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yourhighness6 · 2 months

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NATLA Debrief: Episode 3 (by yours truly)

Hi again! If any of ya'll are interested here's episodes 1 and 2. Thank you to those who have been following these deranged, unorganized posts, especially @phoebester (Just an fyi this will be hella long, just like the other two)

First of all, the way they framed the opening resistence scene was genuinely so cool because I immediately thought back to the cold open for the first episode. The streets are so similar that's where my mind went RIGHT AWAY and if that is not good set design and filming I don't know what is.

The resistance scene was so powerful for so many reasons besides those small details, too. The concept of a resistance within the FN was never addressed at all within the cartoon and I can't express how glad I am that they added this. It just makes logical sense that some people would resist, especially while so many are dying in war, and it really serves to humanize the FN people in a way that's reminiscent of book 3 ATLA. Perfect way to expand on the source material and introduce core themes earlier in the show (M Nite should be taking notes).

It was also a perfect way to introduce both Ozai and Azula's characters. Ozai is this menacing figure stepping out of the shadows (quite literally), an almost larger than life villain who seems to have every move planned and everything calculated. He's brutal and efficient and we can see that. Azula is conniving and smart, the kind of girl who can fool anyone and come out on top, but is ultimately still a weapon under her father's control. You can tell from the moment Ozai mentions Zuko that she is the underdog, but she is determined that it will not stay that way, and she seems just terrifying enough to succeed. (also idc what anyone says Elizabeth Yu has mastered Azula's look and general vibe. I feel like the whole 'miscasting' debacle was a mix of fatphobia and being shown the wrong stills before the show came out. She looked sort of sweet and innocent in those but I get absolutely none of that from this scene)

Ugh the exposition was great and then they have to give us this. What the absolute hell did they do to my Katara? Like there was a whole ass episode in the cartoon devoted to her getting mad because she wasn't progressing as fast as Aang and then in this fucking adaptation the maddest she sounds is when she emotionlessly declares, "I don't get it" to convey mild frustration. I'm sorry Kiawentiio, you're acting is great but the writers clearly have no fucking idea how to put your emotional range to good use. The same problem was present in the last episode and I just don't see them being able to fix it significantly enough at this point, even if they have a desire to. Not to undermine that, but there were a couple good points in this scene: Aang mentions something about bending being "beyond thought" which gives bending a more spiritual aspect that I like, and Katara's PTSD is brought up again in an intelligent way, but still, that doesn't matter if they're going to completely butcher her character. (side note: when is Aang going to learn waterbending? they haven't shown him training at all and I'm getting worried)

This scene was fine or whatever but what in the absolute fuck is going on with Zuko and Zhao? Are they not going to do the agni kai? Like I know there's still animosity there but they were really just sitting there (semi)-calmly enjoying a cup of tea and demonstrating only mild dislike for each other. All I have to say is if they remove the agni kai altogether I'm gonna be so fucking pissed it'll bug me forever and I'll be fucking insufferable.

Also Zuko is so mean to Luitenient Jee for no reason. I know it's because his abuse makes him see any kind of comradery as weakness so it's a good detail if that's what they're going for but ngl I also find it a bit funny. Like what did he ever do to you? And Zhao taking three tries to pass his officer exam is so perfect too like what a fucking looser lmao.

Ba Sing Se looks beautiful. There's something so mystical about it, especially in the way Aang describes it as they walk up to the gate. It's this hub of culture and science and art, but it's also incredibly militaristic and so changed due to war it's almost unrecognizable to someone who was there a hundred years ago. The adaptation of cultures during times of change is something ATLA does so well and I'm glad to see that it's continuing in the LA.

AHH Katara was so awkward during this whole scene and I loved it. For one thing Sokka's commentary was absolutely hilarious but it's also this reminder that Katara has been relatively isolated from other children her age and her brain is like "cute boy flirt how" and its so fucking funny. It might not be the same Katara as the cartoon who is effortlessly comfortable wherever she goes but this is so much more realistic and if she's going to be a bit different this is probably the best thing for them to change (now keep the awkwardness and give her back her anger Netflix I'm begging you)

I am slightly concerned because it looks to me like they're trying to condense at least four episodes into one and I'm not sure if that's going to be a cohesive plotline or a complete mess or not but if handled carefully I think they might be able to pull it off.

Ooooh the explosion was super unexpected and totally cray cray thanks for keeping me on my toes. I'm assuming it was Jet that planted the bomb although I cannot for the life of me think why. Anyways Teo was adorable I'm adopting him.

Also I am so so so happy that they gave him a little more depth beyond just 'happy glider kid' and gave a bit more nuance to his character. Of COURSE kids who grew up in war are going to be desensitized to the bloodshed OF COURSE they're going to be a little vengeful and be thinking about ways to win the war OF COURSE Aang is going to be uncomfortable with that because he didn't grow up with that militaristic mindset even if he did loose everything OF COURSE that's not going to change the fact that kids grow up hearing about death and experiencing loss as extremely young children versus Aang being suddenly thrust into this responsibility and grief because he didn't grow up like that he grew up in peacetime it just makes sense. Good job Netflix this was wonderful this was perfect I loved it.

Okay don't get me wrong I love the way Aang wears his heart on his sleeve I love how their in-the-face storytelling makes a bit more sense with how open and emotional of a person he is it's just part of his character that was improved upon by the LA in my opinion but this is also just... such a misunderstanding of the group dynamic. Like why isn't Katara seeing these people and thinking "I can help with this I have to help with this" and Aang giving this speech to Sokka jumping on the bandwagon? I would even accept them seeing the destruction together and mutually deciding that they need to help the people there (this would probably be best as it allows us to see both character's compassion) or Aang saying something about it and Katara immediately being like "ur absolutely right" but of course they can't do that all we need is a lengthy speech from the protagonist while Katara stands there like robot girl. My mistake.

STOP because her mocking face is so fucking perfect I love Elizabeth Yu she's perfect. Anyway, I think that they're kind of... adjusting her trauma a bit? I mentioned earlier how I feel like she's shown as a little more scrappy and an underdog as opposed to perfectly calculating and not a hair out of place, but after this scene I feel the need to expand on that. In the cartoon, Azula's abuse from her father centers around his unattainably high expectations for her that eventually cause her ultimate breakdown and the conclusion to her devastating character arc. But in the LA, they're portraying her as less of a prodigy and more of a hard worker. She still has incredibly high expectations, but in this version, she never meets them all the time. Her brother is almost leveraged against her in a way. Even if she feels like she is the best and has the constant need to prove she is the best to her father, there's always going to be this nagging insecurity that she won't be good enough to measure up to her brother. She's not being told she's worthless like Zuko, but she's not reaching every goal like cartoon Azula, either. This also might explain why she has arrows. In the cartoon, weapons are viewed with disdain by firebenders, making Zuko using them so controversial, but Azula definetely doesn't seem to be hiding her talent for the bow and arrow and even if it was a her-sneaking-away-to-practice sort of situation that's not very in character and I don't think she would do that. I think in this version she probably has them because she's trying to find every possible way to prove herself to her father beyond just firebending, and mastering a weapon is a way to do that. I'm not sure how I feel about these changes but she is clearly a different character in this version than in the cartoon and moving forward I'm going to treat her as such. (I've noticed this a bit with all of the characters except possibly Sokka: they're different people. I think this actually might be intentional. [even so I still don't like their characterization of Katara her trauma hasn't changed very much to my knowledge she should still have the same core drives and character traits])

As well done as Azula was, there was relatively nothing in the Ty Lee and Mai department. They're just kind of existing, watching her train. Ty Lee is vaguely cheerful (and her costume is great btw) and Mai has one line about exploring the world that gives a bit of insight into her character and has a monotone voice. They're both clearly a little scared of Azula but that's basically it. Hopefully we get more on them soon.

Back in Ba Sing Se, I noticed a bit of a parallel between Teo and Katara. The Mechanist mentions that they lost his mother due to the war, which reminded me specifically of Katara. Throughout this scene, we see that Teo remembers his mother's philosophy and adopts it into his own mindset far more than his father's. Their situation is different because while Katara is arguing for compassion Teo is arguing for fighting back, but they are both fundamentally saying the same thing. It's not enough just to accept their lot in life and try to survive or fight, it's about the big picture, and about defending the things they love. While Katara and Teo both approach this subject from a very different front, the core idea is the same. It's also telling how they are dismissed initially as idealistic for their values when they are really upholding what their mothers stood for in their eyes: for Teo, a symbol of hope in her retellings of the stories of the avatar, and for Katara, a symbol of kindness in her reminders to remain empathetic despite the horrors of war. Make of this what you will, I just thought it was a nice little parallel.

Anyway, allow me to have a few words on the whole Jet thing (in bullet points because I don't have enough brain power to do this)

I'm glad Jet got his freedom fighters outfit. I was a bit worried when I saw what he was wearing in the first scene he was in because the fit is iconic, and so are the swords

God he's so fucking dramatic "they call me Jet" while the sun glints off his swords and he turns slightly for affect it was so funny I laughed out loud

He and Kia have no on-screen chemistry I'm sorry. Like even the fight scene was so awkward and every time they speak to each other they sound so stiff. They're good actors independently but whoever was watching their chemistry check (I'm assuming they had one pre-production but judging by this crap I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't) was either asleep or it was their first day because there is NOTHING there

What the hell did they do to the Freedom Fighters? They're so cheesy and the costumes are so bad (especially Smellerbee's). Like seriously that entire fight scene was so awkward idk what the hell happened there but it was nowhere near the quality of the rest of the episode so far

Overall, I'm not a huge fan. Also where is Sokka I'm pretty sure he's supposed to be there somewhere

Okay here's Sokka finally. Are they just taking him out of the Jet shenanigans entirely? I wouldn't be surprised considering how many episodes they had to condense but still I would have liked to see that. Oh well, I guess they had to have Katara do something in this episode instead of just stand around while her brother and Aang have huge plot points. Anyway, this scene was very interesting to me. Sokka and the Mechanist bonded in the og but not to this extent, and I honestly liked that they did something a bit deeper with it considering they don't have as much screentime to establish Sokka's daddy issues (for lack of a better word). Anywho the Mechanist mentioning that there are other career paths to take besides just being a warrior was super cool and I think we can glean a lot from it about Sokka's future character arc. Maybe in this version he doesn't perfectly live up to his dad's expectations and instead finds his own way? It was nice to see Hakoda proud of him in the original but if they go down this path I definitely won't be mad. It's interesting while staying true to the character, it's just a different direction.

The scene with Aang and Teo was cute. They're both good actors who play off of each other nicely, and Teo talking about how he doesn't want to follow in his father's footsteps lends a bit of insight to the conversation the Mechanist had with Sokka. He probably mentioned Sokka's dad because he wondered if his parents were engineers too and maybe is looking for a bit of an apprentice since his son doesn't take after him as much. This is also another way Teo conflicts with the Mechanist's way of life and may be more similar to his mother.

The jetara scenes at the Freedom Fighter camp had a much better dynamic. I think the fight scene was probably just them figuring each other out as actors, it just sucks that it seeped into the final take. I confess I was a bit disappointed that the Freedom Fighters didn't live up in the trees, but I guess that would be a bit difficult to engineer. I also noticed how Jet repeated Teo's "if not us, then who?" statement, which is probably just your basic commentary on how the future generations are our hope blah blah blah. It's a major theme so I shouldn't be as disinterested as I am in it but as it stands I'm still not totally thrilled with the Jet plotline as a whole and I think that may be affecting it. I feel like Sokka should be here to add some variety and spice things up a bit it's kind of boring.

