#I think she was good for Zuko

[jessmalia]

Mal's Avatar: The Last Airbender rewatch: The beach 3.05

[mugentakeda]

not even harvards top scientists could understand the complexities of the azula-iroh beef lore that i made up in my head

(silly bonus under the cut)

[pbnmj]

doodles from between uni and gotg3...... rocket and nebula i love you guys so so so much

[bunthebreadboy]

“The eclipse is Zutara coded” WRONG. It’s Azutara coded. It’s the final Agni Kai. It’s Katara standing in front of Azula, freezing them in water right before Azula tries to lightning bend. It’s Katara being the only character in the series who completely subdues Azula. It’s Azula, who burns hot, who becomes exhausted with heavy breaths, who begins screaming with flames coming out of her mouth. And it’s Katara, who watches with a heavy expression and Zuko at her side.

[blluespirit]

okay like maiko annoys me for a lot of reasons but the consequences for mai helping azula to hunt down zuko being apparently non-existant to their relationship annoys me so fucking much. she tried to have him imprisoned and she's never shown feeling even any remorse about that?? and then they get together at the end??????? hello????

[threalcrabbysamantha]

Little modern zutara cuteness for ya

[sirenalpha]

I'm not gonna get into it on the actual post because I don't want to start shit after how Aang posts have gone down and it's not like I saw it cuz it was tagged wrong or something

but it is wild to see someone say Azula's downfall was well written in atla and then also say what Zuko should have done and implying he was morally obligated to do so was not fight her and instead offer her love and support so he's in the wrong for accepting the agni kai challenge and fighting her

this blatantly ignores that Azula has manipulated and abused Zuko since childhood even though they also admit that Azula tried to kill him twice recently as a defense of Zuko's actions which is definitely some cognitive dissonance, but it's another instance I've seen of someone acting as if Zuko is incorrect or blinded by his father or otherwise mistaken when he says things like 'Azula always lies' despite the show demonstrating that actually Zuko is seeing her extremely clearly as she can even successfully manipulate him using the truth

Zuko does not owe Azula love and support just because they are blood relatives anymore than he owes Ozai especially not any time before the war has ended and she is still a threat to his personal safety and also to his goal of achieving peace seeing as she tried to kill Zuko twice leading up to the finale and she also came up with the plan to raze the Earth Kingdom

Giving her a hug isn't gonna fix that situation exactly the same as it wouldn't with Aang when it comes to Ozai

except this person thought Aang v Ozai was ultimately a triumph of pacifism over imperialism whereas the love and support vs fear and isolation of Zuko vs Azula is only pure tragedy not a victory of one ideology over another and I really have to wonder how this person came to that conclusion

Aang v Ozai is also a man to man battle same as Zuko v Azula and Katara v Azula which is not exactly pacifism

Aang doesn't kill Ozai in the end, and neither does Zuko or Katara kill Azula (instead she nearly kills Zuko) so again no different on the pacifism front

The major differences between these battles are that Zuko and Katara earned their abilities to defeat Azula whereas Aang relies on two deus ex machina and Zuko and Katara leave Azula upset but a pretty physically healthy state whereas Aang spiritually mutilates Ozai by removing his bending

in order for this interpretation to work that Aang v Ozai is a triumph of one ideology over another and Zuko v Azula is not, you have to ignore the massive narrative flaws in the Aang and Ozai fight that do not exist in the Zuko v Azula fight

There is a reason people still argue about whether or not Aang should have killed Ozai but even this person who argues Zuko did the wrong thing by Azula doesn't actually disagree with the text of the show, they still seem to want this agni kai to have happened exactly as it did where Zuko did show that love and support worked better than fear and isolation as he had Katara to tag in to finish the fight as well as other concepts like continuing to improve and learn after failure which eventually gave Zuko stability working better than genius perfectionism which caused Azula to spiral

another major facet this person relied on to argue for this position that Zuko was wrong to accept the agni kai was that Zuko could not see beyond the narrow worldview his father imposed on him through the golden child/scape goat dynamic he put upon Azula and Zuko

but the whole point of the show and having Zuko confront his father and leave to join the Avatar was to show exactly that, Zuko is the one character whose horizons broaden the most over the course of the show and only because Iroh's happens pre-series, it is insane to argue that Zuko cannot see past the abuse he suffered or outside the Fire Nation worldview after he has left the Fire Nation for the gaang

