#Ozai messed both of them up

[cienie-isengardu]

Zuko and Azula in "The Beach"

Lately I think a lot about "The Beach" episode [x], especially about this small detail of great teamwork Zuko and Azula have during the game.

Zuko is looking ahead, directly facing their rivals (who had the control of the ball at this moment) but his body is clearly lowered to the ground, left hand most likely touching the ground, legs bent and widely spaced - a clear contrast to Mai standing near and how he stood before on two separate occasions

which is why I think Zuko willingly create an opportunity for Azula, so she could jump higher - something she definitely used to their team’s advantage. If Azula simply jumped on her brother’s back when he wasn’t expecting it or wasn’t ready, he would probably just fall face down from the impact but as the scene shows, he had no such problem nor was angry about it in the following scenes.

During the game sequences there was no dialogue shown between our protagonists, so it is hard to determine if Azula in advance called Zuko to give her a “lift” or Zuko offered on his own, or did they were that much in sync they just acted without thinking. Regardless I like this few seconds long interaction, because for me it implies how they trusted each other despite all the rivalry and bitterness from previous episodes. Like Zuko trusted Azula won’t use that moment to hurt/humiliate him by overuse of force, the same as Azula trusted in Zuko’s strength and that he won’t mess up by losing his balance. It is a small thing but no less sweet to see them working well together when fighting for the same goal - what reminds me a bit their teamwork from the previous season finale.

Interestingly, it was also the second time Zuko assisted Azula in scoring against their rivals while not scoring himself any point on screen. The first time happened almost right at the beggining of the game (second from total five sequences)

while each girl have the solo sequence of winning a point:

Azula's first attack,

later Ty Lee landing on the net

and Mai kicking the ball (and presumably scoring)

while Zuko’s two actions are shared only with his younger sister while there is no sense of competition between the siblings, something contrasting a lot with some previous and later episodes.

Azula is bossy and competitive through most of the episode and her brother lets her be that without a complaint. Azula and Zuko get along pretty well and A) do not argue (with the exception of the campfire scene and then they argue not even for the whole scene itself) and B) don't get on each nerves the way they do in the palace, with Ozai's presence looming in the back of their mind. I absolutely adore this episode, as it humanizes all our Fire Nation characters by showing them as teenagers outside the war zone but also giving us a bit of insight into what Azula and Zuko could be if Ozai didn't pit them against each other. And they could be a great team!

[melzula]

Can you please write jealous Zuko? It can be however you like😊

a/n: i love jealous zuko! however this ended up being more angsty than i intended😭 hope you enjoy!

summary: a party at the palace leads to a deep revelation for zuko

He was miserable.

The palace didn’t throw parties very often these days, but the recent conquering of another Earth colony was deemed a call for celebration, and so all of the noble families in the Capital City were invited to attend. A grand feast was held and praises were showered upon Ozai throughout the night. It was one of the rare times Zuko didn’t have to worry about his father’s wrath, and so he should have been enjoying himself.

But he couldn’t, not when he could see that across the way another boy was flirting with you right in front of him.

You were Zuko’s everything- his childhood best friend that he’d always held harbored feelings for. During his banishment he thought of you constantly, and upon his arrival he immediately asked you to be his girlfriend. You were sweet and friendly, easily approachable and always able to cheer him up despite his moodiness, you were perfect. And apparently this other boy could see this too.

You smile out of politeness and nod along to the boy’s rambling story about his fire bending skills and high IQ, not very interested in listening but too nice to brush him off. It infuriates Zuko to see someone else take advantage of your kindness, and he’s unable to just sit back and watch any longer.

A harsh hand lands upon the boy’s shoulder, startling both of you in the process. Zuko’s eyes are blazing with fury, his palm scorching the fabric of the boy’s robes and scaring the spirits out of him in the process.

“Can’t you take a hint? She doesn’t want to talk to you!” the Prince bellow angrily, prompting a few guests nearby to turn their heads curiously towards the commotion. A bit embarrassed at the sudden attention, you gently pull Zuko’s hand away and drag him out to the gardens before he can escalate the situation any further. The last thing you need is for him to cause a scene at his father’s party.

“What?” Zuko says defensively as you wordlessly walk through the palace hallways. “I was helping you!”

“You were acting jealous again,” you chide gently.

“No I wasn’t!” He argues defensively only to shrink under your pointed gaze. “…I was.”

“I love you, Zuko, but I don’t love how jealous you can get sometimes. I’m your girlfriend, don’t you trust me?”

“Of course I do!” He interjects quickly, almost offended at the notion.