The last jetara scene was definitely the best yet. I can't get over how happy I was to hear Jet say his mother taught him to fight. So often we hear how dads or older brothers are teaching the women in their family to fight but here we have a canonically badass male character saying that an older female relative was the one who taught him. One of the major complaints I have from the cartoon was how for all its talk about women being able to fight and its supposed feminist message, there were no women of the older generation fighting at all except for Jun, who wasn't even a particularly moral character like all these older men. We do have to remember that the cartoon started production over twenty years ago so it is a product of its time, when feminist issues weren't very mainstream. Another factor that might have contributed to the lack of feminism in the original was the generational discrepancies; millennials were the first to have widely accepted equal educational opportunities in the US, and even though educational opportunities are still affected by sexism, college became the norm for both male and female students at that time. This isn't to say women older than millennials didn't go to college, but this is around the time women and men started to become relatively equal as of percentage seeking higher education. Basically, they were the first generation of women expected to have careers, and therefore the writer's minds were probably shaped alongside a similar number of female peers, but primarily by men. This could have contributed to the lack of older women, but as times changed, so to did the amount of older women in professional fields. This line is a reflection of that, and I hope we continue to see more badass older women and older warrior women and women in power as the LA continues.

Other than that, I did take my shipping goggles out during this scene at the "sunrise" bit, and it wasn't about jetara. I heard from other fans in the zutara tag that the "you rise with the moon, I rise with the sun" line was removed but I keep thinking about how Katara is legitimately drawing power from remembering the sun rising, a time when the opposite element, Zuko's element, becomes more powerful. I know I'm reaching, but while I mourn the loss of our beloved "you rise with the moon, I rise with the sun" I have to find a new version. Anyway I think we should call this sunrisegate lol

Also, the way Katara is extremely hesitant to talk about her trauma whereas Jet seems completely fine with being emotional and dumping out exactly what he was feeling may have been a device but it does remind me of something I read about how ppl with PTSD will often react very differently when sharing their trauma and the same is true for many other trauma induced disorders. It was probably unintentional but I still thought it was a nice detail.

Anyway on a less serious note Iroh and Zuko's dynamic is still top tier. I've seen a lot of people complaining about Iroh's character but I don't see anything wrong up to this point. I might be in for a shock in future episodes but I have genuinely no idea what they find so off putting. He's a great actor and the character has legitimately not changed. The line above was a bit undercut by the fact that he's standing in the middle of an enemy city with a cloth half wrapped around his face to keep part of his face from being seen, but I'm just gonna take it at face value (haha pun). I think the thing Zuko despises most is cowardice, and it affects his perception of the war in a huge way. He calls Aang a coward for escaping from prison because he was running away or whatever and I've never considered Zuko a particularly logical character but it's like... bruh he's outnumbered like fifty to one what he is gonna do? Anyway his definition of cowardice is directly tied to his honor and his perception of it in relation to his trauma and the way he held back in the agni kai and him perceiving that as cowardice maybe... Ya'll got me? This isn't fully formed because I obviously haven't seen this new rendition of the agni kai but I'm guessing the events are basically the same. Do with it what you will.

I skipped over the Azula and Zhao scene because I don't have any groundbreaking commentary except to say that I liked it. It ties Azula into the story nicely and gives Zhao something actually interesting about him (I don't hate him as much as I did in the cartoon so whenever he comes up on screen I just sort of yawn).

Anyway, it was nice to see Katara get a bit angry. I think this captured the gaang dynamic pretty well. Aang being relatively neutral/ quiet while the siblings argue and Katara gets twice as mad as Sokka. Also he may have had the last word but she had the last laugh:

Again, the sibling dynamic was really great but I didn't feel like Katara was carrying it as much as in previous episodes. Sokka actually played his part in making it interesting and realistic. I don't think this single argument is enough to redeem Katara's characterization in my eyes but at least we know now there is a little spark there.

AHH THE SCARF SCENE! Scarfgate was everything I could have asked for and more. Like why does he appear directly behind her like that unless he's trying to fight her? Why does he just let her go by like that? Why does he hold out his hand in the first place? Truly is the Watergate of our time it deserves that name. (also in the same episode as the whole sunrise thing? come on) I'm probably being baited but at least I'm enjoying it.

So I was right about the bombings! I can't believe all those cute little kids are terrorists but I couldn't believe it in the cartoon either so I guess that checks out. Either way I find the bombing far less forgivable than trying to take out the Mechanist. Innocent civilians were hurt and even though I know there was a real possibility that civilians could have been hurt in the attempted bombing for whatever reason it just seems... more brutal somehow. Like the first one was in the center of town, you know? Anyway terrorism is wrong I hope Jet finds his way.

(I was worried about how they were going to tie all the seemingly unrelated plotlines together but I think they pulled it off. Again my main problems were all concentrated around the Jet plotline but when the Mechanist was tied in it became a lot more interesting)

When I heard this I was like "son ur about to get ur ass kicked" but the funny part is he was kind of right. Like when neither of them were bending he was winning. I guess in all fairness he is a lot bigger than Aang but I don't feel like that was an accidental detail. Anyway, I think this fight scene was the most entertaining yet and so much better than jetara against the firebenders earlier. Maybe the affects for water are just worse than air and fire (it feels slower somehow) but I'm very partial to this fight. And that's saying something because I usually fast-forward through fight scenes or just kind of tune them out or barely watch, so you know it was really good.

I think the reason I liked it so much was that it was funny, honestly, not in the same way or to the same degree the cartoon was but I laughed out loud a couple times. For instance Zuko gets hit in the face three times in the span of ten seconds, once with a plate, once with a wicker basket, and once with his own little stick thing. Aang also put a basket over his head and some random ass lady started whacking him with a fan. Kudos to whoever choreographed that it was the best.

Also I liked how Sokka and Katara saved the day together. Cute sibling bonding excersize. And it ended on a cliffhanger with the characters separated! My favorite kind of cliffhanger! It definitely left me wanting more.

Anyway, to recap, things I didn't like:

No Zuko and Zhao agni kai

Mai and Ty Lee were just sort of there

Katara's characterization is still so-so

Jetara plot line was boring and chemistry was not the best

It was kind of a lot for one episode, even if they managed to do it well

Things I did like:

Opening scene

Azula characterization

Teo

The Mechanist plotline

Teo and Katara parallel

Katara DID actually seem a little bit more firey in this episode

SCARFGATE

Zuko and Aang fight scene

Surprisingly good handling of all those loose ends

Cliffhanger

Overall, I would give it a 9/10. That's the highest score I've given an episode so far and I'm standing by it. I know others might have a very different opinion on it since it was condensed so much and differed a lot from the cartoon, but I agreed with many of the changes they made. One thing I would urge everyone to remember is that these are different characters from the cartoon. They're going to act slightly different and have slightly different journys and that's okay. I think it is worth comparing to the original, as it is an adaptation, but we need to remember that an adaptation is not an exact replica, nor should it be. That in no way means that we should make allowances for anything we found negative or mediocre, but it is going to be different and change in it of itself isn't a bad thing. Anyway thank you guys so much for sticking with me! I'll probably have the next episode's debrief up by tomorrow.

#natla debrief #emmie babbles #scarfgate #zutara #aang #sokka #katara #zuko #jet #jetara #natla episode 3 #natla analysis #natla meta

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angeryyaz · 2 months

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Just saw a comment on the comic page where Ozai and Ursa see Azula firebend for the first time, saying that "Ozai was a good father to Azula" and like... No??? She was the golden child. The sole reason he treated her "well" was because she was talented and could be used as a tool, unlike what he thought of Zuko. If she wasn't as good or, Agni forbid, was a nonbender, there would be nothing redeemable about her in his eyes.

It always pisses me off when people paint their relationship as Ozai loving Azula. He doesn't love her, he doesn't even respect her, she is worth nothing to him beyond how she can serve his goals. His "love" is purely conditional (even Azula knows this to some degree) and to me that's the biggest sign it's not real.

#deep sigh #avatar the last airbender #princess azula #fire lord ozai #tw: child abuse

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misguided-ghostz · 8 months

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I love the idea that everyone gets involved when Zuko and Katara finally decide to get married. They decide to get married in the Fire Nation but make sure to include customs from the Water Tribe. This causes Sokka to be way too involved. Katara as already decided to wear her mom's old wedding dress because she just couldn’t say no to her grandma along with knowing her dad would be happy to see her use it. Suki and Toph help Katara with her vows and picking out jewelry. Aang and Sokka help Zuko pick out wedding bands. Even Azula gives Zuko her opinion on Zuko's vow and what he should wear and what should be included in the ceremony because " Not because I actually care, but I don't what you disgracing what is left of the royal family", so she claims.

Along with pleasing the fire court and sages, almost all decisions somehow need to be run by Sokka because he has an opinion on EVERYTHING. From the time the ceremony starts, what direction guest should be facing, should Zuko be standing 5cm to the left or 2 cm to the right to get the perfect lighting for pictures.

A week before the wedding it all became way too stressful for Zuko and Katara. They just want to be married and start their life together but everyone (specifically Sokka) has become way to invested and what they wanted to be a simple ceremony has somehow become the social event of the century. This is why 3 days before the big day Zuko and Katara disappear.

While Sokka is having a mild cardiac event and the fire court is in shambles. Zuko and Katara escape to Ember Island.

''I wish we could stay here forever, without having to worry about any crazy wedding planning" hums Katara while laying in Zuko's arms on one of the private beaches of Ember Island.

" I know my love, but duty calls Fire Lady Katara"

"Future Fire Lady Katara. If we even make it in time for our own wedding or the fire sage don't burn us both alive for running away"

"I'm more concerned about your brother killing both of us"

"Oh god. I know that marrying the FIRE LORD would never have allowed us to just have a simple wedding but how did we let it become this giant circus orchestrated by Sokka. I'm pretty sure I overheard him discussing where to place a box of fireworks before we ran off"

" We love are family and they just wanted to give us the best, Kitkat'

" I know but my dream wedding you be just me and you here on the beach. No one else"

With that, a lightbulb goes off in Zuko's head and he slowly gets up and brings Katara up to her feet.

" Marry Me Katara"

" I was supposed to tomorrow but we ran away if you didn't remember" Katara chuckles.

" Sorry. I meant marry me right now"

"What?"

" There's an old chapel on the other side of the island run by an old fire sage who retired a few years ago. We go right now and get married"

" We can't"

" Why not?"

" Be..be..because..."

"You're right we have allowed this whole wedding to be turned into a circus to please our families, but this is our marriage. This should have always been something we planned together something between just me and you. Why can't we be selfish this one time. Let's get married right now. Our vows should be between us anyways not spilled out in front of the entire Fire Nation when doves are flying around and fireworks going off"

Katara stays silent for a few moments too many to make Zuko comfortable.

"Kitkat?"

"Ok"

"OK?"

"YES! Let's do it!" Katara yells as she jumps into Zuko's arms

"Let's do it" Zuko catches her and smiles.

And with that Zuko and Katara get married just the two of them and and fire sage (who promises to keep it between them) in an old broken down chapel on Ember Island. Tears streaming down both their faces as they make their promise and vows to be together forever, through thick and thin, just the two of them.

They make it back in time for their "actual" wedding the next morning. Sokka spots them first walking hand and hand down a palace hallway. Beyond pissed but just happy they are finally back in the palace, Sokka rushes them to get ready as they quietly whisper ( Bye Wife/ Bye Husband) as they are separated. Luckily, Sokka doesn't hear them.

Later that night they are officially presented as Fire Lord Zuko and Fire Lady Katara in front of their family, friends, and Fire Nation. Sokka and the rest of their family forever questioning why they always celebrate their anniversary a day early.

#Zutara #zuko #katara #zutara fic #a headcannon that turned into a fic

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poisoned-pearls · 4 months

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modern au jamiazu w/ azul mer. okay im sapphic so this is gonna be sapphic au sorry(not) but jamil whos still a servant but in the last hours of the day, she gets to sit outside by the sea (kalims beach house for sure) and she meets zul, who turns into her biggest comfort and companion. they both share their problems with each other, although a bit reluctantly, but jamil is more open since azul is a merperson and.. i mean whos she gonna tell lol, but zu was having a mental breakdown and accidentally unloads on jami. azul feels soo bad so she keeps returning to the doc with trinkets and jamil asks her if she would feel any better if jamil unloads on her too. so they create this two person mutually beneficial vent sesh where they both help each other the best they can. one day azul finds a way to have legs for a bit and asks jamil to show her around (shes all blushy... its a date they both just dont know it) and boom, market date shenanigans. they are so cute....

anon you would LOVE the five different versions of sapphic Jamiazu sim saves I have

imagine that azula (my fem name for her to be distinguishable) watched that big house on the beach a LOT just because of the parties and fireworks they often had.

