master the Avatar State. The assumption is that his chakra was blocked, therefore he didn't let go. I disagree. We see him open his seventh chakra right before Azula shoots lightning at him.

One might argue that nothing changed about Aang's relationship to Katara, so the dilemma rings hollow. But something did change, Aang was romantically braver than he was before. He got more confident. Compare his flirting from The Headbend (b3) to The Fortuneteller (b1). It's night and day. And if you ask me, this is the natural consequence of feeling less attached.

Furthermore, when he explains to the GAang why he couldn't master the Avatar State, he cites Azula's lightning as the reason:

Toph: So, what's your strategy for taking him down? Gonna get your glow on and hit him with a little Avatar State action? Aang: I can't. When Azula shot me with lightning, my seventh chakra was locked, cutting off my connection to all the cosmic energy in the universe.

He couldn't master the Avatar State because of Azula's lightning, not because of his attachment to Katara. (I heard some people say this was confirmed that Aang was still attached, but I'm a big believer in Death of the Author so I don't really care if it's true).

"Kataang was one sided"

The general consensus in the Zvtara fandom is that Kataang is framed from Aang's perspective, and while the show teases us about Katara's feelings to create a "will they get together or won't they" tension. But can all of these hints really be contextualized that way? Some can, others, not so much. For example, Katara is show to be jealous of Aang in The Headbend when he dances with On Ji, and when they dance she gives him a loving look; in The Cave of Two Lovers, Katara smiles when she suggested they should kiss, and she blushes at the end of the episode. All of these moments cannot be swept under the rug in favor of a reveal that Katara didn't love Aang.

"Katara passing herself as Aang's mom is maternal"

I never really understood this argument, if I'm being completely honest. For two reasons:

1) In Howl's Moving Castle, Sophie works as Howl assistant and falls in love with him, but she's cursed, looking like an old lady. There's a scene where she too has to pretend to be his mom, and it turns into her realizing her feelings towards him. She becomes young again, a girl Howl's age. It's a beautiful confession, while pretending to be his mom. No one criticized that, becuase pretending to be someone's mom for the sake of a mission isn't maternal.

2) Sokka is also there. I don't think it's controversial to say Sokka isn't at all a parental figure to Aang. That's because the point of this joke isn't that Katara actually is motherly towards Aang, it's that they aren't actually similar to [Aang]'s supposed parents and this entire situaton is very silly. The implication behind this joke isn't that Katara is maternal towards Aang, but that she isn't.

SO! That's all I'm covering. Now, I hope I can put this subject to rest and discuss the many other great aspects of A:TLA.

[fantasyforbeginners]

I find it really interesting how you seem to kind of separate foils as its own thing, and I’m curious about how that works. For example, I know that Katara and Azula are definitely foils - both girls are prodigy benders, associated with blue, lost a mother, etc, but Katara’s compassionate, and Azula’s cruel. I like that contrast, but I never understood that’s contrast’s doing from a standpoint for the narrative as a whole, separate from say, plot or characterization.

So foils are built off two things: the similarities, like you listed, and the differences (Katara being the one to save Aang and Zuko whereas Azula inflicts violence; the compassion and cruelty, as mentioned). We also get into how Katara gives and believes in agency (i.e. her disagreements with Aang in the Avatar State) and disagreeing in a thoughtful manner (much like Aang: "no, Katara, you do have a choice") that contrasts with bloodbending — invasive control, fear and threats, etc — and which is Azula's mainstay: "All your life you've used fear to control people..." "Well what choice do I have?" Azula says that 'fear is the only reliable way' but that doubles as 'control is the only reliable way,' poor girl.

This all ties back into ATLA's thing of "is it your own destiny? Or is it a destiny someone else has tried to force on you?" vs "Aang's following his destiny his way / you have always followed your own path"

Katara's compassion reinforces as well in bringing down the divides between nations. She frees and befriends an Air Nomad; she reaches out to Earth Kingdom kids with understanding and aid (Haru, Jet); Katara symbolically unites the North and South Water Tribes; she and Aang reach out to Zuko&Iroh + the Fire Nation kids (the Headband, the Painted Lady), even though they're Fire Nation and their enemy. In Azula's worldview, there should be no connection or distinction: everything is either Fire (superior in every way) or not-Fire and an obstacle to remove or ignore.

A lot of the 1st and 3rd paragraphs though is implicit narrative subtext. ATLA never has a character say "balance can only be restored through all the Nations working together" even though the show Hinges on the very concept and reinforces it over and over again, with the White Lotus just being an older all-male version of the Gaang (at least one bender of each type sans air but Iroh honestly takes Aang's role; a sword master, etc).

So the contrast between the two girls helps create their characterization; their characterization contributes to their foil relationship; and that foils dynamic helps build ATLA's narrative and thematic messaging. It is plausible, after all, to have two characters who have parallels but don't quite achieve foil status (Mai and Yue, or Mai and Toph for example), and a show can have a strong narrative / characterization without really having any foils (Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous is a good example).