“Then what is it? Why do you act this way?”

Zuko is silent, his eyes casted sullenly to the floor as you patiently wait for his answer. You take his hands in your own and give them a reassuring squeeze to let him know you’re there for him, and the act seems to coax him out of his stupor.

“I’m afraid you’ll change your mind about being with me, and once the right guy comes along you’ll realize you’re better off without me,” he admits quietly, almost ashamed to voice the thought out loud.

“Zuko…” you utter sadly, heartbroken at the fact that he could even believe such a thing.

“Why do you want to be with a boy who’s been exiled from his own country before? Whose own father burned his face? Who’s so messed up in every way possible?”

Gently carefully cupping his face in your hands, you tilt his head upward to meet your sincere gaze. His eyes are glossy with tears he refuses to let fall, and your heart aches for the poor boy before you. You wish you could take away all of his hurt in agony, but you can’t, so you do your best to take away his insecurity instead.

“I wish you could yourself the way I see you,” you tell him lovingly. “You are more than enough for me, more than I could ever ask for. You’re strong, you’re brave, you’re smart. You’re you. I love you, Zuko. No one’s ever going to get into the way of that.”

He says nothing in response but simply yanks you into his arms for the tightest hug you’ve ever possibly received. You know he isn’t the best at words or emotions, but his embrace conveys that he is grateful for every word to come out of your mouth.

He knows he may be jealous at times, but he also knows that he doesn’t have to be anymore.

Because you’re not going anywhere.

| atla tags: @sirkekselord @niktwazny303

| zuko tags: @thebluelcdy @royahllty @the-firebender-girl @ilovespideyyy @yiyibetch @eridanuswave @lammello @a-monsters-love @knaite-solo @taeeemin

[muffinlance]

Extreme long shot, but looking for a fic I read years ago, that to my knowledge is NOT on AO3 or FF, just on someone's blog or maybe a small hosting site. It's a three(?)-part series.

Stuff I remember: Zhao kills Iroh pre-north-pole; he dies on a beach due to shrapnel, I think. Zuko wanders off in a daze, stays with a nice Earth Kingdom woman for awhile, then embarks on Messing With Zhao's Shit until Zhao catches him. Gaang rescues him (from Pohuai?) after whump.

Zuko leads them back to the Earth Kingdom woman for a safe place to rest, meanwhile Zuko's crew has found her and given her a letter+their location+tell our stupid prince he's not the only one who wants to Mess The Fire Nation's Shit Up. Zuko and the Gaang go to his ship, whose treason against the Fire Nation is already in progress (and they've gotten their families out of the Fire Nation to avoid reprisal, so Jee's wife is there). Katara bonds with the ship healer, who teaches her non-bending healing and is both salty and instructive. Ends incompletely right as Zuko and the Gaang are about to leave the ship.

Those parts of the series are a good read, but I am dying to re-read the part that's an Iroh POV of the royal family, including Ozai's strategic murdering of all of Iroh's children (he had more than Lu Ten in this AU), and Iroh's extremely chilling "maybe I should do the same to his" thoughts until baby Zuko wins him over. It is PEAK disfunctional Fire Family.

I thought I bookmarked this somewhere, but I can't for the life of me find it. Plz send help.

EDIT: FIC FOUND! See the reblog chain for the link, it's in the second post.

EDIT EDIT: This is. Even better than I remembered. My heart hurts, ow. <3

[shanastoryteller]

Happy soon to be New Years! 🎇 Zuka and Azula?

a continuation of 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34

Jee looks at Zuko and Azula and thinks he's seeing what Ozai and Iroh could have been, in a different world, in one where Iroh paid attention to his little brother and one where Ozai felt more for Iroh than jealousy.

Zuko is a hard but fair Fire Lord, ceding any land gained in the past fifty years and, working out complicated tax schemes for those in the twenty five years after that benefit both them and the Earth Kingom, and keeping any land gained in the first twenty five years of the war no matter who grumbles about it.

There's not much grumbling, except on principle.

What little there is, General Azula takes care of. Personally. Anyone who's causing trouble is going against both the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom, so there's no complaints from Earth when she goes onto their territory and cleans up their mess.

Or their own, when Fire Nation soldiers get it into their head that the land belongs to them and not the Fire Lord and so he can't return it without their approval. Azula has particular fun with those.

The other nations don't say anything against it. Why would they? Even now, they prefer to be able to blame the Fire Nation rather than do the dirty work themselves.

It's a brutal sort of reign, perhaps, but those coming out of a war don't tend to be anything less.