Then one day she sees this utterly gorgeous girl pacing around the beach in frustration. She’s covered in bruises (from everything she does around the house) and looks beyond pissed but she just cant stop staring.

Then one time she gets so frustrated she tosses a rock out into the ocean. And azula, EVER the schemer is like “my in” and pops out of that general area like “ow. You hit me-“ (lies)

After the general shock she’s like “why did you throw that anyways?” And gets Jami to open up about everything.

so now she’s in deep. (She even tells the twins that yes, she did fall for a human)

After a particularly difficult day of just, everything she confided in Jami and it just becomes… their thing.

So azula starting bring courting gifts about a month into it. She doesn’t quite realize that the culture practice doesn’t translate, but she is still doing it. She brings trinkets, pearls, jewelry, lost things.

Once azula makes a potion for legs, she all but stumbles onto land and is immediately like “Jami!! Please help!”

so when they end up going around town she ends up being so confused the entire time while Jami shows her around.

But immediately AFTER the non date azula is like “aww, thank you so much! You are just the best mate-“ and IMMEDIATELY Jami is like “w-what.”

Because Azula this ENTIRE time has been under the idea that they were courting, like mer tradition. After all, she took the pearls and fish she brought her!

#Jamiazu #azujami #twst #twisted wonderland #auauauauvhh them #Sorry I haven’t answered all of your asks yet I do love them all #I just wanna give them proper responses #And or drawings #ANYWAYS #I LOVE WEIRD MERMAID TRADITIONS

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bellatrixobsessed1 · 8 months

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Vicarious (Part 7)

Sokka doesn’t like waking up knowing that he won’t be him. Three days in and he still isn’t used to it.

Azula hasn’t spoken to him at all since dinner.

No one has.

No one tries.

It sinks his stomach further seeing the bandages around his wrist. He hadn’t realized just how unconcerned with and distant from Azula that they truly are. Mostly it is Lo and Li that come and check on him. They are nice enough but they are completely formal with him. This is it. This is the interaction that Azula gets. He itches and yearns to go downstairs and ask if they are worried about him…rather Azula at all. But she wouldn’t do that, would she?

She hadn’t put that on her list.

He has finally made a list for her but she hasn’t come around for him to give it to her and so he assumes that she doesn’t want to talk to him. His stomach is queasy all over again; maybe that is why no one is visiting him right now. They’re all assuming that Azula wouldn’t want to talk to them.

Frankly he finds it odd that she hasn’t come to interrogate him over whether or not he has been sticking to her list. She must be incredibly pissed. Incredibly pissed or incredibly uncaring. Perhaps she can’t be bothered to worry over a body that she had been ready to vacate in the first place.

But he has been following the list anyhow just in case. It isn’t quite as tedious and unbearable as he had imagined; he doesn’t have to worry about minding his table manners as he has begun to take his meals in private either in Azula’s bedroom or at odd hours to avoid the hassle and awkward conversations. Just as Azula herself had.

The final four bullet points are manageable for the same reason.

The hardest parts are foregoing seafood and keeping up with her firebending routine. He isn’t sure that he even should so soon after losing so much blood. He knows that she certainly would. And so he has given it a few very reluctant tries only to find himself feeling dizzy and substantially sorer than he should. She has definitely let her body fall well out of the shape that these katas call for.

He will have to talk to her about that. About some sort of adjustment. Even if it embarasses her. More than that, they have to talk about her treating herself more kindly when she gets her body back.

What surprises him the most thoroughly is that some things are actually quite pleasant. Styling her hair is quite fun, it is so long and he can do so much with it. He fixes it in fashions that are, perhaps, not to her taste–traditional Water Tribe styles that he can’t shape his own hair into–but he doesn’t think that it’s such an egregious thing to do so long as he lets her hair back down before he leaves her room.

There is only one rule that he hasn’t followed.

He hasn’t bathed yet.

Truth be told it makes him nervous. She had never specified how to treat her body when bathing; how long he is allowed to touch and stare. Raava’s tendrils, he hadn’t told her what he was comfortable with as far as that goes.

He rubs his hands over his face. He is going to have to talk to her again. He was going to have to do that eventually anyways.

He just isn’t sure that he is ready to apologize for being an insensitive ass.

He was never good at that and maybe that’s why lovers never stick around.

.oOo.

Azula supposes that this is exactly what she had asked for--an escape from herself and the unsavory things that, lately, come with being her. She should have been more specific. Should have asked to keep a feminine body, should have asked for the body with a face she has never seen before. Either of those two things would have made things less weird.

She hadn’t the foresight.

Why would she?

It was an impossibility.

A silly, stupid, childish wish that was never meant to be anything beyond a dull fantasy.

But yet, she can’t deny that the first few days have been glamorous.

Her first time talking to Sokka’s friends as Sokka had been euphoric in a sense. They hadn’t even talked about anything in particular but it still replays over and over in her mind.

She found herself a spot at the table next to Katara.

“I had the chefs cook blubbered seal jerky tonight.” Zuko said. “I know that it is your favorite.”

It most certainly isn’t. It is tough on her teeth and makes her jaws hurt but she had to stomach it lest they asked her if she was ill. She looked up midway through the meal and muttered a simple thanks.

“At least he remembered to thank you this time.” Katara rolled her eyes.

“How long did you have to lecture him on that one?” Zuko laughed.

“Not as long as I lectured Toph!”

They shared a laugh. Azula managed one too. She hoped that they hadn’t been paying much attention because her laugh was awkward. She hadn’t laughed in so long, it didn’t feel right. It felt like something she shouldn’t be doing.

“Can you pass the spicy dip?” Azula requests. “I can’t eat fireflakes without the dip.”

Zuko quirks a brow and Azula realizes her mistake. “Promise that you won’t cry again? The last time we let you try that, you got all red in the face and you were fanning yourself…”

Azula tries to think up something just stupid enough that Sokka would have said it. "I can’t help that I’m ridiculously hot.”

Mai rolls her eyes. “Alright, Sokka, if you think that you’re so hot, have at it.”

She had and she regretted it just about as much as Sokka said that she would. Decidedly she will leave that mishap out of the conversation should he ever care to ask her how things are going. She doesn’t expect him to.

In that whole dinner conversation they asked how Sokka was doing but they never once inquired about her nor about how she was doing. Nobody ever does But that, for now, is alright with her. She was and is perfectly content to ride the highs of finally talking to people again. She had known she was lonely, but not this deeply so.

She knows that they aren’t talking to her. That they aren’t her friends but it is still nice to have people smiling at her. People who aren’t forcing it for the sake of diplomacy and for fear of pushing her back to her more conniving ways.

It hasn’t been entirely easy; Sokka has so much work that he has been putting off. He is not organized in the slightest. And his father, there is a familiar pressure there. Unlike her own father, Hakoda means well, but she can’t help but feel like he has a lot of expectations for her to meet. And Katara...sometimes Katara cries over their mother and she has to work around her coldness lest she give Sokka a reason to begin negatively tampering with her life.

And then there is Jin. Jin who either ignores him or finds reasons to argue with him. She doesn’t think that she could hold Sokka’s relationship together for him for much longer. Especially considering how new and hastily established it seems to be.

She wonders what happened with Suki.

All of this in just the first three days. It makes her head spin.

It is difficult but, Agni, how wonderful it must be to have relationships that are so good that she’d dread losing them. It is difficult but, Agni, it is nice to be invited with enthusiasm to go to upcoming festivals and dinners.

It is nice to have friends.

To pretend that they are hers.��

#avatar the last airbender #azula #sokka #sokkla #fanfiction

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dragon-communion · 2 years

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Rhodoseax and the Dragonlord have a talk, as things come crumbling down. She/it for Rhodoseax, he/they for Placideusax.

🏰⚜️🐉⚜️🏰

Rhodoseax could feel its wings mantling with a low, rattling hiss. The step forward she took curled claws into stone, but Placideusax barely gave the display a glance with one head, a second staring quietly into the whirling clouds.

“You are angry with Us.”

She nearly spat. “Angry with you? I am angry with many things. You are needed. Why do you not go?”

The head eyeing the claws in their floor lost interest. “We are needed here.”

“To sit like pork on a shelf?!” The grief crackled in its throat, the jagged edge of agony and pride curving its neck up like a scythe with bare teeth. The Dragonlord was larger, but Rhodoseax was still a child of storm, and the gold glinted in her flared scales like sparks. “To sit and die?! The Numen come with spear and spell, they chain our servants beyond Death to ensorcelled slavery, they seduce and connive and drive chisels through the ranks of our kin! How long until they hit the heart? How long until we lie kingless and slaughtered for that little golden “goddess”? We are sheared and shattered, Dragonlord Placideusax. As kith and kind, as sword to king, I compel you: seal the wound in your people. Join us. What has any oath you have ever taken meant, if not this?”

The steel grey clouds roiled quietly over the great plaza of Farum Azula, a tide of mist and strange dawn with swollen bellies underlit by the fey light of the Erdtree. A ghastly yellow, worse than the green of hail, crowding out the blue of the sky until even the sea bled the colors of piss and bile.

She could almost hear the invasive god growing, greedy fingerling branches clutching at the sky like a human babe to a swaddling cloth. It made her want to kill something. It made her people want to kill something.

Placideusax simply sat in the golden light, and did nothing.

His speech, when speak he did, was the slow unbothered hum of a hazy star. “My oath,” they corrected mildly, “was to uphold the order of our god. Until I receive new instruction, we will continue as we have.”

She screeched like sheared granite, and the dragonlord’s many heads turned to her, slowly, methodically, unhurried.

“We will continue,” they repeated, “as we have.”

“Dying? Grounded? Betrayed?” It vaguely registered the sear of agitated lightning on its scales, too busy outright screaming now. She never felt physical pain, but her throat was rough like she’d been bellowing flame for years. Maybe a lifetime. It hurt. “You will abandon servant and son to the lions and for what?! You at least used to visit the lands! You cared, once! What is this care, oh goodly lord, that abandons us to suffer? What is this faithless care that drives us into enemy arms? What is this fangless love, that ignores your child in pain?”

The Lord of the Storm looked down at her, through her, and Rhodoseax could only stare. He did not mantle his wings, he did not growl, did not strike her in her hubris. He only sat, and looked, and was unmoved.

Placideusax did not even spare her pity.

“We must remain,” they murmured. “To listen for Our god. The order of the world must be maintained. Until We receive new instruction, this is the order we must nurture. The order of wing and claw.”

It is a complicated thing, for a dragon to stumble. So many legs, so many limbs. But Rhodoseax stumbled backwards like a corpse, blood cold and heart colder, and wondered if this was what humans felt when crying.

#my oc #elden ring oc #dragonlord placidusax #my writing #elden ring fic

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koiotic · 3 years

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Okay I’ve seen aus with Jet going to the Boiling Rock after Ba Sing Se and aus where Zuko fights Azula and gets sent to the Boiling Rock, but, consider, both

They both get arrested and Zuko has to explain to Jet that yes, he’s a firebender, and yes he’s the prince of the fire nation, and yes he hunted the avatar across the whole world, but he’s totally good now and Jet has to process that he tried to recruit the literal fire prince into his gang

Zuko gets thrown into the cooler very regularly, almost as much as Jet gets put in solitary, because they rarely last more than ten minutes in the same room before Jet tries to start a brawl. After a while he’s not even angry, it’s just kinda boring in prison and Zuko fights good

Suki recognises Zuko immediately, but after she hears why he’s in prison and watches Jet almost throw him off a ledge several times, she decides to forgive him

Thus starts the weirdest friendship trio ever

They actually work really well together, because Suki supplies the group brain cell, Jet gives them terrible ideas, and Zuko carries them out

The other prisoners and some of the guards quickly recognise that the three most dangerous inmates are teenagers, and now that they’re working together, all they can do is pray. They all end up teaching each other fighting forms they know, and Suki discovers Zuko is a total avatar nerd and thinks Kyoshi was the best avatar since Wan (she approves of his assessment)

Suki plays the ‘you burned down my village’ card exactly once. Jet uses ‘you burned down Suki’s village’ almost daily to get Zuko to do things

Sokka arrives looking for his dad and spots Suki in the yard distracting a guard while Jet keeps watch and Zuko steals his keys. He thinks they’re actually planning a break out, but no, Jet just wanted to fuck with the guards and see if Zuko could melt metal

(They’ve tried escaping, but Suki usually stops them because Jet suggests tying all their blankets together, stealing a messenger hawk and training it to tie the rope to a rock across the boiling lake and climbing across that. Zuko, who has never had a plan beyond ‘break into the maximum security stronghold and go from there’, is 100% on board)

When Hakoda arrives and the other inmates warn him not to piss off the three teenage prisoners, he thinks they’re joking. They’re not. He reevaluates when he sees Jet start a riot in less than ten seconds, Suki kidnap the warden, and Zuko break the gondola lever and jump across a boiling lake

Sokka comes back from his fishing trip with four missing people and no fish

Bonus: Suki: “this is my boyfriend Sokka and his boyfriend Zuko and his boyfriend Jet”

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zuko-always-lies · 3 years

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Unpopular Opinion: Zuko’s treatment of Mai is deeply toxic.