Honestly my favourite foil dynamic of all time has to be Viren and Callum from The Dragon Prince because they are an immaculate villain-antihero-hero foils dynamic built throughout 7 seasons. The Dragon Prince uses foils so well it's kind of incredible, and I do think uses them in a more complex way than ATLA — Viren and Callum have narrative, thematic, and heavy characterization similarities, while also still maintaining contrasts — so if you want to learn more about them and how to do them well, I'd rec the show just for that (and its worldbuilding, and ethical dilemmas, and queer rep).

For a quick overview of what I mean while avoiding not too many spoilers:

Callum is Dragon Prince's core protagonist; Viren is its main antagonist (S1-S3) and then he has an atonement arc (S4-S6). They are both mages: Callum becomes a primal mage (neutral to positive magic system), and Viren is the High Mage of Katolis and practices primarily dark magic (a malevolent magic system). They both have kings who are also their brothers, and mysterious elves who directly encourage their magical paths and journeys—Callum's has his best interests in heart, Viren's very much does not.

While the main difference between them is that Viren primarily seeks magic and power for a sense of self-importance — eventually forsaking and damaging his family unit — Callum seeks magic and power to protect his loved ones; he'd never forsake them. What the show then displays, then, is that like Viren once upon a time, Callum's road to hell is paved with good intentions (Viren did and does love his family) even if he never falls prey to the same political ambitions, there's still heavy Consequences for the magical choices he's making. Viren, meanwhile, moves towards where Callum stands, loving his family again and learning to make selfless choices even if he's never forgiven. Callum even becomes High Mage, just like Viren, and uses Viren's staff / takes it as his.

They both say shit like:

VIREN: If it's love, then nothing else matters. Do what you must. (6x06) VERSION OF CALLUM: It's not about you, is it? If you love her, you'll be the you that can save her. You'll do what you must.

And like, everyone in TDP kind of has foil bonds like this. Viren and Callum's is definitely the most developed central foil relationship, but Claudia and Rayla — whose foil dynamic reminds me of a messier Azula and Katara, respectively, are Also like this to an absurd degree. Whereas in ATLA Katara doesn't really have any personality similarities to Azula except perhaps like, determination and maybe a temper, TDP is out here letting the antagonists make good choices and the protagonists make crappy ones because they are so painfully similar it hurts.

[sapphic-agent]

Why & How Katara is the Strongest Waterbender

The ATLA fandom is funny. Because if there's one member of the Gaang whose skills are continuously doubted, it's Katara's.

No one hesitates in saying that Toph is the strongest Earthbender in the world. Aang has always been maintained as a natural prodigy. Sokka's strategic intelligence and cleverness are never in question. Most people are positive that Zuko would have beaten Azula if she hadn't targeted Katara and hail him as a swords master.

But for some reason, it's always Katara whose proficiency is either called into question or severely downplayed.

Some are skeptical about the legitimacy of her becoming a master in a short time. Others are certain that her victories are due to plot manipulation. Both of these arguments that ATLA is a kids' show which pushed it into giving her the win.

(Funny how ATLA is the greatest piece of media ever read until it comes to anything pertaining Katara's character lmao)

So I wanted to take a minute to talk about the progression of her waterbending skills and how she became Master Katara.

Pre North Pole

The first time we really see Katara practice waterbending is in The Waterbending Scroll when she decides to show Aang her limited very skill set. She noticeably has a difficult time with her bending, whereas he seems to pick it up rather quickly.

As we know, Katara has never met another waterbender before. She has no idea what their bending is supposed to look or feel like. And that's reflected in the moves she shows Aang.

I want to draw attention to Katara's stance here. She's stiff, even a little awkward. She's standing where more like an Earthbender. We see this repeated when she's practicing the Water Whip.

Even later when she does perform the Water Whip correctly, there are still traces of this.

You know how Iroh learned to redirect lightning watching Waterbenders? Well, my assumption (at this point I'm 80% sure it's meant to canon) is that Katara learned most of her bending by watching Aang and the Earthbenders they met around the world.

It makes sense, right? They would have been the closest thing to Waterbenders she could have learned from. She even asked Aang to teach her in the first episode. So the start of her bending began with incorporating the forms of Air and Earth.

And we see the results of that in her fight with Pakku.

Fighting Pakku

Katara's fight with Pakku is a great demonstration of his visually. He's a master, so he's already proficient at "push and pull." Katara is not. She's done it before, but it's not her go-to style when she's fighting. And we can see it in this fight.

Again, her stance is firm. She either blocks his attacks or bats them away. She doesn't reinforce and redirect them like he does hers. She isn't fighting like a Waterbender, she's fighting like an Earthbender.

Not to say this is a bad thing. Pakku himself even admits that she's good even though they both know she can't beat him.

Why am I bringing this up? Because one thing about Katara that's overlooked is her adaptability. When she didn't have a waterbending teacher, she made do with observing Earthbenders. She picked up Pakku's teachings even better than Aang had. And going forward from here it really begins to shine in her bending.

She completely dominates Pakku's other students and Zuko (twice). Why? What makes her so special compared to men who have been training their whole lives?

Because water is the element of change. By being so proficient in adapting (not just in her bending, but openly embracing different things and experiences and people), Katara unknowingly embraced the mentality of her element.