In a different world, this could have all happened twenty years ago, with a different set of siblings.

But this is the one they have, with Zuko and Azula reshaping their nation as they see fit.

[prying-pandora666]

Imagine If Zuko Had…

Just imagine if Zuko had messed up. Imagine he had acted just a little too much like Ozai and recognized his mistake.

Imagine if in response, he abdicated the throne in disgrace and ran off to live in the woods alone. Completely isolated.

His relationship with his wife? Failed. His daughter? Estranged. His uncle, sisters, mother, etc? All gone from his life.

He spent years of his adult life into old age alone in the woods away from anyone who cared about him and ashamed of how terribly he had failed as Fire Lord.

Would anyone consider this a good ending for Zuko? Let alone a happy one? Would Zuko cracking jokes or saying he’s fine this way convince you? Or would it seem like he’s trying to justify the way he’s wasted his life in solitude and disgrace?

If that all sounds horribly unfair to you, then why is it okay for Toph?

Because Toph Did…

Toph in ATLA has a very clear motivation for running away from home and joining Aang’s group. Her family stifled her and kept her isolated from the world. All she longed for was freedom and for a family that loved and accepted her as she was.

In the comics, she extrapolates upon this further, talking about how traumatizing it was to be captured in a tiny metal cage. How much she feared being forced to be something she’s not, being imprisoned and having more pressure and pain applied to her to try to change her by force. And worst of all, she feared becoming like her parents and passing on that same pressure and pain to others.

So why in the world was her fate in LOK the very thing she feared most?

As Police Chief, her very role is locking people away and trying to force them to behave differently. At times applying pressure and pain to force conformity. Imprisonment is an inextricable part of her job.

And she betrays her own convictions this way to what end?

Her relationships all fall apart and her daughters feel neglected due to the demands of the job. Toph finds herself re-enacting exactly what she told Zuko hurt her most about her parents: “They gave me everything except their love”.

Only to eventually find herself in a situation where she must choose between the stifling rules of her job or throw her daughter into this same system of punishment to try and change her by force. So she chooses her daughter, selectively not applying the law; an act of corruption and nepotism. As such, she resigns in disgrace, ashamed of her actions.

She is estranged from both of her daughters. She is alone and isolated. She lives in the swamp like a hermit. Away from the world. With no one to accept her as she is.

How in the world does anyone justify this as a fair or happy ending for Toph? When I see people celebrating cop Toph or swamp Toph, making memes about how badass she is or calling other fans idiots for pointing out how terrible of a writing choice this is for her character, it really makes me wonder if these fans don’t really care about Toph as a character at all beyond the aesthetics of how cool she can be.

And that makes me really sad because the same is clearly not true for characters like Zuko.

Entire dissertations are written about Zuko’s wants and needs vs his experiences in the world.

When it comes to Toph? She gets boiled down to “she likes to knock heads and boss other people around.”

Even by Bryke themselves.

[bouncybongfairy]

hi i cant get enough so ,, how would atla jet's first kiss go? and reader is someone who he thinks is superior to him and since jet comes off a bit awkward, reader tries to guide and teach him how to kiss

basically its js jet head over heels

First Kiss

Jett (atla) x Fem Reader Smut

Summary: You teach Jet how to kiss.

Word Count: 1.0k+

TW: NSFW Content, Dry Humping, Fluff

<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3

Jet invited you to your usual hang-out spot tonight. You’d started seeing him a couple months ago and you really like him. Most guys give up the ‘i’M sO sWeEt, I LiKe yOuR pErsOnAliTy’ facade after a while but he was maintaining it well. Always hyping you up even when you felt like a slob. You also liked how he was so open about his hate for the fire nation. Like many people in your Earth kingdom, Fire Lord Ozai has torn your family apart. Your mother lives in dread and will never say anything negative about him out of fear. 

He was the only person who ever praised you on how brave it was to speak against them publicly. Jet shared the same hate towards the nation that caused both your families so much trauma. This created a deep bond between the two of you. The tension had been running high the past couple times you saw him. Maybe it was all in your head but you’d like to think it was a shared feeling. The way you’d catch him staring with a smile on his face, trying to play it off like he was looking at something behind you. He was standing at the tree you normally meet. 

You hugged him like you normally did, getting on your tippy toes and wrapping your arms around his neck. He chuckled into your ear and picked you up just a little. You practically melted in his arms, not letting go until after he set you down. Once the two of you started talking, you didn’t bother going anywhere else. Simply sitting down at the tree and talking to each other about anything and everything. The conversation eventually grew stale, running out of topics. This seemed like a perfect time to shoot your shot. 