Mai is a character who is often maligned in the fandom, with it even occasionally being claimed that she was “abusive” toward Zuko. Any objective analysis of Mai’s behavior in her relationship with Zuko will instead find that she was, in fact, a shockingly good romantic partner, generally treating Zuko very well and being loyal to him far beyond reasonable expectation. Claims that Mai behaved toxically toward Zuko seem to be instead founded in misogynistic expectations that women be perfect caretakers for the men in their lives.

That is not to say that the Zuko-Mai relationship isn’t still deeply toxic. However, its toxicity stems from the manner which Zuko badly mistreats Mai, often in ways which devalue her. Much more under the cut.

Our story begins in the first half of Book 3. The vast majority of episodes there don’t show anything particularly toxic going on in the relationship. The most you can say is that they suggest that Zuko tends to dump his problems on others and doesn’t have best understanding of his girlfriend.

However, inevitably we must turn to “The Beach,” the episode which, by far, gets the most into the Zuko-Mai relationship. To say that Zuko doesn’t behave well toward Mai in this episode would be an understatement. I don’t speak here of Zuko’s unsuccessful attempts to please Mai early in the episode, but instead how badly he starts treating her beginning at the party:

Ruon Jian: Hey, first ones here, huh? Zuko: (cut to shot of Zuko and Mai walking side by side) Pft. He thinks he's so great. (to Mai) Well, what do you think of him? (they stop walking) Mai: I don't have any opinion about him. I hardly know him. Zuko: You like him, don't you? (Mai sighs and walks away, as Zuko looks angrily in the direction of Ruon Jian. The camera zooms in on Ruon Jian)

And

(Cut to shot of Ruon Jian leaning over Mai. Zuko rushes toward them angrily and pushes Ruon Jian away from her. Cut to shot of Ruon Jian straightening his hair.) Ruon Jian: Whoa. What are you doing? Zuko: (close-up shot of Zuko, angry) Stop talking to my girlfriend! Ruon Jian: (Ruon Jian approaches Zuko) Relax, it's just a party. (Zuko pushes Ruon Jian hard, sending him flying across the room, breaking a giant vase.) Mai: (Mai stands up and grabs Zuko's shoulder. He turns towards her.) Zuko, what is wrong with you?! Zuko: What's wrong with me?! Mai: (angrily) Your temper's out of control. You blow up over every little thing. You're so impatient and hot-headed and angry. Zuko: Well, at least I feel something...as opposed to you. You have no passion for anything. (raising his arms is the air) You're just a big "blah". Mai: (turning away from him) It's over, Zuko. We're done.

And:

(Zuko follows her and the camera pans down to the handprint, left alone on the porch. Cut to wide view of the camera panning down Ember Island Beach. Zuko and Azula are walking side by side toward Mai and Ty Lee. Close shot of Zuko looking toward Mai and then looking away. Close shot of Mai looking angry and a bit sad.) Mai: Hey... (Interrupted) Zuko: (close shot of Zuko) Where's your new boyfriend? (Mai turns away angrily. Zuko comes and sits next to her) Are you cold? (he puts his arm around her, but she slaps it away)

Zuko is acting in a massively controlling fashion toward Mai, motivated by his violent and rage-filled jealously. She literally can’t talk to a boy without Zuko flying into a jealous rage, trying to separate her from the person she’s talking to, and accusing her of emotional infidelity. In real life, this is considered a warning sign for an abusive relationship(although I don’t think Zuko has crossed the line into abusive yet).

“The Beach” also gives us this:

Mai: Oh, well, I'm sorry I can't be as high-strung and crazy as the rest of you. (Cut to over-head shot of the four teens. Zuko walks closer to the fire and Mai.) Zuko: I'm sorry, too. I wish you would be high-strung and crazy for once, (Close shot of Mai looking away and Zuko standing over her) instead of keeping all your feelings bottled up inside. She just called your aura dingy. Are you gonna take that?

Zuko tries to provoke Mai into having a fight with her best friend Ty Lee just so he can watch her express strong emotions. Zuko very much wants to Mai to be and act like someone she’s not, which has its own issues.

Overall, Zuko treats Mai quite poorly in “The Beach.” The episode ends with this:

Mai: I know one thing I care about... (Cut to shot of Mai smiling at Zuko) I care about you. (Mai and Zuko kiss. Azula claps, causing them to separate and turn toward Azula. The camera pans left to include her.)

Mai forgives Zuko and accepts him back without him acknowledging his behavior was wrong, apologizing for it, or giving her any guarantee that he will treat her better in the future. That’s unfortunate, as Zuko soon ends up treating her far, far worse than he ever did in this episode.

Zuko’s disregard for Mai cumulates with the manner he commits treason on the Day of Black Sun. Let us start our understanding of what he did wrong from the beginning. Breaking up with Mai via a letter which didn’t give her a real explanation was a real asshole move, but it’s not at the core of what he did wrong. For that, we need to turn to this conversation from “The Headband”:

Zuko: Can't you see we're busy? (He and Mai resume their "business".) Azula: (not to be put off) Oh, Mai... Ty Lee needs your help untangling her braid. Mai: (complaisantly) Sounds pretty serious. (She gets up and leaves. Walking past Azula, towards the camera, she shoots the princess a quick, poisonous glance behind her back.) Azula: So...I hear you've been to visit your Uncle Fatso in the prison tower. Zuko: (standing, incensed) That guard told you. Azula: (smugly) No, you did. Just now. Zuko: (sitting back down) Okay, you caught me. What is it that you want, Azula? Azula: (solicitiously) Actually, nothing. Believe it or not, I'm looking out for you. If people find out you've been to see Uncle, they'll think you're plotting with him. Just be careful, dum-dum.

Zuko has proven his loyalty to the Fire Nation beyond doubt, yet Azula is still very worried that him spending time with Iroh will get him accused of treason, because having a close association with traitors puts oneself under almost automatic suspicion of treason.

“Day of Black Sun, Part II”:

Zuko: First of all, in Ba Sing Se, it was Azula who took down the Avatar, not me. Fire Lord Ozai: Why would she lie to me about that? Zuko: Because the Avatar is not dead. He survived. Fire Lord Ozai: (alarmed) What?!

Zuko deliberately throws Azula under the bus, hurting her and reducing her status with Ozai as much possible while effectively accusing her of deliberately committing treason. He also deliberately pisses off Ozai as much as possible.

So where does this leave us? Mai is Zuko’s known girlfriend and extremely close associate. Automatically, the suspicion of knowing of Zuko’s treason ahead of time or being involved falls upon her. She’s in grave risk of being imprisoned, tortured, or executed, especially since Ozai seems not the type to be strictly concerned with ensuring those he punishes are guilty beyond reasonable doubt. The Fire Nation seems like a society which might have collective punishment(as historical East Asian societies, Nazi Germany, and the Stalinist Soviet Union did), and Mai might be under risk from that direction. Finally, Ozai might hurt her simply as way of retaliating against Zuko.

Normally Azula would almost certainly be able to protect her friend, even under these trying circumstances, given Azula’s prestige and accomplishments. However, Zuko has deliberately undermined Azula as much as possible and effectively accused her of committing treason herself, dramatically reducing the probability that she will be able to protect Mai. In fact, Mai stands risk of being accused of being involved in Azula’s effort to “conceal the fact that the Avatar survived,” given Mai’s close association with Azula and her close involvement in the events where the Avatar “died.” She’s thus under danger from two different directions.

“But Zuko had to betray his father and become good through aiding Team Avatar.” Yes, it’s a good thing he did so. But Zuko had other options than the course he adopted. He could have avoided confronting Ozai at all and instead focused on rescuing Iroh(interesting AU idea right here). He could have confronted Ozai but not thrown Azula under the bus, and that alone would have vastly reduced the risk to Mai(and also made Zuko out to be a better person, because deliberately throwing your younger sister under the bus and then abandoning her to the mercy of your abusive father is not a good look). Zuko could have killed Ozai right then and there during the eclipse. He even could have tried to lead Team Avatar to the bunker and tried to end the war right then and there.

“Zuko didn’t understand that he was placing Mai in danger.” Quite possible, but Zuko being so self-centered that he is unable of understanding that his actions can have negative effects on other people is a mark against him, not for him.

Now we turn to the Zuko’s behavior toward Mai in the rest of the third season. Let us start with “The Boiling Rock, Part 1”:

Sokka: (emphatically) I think your Uncle would be proud of you. Leaving your home to come help us, that's hard. Zuko: It wasn't that hard. Sokka: (Cut to a side view of the basket) Really? You didn't leave behind anyone you cared about? Zuko: Well I did have a girlfriend. Mai. Sokka: (He goes closer to Zuko with a surprised look on his face) That gloomy girl who sighs a lot? Zuko: (Cut back to show Zuko grinning goofily) Yeah. (his face turns serious) Everyone in the Fire Nation thinks I'm a traitor. I couldn't drag her into it. Sokka: (Cut back to Sokka who leans back on the basket) My first girlfriend turned into the Moon. Zuko: (looks up) That's rough buddy

There are two things to unpack here. First, Zuko claims he “couldn’t drag her into it,” yet he already did, as I’ve illustrated above. Second, Zuko seems to expect that Mai would have followed him into treason if he asked her, that she would be willing to betray her nation, ideology, family, and friends just for the sake of her love for him. That’s an insane and pretty toxic expectation for Zuko to have for her relationship with him, especially since he wouldn’t do the same for her.

We also get more confirmation that Zuko doesn’t care at all about Ty Lee or Azula.

I don’t have a lot to say about the Zuko-Mai conversation during Boiling Rock, Part 2. The only things I would like to note are that Zuko is not very sorry for what he did, not very empathetic toward Mai’s pain, and doesn’t give Mai a real apology for his actions.

Of course, Mai proceeds to save Zuko’s life through committing treason in front of dozens of witnesses at Boiling Rock, something which places her own life in serous jeopardy. How does Zuko react to this?

Zuko: (Cut to a shocked Zuko) It's Mai. Azula: (Cut to a furious Azula) What is she doing?! (Cut to the backs of Azula and Ty Lee as Ty Lee shrugs and makes a "I don't know" noise. Cut to the gondola as it reaches the outer part of the crater. Cut to the inside of the entrance tower as the door opens and Suki rushes out followed by Sokka, Zuko, Hakoda and Chit Sang. Hakoda turns towards Chit Sang and points to the inside of the gondola. Chit Sang proceeds to throw the warden back in.) Hakoda: (Cut to the back of Hakoda's head looking at the warden lying on the floor) Sorry Warden, your record is officially broken. (Hakoda walks off screen while the warden continues to struggle on the floor. Cut to a front shot of the group as they run up a rocky incline.) Suki: Well, we made it out. Now what? Sokka: (Sokka stops and looks back at Zuko who pauses in his tracks, thinking) Zuko, what are you doing? Zuko: My sister was on that island. Sokka: Yeah and she's probably right behind us. So let's not stop. Zuko: What I mean is she must have come here somehow. (He runs to the edge of the rocks and looks down) There. (Cut to an area looking up at the edge of the cliff) That's our way out of here. (Camera pans down to reveal a Fire Nation zeppelin docked at the shore.