(It's actually a funny twist of fate because you could make the point that the North held its other Waterbenders back by being so bound to and unflinching in their traditions. It would explain why none of Pakku's students even stood a chance against her)

If you think about it, you could draw parallel to Yue explaining the history of Waterbending to Katara to the Sun Warriors explaining fire as an element to Zuko. In both cases, you can see that they're able to see and understand their element in a new light. Although it's more of a realization moment for Katara as she already knew about pushing and pulling and it's more of a lesson for Zuko who was taught something completely different.

Katara vs Azula (Round 1)

You know how I said people attribute her wins due to plot manipulation because ATLA is a kids' show? Well it seems like Katara vs Azula is the scene they focus on the most for that.

But let's be real, this isn't a fluke. The show purposely draws attention to Katara prowess and skills during this fight.

Azula is someone who's always in control. She's someone who goes into fights with full confidence. But she is completely thrown off by Katara's abilities here.

And this is something that persists throughout the entire fight. Katara completely overpowers her. At no point during the fight did Azula have the upper hand against her.

And remember, this is Azula's fight. She's the one who imprisoned Katara and Zuko. She's the one who attacked Katara and Aang to begin with. Sure, she was probably counting on her manipulation of Zuko working and him backing her, but there was no guarantee that he would be able to get away from Aang long enough to help her.

And right after this, Aang really struggles against Azula. He doesn't own the fight nearly as well as Katara does.

So, we know it isn't a fluke. The creators intentionally made Katara outclass Azula here. She's canonically the superior bender between the two of them. And that's not a small feat by any means. Azula at this time is one of the best Firebenders alive, probably fourth (after Ozai, Iroh, and Jeong Jeong (she could possibly be above Jeong Jeong)).

So what was the reason for this? Why was Katara able to outclass Azula so effortlessly?

Well here's where Katara's mastery of the meaning of her element comes into play again. She understands and excels in the concept behind water. Always changing, always adapting. She embraces water to its fullest capabilities (which also includes incorporating other elements into it; water would actually be the best element to do this with). The entire fight, she's switching stances and forms and keeping Azula on the evade. Whatever Azula throws back is dealt with without an issue.

And as we know, Azula (and most Firebenders) misunderstand fire as an element. She uses it solely as a destructive force, but it's also energy, life, and passion. This is also part of the reason Zuko lost so easily in the Northern Water Tribe; he also had the same issue. Katara's proficiency in water as not just a weapon, but an element, gave her the advantage over Azula she needed.

Katara vs Hama

A debate that comes up a lot is who's the better bender between Katara and Amon. To that I have always said Amon was taught Bloodbending, Katara just did it.

Let me reiterate: NO ONE TAUGHT KATARA BLOODBENDING. Hama explained the concept to her, yes, but never actually taught her. In fact, she did not expect her to pick it up without guidance. In her own words, "You should've learned the technique before you turned against me."

This was a technique that took Hama decades to learn. Tarrlok and Noatak were trained relentlessly. And Katara just... Did it. No guidance and no build up. This supports that Katara's adaptability and versatility in her bending is unmatched. She's able to comprehend and perform advance concepts with no training or teaching.

Now that we got that out of the way, this fight is so comprable to Katara vs Pakku. This is the second time she's fought a master and we can see how much she's improved. So much so that she doesn't even struggle against Hama.

At this point, she's mastered "push and pull." She's able to take everything Hama throws at her and send it right back with little to no effort.

But she takes it a step further.

Instead of redirecting, Katara completely stops Hama's onslaught. This undoubtedly is something she picked up from Earthbenders. It certainly isn't a Waterbending technique, yet somehow she made it into an effective move.

Look at Hama's face. She's completely thrown off by this. This was not something she ever expected out of any Waterbender. She was completely unprepared for Katara to be able to outmatch and overpower her.

Katara completely surpassed her, solidified by using the technique she invented against her.

I was going to talk about Katara and Azula's second fight, but there isn't much to add there. I already compared the difference in their skills talking about the first fight, and the Agni Kai is an escalation of that. The outcome of the Agni Kai was already decided and confirmed in the catacombs.

And that my friends is how and why Katara is the best Waterbender in the world

[zalrb]

I guess I'm not done, it's just that one of the most elegant aspects of the OG ATLA is the construction and development of the characters and how that relates to the various dynamics in the show. What I mean specifically is for me at least, part of the spirit of the original is seeing how the characters mirror each other in certain aspects, how in slightly different circumstances, they each could be in each other's shoes or how radically different their upbringing made them from each other.

The most prominent example is the mirroring of Aang and Zuko and how the show spent two and a half seasons showcasing the parallels between these characters through action and story, allowing the viewer to draw comparisons between the two of them that the characters themselves weren't ready to confront or address head on with one another until Zuko went through the metamorphosis needed to make that possible for them as characters.