“Maybe this is uh- only on my end but I really like you, a lot,” you laugh nervously looking down until he responds. 

“No, I’m glad you brought it up because I don’t know if I would have had the courage to tell you that like you back,” he laughed, grabbing your hand. 

“But can you actually tell me why you like me without mentioning any of my physical attributes?” you asked. 

“Yeah: you’re really fucking funny and you don’t mindlessly agree with people to make small talk. You speak with purpose. That doesn’t mean I can’t also like you for the way you cock your eyebrow anytime someone says something stupid. Or how perfect your lips look when you’re trying to hide your smile,” you said, which obviously made you smile.

“Just like that,” he laughed. 

“Can I kiss you?” you blurted out, not being able to take the tension anymore. 

“I’ve never kissed anyone before,” he explained nervously. 

“Let me teach you- or, can I kiss you?” you stumble over yours, trying hard not to make him feel pressured or uncomfortable. 

“Yeah, I’m just nervous but I hope it’s not coming off as like- that I don’t want to,” he said. 

Seeing that he was so nervous was endearing to you. The fact that he thought the moment he was too special to mess up made you feel valued. You leaned in and closed the gap between each other. His lips were soft and melted into yours. Brining one of his hands up and cupping your face. It didn’t take long for him to get the hang of things. Becoming more confident and swiping his tongue along your bottom lip. 

Deciding to match his energy, you move yourself into his lap. Now you were holding his face, running your thumbs across his cheeks. Your heart felt like it was racing so fast, it could burst. A warm feeling spreads across your entire body. Both of you were breathing hard against each other's skin. His hands trailed down, running his fingers up and down your hips. Tracing the waistband of your pants, his calloused fingertips making your back arch. He adjusted his hips, allowing you to sit on his lap instead of hovering. 

He groaned into your mouth as his erection brushed against you. Running your hands through his hair as you started rocking your hips against him. The kiss was getting more sloppy; your lips were becoming raw and swollen from the constant nipping and sucking. You pulled back, allowing each other to catch your breath.

Keeping your lips pressed against each other as you focus more on grinding. He was starting to buck his hips up against you, which made you moan quietly against his mouth. Reconnecting your lips and sucking his bottom one into your mouth. Pulling back and letting it go with a loud -pop- sound. Making both of you chuckle, breaking the intensity between each other. He pressed his forehead against your, unable to wipe away his smirk. 

“Was that okay?” he asked, needing reassurance. 

“More than okay, I’m finding it hard to believe it was your first kiss,” you laughed, moving the hair out of his eyes. 

“Okay now you’re just trying to hype me up,” he rolled his eyes. 

You ended up staying in his lap and talked for a while. Despite the fact that it was his first kiss, it didn’t make things awkward after. If anything, you felt like it made him more comfortable with being vulnerable during the conversation. You ran your finger down the bridge of his nose and eyebrows as he talked. Hiding the fact that it amused you when he stumbled over his words. Every now and then you’d interrupted him by melting your mouth against his. 

Going further than a peck and working your lips together for a couple seconds. Laughing because you had to remind him of what he was talking about. After a while he walked you home, hand in hand of course. The entire time he was blushing, biting the inside of his lip; stopping himself from smiling like an idiot. He walked you all the way to the door and kissed your cheek before parting ways.

[zukosdualdao]

something i was thinking about regarding the parallels of aang and zuko accidentally burning toph and katara, respectively, is the similarity in their reactions in the immediate aftermath, but the way their reactions diverge afterward, re: apologies.

Aang tosses it into the air and spreads his arms out. For a second, he has a smile on his face, but it vanishes as he accidentally burns Katara's hands. Katara shrieks in pain. Aang: Katara! I'm so sorry! Sokka comes running to Katara's side. Sokka: [Concerned.] Katara, what's wrong? [Angrily.] What did you do?! Aang: It was an accident! I was, uh... Katara, I'm so-- Sokka furiously tackles Aang. Sokka: [Enraged.] I told you we shouldn't mess around with this! Look what you did! You burned my sister! [Katara runs away.]