Zuko says Mai’s name once and then abandons her (to die?) with zero hesitation. This is probably objectively the correct decision. It would probably be extremely difficult and dangerous if not outright impossible to save Mai. The prison-break crew do have access to an airship, but it’s difficult to fly an airship over the lake’s thermals.

Yet that’s not my point. Zuko abandons Mai with zero hesitation, with zero anguish, with zero angst. He doesn’t even to seem consider the possibility that he should save her. Something tells me if Iroh had just saved Zuko’s life under identical circumstances and then was in imminent risk of harm, Zuko would act very differently, that Sokka, Suki, and Hakoda would have to drag him off that island.

Zuko’s complete disregard for Mai continues for the rest the series. Remember this exchange from “The Cave of Two Lovers”?

Zuko: (losing his patience) We're not taking any more chances with these plants! We need to get help. Iroh: But where are we going to go? We're enemies of the Earth Kingdom, and fugitives from the Fire Nation. Zuko: (musingly) If the Earth Kingdom, discovers us, they'll have us killed. Iroh: But if the Fire Nation discovers us, we'll be turned over to Azula.

Zuko considers being captured by Azula a worse fate than death!

But do we see Zuko worry once about Mai’s fate? Do we see angst about what might have happened to her? Do we see him make any effort to even discover her fate, much less rescue her?

No. In fact, Zuko launches a sophisticated operation to infiltrate a Fire Nation information center so that he can gain intelligence in order to help Katara murder someone so that she’ll like him, but he doesn’t even consider doing the same to find out about Mai’s fate so that he could potentially rescue her. Zuko doesn’t even mention Mai once after Boiling Rock until the very end of the series finale, even though she sacrificed herself to save him. Remember this exchange(“Sozin’s Comet, Part 3”):

Zuko: Sorry, but you're not going to become Fire Lord today. (jumps off Appa) I am. Azula: (laughs) You're hilarious. Katara: (standing beside Zuko) And you're going down. (The fire sage motions to crown Azula, but she raises her hand, signalling him to stop.) Azula: Wait. You want to be Fire Lord Fine. Let's settle this. Just you and me, brother. The showdown that was always meant to be. Agni Kai! Zuko: You're on. (Katara turns to Zuko, surprised. Cut to a close up of Azula's lips as the curls into a smile. Cut back to Katara and Zuko.) Katara: What are you doing? She's playing you. She knows she can't take us both so she is trying to separate us. Zuko: I know. But I can take her this time. Katara: But even you admitted to your Uncle that you would need help facing Azula. Zuko: There's something off about her, I can't explain it but she's slipping. And this way, no one else has to get hurt. (Fade to a shot of the courtyard from the side. The camera pans from Zuko kneeling on the right end to Azula kneeling on the left end. Cut to a shot of Zuko rising and turning around, then cut to a shot of Azula rising. Each can be seen behind the other. Cut to a shot of Azula from the front turning and removing the Fire Lord robes.) Azula: I'm sorry it has to end this way, brother. Zuko: (in his stance) No, you're not.

Notice something? Zuko doesn’t demand to know what happened to Mai! It’s almost like he forgot she existed!

Now we turn to the final infamous exchange(“Sozin’s Comet, Part 4”):

Mai:(off screen) You need some help with that? (He looks up surprised and moves aside to reveal Mai leaning against the doorway. Cut to a close up of Mai as she walks towards Zuko.) Zuko: (Cut to a delighted Zuko) Mai! (Walks off screen) You're ok. (Cut to an area behind Mai's back as Zuko opens his arms out in a hug) They let you out of prison? (Mai walks behind Zuko and lifts up his empty robe sleeve.) Mai: My uncle (Zuko puts his arms through the sleeve) pulled some strings, (she proceeds to fasten his robe) and it doesn't hurt when the new Fire Lord is your boyfriend. (She walks in front of Zuko and places a hand on his chest) Zuko: So does this mean you don't hate me anymore? Mai: (she blushes) I think it means... (Cut to a close up of the couple) I actually (places a hand on Zuko's cheek) kind of like you. (They lean in for a kiss and part a fewseconds later, looking into each other's eyes happily) But don't ever (She jabs a finger into Zuko's shoulder and Zuko's eye traces the movement of her finger) break up (She lifts her finger into the air and Zuko's eyes still follows it) with me again. (She jabs her finger into Zuko's shoulder one last time and Zuko smiles goofily. They embrace and the camera zooms out slowly.

Zuko seems surprised to learn that Mai is OK, almost like he made no effort to find out her fate once he took charge of the Fire Nation. And indeed, his first acts as leader of the Fire Nation were not to find out what happened to her or, if he actually knew, to get her released from prison. Mai only got released from prison when her uncle and his connections got sufficiently confident that Zuko had been completely accepted as the new leader to release a massive traitor completely on their own initiative. This was quite possibly weeks after Azula-Zuko Agni Kai, yet he made no apparent effort to get her released. It’s almost like Zuko completely forgot about Mai, even though she sacrificed herself to save him.

And, of course, Zuko doesn’t accept responsibility for any of the awful ways he treated Mai, much less apologize to her or offer any guarantee he will behave better in the future. Mai still forgives him anyways, just like she did in “The Beach,” only for Zuko to continue to screw her over. There is something deeply depressing here, as there’s every reason to believe that Zuko will screw over Mai over, devalue her, and disregard her well-being, desires, and interests again the moment it’s convenient for him to do so. He certainly has not recognized that his toxic behavior here is something he needs to stop doing. Ironically, the comics get this right by having Zuko try to use his power as Firelord to order Mai to stay his girlfriend.

Ultimately, Zuko loves Mai and cares about her deeply, yet he still treats her as a tool and acts like she exists to serve him. It reminds me how show! canon Ozai genuinely loved show! canon Ursa, but still used her as a tool and threw her away. Honestly, I doubt 16-year-old Zuko is really ready for any romantic relationship at all, given his often toxic behavior, his trauma, and the incredibly stressful position he’s placed in at the end of the series.

#Azula #Zuko #Mai #Ty Lee #Dangerous Ladies #Ozai #Zuko meta #ATLA meta #meta #Unpopular opinion

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thispatternismine · 3 years

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For the Dark!Lu Ten AU

This got kinda long so I figured I'd make a new post...

I was just thinking about the dark!Lu Ten AU that @electronswrites came up with (specifically this scenario based on an ask from @paintedbluerose ) & came up with a new angle: A corruption arc for Zuko. Special offer - 2 dark Fire Princes for the price of 1!

Basically, as in the linked post, Lu Ten sells Zuko out & the Earth Kingdom takes him prisoner. They torture him for information but get nothing. But things go awry when they try to offer him for ransom.

Because look, Ozai might not care about his son, & Zuko might be banished, but this is still his son we're talking about here, & if news that the Earth Kingdom had him were to leak then that would be an unacceptable humiliation for the Fire Nation. He still ain’t gonna give them shit though, so he just strings the negotiators along while instructing Azula to take a detour on her way to Ba Sing Se. Or gets someone else to do it (a job for Combustion Man or the Rough Rhinos, perhaps?).

He'd planned just have Zuko quietly & conveniently die & had already written the eulogy. But then he learns that Lu Ten is alive (even though Ozai had a deal that he would be killed) & - apparently - Iroh was the one who ordered that Zuko be given to the Earth Kingdom. To him, it all looks so obvious: Iroh latches on to Zuko so that he has an heir ready for when he takes the throne (back) from Ozai (why else would he want to spend time with Zuko???), but then his own heir reappears & Zuko is now surplus to requirements. And Ozai is pissed. Zuko & Azula are his possessions! How dare Iroh think he can use one of them as his pawn? Well, two can play that game, & Ozai does not intend to lose.

Zuko has spent less time in Earth Kingdom hands than if he'd had to wait till Iroh could get him out after the war, but he's still in a pretty bad way. So he ends up in the palace infirmary, high as a kite on painkillers, while Ozai & Azula tell him how awful it is that Iroh did that, & doesn't that prove that he & his son don't deserve the throne & that Ozai was right? But don't worry, you're home now, with your family. You're safe here with us... And Zuko is listening to all this, drugged & in pain, & it all makes so much sense. And his father did rescue him. That must mean he actually does love Zuko after all, right? Ozai praises him for not telling his interrogators anything (just because he doesn't know anything useful doesn't mean he's going to talk) & Zuko absolutely seizes on that.

Maybe Ozai would claim those letters that Zuko found were forged. Maybe Azula would gaslight him into believing that their cousin had always been like this & their father was just trying to protect them by getting rid of him. Or maybe Zuko would be beyond caring by this point.

Ozai publicises the 'Iroh & Lu Ten totally sold Zuko to the Earth Kingdom' story to discredit his brother & nephew & head off any potential bids for the throne, so the Gaang find out what happened. Naturally they don't believe it at first - they joined forces with Iroh & Lu Ten in Ba Sing Se, & sure Lu Ten seems kinda weird, but Iroh is chill so they give him the benefit of the doubt. But Lu Ten doesn't even try to deny it. Hey, he did them a favour by getting rid of the guy who chased them for months! Iroh is devastated.

And he can't do anything about it. Even if he was desperate enough to give himself up in the hope that he'd get a chance to apologise to his nephew, he knows he has to teach the Avatar firebending (sure as hell can't leave that task to Lu Ten). And he can't reason with his son, because as far as Lu Ten is concerned, this just proves him right - see how easily Zuko went back to that traitor! They find a poster with the text of a speech the Firelord gave about how horrified he is that those monsters could do such a thing to his beloved son who he has missed sooooo much, which Iroh sees for the obvious propaganda it is but Lu Ten accepts as truth & cannot be convinced otherwise. (The speech includes mention of some of the injuries Zuko came home with, & Iroh hopes they're as much a lie as the declarations of love.)

Iroh has to deal with the fact that both of his sons have gone dark. Also, this would probably result in the Fire Nation winning, or at least not losing as conclusively as they did in canon.

Because assuming that Aang's encounter with the lion turtle still happens then Aang would still have everything he needs to be able to defeat Ozai. And Iroh would probably guess about the 'burn it all down with airships' thing because he knows what his brother is like & airships provide a great way of causing maximum damage. So not much change there. But Zuko not defecting means that the Boiling Rock doesn't happen (or if it does then it doesn't involve him), so Mai & Ty Lee don't betray Azula to save him, so she's not going to go into a downward spiral & dismiss anyone who looks at her funny. Anyone showing up at the Fire Palace is going to face a united front of Azula, Zuko, Mai & Ty Lee, as well as her Dai Li agents (& any other guards she dismissed offscreen in canon).

Bonus fucked up potential sub-scenarios for this scenario:

· Ember Island Players is 5000% worse because the play makes extensive mention of the fact that Iroh & Lu Ten are working with the Avatar & Iroh is painted as outright evil instead of a bumbling fool (his cake obsession is still there but now it's about him trying to poison his nephew). Fake!Lu Ten is so worryingly spot-on the Gaang keep having to check that he's still sitting with them & hasn't randomly wandered onstage. Zuko's imprisonment is depicted & played up for maximum sympathy. The actors go as hard as they can get away with & the props guy uses a lot of fake blood. Iroh has to leave the theatre.

· Iroh goes to the Fire Palace instead of Ba Sing Se for the final battle, hoping to talk with his nephew, apologise, maybe even bring him around to realising the Fire Nation is wrong & the war is unjust, & it's working (Ozai & Azula presented the idea to burn the Earth Kingdom as revenge for what happened to Zuko, & he feels guilt over that, because he knows that ordinary people had nothing to do with his imprisonment). But Iroh is so focused on his nephew he forgets to watch his niece, & fails to notice her getting into a lightningbending stance in time. With Sozin’s Comet boosting her bending & him being distracted, he fails to block & redirect properly. Katara is too busy fighting to help him. He dies.