But there's also Zuko and Sokka and the influences of their fathers, which directly relates to their respective drives to prove themselves and their ideas of honour

Even Azula and Aang and the pressures put upon them by the adults in their lives and how they reacted to the weight of that'

Or how Toph being raised in an overbearing household where she was treated as fragile and helpless vs Katara having to step up and take on an adult/maternal role in the wake of her parents being gone

It's the reason why I hated the dialogue scene between Aang and Zuko and the subsequent talk Aang has with Katara and Sokka about what he learned from Zuko in episode 7 (?) and doesn't bode well for future episodes/seasons. Let us see it! And I just don't think repeating that an adaptation is going to be different than the original is an excuse for less nuanced, less thorough, less detailed writing. Idk.

[hadesisqueer]

Honestly I have never fully agreed with the whole "Korra has the personality of a Firebender" because-- what exactly is the personality of a Firebender? She used Firebending a lot in the first books, I'll give you that, but it seemed more out of accessibility than anything; later she switches it for Air.

Fire is the element of power; Firebenders tend to be pretty determined people. Water is the element of change; Waterbenders tend to be very adaptable. Earth is the element of substance; Earthbenders usually are very resilient people. And Air is the element of freedom; Airbenders tend to be very free-spirited. There are stereotypes for benders (Firebenders are angry people and obsessed with honor, Earthbenders are usually pretty stubborn) that can be true with some people. But not always.

Now, here, look. These two are Airbenders.

Do they have the same personality?

Now, these two.

They're Earthbenders. Do they have the same personality?

What about these two Waterbenders?

Are they any similar?

Or maybe these two Firebender brothers?

What is the personality of a Firebender? Iroh's personality? Zuko's? Azula's, or Ozai's? Or Mako's?

Yes, Korra had affinity with firebending due to a couple of her personality traits that made her a very determined and fierce person. She also had an affinity with earthbending from a young age as well because she was a tough, stubborn and resilient person who stood her ground. However, she was also a very adaptable person who favored change, which is the main personality trait of what a Waterbender should be.

Personality traits aren't exclusive of one element. Kya is more spiritual and free-spirited than Tenzin and she's not an Airbender, but a Waterbender; stereotypically, Tenzin is kinda different than you'd expect an Airbender to be, actually, with him being more disciplined and serious. Bolin does not have the stereotypical Earthbender personality, either. And Mako doesn't have the stereotypical Firebender 'impulsive' personality either, he's more a 'cool under fire' person who usually stays level-headed in tough situations. Korra lacked spirituality and prefered to stand her ground or fight at first rather than avoiding conflict, which is why she had trouble with Airbending at first. But again, personality traits aren't exclusive of just one element nor does the element you bend really define and shape your personality; the way you are brought up, your environment and the people around you contribute more to that. Korra originally didn't have those traits due to the way she was raised, isolated from the world, groomed and pressured from a young age as the Avatar. Raise her differently, with a more normal, carefree childhood, and perhaps she wouldn't have struggled as much with airbending as she originally did.

In my opinion, the reason why people might think Korra has a full on 'Firebender personality' is because she has some common traits with a particular Firebender. The Firebender being Zuko. Both were originally hot headed, got angry easily at first, were fierce and impulsive. Korra also shared personality traits with Toph, too, being tough and stubborn —they were raised being isolated with no friends, too, which is a parallel between them. But like I said, personality traits can help with an element, but aren't exclusive of that element. Korra also had several things in common with Aang.

Personally, in my opinion, someone Korra has a lot in common with as well, maybe more than with Zuko or Toph-- is Katara, another Waterbender. They both are driven people with a lot of determination, righteous and passionate about what they believe in, and pretty adaptable as well. Korra seems to be more aggressive, and impulsive as well, but let's not act like Katara didn't have a temper, too, and like she wasn't impulsive and reckless as well sometimes (remember when she blew up a FN factory because Sokka said it without thinking of the consequences). They both could get very frustrated as well when they weren't immediately good at something they expected to be good at. There are many differences between them, yeah, due to the ways they were brought up —again, Korra was isolated from the world with no friends her age and pressured to be the Avatar and Katara was forced on a motherly role from a very young age after the loss of her actual mother. However, if they had been raised in more normal ways, I fully believe they'd be even more similar. Put Katara as the Avatar from a young age like Korra herself was and I think she could have been a very similar Avatar to Korra imo. But it also makes sense in some way they're similar considering Katara was Korra's waterbending master and likely one of her biggest role models growing up.

(Free my girls they both get so overhated for no reason too).

Anyway, to me there is really no such actual thing as having 'the personality of X bender', they're mostly stereotypes. There are personality traits that can be helpful to bend an element, but they're never exclusive to that element. Just because you're stubborn as hell doesn't mean you're an Earthbender, and Bolin himself doesn't really exhibit that trait. Just because you're a very fierce person, doesn't mean you're an Firebender. You can be a pretty spiritual person and not an Airbender. You can be a very adaptable guy, but a Firebender instead of a Waterbender. Aang was far from having the slightest stereotypical Firebender personality and he didn't struggle with firebending, but he had the determination needed to be a Firebender. He also had the same adaptability needed to be a Waterbender. Korra had some personality traits that made her have it easy with firebending. She also had personality traits that made it easy for her to waterbend and earthbend. Easy.

[zuko-always-lies]

Your post about Toph and the gaang reminded me of how (in my opinion) Aang would be a good person to understand Azula's behaviour, at least with her relationship to Mai and Ty Lee.