Zuko: Who's there? Stay back! [Whips fire.] Toph: It's me! [Throws up an earth shield, but steps back into Zuko's fire blast.] Ow! You burned my feet! Zuko: I'm sorry, it was a mistake! [Comes toward her, but she begins to crawl away.] Toph: Get away from me! [As Toph crawls away, she grabs the earth under her and throws it backward at Zuko.] Zuko: Let me help you! [Dodges another rock.] I'm sorry! [Tries to grab her.] Toph: Get off me, get off me! [Brings up some earth which sends Zuko flying back.]

both of them try to immediately apologize as soon as they realize what they've done, and while that's understandable and they both do feel genuine remorse, the kinds of apologies being made in these contexts are inherently a little selfish. an apology should be for the other person, and neither katara or toph is in a place to process it, as both are in immediate pain and both are panicking. aang and zuko also both try to repeat the apology - aang only doesn't get all the way through his because sokka tackles him and interrupts - in the moment when it's become very clear that it's not going to be appropriate or helpful at the time.

where i think they diverge, though, is that while aang continues to feel remorse, he doesn't offer another apology now that tensions have lowered and she might be in a better place to receive it. instead, it becomes about his own guilt, and katara having to comfort him, telling him it doesn't matter because she was able to heal herself.

Katara enters the cottage to find Aang sulking. Aang: Jeong Jeong tried to tell me that I wasn't ready. I wouldn't listen. I'm never going to firebend again. Katara: You'll have to eventually. Aang: No, never again. Katara: It's okay, Aang. I'm healed.

he also learns the wrong lesson from it. and to be clear, i'm not criticizing that as a writing choice - i think it's very realistic. but instead of resolving to do better in the future and learn discipline, he declares his intent to avoid firebending instead of committing to the responsibility of controlling it. (which, as katara rightly points out, is just not going to work.)

whereas, despite his lapse in wallowing in his own guilt - why am i so bad at being good? - by the next day, zuko is able to apologize to toph in a setting where tensions are lower and she's better able to process it, as her feet might not be completely healed but are healing and she's in significantly less pain and a clearer mindset. he gives the explanation of it being an accident without excusing it, instead affirming that he knows he has a responsibility to be more careful and resolving to do better.

Zuko: [To Toph.] I'm sorry for what I did to you. [Bows to her.] It was an accident. Fire can be dangerous and wild, so as a firebender, I need to be more careful and control my bending, so I don't hurt people unintentionally.

i think the reason zuko is able to work past this and not keep wallowing in shame and guilt is because part of his journey has been learning (with help from iroh) that the guilt and shame he was made to feel for his 'wrongdoings' in ozai's eyes never actually helped anything, and he has finally started to internalize that. so he's able to say "i did a wrong thing and i'm sorry and i will do better" without either trying to completely justify himself or debasing himself, and that's powerful and important.

[pizzaboat]

I'm thinking about Azula's attempt at tricking Zuko and Iroh to come back home and the horrible things she says to him in the episode. And like, I obviously don't have to say that Zuko didn't deserve that shit before I continue my next thoughts

But I personally, Azula's aggression makes me think "resentment"

I don't buy into the "she's evil so she said it to be evil"

It didn't seem like the kind of moment she'd look back on to laugh about, because while Azula definitely enjoys messing with Zuko, I don't feel it ever really looked like that unless she was slipping (much like after Mai and Ty Lee betrayed her)

I just headcanon she resented Zuko for being banished because Ozai had both them convinced it was Zukos fault. With Zuko not around to take the brunt of their fathers negative attention, Azula got it more often

And I wouldn't even say that Ozai blew off steam at her. Because it would be far more calculating than that, he just made her think that's what he was doing. Really, Ozai would've been breaking her down from just the favourite child who needs his praise, to the only child, who will be discarded and all affection withdrawn from her if she falls short of any standards he sets

Zuko being banished marked the acceleration of her adultification and isolation. Zuko still acted like a kid when he was 13, but Azula doesn't at 14, that tells you a lot

And of course maybe it started when Ursa was banished and Zuko was left with no one on his side in the Palace while Ozai groomed Azula into his mini me

But I do headcanon that Zukos banishment was the big push to isolating Azula fully and focusing on bending her to being only a weapon

And Ozai has Azula resenting Zuko, because while she's so smart and cunning, she's only been fed the stories she can imagine

That's my headcanon anyway. Azula resents Zuko for being banished because she ended up alone, and deep down, she knew something was very dark and off about her life at that point. There was just a cognitive disconnect on why it was all so miserable because she was getting all their fathers attention, and that's what Azula thought she wanted

[never---gonna---give---you---up]

Can we talk about Yue?

Let's just say there is a world where she doesn't have to sacrifice herself for Tui - because my girl deserves so much better like look at her.

But also, imagine the interactions she could have with all the other characters!!