· They can't afford to leave anyone out of the battle, even if they're a dick who sold their own cousin to the enemy, but it's obviously a bad idea to send Lu Ten to face Zuko, so he's sent to help with the airship fleet. Meaning that he's there when Ozai is defeated. At some point Lu Ten finds an opportunity to confront his uncle alone. He tortures Ozai, taking out all the pain he's been through on the guy who is responsible for it. Ozai laughs & tells him he regrets what he did - but only because he is obviously a kindred spirit & would have been a valuable ally. And then he dies because he's a dramatic bitch who knows a good exit when he sees one. Lu Ten is horrified by the idea that he & his uncle might be alike in any way. And worst of all, killing him didn't make him feel any better.

· Zuko is upset by his uncle’s death, & Iroh’s argument that the war is unjust makes sense... And then the Avatar & the rest of the Gaang shows up with what's left of Ozai. Since he was fighting Aang, Zuko & Azula are naturally going to assume he sustained those wounds in battle, so Aang gets the blame. Aang doesn't argue, because he feels responsible. The Fire Siblings refuse to negotiate. The Fire Nation is pissed.

· Lu Ten ends up right back with the Dai Li again, because Katara was taken prisoner during the battle & Sokka offers to trade the guy for his sister (normally he wouldn't negotiate with the Fire Nation but Katara's life is on the line here & also fuck that guy), & Azula hands him over to the Dai Li as a reward for their services.

· Nobody is happy.

#atla #lu ten #zuko #iroh #ozai #azula #mai #ty lee #aang #sokka #katara #toph #stuff what i have wrote #writing ideas

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comradekatara · 3 months

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i am very curious about your thoughts on various utena/atla character parallels… every once in a while i see you offhandedly compare like.. korrasami and utenanthy and i’m like HOLD ON this is so true! if you have any further ideas about that i would LOVE to hear them. i honestly don’t know how big the audience is for rgu/atla analysis but i am definitely part of that audience. 😭

yesss i can't believe you're literally the first person to ask me this lately i've been making rgu references on like, every single post i'm shameless!!!!! over the summer i even wrote (like 95% of) an essay comparing sokka and nanami (tldr; they are meat) and i have yet to revisit it (bc i'm scared tbh) but i will post is eventually that is a PROMISE (for an audience of 5 people). also before we go any further my utena blog is @saionjeans and we have fun there. also, i have some utena/atla crossover art here and here, so check that out if you haven't already. the rest of this post will be scattered thoughts because my nanami-sokka essay will be doing a lot of the in-depth analytical work and i don't need to rehash that all now. but also, because i have never not once in my life heard of brevity, i did write a bunch of mini essays anyway, because of course i did.

korrasami and utenanthy: love and abuse

i compared utenanthy to korrasami a couple times, most notably in this post where i talk about how meaningful their relationship is despite being (arguably) underdeveloped, and then in the tags i still have to acknowledge that utena and anthy nonetheless did it better 17 years prior. but i do think that there is so much to be said for utena-korra and anthy-asami as two young women who are both set up to be "special" but in a way that denies and restricts them from their own humanity, cloistering them away from the outside world and making them more vulnerable to abuse. i talked pretty recently about how asami's abuse is really shrugged under the carpet in a way that pisses me off if i think about it for too long. rgu does such an incredible job of gradually exposing that abuse and its effects on society, not as a deviation from the norm (of the nuclear family, of the romance, of the school, etc.) but in fact a common symptom of it. lok does not critique the nuclear family in any meaningful way despite setting up so many different areas through which such a critique could be facilitated (made worse by the fact that atla sets such a fantastic precedent). but anyway, enough about lok (and how she disappoints me).

2. miki & kozue and katara & sokka: siblings and memory

in my sokka-nanami essay i talk about how various characters can be read to embody various analogues, but how my focus in that essay is primarily to draw a parallel between sokka and nanami by using the framework for gender/patriarchal logic rgu establishes. however, i also talk about how azula can be read as a nanami (or even an anthy) figure, as well as how katara and sokka can be read as miki and kozue (katara = miki and sokka = kozue, obviously) (and note that kozue and nanami are significant foils/mirrors too). i mean, they even have a similar light blue (to signify naïveté, innocence, childlike wonder) versus dark blue (to signify cynicism, jadedness, resigned subsumption into harmful norms) color scheme going on. the Special sibling and the afterthought. (although before going forward i do want to be clear that i am in no way alluding to any incestuous undertones wrt katara and sokka, and i would even argue that the allusions to incestuous desire between miki and kozue are more complex and nuanced than simply reducing it to mere perversion. but that's beyond the scope of this ask lol)

i know that some people might bristle at my comparing katara to miki (baby misogynist, little freak) but miki really exemplifies the trope of the "sunlit garden" in the same way that katara exemplifies that trope in atla. miki isn't the narrator of course (akio is), but the central motif of desire staked to an illusory formative memory since lost that defines a character's motivations and self-becoming is first properly introduced (not including the utena meeting dios intro) and defined through his obsession. in the same way, we are introduced to the world of atla through katara's formative memories, her desire that motivates her self-becoming also being an illusory formative memory, as well as a tale she longs to replicate ("the four nations living together in harmony"). katara, like miki, is defined by her naïveté and childlike innocence, her somewhat reductive desire to be noble and heroic, and her need to flatten everything into a clear-cut narrative wherein she is always its heroine. like miki, she resents her sibling for being transformed into a more cynical version of themselves in accordance with society's pressures (in kozue's case, it's the inescapability of patriarchy, whereas in sokka's case, it's... a lot of things), and longs for a time when they were "truly happy" and playing together (playing piano, playing in the snow, you get it).

both kozue and sokka heavily subscribe to patriarchal logic and comport and reduce themselves in accordance with the dictums of a world they consider truly inescapable. kozue seeks power within her limited frame, whereas sokka only seeks power insofar as it allows him to assume his very narrow role of protector, but they both assume those limitations to be ontological and fixed in a way that does not allow them to see past it. however, the lack of empathy both miki and katara refuse to attempt in understanding their worldviews, in no way making an effort to broach that misunderstanding instead of simply letting the chasm between them fester, nonetheless implicates them equally. after all, they too both adhere to their own limited worldviews, only in their worldviews they are fundamentally special and thus beyond reproach. sokka and kozue are both integral aspects of katara and miki's sunlit gardens, and their idealized return to a picturesque nostalgia involves a transformation (or regression) of sokka and kozue into their more innocent former selves. and sokka and kozue are in turn obsessed with katara and miki, the central figure around which their identity and actions revolve.

through this framework, aang thus becomes katara's anthy (aangthy, hehe), as the embodiment of katara's hopeful/nostalgic ideal of heroism, companionship, and the idealized promise of a distant irretrievable past. like anthy with kozue, aang "replaces" katara's longing for the softer, more innocent version of her brother with aang's friendship. like miki with anthy, katara possesses romantic feelings for aang despite his functioning as a replacement for sokka before he became a shell of his former self (or kozue before she became... sexually active). this is because katara, like miki, idealizes the patriarchal narratives that dictate that all significant relationships be either romantic or familial (or both). she wholeheartedly subscribes to this notion, hence why she attempts to subsume everyone who can meaningfully fit into her narrative framework as either a lover (aang, haru, jet, zuko for all of 2 seconds) or a pseudo family member (aunt wu, hama, pakku, toph, etc etc.), replicating those dynamics as many times as she needs to to make them fit within her two dimensional tapestry. and crucially, coming face to face with yon rha subverts that, because she recognizes the messy humanity spilling forth from the neat boxes she puts people in, and must thus contend with her own role in her narrative. of course miki, being a side character and not the narrator, certainly not the hero, does not get this luxury. and he must find a way to grow up anyway.

3. akio and ozai: patriarchy

there's something truly incredible about how both akio and ozai manage to inflict psychological harm upon every single character in their respective shows, even if they never interact with those characters directly. their reach is vast and spindly; it cannot be overestimated. and yet, ozai has only reigned for about six years. akio is only acting chairman of ohtori academy. they are not patriarchy itself, but merely its signifier. and obviously their modes of embodying patriarchy differ in many respects: a school is not a nation (despite the similarities), and a father is not a brother (despite akio being father-like). ozai is defeated by by being stripped of his technology of violence, whereas akio is not "defeated" in a literal sense (although i suppose anthy driving a car through his ghost and exploding him into a cloud of roses does make quite the statement), anthy merely leaves. and yet, in both instances, they are both forced to succumb to their own limited ideology regarding what constitutes power. if ozai lacks firepower, he lacks control over his subjects and the right to sovereignty. if akio's control is challenged, if people realize that they can just leave, that the ends of his world are entirely arbitrary, he no longer has the power to abuse and exploit and use others for his own ends.

the metonymic signification of patriarchy figured through both ozai and akio in dual ways further emphasizes their respective roles. ozai is both king and father, akio is both (acting) chairman and (acting) father. patriarchy dictates every aspect of [a patriarchal] society: from interpersonal dynamics to the nuclear family to the school to the state to the world. what makes both akio and ozai so brilliant in this regard is the fact that their influence is reflected in all these facets. ozai abuses every member of his family individually; controls them as a system; inflicts his (family's) propaganda onto the fn education system, rewriting history with (almost) no one to disprove him; inflicts his imperialist agenda both within the fire nation (ruining local economies through industrialization, forcing citizens to conform to restrictive roles, inflicting violence through occupation) and beyond it; he refers to the world as "my world," as if he is its creator, its owner, or its god. and in many ways, he is. akio similarly abuses everyone interpersonally (most notably anthy, touga, and utena); subsumes utena into his nuclear family system so that she cannot leave; uses the academy as a site of control in which adolescents are forced to comply with socially codified norms and thus made more vulnerable to the influence of adult authority figures (especially those who emphasize their individuality or inherent specialness when compared with the rest of the student body); operates ohtori as a sort of nation wherein patriotism is reified through the use of uniforms, affiliations, sociopolitical hierarchies, and an acting government (the student council); and defines himself as the creator/owner/god of his world. to be end of the world. to embody not an apocalypse, but a cage.

ozai and akio both fashion themselves the entire world, but it also makes them more vulnerable to resistance, to any mode of critique that points out the obvious: no, you're just one person, and the logic you use to dominate others is deeply, noticeably flawed. it's a logic that they exploit but that in turns exploits them, as they have so deeply internalized it that they can no longer immunize themselves against any kind of resistance. ozai claims that there is no room for an air nomad in his world, which is why aang defeating ozai through the pacifist values of his people and not through his greater power (which would nonetheless be subscribing to ozai's logic, and thus letting him win ideologically if not physically) is so crucial in shattering ozai's paradigm. just as utena, as someone who refuses to conform to the strict, arbitrary, and violently enforced norms of patriarchy, can so thoroughly disrupt akio's control by resisting him. just as anthy can by leaving. akio remains in his cozy little coffin, exerting meaningless control to uphold the hollow puppet of his ego.

people sometimes joke about how long it takes for zuko to recognize that the burning off of half his face was "cruel" and "wrong," but it's not that zuko didn't find it painful, it's not that zuko didn't fear his father, it's not that zuko idolized his father beyond reproach. he questioned his cruelty, in fact he did so constantly. he simply saw no other way to live. he had no conception of a world beyond ozai's defined limits, had no choice but to believe ozai's dogma and loathe himself for not sufficiently adhering to it. similarly, people often ask "if anthy could leave all along, then why didn't she?" because she, too, was trapped in a coffin of her own self-loathing. to leave an abuser is not as simple as simply stepping beyond the threshold and never looking back. first, you must locate the threshold. then, you must find the courage to look beyond it. i briefly touched on azula being an anthy figure before. well, i think that she is. just because she has yet to see beyond the threshold does not mean she does not find her limits. and yes, its not triumphant, and yes, her facade that masks her pain and fear is shattered, but ultimately, that breakdown is a good thing for her. because that's her first step to freedom.