Initially I had the time he hides Hakoda's letter from Sokka and Katara - a selfish thing to do, but the audience knows it's because they're his only friends. But now I think essentially forcing Toph's situation so she has to be his teacher is also a good parallel.

Nothing as blatant as literally lighting a fire under someone, but Aang has very similar reasons for his interference (winning the war with his friends) - just a more 'negative jing' way of going about it.

(whether this translates to Aang seeing himself in Azula's actions or vice versa is another question entirely)

I see the parallel. Azula's whole thing with Ty Lee was that she wouldn't take no for an answer and was going to ruin Ty Lee's life until Ty Lee agreed to come with her, while Aang wouldn't take no for an answer and ended up ruining Toph's life until Toph had no choice but to come with them.

However, the narrative never really holds Aang or the rest of the Gaang accountable for ruining Toph's life, and honestly I'm not sure if they really realize what they did. They would need that before they could recognize any parallels to Azula's treatment of Ty Lee (not to mention I doubt anyone would ever tell them about what went down at the circus).

[waterfire1848]

Am I the only one who thought Team Azula + Zuko was meant to be an evil parallel to the Gaang?????????

Azula - Katara

Zuko - Sokka

Mai - Toph

Ty Lee - Aang

[sokkastyles]

Hi,

Hope you are doing well. Thank you for the response on my query on Aang and violence.

I know that Iroh comments to Zuko that Azula was mad and needed to be taken down after Azula attacks both him and Zuko and he was injured. I know people get angry about the usage of the word "mad", but to me Iroh was stating a fact. At this point, Azula had attempted to take their life, and they had fought to stay alive. Iroh has realized that Azula is a major threat to both him and Zuko. Given that Azula had absorbed Ozai's worldview from a young age, that definitely shows that Azula can become a threat to the world as well, and can cause more damage. I think this is what led Iroh to call Azula "mad"

I would like your thoughts on this.

At this point in the narrative, it is established both that Iroh understands how dangerous Azula is, and that Azula also understands that Iroh is her main obstacle in capturing Zuko. Azula knows she can manipulate Zuko, but not Iroh. Iroh also knows this, and is impressing upon Zuko that he does not have to feel guilt about wanting to protect himself from her just because she is family, especially since she can and does take advantage of this fact.

The specific word Iroh uses is "crazy." I don't mean that as a nitpick, but I bring it up because that exact word actually happens to appear three times in the transcript of the episode. The other two times are Toph praising Aang for "holding his own against a crazy beast" and Iroh saying "what, are you crazy?" in response to Zuko wanting Iroh to shoot lightning at him so Zuko can practice redirecting it.

Iroh isn't literally calling Azula mentally ill. The word is just casually used as a synonym for "dangerous," and not just by Iroh. Which is casual ableism, but 1) that's the show, not Iroh as a character, and 2) policing people's language endlessly is ALSO a form of ableism, especially when you're policing the way victims of violence talk about their experiences.

The real problem Azula apologists have with what Iroh says is that he's telling Zuko that he has a right to defend himself, even from people who might claim to love him. The specific mirroring of the word crazy to describe Azula's lightning and Iroh refusing to shoot lightning at Zuko also highlights that while Azula will gladly use Zuko's love for his family to hurt him, Iroh never will, even if Zuko asks him to. And since Azula and Ozai BOTH will later shoot lightning at Zuko while also trying to shift blame onto Zuko (Ozai saying Zuko is disrespectful and disobedient, Azula saying she's "sorry it has to end this way"), I have to think this parallel is not a coincidence.

[beifong-brainrot]

✨️Quill's meta and other ramblings Masterpost✨️

I've decided to compile all my metas and longer posts into a list I'll pin to my blog, for easy access and for anyone who wants to go back and sift through my pretentious soapbox ramblings.

List of metas under the cut:

The Last Airbender

✨️Aang

The Avatar State as a Panic Attack

Aang as a McGuffin?

Aang's biases and comparison to Szeto

Aang's isolation

Aang's scars through the lense of a scarred person

✨️Katara

Katara's fear of loss and how it impacts her relationship with Aang Part 1

Katara's fear of loss and how it impacts her relationship with Aang Part 2

The Desert is one of Katara's strongest episodes

How Hama impacted Katara

Katara's parentification in the Runaway

Katara's forced maturity in the fandom

Katara's childishness is important

Katara's underrated impact in tlok

✨️Kataang defense squad Activities

Kataang through the female gaze

Kaatang's nonlinear development

The symbolism in Kataang

The Avatar State's place in Kataang

Anti Kaatang/Pro Zutara hypocrisies

Aang, Demeter and the girlbossification of Katara and Persephone

✨️ Defending Jetara as well

✨️Toph

Toph's story is a tragedy, actually

Toph's relationship with her father

Toph's reaction to Ba Sing Se and its rules

An extremely reluctant defence of cop Toph

✨️Zuko

Zuko's connections to the characters around him and why it's not all Katara

Zuko wasn't the good guy in B1 (and that's ok)