Also, for that point, I'll be ignoring the fact that she'd most likely wouldn't leave the northern watertribe because responsibilities and her parents and jade jade. Let's just say it's her time for teenage rebellion and she sneaks off with the gaang or something. Idk.

Like she'd be there for the character development for Aang, Katara and Sokka (even Zuko).

But imagine she meets Toph!

Toph 'fuck you and what society/ my parents expect from me, I won't be put into a damn box because I'm not delicate porcelain to be put up on a shelf, I'll go kick ass and show people who I am, who I really am' Beifong?

That sounds so interesting! Like their parallels? Both being kept 'protected' and being put into positions they don't want and don't like (Toph being keept in a cage so to say and Yue being married off to someone neither she nor he loves).

But also, Yue is what Tophs parents see as a perfect daughter. She is soft spoken, elegant, meek and such. She is what Toph isn't.

But Toph gets free. She runs away and becomes happy and free.

I feel like they'd be such good friends once they get over the struggles. Toph would go commit some chaos and Yue would just smile and come along.

Imagine she meets Azula.

She's basically the opposite of Yue but they both have the same royal devotion. Also, Azula is a girl and it doesn't matter, she's respected and she's badass. That must be a culture shock for Yue.

Also, I think Azula and Yue have quite the interesting parallels as well. Both of them are the 'perfect princess' in the eyes of their people and culture but they are soooo different. Both put their duty above themselves in a way, both are 'blessed' (Yue literally by the moon and Azula is a prodigy), both have fathers who decide things for them (The whole marriage thing with Yue and do I even have to go into detail with Ozai?), both are kept in this cage of responsibilities and duty and both suffer in the end because of it, not having experienced the freedom a child of their status could have had their whole life only to be doomed in the end.

(Also, if we just mess more with canon and redeem Azula, I think they could be besties as well. Like they could learn so much from one another. Azula is sorta like an unhinged and abused Katara so I think it could work.)

Her meeting Mai and Ty Lee would also be something.

Nonbenders who are fucking badass? Respected for who they are? I imagine they could teach Yue how to defend herself. Just imagine Yue throwing knifes and chi-blocking people.

Same with Suki.

Another nonbender who's badass and a leader of a respected group. I think they'd get along just fine.

(Also, about that whole ship drama that would probably happen: I don't really care about ships so idk, make them poly? Who cares, just let them be happy man)

But what I would be most hyped about would be her meeting with Kanna.

You know, Kanna, who said fuck you to the sexist rules and just fucking moved across the world while a war was going on? Kanna, who basically told Pakku to fuck off and she won't marry a sexist man like him? Kanna, who's the grandmother of Katara? Who send Katara across the world to kick Pakkus ass (because she must have know)? The og? The legend? It would be amazing. I imagine they would both roast Pakku to his face. And Kanna would immediately adopt Yue as one of hers. It would be so wholesome come on.

Of course there are a lot of other characters that she'd meet, but I think the ones I mentioned are the most interesting once because of parallels and stuff.

[zvtara-was-never-canon]

Do you think Azula ever felt jealous of Zuko because of how Mai loved him? Do you think Azula was ever insecure about whether Mai would some day choose her brother over her?

I doubt it. The whole point of Mai being around, both before Zuko was allowed to come back home and after he decided to "betray" the Fire Nation, is that Azula fully trusts that, even if Mai loved Zuko equally/more than her, she could STILL keep her around through fear. Hell, in the comics we see her literally setting them up on a date to use Zuko's affection for Mai to keep him around.

That's how Ozai raised her to see things. If someone doesn't want to do things your way, you don't try to see things from their perspective or try to reason with them. If someone has a problem with how you treat them, you don't work on being a better person. You just threaten them into shutting up and obeying you, or you manipulate them into thinking something was their idea when in reality they're just giving you what you want.

That's why "I love Zuko more than I FEAR you" messed with her head so much. Not only is it tied to her trauma about thinking her mom didn't love her, it also is undeniable proof that everything Ozai taught her is wrong and she's living her life in a way that is doomed to always backfire.

[princess-of-the-corner]

Ok I feel like Azula would be more willing to turn on Ozai and trust Enji in this au. Because she knows the political game. She knows what Ozai intended for Azula to do when he 'assigned' her here. It at least sours her opinion of Ozai, because Ozai used her as a bargaining chip. She's of course so fucking happy when Enji instead treats her kindly. Internally of course, but now the tensions are high. The entire palace knows why Ozai sent his daughter to the spirit.