4. the sunlit garden as mythmaking events

i talk previously in this post about the motif of "the sunlit garden" in rgu vs what i like to call "a mythmaking event" in atla, and i do want to elaborate on that slightly. i provided a link to a post on my utena blog going into what the sunlit garden "is" for each principal character, and atla has a similar mode of communicating these nostalgic desires and idealizations that motivate self-becoming, largely through flashbacks. for aang, it is quite obvious, as his memories of a before and after are (temporally, although not psychologically) fragmented by an entire century. that disconnect severs the two versions of himself quite neatly. those memories with gyatso and the other air nomads (as well as with child bumi, and with the mysterious kuzon) are his idealized past, his "sunlit garden," whereas the storm is his mythmaking event, the point in his life where his choices collide with his telos. there is no going back.

katara and sokka have a similar sunlit garden, their snowball fight being the last truly happy memory they have before the black snow falls and their childhood innocence is severed from them forever. kya's sacrifice and murder is katara's mythmaking event as she then chooses to assume the mantle of her mother who took her place, decides to become the greatest waterbender possible to compensate for surviving the genocide, and chooses to be a hero so that the collective memory and sacrifices of her people will not be in vain. like utena, she witnesses pain and suffering at a very young aged and is moved to become a hero so as to mitigate that suffering, even if her own formative tragedy can never be rectified. also like utena, she idealizes a seemingly utopian past wherein violence was more covert and thus presented itself as more ideal (the time of princes vs the time of harmony). her naïveté and persistent idealism are both her downfall and her greatest virtue. she refuses to accept the true state of the world to the point of blindness, but it is also that refusal to accept it that allows her to force the world into a kinder shape.

as for sokka, his mother's death was also a formative trauma, but his true mythmaking event is when hakoda leaves for war with all the other men of his tribe. hakoda tells him that "being a man is knowing where you're needed the most, and right now, that's here, protecting your sister." it's not a rose crest ring, but it may as well be. from that moment onward, sokka officially comports his identity into being his sister's protector, which is how he thus defines his manhood. and of course, being his sister's protector means being a martyr, because the precedent for "protecting katara" that has already been established is, well, dying for her. like aang being the avatar and the last airbender and katara being the last southern waterbender, sokka is thus defined by his necessity (ie, usefulness to others) as well as his isolation – not only the "last warrior/man" of the swt, but also via his own process of depersonalization and self-dehumanization as he attempts to fully embody his role as an eventual martyr.

zuko's mythmaking event is, of course, branded onto his face. in fact, zuko essentially assumes both katara and sokka's mythmaking events by first being irrevocably altered by his mother's sacrifice, and then being all the more transformed by his father's decree as he attempts to dictate what kind of man zuko needs to be. his "sunlit garden" is also shown to us in flashes: memories of a (literal!) sunlit garden, of turtleducks, of his mother's gentle guidance, of happier times on ember island, on his father's hand resting on his shoulder with pride instead of malice. it is unclear just how truthful these nostalgic memories are. obviously, his family was never actually happy. ozai had always been exerting control over them, even if his violence was once more obscured. we never see azula's sunlit garden, for instance (although i'd argue that she and zuko possess the same mythmaking events), and i cannot help but wonder whether it's because, like touga, she never actually had one.

finally, some honorable mentions must go to the following: toph, whose sunlit garden is also her mythmaking event, as she learns from badgermoles how to hone her gift and reject the rigid societal impositions that seek to limit, repress, and control her. hama, who never attempts to return to her sunlit garden in the swt with kanna, despite her freedom as established in her mythmaking event of teaching herself to bloodbend; she knows that she is irrevocably altered, and thus she can never go home again. appa, whose sunlit garden, of playing with the other bison at the southern air temple, occurs in conjunction with his mythmaking event of meeting aang and becoming the avatar's animal companion.

all of these events are depicted through flashbacks wherein the consecutive shots between flashback and present day mirror the character who is having the memory in the past and present, overlaying their younger face onto their current face with identical framing. i'm too lazy to compile a bunch of screenshots here, and i couldn't find the post i'd seen previously that had done so, but if you're as familiar with atla as i am, then you already know exactly what i'm talking about. this device is so effective particularly because it exercises restraint. every flashback in atla is crucial because it signifies either a sunlit garden or a mythmaking event that motivates the character its focalizing in the present day. atla is economical with its flashbacks, but not withholding. like with rgu, flashbacks in atla are used with a specificity of purpose, and illustrate their points in clear, precise ways. just because atla is not as overtly metatextual with its central themes of narrativization, nostalgia, idealization, bias, and storytelling, does not mean it is not present, and in fact, overt. ranging from katara's role as narrator to the fire nation propaganda aang attempts to correct in school, the use of memory and illusion is crucial in illustrating how atla functions as a narrative about heroism, legacy, and challenging dominant myths through preserving cultural memory under an imperialist regime.

5. final thoughts

obviously, i could go on forever. there is simply no limit to my ability to unpack and dissect these two shows (hence, my sideblogs dedicated to doing so). i haven't even talked about zuko as an analogue to saionji with regard to their latent homosexuality, misogyny, violence, and struggle to conform to a patriarchal ideal. and i barely touch on katara as an analogue to utena with regard to their naïveté, heroism, myopia, persistence, and somewhat misguided desire for justice (through her terms specifically), although like kozue and nanami as mirrors wrt sokka, her traits that i describe when comparing her to miki also map onto utena in many ways – except of course, utena, unlike miki, is also the "hero," and thus has the same destabilizing revelation regarding the banality of evil that katara undergoes in "the southern raiders." moreover, i only discuss one central motif in utena, because i think the sunlit garden is the trope that maps best onto the thematic work atla is doing, but i'm sure that there are many more frameworks i could compare. and yet, i only have so much time, and only so much space in which to ramble. so hopefully, for now, this suffices. however, if there any specific areas in which you would like me to elaborate, you know that i shall always be happy to do so.

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thetimelordbatgirl · 2 years

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I'm honestly so tired of Lily at this point. She goes above and beyond to get hate clicks that I'm kind of thinking at this point almost nothing about how she presents herself is genuine. She exclusively nitpicks and hates on things that are popular because it gives her hate clicks.

Honestly, that's one way to sum up Lily really. Like, the Hunter situation right now is just her liking to piss off Hunter stan's and ironically throwing around shit that she either does herself or makes her look iffy. Like, yeah, the fandom DEFINITELY has a issue when it comes to non-white characters, but has Lily actually discussed Luz beyond Lumity and shit? Has she discussed Gus before beyond an anon about Gus and Hunter? And the only time she discussed Skara was to obsess over her. The only non-white character she talks about consistently is Willow but uhhhhh, well she puts her kinks onto Willow, whose a child, so.... And like, she's entertaining these anons about Black!Hunter, just to insult white fangirls and white gay men at some point and even imply that it would mean Hunter isn't shoved down our throats, which as we know with Lily right now, she would love....given she actively cheered when Hunter, a abuse victim, was seemingly killed by his abuser.

And like, the hate clicks shows MORE when you realize she said prior no, she won't be discussing Encanto cause friend said no, but then she saw everyone throwing a party at her not trashing Encanto and then she suddenly has to talk about it, just to insult fans in the fandom. Like, if Lily had discussed the issues in the Encanto fandom in a genuine way, it would have been fine. But again, she didn't care for the issues. She just saw another fandom to stir the pot in and dip as soon as she could. AND THEN you got her latest 'why you make this video' in the form of her Avatar video where she now is reconsidering her views on Zuko, a popular character for how good his redemption is, and even thinks Avatar is sexist now, because Azula didn't get a redemption. Like....again, this is her now getting desperate as her channel is basically dying, so she may as well make hate clicks while she still can really.

#lily orchard #lily orchard critical #like i think shes only been geniune with one encanto reblog #and that was the post about carlaerosie #that was it #every other time shes just stirring drama to get hate clicks

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ultranos · 3 years

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"why Suki would waste her energy hating a nerdy, dweeby eighth-grader." Gee, I wonder why someone would be pissed at the person who threw them in a super-max prison noted for its cruelty towards inmates? Azula fans can't complain the about the cruel conditions faced by Azula and her Fire Warriors in the asylum and then try to downplay the suffering caused by Azula throwing people in jail. At least be consistent for I thought that was your guys' main complaint about post-canon Azula's treatment?

Man, it's so funny to watch people twist themselves into pretzels when arguing how terrible Azula is. Like accusing her of war crimes when she's actually following those precious Geneva Conventions most faithfully. Because Suki was a prisoner of war and wasn't executed. Wasn't tortured.

What's less funny is accusing me of inconsistency when my position has been that incarceration isn't helpful for rehabilitation across the board. An asylum shouldn't be a jail because it is meant to be a hospital. A prisoner of war is likewise different.

And beyond that: wow way to miss the obvious shitposting? Was the fact I called Azula a dweeb like a 90s high school sitcom that subtle?

#atla #i see we have moved on to #the 'stop having fun guys' portion of this nonsense #i'm not mad i'm amused by all this #nos asnwers things

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adrianasunderworld · 4 years

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I never have had anything against Kataang, honestly I've always been kind of indifferent to it. Even as a kid when the show first aired and the moment Aang blushed at Katara, I knew they were going to be a thing. Because the main guy and the main girl always end up together, it was just a given that I knew even then. So i never invested myself in their romance, there was never a moment that made me think, you know what this isnt bad, they're good together and I want them together. It never did anything for me so I put my attention in all the cool fights and backstory. It wasnt until I was a bit older and the show was wrapping up and me, new to the internet and internet fandom, did I see Zutara fan art and think "wait you can do that!?"

I haven't watched avatar in its entirety since it aired, and now that I've watched it on netflix as an adult and knowing what I do and do not enjoy in romance, and on occasion having to come up with quick explanations of the show for my mom who has watched bits and pieces with me, I really am bummed Zutara was not canon.

We all know the reasons we love this ship: the sun and moon, red vs blue, fire and water dynamic. They both mirror each other in diffrent ways. Plus they just look damn good together.

(Dont fight me on that last one, you cant convince me they dont make a good looking pair.)

Both are children of their nations leaders. Both took on personas to reach some kind of goal (katara as the painted lady and zuko the blue spirit), both were very close to their mothers and were the last to see them before they were gone, something that had traumatized them both. This last one was something they bonded over in ba sing se and later in the southern raiders, even though Zuko didnt talk about his mom in that episode, you know hes the only one in the group who understands that need for closure about her mom.

We assigned them both as the mom and dad friends of the group, and to an extent that is true. But both of them also have their own temper. We all know about Zukos anger issues and how he has dealt with it, I feel like we dont talk about Katara always down to kick ass, especially when shes pissed. ( master pakku anyone?)

Hell even in the show itself its almost a running gag. June teases Zuko that Katara is his girlfriend whenever she can. And they joke about it big time in ember island players. Even when not played for laughs theres something foreshadowy about Zuko finding and holding up to Kataras neck what we find out is essentially an engagement ring. Or Katara almost using the spirit water to heal his scar once Zuko opens up just a smidge about how he lost his mother too. Surrounded, I might add, in cave of glowing stones like the stones in the cave of lovers, which was created by lovers on opposing sides of a war.

Once Zuko joins the group, Katara is the only one that actively challenges him and tells him she will personally hold him accountable if he steps out of line. And Zuko owns up to what he has done in the past and willing to do anything to earn her forgiveness and trust.

Plus, Iroh teaches Zuko these advanced firebending moves he learned from observing water benders, methods zuko continues to use and later teach Aang. Water is hailed as the element of life and healing while fire is cast as death and destruction. Only when they learn from the dragons do we learn that fire gives life as well.

Plus, and this is something I've recently thought of while rewatching, I think they could have showed another important lesson that I think little me, who was so used to and uninvested in romances between the two main guy and girl, would have appreciated and been blown away by. Someone can love you, be willing to do anything for you, and you can care about them as well, but it doesn't mean you have to love them back. You can grow and change and find someone else, and it may hurt that other person, as much as you dont want it to, but you dont have to be with them. We all know about Aang and his attachment to Katara and not wanting to lose her. But Zuko also has Mai. Who has liked Zuko since they were kids and loved him more than she feared Azula, and was willing to save him even after he dumped her and knowing how pissed Azula would be. I love both Aang and Mai, and when I started to ship Zutara many moons ago, I felt bad because I liked them so much. They loved and were devoted to them, but I couldn't think of a scenario where neither character got out of it un hurt. But that's the thing, that's practically impossible. And you know what? It's ok, yes they would be heartbroken, but they'll eventually grow and move on. Something I think Aang especially needs. Because he may be wise beyond his years and also deserves good things for everything he's been through, but Aang is still very young and has room to grow. Katara and Zuko may not be much older than him, but they both were forced to grow and be mature years before they should have. And fighting in the same war that forced them to grow up would make them change and find each other. Aang and Katara always felt like puppy love to me. Its innocent and sweet, but never felt lasting to me. Zutara always felt sturdier, like they were capable of working well together because they have both figured out who they are and what they want.