Talking about Zuko's scar as a burn victim

Zuko's Love Language- gift giving

✨️The Mai-nifesto

Mai's understated trauma

The evolution of Mai and her political stance

Quick rundown of Mai's growth up to and in "Ashes of the academy"

✨️Miscellaneous ramblings:

The Fire Nation's misogyny p1

The Fire Nation's misogyny p2

Across the Isle- Fire Nationals connecting with the victims of their nation

Ursa and Azula's estrangement

Azula's love language- quality time

The Blue Spirit/Blind Bandit parallels

My take on Azula in "Ashes of the Academy"

The Legend of Korra

✨️Weilin Propaganda:

Weilin Propaganda part 1

Weilin Propaganda part 2

✨️Bolin

Bolin's fawning trauma response

Bolin's lack of agency and his potential role as a weapon

Why Bolin stayed with Kuvira as long as he did

Bolin's relation to Earthbending

✨️Kuvira

Kuvira, the unsustainable empire and Stalin

Kuvira and rejection

Kuvira and her parallels to Putin

Kuvira's motivations

Kuvira and powerplays

Kuvira and seismic sense

✨️Suyin, my pookie

Adding context to Suyin's 'flaws'

Suyin's Coping Mechanism- Zaofu and family

Suyin is NOT a narcissist

The tragism of Suyin

The misogyny of Suyin hate

Suyin's combat skills

✨️Lin Beifong haterisms:

How Fanon Lin affects other characters

Lin's tumultuous relationship with Korra

✨️Opal is Queen

Lin should've left the police force

Lin being a bad Chief of Police

Opal hot takes

Opal's seperation from the Beifongs

Sapphic Opal propaganda

���️ Thoughts on Huan

✨️Beifong Boogaloo

The Beifongs as superfeelers

Critiscisms of the Old Wounds episode

Strange structure of Suyin and Lin's feud

Baby Beifongs appreciation post

Lin and Opal parallels

Suyin and Kuvira parallels

Suyin and Kuvira's Crucial differences

Suyin and Baatar's reconciliation

Opal being Toph's favourite grandchild makes sense, actually

The "no wonder Tenzin broke up with you" comment

✨️Beifong twin miniseries

Sparring moment

Wei and trust falls

Reactions to Baatar

The Beifong twins are traumatised ♡

✨️Amon

The flaws of Amon's ideology

Amon's character driven story

✨️Prince Wu appreciation

✨️Mako

Mako's low self esteem and its relation to Kai

✨️Miscellaneous

Lin and Suyin paralleling Mako and Bolin

Mako and his relation to his family

Convergence Airbenders adapting to airbender culture

Tlok's Usamericanism in B4

Republic City's divide between Earth citizens and Fire nationals

Biases against Earthbenders in Republic City

Aiwei theory compendium

Tlok and women supporting women

Bolin and Kuvira's relationship

The Korpal agenda

Texts inbetween tlok and atla

Katara and Sokka paralleling Bolin and Mako

Lavabenders paralleling each other

The Gaang being parents did not ruin them

Azula vs Zuko and Kuvira in the matter of redemption

Sokka and Bolin- the tragedy of funny guys

Analysing the Avatar State

Tlok and atla on character motivation

[lazyveran]

ask about your arranged marriage au you say >:) :evil_hand_rub:

So. to begin with. Why and How is this what happened? is it a postwar diplomatic treaty thing, and Zuko is already too married to Mai to be the one wed? How much Hell did Azula and Katara put whoever suggested it through, and how did it end up happening anyways? What were each of the girls up to prior to the engagement? how do they feel about it? What does the world look like at the time of this AU, both in terms of the big worldwide stuff and the roles and relationships between the Gaang, whatever side characters are around, and their political positions? Be warned: highly likely that I will continue to enquire

you have unleashed the most self indulgent lore dump. thank you so much for asking. my long winded rambles under the cut

the setting of this au has two major changes; aang is never discovered (im so sorry my baby boy) and iroh is a much more active player within the fire nation. essentially, iroh begins consolidating the white lotus almost immediately after azulon's murder. as such, the fire siblings become terribly co-dependant in both ursa and iroh's absence as he's constantly away scheming against ozai. zuko doesnt get burned at 14. he gets burned at 19! and azula kills ozai for it, setting off a domino effect that lands an underprepared iroh on the throne trying to end the 100 years war as per his agreement with the white lotus members (before azula jumped the gun)

the azutara marriage occurs for like 2000 reasons but the main one is that iroh is forced to make several concessions in order to end the war as his ministers are terribly pro-ozai, thanks to ozai's scheming before azula prematurely offed him, and that the northern water tribe refuses to sign and end the war with the FN, unlike the other nations. azula, having been the princess-general ravaging the earth kingdoms in a five-year long campaign, therefore didnt get to show her face in the water tribes, gets chosen as the one to marry into the southern water tribe. as both a savvy diplomatic move to solidify the peace and to work with said wife towards peace with their sister tribe. iroh has no choice but to agree, and azula as a loyal princess with duty to the throne, also has to agree. (she is terribly, extremely unhappy with this due to ursa-parallel related reasons. and its azula.)