Zuko, Mai, and Ty Lee were 100% willing to kill the spirit if he hurt Azula tho. They thank Agni that the spirit is kind and actually encouraging Azula. He even treats them kindly! Mai can never get Tom-tom to stay still until he finds a liking in Enji's piggyback rides. He praises Zuko's sword skills and acts as a sparring partner to everyone. Enji is scared of Ty Lee, and she finds that hilarious( and likes being treated seriously for once). To Enji her chi blocking felt like erasure and he ain't messing with that. Everyone actually likes and hesitantly trusts the spirit. So when he brings up genuine concerns about Ozai both as parent and as a ruler? They listen.

OH YEAH NO LIKE

First off, love how we agree that there was creepy intentions in the idea of Ozai going 'ah yes hand my daughter over as an attendant/'sacrifice' to the Spirit'. Which came both from the whole 'the last time this happened to Enji he got a wife' but /also/ there was actually a scrapped plotline in ATLA where Azula was going to have an arranged marriage. So it's not like it's out of character.

I think Azula isn't so much upset at Ozai for using her as a pawn. She knows exactly what he's like after all. But also. It's.

I've talked on this before in a lot of my atla aus and such. But most of Azula's actions are motivated from her fear of Ozai. He has her convinced that, should she ever fail to meet his expectations, he can destroy her. After all, look at Zuko. Scarred and banished and sent on an impossible quest and eventually hunted down.

And in some ways, he's right. Ozai is Fire Lord. If Azula were to fail him, or Spirits forbid if she ever betrayed him, he'd have the entire Fire Nation at his disposal to hunt her down. And while I, personally, think that Azula could take Ozai in a 1v1 fight, he's manipulated and gaslit her into thinking that he'd win the battle outright.

So unless Azula is sure that she'd be safe from him, she's going to stay loyal to Ozai. Do everything he wants. And if she does make a mistake, she shifts the blame so someone else gets punished.

And within this 'Enji gets tossed in' concept, he can protect her from Ozai. Like obviously Enji can take Ozai in a 1v1 fight. But also! Because most people are under the impression that Enji is a Spirit, if the literal Fire Spirit shows up and says 'Hey your Fire Lord has bad vibes I think you should kick him out', they're going to listen.

Especially if Azula helps fuel the flames, so to speak, by giving Enji some inside info on how Ozai isn't actually the rightful leader of the Fire Nation.

Also yeah everyone is terrified of Ty Lee and her abilities. (Enji may look into that Chi Blocking thing because goddamn he doesn't /like/ it being used on him but it'd be useful when he gets back home)

[balanceoflightanddark]

"Azula overturned Zuko's banishment, not because he really cares about him, it's just in case Aang survived her lightningblast and she'd sadistically frame Zuko as a scapegoat and save her own ass from Ozai's wrath!"

So, a lightningblast is not an instant-kill move? If it still is, then this plan can only work if Azula had supernatural clairvoyance, precognition, ESP, and/or is a Jedi. Which I recall none of these things being revealed.

Zuko completely spilled the beans about Azula making the blast and that Aang survived. Two episodes later, at the boiling rock, oh look! Azula is perfectly fine!

Ah yes. The blackmail. People just loooove to frame Azula's whole "giving Zuko the credit for killing the Avatar" maneuver as some master plan that Tzeentch would be proud of in order to bring her brother to ruin. Thing is, she had no way of knowing that Aang would have any chance of survival.

Something that she herself brought up before:

See? She genuinely believed the Avatar was dead and that Zuko had nothing to worry about. The whole myth about bringing Zuko back just to use him for blackmail doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Even with the common misconception that Azula is power-hungry, why bring back and restore somebody's status when she could've just used the Dai Li back in the Earth Kingdom?

Bringing Zuko back honestly did more damage to her chances for the throne in the long run if that's what she was after...and to her as well.

Did Azula blackmail Zuko? Yes. But you also have to remember that she figured out that Zuko was withholding information from her. Here's a post by my dear friend @akiizayoi4869 which goes into detail, but the short gist of it was that both siblings are equally guilty of hurting each other with this mess. And trying to pin the blame squarely on Azula is an attempt to make Zuko look better than he actually was.

But to the second point. It is true that we didn't see what Ozai did when Zuko threw her under the bus (a rather dick move of him I might add since he didn't really gain anything from it). Thing is, I don't think Ozai would've hurt Azula if he still had some use for her. He'd probably scare the hell out of her and give her an ultimatum of killing Zuko or killing the Avatar to get back into his good graces. Since she failed in both, that could factor in his decision to abandon her during Sozin's Comet since she wasn't needed anymore.