We are reminded over and over again that Katara is the one thing that attached Aang to the world. But he must learn to let her go. In Ba sing Se when they were in the caverns, instead of immediately going to her defense. Aang let her go to go into the Avatar state. That's all well and good, but I feel like it could have been taken a step further in "if you love her, let her go" way. That would have been a great big step into Aang growing up and willing to give up his pursuit of Katara. A big sign that he has matured, and willing to let the girl he loves be happy, even if it's not with him.

#zutara #i ramble #i think thats all my thoughts #i could write a whole essay on this shit #but ill stop for now #avatar #zuko #Katara

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theclockworkmonk · 3 years

Text

Title: Intermission

Summary: During the intermission of "The Boy in the Iceberg," Zuko and Toph are fed up with Aang and Katara's drama.

Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender

Read on AO3

Read on FF.net

For Throwback Thursday, thought I'd post the first fanfic I ever wrote, back in August of 2013 (so excuse how...not good it is). The way Katara goes from rejecting Aang to kissing him with zero conversations in between always bothered me, so I wrote this scene that could have been a deleted scene in the episode, and to this day the type of fanfic I'm most drawn to is "missing" scenes that would have improved an aspect of the story. So awkward writing is what sucked me down this rabbit hole.

******

"Ow! What was that for?" Zuko rubbed his arm, suspecting a bruise would probably form.

Toph just smiled innocently. "That's how I show affection," she said as if she had just baked him a cake instead of physically assaulted him.

Zuko was glad Toph hadn't been with Aang, Katara, and Sokka back when he was chasing them on their way to the North Pole. They had given him enough bruises, lacerations, and concussions on their own. If Toph had been there, he'd probably still be eating through a straw.

"So, anyway, do you know where Aang is? I'm starting to worry. I told Sokka that this play wasn't worth the risk."

Toph just frowned, "Why are you asking me? In case you haven't noticed, this whole place is made out of the evil substance known as wood."

"I thought maybe you would know because he told you. Ya know, that's how the rest of us keep track of where people are."

"That sounds like a hassle," Toph said casually with a finger digging in her ear, "Anyway, Twinkle Toes is probably in the same place as Sugar Queen."

Zuko groaned for what seemed like the 12th time tonight. "Good. Maybe with them alone together they'll finally clear the air and allow the rest of us to move on with our lives."

"Hey, at least you just got here. Meathead and I have had to endure this drama for months."

"I honestly don't understand what their thinking is," Zuko sighed with his head in his hands, "At least you have the excuse that Sokka has a girlfriend."

Zuko saw Toph scowl a scowl that would even put Azula to shame. "I'm sure I have no idea what you're talking about, and unless you want a more symmetrical face, you don't either."

Zuko rolled his eyes, "Whatever. I was surprised to find out they weren't official yet by the time I got here. Especially after Katara straight up threatened to kill me if I looked at him wrong."

"Wait, what now? You serious?"

"Yeah, it was the first night I spent at the Air Temple."

"Nah, she was bluffing."

"Toph, I grew up with Azula. I got pretty good at spotting lies. Katara meant every word she said. And it got even worse when I would try to train Aang. He would always make up some excuse about how he needed to practice more waterbending, even though he's been working on that almost a year."

Toph grunted in agreement, "You don't need to tell me. Just as I was about to break through his earthbending block, Her Sweetness comes in all 'Oh, don't worry, it's okay, we can practice waterbending. Come on, let's go splash around in our underwear.'"

"Yeah, I've been thinking that if they just got it out in the open then he could concentrate again. That's why I've been getting closer to Katara. I thought maybe if I piss him off enough he would man up and push me out of the way."

Toph smirked in her very self-satisfied way, "I knew it! Though, you might want to tell Snoozles about that plan. He's been worried that you really were interested in her. I guess that explains the seating arrangements this evening?"

Zuko rubbed the back of his head and smiled guiltily. "Yeah, I made double sure to sit next to Katara, and for a second he actually seemed like he was going to grow a backbone. I was thinking 'Come on, this is driving you crazy, isn't it? Call me out, why don't you want me sitting here?' but he hog-chickened out again. And I've been doing this for a while. After I saved Katara from being crushed at the temple, I made sure to stay on top of her just a little longer than necessary, but that just made her mad at me rather than him."

"And your little field trip?"

"Well, no, that really was just me trying to help her. But me decidedly not inviting anyone else, not even Sokka, to come help find Yon Rha had something to do with my meddling."

"And plus, it certainly seems like the play is helping you," Toph laughed.

Now it was Zuko's turn to scowl. "I actually think I got more than I bargained for with that. I'm just certain that if he finally told her he liked her, they could move forward and not be stuck in this limbo."

Toph looked confused, "Oh, she knows that he likes her. Did no one tell you that? He kissed her on the day of the invasion. Twinkle Toes waited until everyone else was gone, but he apparently forgot that they were standing on a giant metal submarine. He's kind of stupid like that."

Zuko just sat back, re-thinking his efforts, that he apparently had been wasting, "Well….huh. I guess I was wrong. Maybe she doesn't like him that way."

Toph sniggered in the way she always did when people failed to hide things from her, "Oh, she likes him, Sparky. You don't enjoy a kiss that much unless you do."

"You can tell?" Zuko asked in an alarmed voice. Toph's semi-mind-reading abilities still creeped him out.

"Oh yeah, her heartbeat went through the roof and she apparently forgot how to breathe until Meathead reminded her that we had a nation to invade."

Now Zuko was downright angry now. "Well then why the hell are they still dragging this out!?" He asked, probably too loudly.

Toph smirked and raised one eyebrow. "I think the better question is why you care so much. I mean, I find the drama annoying, sure, but you're really going above and beyond." She nudged him in the side and winked, "could it be that our own resident Angsty McEmopants is secretly a hopeless romantic?"

Zuko elbowed her back, "I'll have you know that I care as his firebending teacher. Firebending is fueled by raw emotion and passion," he nervously tried to figure out a euphemism, "and I just, um, thought that if he had a particular something that invokes certain….urges, then it would give him a little boost."

Toph grinned again. "So you're hoping that Sugar Queen makes him hot in more ways than one?"

Zuko groaned. "Well, if you must put it that way, yeah. You've been hanging out with Sokka too much." He stood up, "I'm going to go find them to see if they do something stupid."

And, sure enough…

***************

Katara was a split second away from kissing Aang back when her eyes shot open

NO!

She pushed him away, trying to muster up some anger. "I just said I was confused!"

Aang simply looked down. He had the same look on his face as when she pulled him out of the Avatar state at the Southern Air Temple, and he had no choice but to accept that he was the last airbender.

"I'm going back inside." She had intended to calmly walk back into the theater, but she had to run to keep Aang from seeing her eyes watering. She burst through the doors and stopped a few steps in to try to get ahold of herself. That was when she heard the voice behind her.

"Katara, who exactly do you think you're fooling?"

She whirled around and saw Zuko standing behind the door, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. Had he been listening?

"Yes, Katara, I was listening. So I'll ask you again, who do you think you're fooling?"

She turned around with a scowl on her face, determined not to get roped into this conversation. If she couldn't talk about Aang with Aang, how could she with Zuko? "Mind your own business, Zuko."

"Katara, you're a very gentle soul. You're peaceful, compassionate, understanding, slow to violence. To the point of stubbornness, in fact, which is one reason you two deserve each other. Hell, you didn't even kill the man who murdered your mother in cold blood. And yet even now, I don't doubt that you would have one second's hesitation to end me if you thought I might hurt Aang."

"Don't paint me in that light Zuko," She couldn't help but smirk, "I would totally give you one second's hesitation. Probably."

"So why are you putting up this 'confused' act?"

She put her hands on her hips and scowled, "You don't know how I feel, Zuko! Of course I'm overprotective of Aang, he's my best friend, not to mention that whole only-hope-for-the-world thing."

Zuko raised a skeptical eyebrow, "Your friend, huh? That's funny, because it's not Toph you were homicidally protective of, nor your own brother, who would be a lot easier for me to hurt, need I remind you. And don't think that I didn't notice you getting angry when those actors had you saying that you think of Aang as a brother. That wasn't a look of concern about Aang getting his feelings hurt, that was you pissed because they got something wrong about you."

"Well aren't you just the mind-reader?" she asked with enough sarcasm to upstage her brother.

"No, I'm not. I don't have to be. Newsflash Katara, the entire group knows. Sokka, Suki, Toph, even Duke, Haru, and Teo knew about it. Hell, all it takes is watching a single one of your 'waterbending sessions.'" He said the last two words with air-quotes.

Katara looked away nervously and blushed, "What do you mean by that?"

"Well, to be fair, I'm not a waterbender, but none of my training sessions involved my teachers pressing up against me from behind to correct my stance."

"So, I was making doubly sure he had the proper form, what's your point?"

"My point Katara, that I had the waterbending scroll in my hand as you were doing it, and he was already doing it right. There was no 'correcting' to be done."

"Alright, FINE!" She almost shouted, "Maybe I have some feelings for Aang, but…he can't afford any distractions or confusions right now."

"Katara, don't think that I'm stupid enough to believe that you're stupid enough to believe that. In what way would knowing that the person he loves loves him back and is there for him be a distraction? What is a distraction, however, is this game you're playing. Why do you think I'm here? I don't care about your love life, but this uncertainty is keeping me from doing my job as his teacher. Even after we trained with the dragons, Aang has been too timid, too hesitant. Firebending requires lowered inhibitions and absolute confidence in oneself. Now I know why he's been like that. Because the one time he was completely open and bold in his emotions about the thing most important to him, you left it hanging there untouched for weeks. And now that you've full-on thrown it back in his face, he might get even worse."

Katara couldn't keep her eyes from watering anymore, "Well then he should get over it! Get over me! What's the point, Zuko? It's not like my love for him will protect him! What, is your dad going to be so moved by our love for each other that he decides not to try to kill him?" She slumped against the wall and sat down, hugging her knees as tears streamed down her face, "He died in my arms once already in Ba Sing Se. I can't lose him all over again."

Zuko came over, sat down and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Before I left to join you, I had a girlfriend back home. Her name's Mai. You've already….become acquainted with her."

"I'm better acquainted with her knives, but whatever."

"When I left, I left a note for her saying that we weren't together anymore. I thought ending our relationship would make her lose her feelings for me, so that if anything happened to me, she wouldn't be hurt. Sokka and I are still alive because I was wrong. Even though we weren't technically together anymore, she still loved me enough to go against Azula and save my life, and I still love her enough for that knowledge that she's rotting in prison eat me alive every single day. Hiding behind words and technicalities about where you stand can't change how you feel. It just adds the weight of things not said if something does go wrong."

He stood up. "I'm going back to the seats. Think about it."

Toph was the only one already back when he got back to the balcony. "Have you seen Suki and Meathead yet?" he asked.

Toph answered with a punch to his gut, "Only I get to call him Meathead. But no. Honestly, Sokka has probably gotten them both thrown out of the theatre for harassing actor-Sokka. Twinkle Toes or Sugar Queen do something stupid?"

"Both did, actually. I think I might have managed to get to through to Katara."

People started shuffling in to retake their seats. "I will say this though, this intermission has definitely been the most dramatic part of the play so far."

#kataang #aang x katara #aang #avatar aang #katara and aang #katara #zuko #toph #the ember island players #avatar: tla #avatar the last airbender #atla #atla fanfic #team avatar #missing scene #one shot

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