katara is chosen both for her position as the daughter of the chief, and for her prowess as a master bender (to match azula's known reputation). katara herself has been working as a sort of renegade freedom fighter away from the south pole, mostly working against the admiral-prince zuko and his three year campaign against the water tribes. sokka and herself work with an elite team, the black tail wolf pack (extremely indulgent name please forgive me) as guerilla fighters against the fire nation essentially. katara is EXTREMELY unhappy about the marriage alliance that her father has signed her off to, but like azula, her duty to her people and to peace overrides her extreme dislike of the situation.

zuko is the admiral-prince, heir to the throne, burned and shamed by the late firelord ozai, and... marrying toph bei fong. NOW PLEASE hear me out on this. stay with me. as part of the peace agreed by iroh, and the fire nation's precarious position now that expansion and pillaging cant fund their economy, an agreement is made with the earth kingdoms to marry into the wealthiest family in the world. its purely an economic marriage, but since the bei fongs are essentially the only homogenous earth territory ''royals'' that aren't strictly attatched to one kingdom but all of them, and have a daughter to spare, well. their relationship is the funniest to me, they're very much a platonic-married-besties situation. zuko himself is conducting a dreadfully obvious affair with mai, and his siege-weapon of a wife does not care in the slighest. in fact she actively encourages it, as being wife to the heir to the fire nation throne gives her freedom away from her family to be herself. there will be rising tensions between the bei fongs and the fire royals, naturally, as well as toph's own character clashing with the 'no fun allowed' fire nation.

azutara's relationship is an EXTREME slow burn, enemies to enemy-wives to friends to lovers. they're both 20 at the time they're married, but both have been child soldiers for years. azula spends a week acting like an arrogant prat and treating her wife like a peasant through politicking power plays before katara just kicks her ass three times over and azula realises theres actually no power imbalance to play off of. she promptly begins acting like mr darcy. katara has to grapple with the very alien culture of the fire nation and stumbles through all the subtlties of both court and royal life, as well as having to deal with her enemy turned wife and the absolute paradox of a woman that azula is. AND negotiating with her hostile sister tribe into trying to broker peace after a generation of war. i think marrying azula is harder than the whole 'world peace' affair really. they're both miserable and angry and cant understand each other but still see each other

sokka will be an intermitten character, as he becomes a diplomat for the southern water tribe as well as a member of the three nations peace council set up in the wake of the war. im trying to add in suki but im unsure on how, perhaps as another representative or something. ursa will have a plotline and azula will NOT be happy about it at all. iroh is frankly wracked with guilt that in order for peace he has to make the last of his family utterly miserable. all their relationships are complicated and messy and everyone's a little awful

i think a really fun aspect of this au is my odd ideas about azula and gender. azula is, in the eyes of the fire nation, both male AND female. female as a princess, a woman who's royal duties involve marriage and so on. but her status as a master fire bender legally classifies her as male. honestly the fire nation cannot afford to disregard azula on gender lines, since she's the most powerful fire bender on the planet at this point. she's a general in the military too, a traditionally male held role, and so azula herself becomes a grey area in terms of legal gender. as such, azula is technically kataras HUSBAND, not wife. and with that comes all the expectations of a husband over a wife in a royal imperial court. very very indulgent of me i fear

i hope this lore dump/word vomit makes some sort of sense. please feel free to ask more abt this au!!!! i have many many worldbuilding hcs for the fire nation and this au <3333

[thegaybluejay]

Just for fun, here are my rapid fire rambling thoughts on the ATLA ships and platonic dynamics hehe (please don’t go full ship wars tho - these are just my opinions as a chill multishipper!)

My Favorite Ships:

• Zukka - My current brainrot and main ship!! I know they aren’t canon but I really love them and their potential okay😭I just feel like their personalities would work so well! Sokka would call Zuko on his shit and Zuko would be good at grounding Sokka when he needs it. Plus I have seen some absolutely breathtaking AUs with this ship! And fire-and-ice vibes except gay! Them <3

• Kataang - Cutiessss!! I love them! They may not be the ship I think about most often, but when I do think about them, they’re adorable! Aang is such a “my wife” guy and Katara absolutely adores him back! Also the last airbender x last southern waterbender dynamic goes HARD! I like that these two are canon!

• Yuetara - Listen I know they barely interacted but THEY’VE ACTUALLY GROWN ON ME SO MUCH LATELY AND I VERY HIGH KEY SHIP THEM! Something about like, Katara thinking about Yue when she bends is so😭Their story would be heartbreaking in the best way!! Sapphic noncanon blorbos <3

• Mailee - These two are SO cute and have so much potential rahhh!! Again, love some noncanon sapphics <3

• Batkoda - Super SUPER cute and silly and fun! The dads fr <3 Bato is either Katara and Sokka’s adopted uncle or their stepdad and I love it for them hehe! This usually pairs well with a “Hakoda adopts Zuko” AU lmao!

Other Canon/Relatively Popular Ships:

• Zutara - A good ship! I see the potential and tbh it’s very very fun to think about sometimes!!! However, some of y’all toxic Zutara stans need to leave my boy Aang alone lmao. Those who are chill tho, I rock with y’all!! Overall, I’m not opposed if it’s done well and I do sometimes seek out Zutara content! I personally do prefer writing them as found siblings tho, especially with the Azula and Katara parallels!!