This person also claims that Zuko is so single minded about his goals that he even forgets empathy for others despite in season one somehow managing not to burn off Zhao's face in an agni kai and he even tries to rescue him from the ocean spirit despite fighting him literally the moment before so what character are you talking about because it's not Zuko

and then from this, they claim he cannot understand the tragedy of having to fight his own sister

this part is obviously up to more reader interpretation but you can take Zuko suggesting to Iroh in s2 that he forgive Azula is actually stemming from his genuine desire to not have to fight Azula given how quickly and vehemently Iroh shoots this down and that he does express genuine concern for Azula's fall in the southern raiders before she gets herself to the cliffside

I personally would say between the two of them, Zuko is more aware of the tragedy and genuinely sad about it, he is not portrayed as happy or gleeful when it's over whereas Azula has only been expecting this fight so she can secure her position on the thrown because she's second born and female and outright gloats after she's shot him with lightning

I see Zuko as resigned to this fight and trying to keep Katara safely out of it when he notices that Azula is slipping and takes the agni kai

what is not reader interpretation is to claim Zuko is being unfair and cruel to Azula to accept her agni kai challenge, Azula has always been the aggressor in their relationship and Zuko always the loser until the southern raiders where they have drawn even with each other, and as it has already been pointed out, Azula has recently tried to kill him twice!!

where is Azula's moral obligation to not try to mortally wound or manipulate her older brother? how is she not cruel and unfair for treating him this way and following in the footsteps of their father?

then there's an insane bit where they claim Zuko and Katara have a more simplistic view of morality than Aang who lost his shit on Katara in southern raiders who in the end didn't forgive Yon Rha and also didn't kill him and Zuko was there supporting her for the whole thing for her emotional benefit and closure regarding her mother like he had in his confrontation against Ozai whom he also didn't kill and Aang wasn't involved, Katara even tells him he was wrong

this part is just objectively untrue, Aang has the far more simplistic view on morality 

this person also goes on to a lot of reader interpretation for Azula's motives for bringing Zuko back to the Fire Nation, and I do agree I think that on some level Azula does care for Zuko, where I don't agree is that if the result is still harm for Zuko which is what returning to the Fire Nation was for him as it puts him back under the thumb of their abuser, it's still ultiamtely not good or kind to Zuko

Azula's actions are not made better by presuming she had good intentions born out of care for Zuko

The thing that really got me though was this quote:

"he allows himself to stoop to her level, and in fact only redeems himself through his sacrifice for katara"

again, Azula is the aggressor in their relationship and the one who issues the challenge in this instance

Zuko does not stoop to her level trying to stop her via agni kai because a hug is not gonna work, and it is arguably noble of him to try to protect Katara by accepting the challenge and trying to remove her as a target

But it doesn't work because Azula breaks the agni kai by attacking Katara who is a bystander and not a combatant which is never a level Zuko stoops to, it's a rat move Azula takes when she's put on her back foot and realizes she can't win a fair fight and can't goad Zuko into an emotional outburst

But the worst part is reframing Zuko's sacrifice as redemptive in terms of his relationship to Azula or as if he has done something wrong in accepting the agni kai or while fighting it

He hasn't, the poster argues that Zuko betrayed Azula in leaving the Fire Nation which I think you can argue for, but I do not believe that the show has Azula react as if she has been harmed by this action when she is shown as far more offended by Mai and Ty Lee's betrayal and again seems gleeful to be able to attack Zuko in the boiling rock, southern raiders, and finale and therefore could reasonably be interpreted to have expected this

His redemption isn't towards Azula or anything she represents like Fire Nation imperialism, Ozai's abuse, perfectionism 

It's a heroic sacrifice for Katara as a person he harmed personally in the s2 finale and as a victim of the Fire Nation's war by the Fire Nation's prince 