• Sukka - Canon cuties!! I really like them! Suki my BELOVED <3 She’s so underrated!

• Yukka - Also canon cuties! They make me sad tho ahhhhh😭😭😭

• Maiko - Also ALSO canon cuties!! They have an interesting dynamic that I can really appreciate! And gotta love Mai <3

• Jinko - Jin my beloved! These two had a super cute dynamic during the one episode they had together lmaoooo, tho I don’t think about this ship too too often.

• Tokka - I don’t mind it if it’s them getting together as adults! But tbh I personally don’t prefer shipping them as teens and I think Toph’s crush was just a typical young girl crush on someone slightly older lol. Definitely not horrible and most Tokka shippers are relatively chill! I like to think Sokka sees Toph as a little sister tho.

Now For Some Of The Crackship-y/Less Popular Ships (based on ships I’ve actually seen):

• Zukki (Zuko/Sokka/Suki) - Power throuple fr and I love some polyamory!! While I mostly lean plain Zukka, this is extremely fun to think about and would be a great dynamic!

• Mai/Ty Lee/Suki - Saw this in a Zukka fic once and it was adorableeeeee! I may not have plans to actively write this or anything, but it’s cute! Another power throuple!

• Jetko - I don’t think they would be compatible long term, but by god they are very very fun to think about in a “Jet flirts with Zuko and Zuko is completely oblivious and they share one kiss before everything goes to shit” way lmao!

• Taang - I can respect it!! I will always love them as chaos siblings personally, but it’s a totally valid and chill ship!

• Katoph - Not a bad ship at all! I’ve only come across like one post tho lmao. Also I do think I heavily prefer them as found sisters, but that’s just me personally! Again, totally a valid and chill ship!

• Azutara - I’m very neutral on this lmao. I don’t despise it at all and it could be pretty interesting?? But tbh really not something I plan to seek out.

• Azulaang - I mean?? I’m also pretty neutral on this one. Aang would be kind to her if she was trying to get help but…idk lmao.

• Tyzula - I see the potential, but I personally think Mai and Ty Lee had a healthier and more interesting and more realistic dynamic. Just my preference tho!

(I think I just want Azula to be in therapy before I reallyyyyy ship her lmao, but NOT THE KIND OF “THERAPY” SHE WAS GIVEN IN THE COMICS)

• Zukaang - I don’t love this as a ship honestly. The canon age gap as teens is sketchy for my personal taste, tho I’ve seen people ship them in “Aang was 16 when he got frozen” AUs and that’s…better and I can get behind it a little! It would be interesting! But I think Roku being Zuko’s great-grandpa just still throws me off of this ship. I don’t have any beef with the shippers tho! I’m very “live and let live” and I have seen so much worse lol.

Can’t Forget My Fav Platonic Dynamics!

• Sokka and Aang - Two found brothers who share one idiot braincell when they interact LMAO! Love them always <3

• Sokka and Katara - The siblings ever!!

• Zuko and Aang - Enemies to found brothers!! Canon besties! I love their friendship and their parallels SO MUCH!!

• Toph and Katara - Absolutely ADORABLE as found sisters!!!! Love them!

• Zuko and Katara - I really like their development in a platonic sense and I think they’re very very fun and lovely found siblings by the end!!!! Zuko is 100% the brother that just “yeah my sister can and will whoop your ass” LMAO!

• Zuko and Toph - Also very found siblings in my head!! Only have a handful of solo interactions in canon but I DON’T CARE! I WILL FOUND FAMILY THEM ANYWAY! I’m a “Toph seeks out Zuko for sibling hugs/cuddles when she’s cold because he’s basically a space heater” truther.

• Uncle Iroh and the Gaang - Zuko needs to learn to share because that is ALL OF THEIR Uncle!!!

• Hakoda and Zuko - I thrive in this section of the fandom!! They have exactly one (1) frame together in canon, but I ADORE Dadkoda adopting Zuko! Something about it is just so wholesome and cute!!! My very very fav ATLA fics are this trope!!#LetHakodaBitchSlapOzaiAndAdoptZuko2024

• Uncle Iroh and Zuko - God they make me so ALSNDKSNXNCNSNSNXNX, y’know?

• The Gaang as a whole - Obvious I know, but I really do love them😭They all bonded sm and I adore their little family!! I eat up fanart of the Gaang cuddling like CANDY omg. And yes Suki is included in the Gaang because WHY WOULDN’T SHE BE!

Anyway, thanks for coming to my TedTalk. If you made it to the end, you get a big platonic kiss on the forehead MWAH!

[avatar-legends-confessionblog]

Agree with the Sokka / Azula parallels.

AU with water tribe aggressior. Katara gets banished because she’s more likely to speak out, compared to Sokka being more logical, able to remove his feelings from it.

Hakoda going missing, Kya being the Ozai.

Bato going on the journey with Katara.

Last earth bender Toph.

Zuko and Azula find her.

Aang joins the team.

Suki and the Kyoshi Warriors or even Yue being Sokka’s angels lol.

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