It's an utter and blatant misread of the show to demonize Zuko to uplift Azula and replace Katara as a victim of Fire Nation imperialism which Azula is straightforwardly not and removes those themes from the Zuko v Azula fight which this person praised in the more flawed Aang v Ozai fight

I am with and agree with anyone claiming Azula is a victim of abuse, she is, it is the direct cause of her breakdown

but it's straight up cognitive dissonance to act as if Zuko has done something grossly wrong in terms of ending the cycle of violence by participating in the agni kai with Azula but Aang v Ozai is a narrative master stroke for pacifism and ending violence when they both use the exact same amount of violence to achieve their ends: man to man combat, and Aang actually delivers the worse punishment to Ozai

and you strip away half of Azula's character if you ignore the real and blatant harm she caused Zuko and the rest of the gaang and try to pretend they are all equally victims of the same man because they are not

[your-funky-human-companion]

i just finished avatar the last airbender and wtf

you guys have to pay for your sins

i 100% thought katara and zuko were gonna get together

who the fuck is this mai person too

[aangarchy]

Azula is not the most powerful firebender in atla

Now before you shoot me in the kneecaps for saying something so controversial, hear me out

Azula is a fantastic bender. She's a prodigy, learning at a very young age and being able to bend blue fire despite the extra effort it takes. She's mastered lightning at 14, a skill that's considered quite rare. She also uses her acrobatic skills she learned from Ty Lee to her advantage to make her even better, swifter, lighter on her feet, not needing to be steady in order to bend like other firebenders. BUT:

There are arguably two benders in the show better than her. Ozai and Iroh. Iroh isn't that hard to explain; he invented new skills by observing other bending forms, something that can only make someone more powerful. He is also able to spit fire from his mouth without being roided up from the comet (the only firebender we know of to do it w/o the comet's help). He's also a master lightning bender, and was able to keep more than a dozen Dai Li plus Azula at bay long enough for Katara to escape the crystal catacombs.

Ozai does not have a lot of screentime compared to Iroh and Azula. We only ever see him in flashbacks or sitting down on his little throne. We see him fight twice, once against Zuko and once against Aang. The fight with Aang he was roided up by the comet yes, but he still portrayed amazing skill. Lightning, propelling himself with only fire, spitting fire etc. But it's the earlier fight with Zuko where things get interesting. Ozai was able to tell when the eclipse ended by merely closing his eyes and focusing on the sun. He sensed it. Even Azula needed a cue to understand the eclipse was done: "oh sounds like firebending's back on!" Furthermore, Ozai immediately fired lightning at Zuko, and not only did he manage to do that without having to 'charge' first, he shot it out of both hands, which is something neither Azula nor Iroh can do (or at least we've never seen them do it, Azula has always had to charge her lightning and only uses one hand to shoot it, same for Iroh)

Honestly while Ozai has definitely looked like a chump in the show, I'm not sure Azula or Iroh could take him in a one v one. That might be one of the reasons his rule was never challenged, because nobody dared to take him on. I feel like the fandom underestimates him bc we only saw him fight twice and he lost both times (once bc Zuko's unknown skill took him by surprise and once bc Aang's avatar state eventually overpowered him).

[rontheweaselqueen]

You will learn respect, and suffering will be your teacher.

It is in his quietest moments that he recalls his father's words. They echo in his mind, a poison and curse. The words etched into the scar very meant to shame him. To stare back at him as a reminder of his failings.

His speaking out of turn at that war meeting was the opening his father had needed.

Not only had Ozai saw an opportunity to make an example out of his son. His saw another opportunity to punish Ursa.

Ozai had sought to punish his son. To root out the softness in him, to stamp out the kind hearted sweet boy he'd been. He sought to erase his mother's presence from his life. He burned him because he could not look at him and not see her.

So he marked him in an effort to erase the woman who was once his wife. The mother of the son who was his bitterest disappointment. The reason it all fell apart.

This revelation does not shock him. From what he knows of their marriage, it had been tumultuous from the very start. From his shuttered memories he knows there were glimpses of happiness.

But grown and matured as he was, he can not help but think about how much of it was true. And how much of it he had blocked out and supplied. He doubts his memories, how much of it had been true? How much had it been false?

His mother had shielded both her children from Ozai's harhness the best she could. Painted a kinder picture in their young minds that left no doubt that their father however distant, loved his family.

And Zuko had believed it, he thinks his sister had too.

But Zuko now has grown and has seen life, all facets of it. And he knows what it is to love someone. To love so deeply that his heart aches from it (his mind goes to the blue eyed waterbender who rests in the adjacent room and sometimes he cant quite believe she is here and loves him just as much as he does her).

He knows now that it hadn't been quite the case for either his parents.

Complicated doesn't quite encompass all what they had, but it's what he tells himself and others.

It transcends something beyond love and hate and he doesn't think he can understand it. He can't fathom ever hurting someone he loves, he can't understand how Ozai could.

He doesn't have his mother's side of it, and that is a bitter thought. He can never ask her.

He doesn't know if it's a blessing to finally know the truth of what happened or another tragedy he must learn to live with. The curse of that knowledge of how much his mother had done, of what she in her desperation had done and what Ozai had done in the end to them all.

And for what? A bid for power for a crown so soaked in blood and fire.

Ozai would see the world burn, and if it came at the cost of his wife and two children than so be it.

For as long as he lives, Zuko doesn't think he'll ever really get over it.

[againwiththeturtles]

not to step back into atla shipping discussions. but maiko will forever be strange & odd to me as a ship. not just because of the horrible gay repressed energy they're both giving off, but because after the big dramatic love confession that mai gives zuko in the boiling rock, zuko fucking forgets she is in there. she got thrown into prison for him and getting her out was low as fuck on his priority list. even if he didnt fully forget, he put off getting her out when he was the actual legal firelord until her uncle just did it for him. no excuses, if he was in love with her he would not be able to shut up about how she committed treason for him and he needs to rescue her now but he does not give a FUCK.

[ultfreakme]

Zuko crushing on Sokka- 9/10

Zuko crushing on Hakoda because he's a gay disaster & Hakoda is just objectively hot & Sokka & Katara are out for Zuko's blood(its nothing serious its like a celebrity crush)- 10000/10

[ssreeder]

Omg Ssreedy <3 saw you going off in my tags, you're the sweetest! ToT You have no idea how much i cherish your kind words, they really motivate me

Also congrats on the new chapter! It made me appreciate Reho so much, I keep growing fonder of this guy!! (Morrak absolutely wrecked him with his diagnosis tho, haha, my man didn't deserved to get dragged so hard)

Anyway that made me remember that I cooked something up last year, but never posted it. (apologies, I probably got some of their details wrong, I did this purely from memory ////) my headcanons of what Ara & Reho look like

GENTLE TREES NOOOOOO you can’t drop OC art in my inbox and expect me to be even the SLIGHTEST bit normal about it.

You’re so amazing, going off in your tags is a damn honor *salutes*

Dude Morrak WRECKED Reho last chapter, and I guess there’s not patient dr confidentiality in this AU because Morrak totally slandered the poor man to Katara of all people lol. At least Reho didn’t have to hear yet another person try to figure out what’s wrong with him haha.

Thank you Gentle you’re so amazing!!! I can’t wait to gush over your art some more in the tags

[nightowl1556]

What I really want is for Zuko, Catra, and Varian to be best friends. I want them to be an ultimate trio. I want them to help each other with their character developments throughout a story. I want them to beat up bad guys together. I want them to be protective over each other. I want them to K I L L for each other. I want them to- *continues rambling until the end of time*

[problematicsubmarine]

Ok so I'm most of the way through the live action ATLA and no it's not perfect, some of the acting is a little oof but overall it's pretty good? The costumes, the sets all the older actors for the most part. Some of the cg needed a little more time and all of these streaming shows could benefit from a few more episodes, but the way they've combined storyline and episodes to try and fit things in in a coherent way, some of the changes they've made I like quite a bit.

Yall trying to act like it's the same level of bad as the movie are actively delusional and need to take of the nostalgia goggles.

[cerberusmahou]

why do you ship suki and azula?

feminism