Honestly, that potential scene is a huge missed opportunity. One, it actually gives Ozai more development and elaborates on the relationship between him and Azula. Two, it helps paint Azula in a more sympathetic light and clears up some of the ambiguity around her actions. And three, establish that between the two, Ozai is the more heinous one if he threatens to do the same thing to Azula that he did to Zuko. It certainly would give this line a bit more weight:

Thing is...Book 3 had a LOT of writing problems and shortchanging characters when it came to development. We didn't really get any time with anyone from the Royal Family not named Zuko outside of "The Beach" to humanize them too much. Some of the story decisions such as Azula's breakdown do feel a bit rushed. And we also missed out on storylines which could've developed her a bit more, like the arranged marriage subplot. So while her getting a scene like I mentioned would make a lot of sense in terms of character development, I'm not really surprised given what we've seen from Book 3.

[king-bumis-armpit]

Best Friends

Written for Maiko Week 2024 - Jealousy

Summary: For as long as he could remember, Mai has loved Zuko. This was ingrained in him, just as he learned that fire is very hot and not safe to touch. It has always been a plain truth and one that upsets him. Zuko also loves Mai, he assumes. But Tom-Tom knows that he loves Mai the most. 

Alternatively: how Mai’s little brother perceives her relationship throughout the years.

Author’s Note: Big stretch of the prompt this time, lol. I love Tom-Tom so much and I have THOUGHTS about Mai’s relationship with him. It’s actually one of the things that I think the comics portrayed well. Also, this is a third person perspective, but I tried to write with Tom-Tom’s tone kind of. I hope it’s not too distracting.

Cross-posted to Tumblr and AO3 <3

WC: 2,234

For as long as he could remember, Mai has loved Zuko. This was ingrained in him, just as he learned that fire is very hot and not safe to touch. It has always been a plain truth and one that upsets him. Zuko also loves Mai, he assumes. But Tom-Tom knows that he loves Mai the most.

When Tom-Tom was really little, he vaguely remembers that he wasn't as close with his older sister. Both of his parents still lived together, and they would shower him with affection whenever they were around. When they weren't, he was usually left under the supervision of the household servants. However, they didn't watch him as closely and that suited him just fine. He was free to crawl around his house and see things most people didn't. He crawled under the dining room table and found some knicks from Mai fiddling with her knives at meals. He went into his mother’s closet and tried on her big pointy shoes. He snuck into his father's office and ate his secret stash of sizzle crisps. He knew he could have gotten in trouble, but what else was he supposed to do? It was boring in that big house with no one to play with.

Despite his exploring, he often wished for a friend. Everyone in the stories his mom read him at bedtime had a best friend. Mom definitely didn’t qualify. She seemed to think that playing was letting him hold his stuffed platypus bear while she talked with her friends. And dad was always busy working. Mai normally had school or was at the palace with the princess, but ultimately he decided she was the best option. 

When she was at home, she would stack all of his blocks into tall towers and they would take turns knocking them over by throwing things at them. One time, he wanted to stack ALL of the blocks into the biggest tower possible. He wasn’t tall enough, but Mai helped and she even held him up so that he could reach the tip top and place the last block. Mai let him have the first throw, and when he failed to hit the tower she missed on purpose to give him another go. Tom-Tom knew that Mai let him win sometimes, but he wasn’t too proud to accept her help. On his next toss, he hit the base of the tower and came down in a deafening crash. He laughed and Mai smiled, which in and of itself was pretty rare. Then she helped him clean everything up before mom came home. Normally he left his messes for the servants, but he liked doing things with Mai. She was the most interesting person he knew.

At the end of that day, he asked her the all important question. He pointed to her and then himself: “Best fwends?”

Mai nodded. “Best friends.”

— —

When he came home from New Ozai– no, Mai told him to call it Omashu– it seemed like his sister was always busy! She went to the palace almost every day. Apparently she was “dating” the new Fire Lord, whatever that meant. 

Before, when he would ask her to spend time with him, she always said that she didn’t have anything better to do. But apparently, Zuko was better than best friends. 

Sometimes mom would make Mai take him on these dates. He had to admit they were kind of fun. Zuko would take them on picnics and Tom-Tom could chase glow moths while Mai and Zuko talked about boring adult stuff. And Zuko alway packed Mai’s favorite foods, which were also Tom-Tom’s favorite foods.

But Tom-Tom still preferred the days when Mai would take him out alone. Instead of talking with her stupid boyfriend, she would catch moths with him. Or– if it was still daylight– she would show him her blades. She wouldn’t let him use them, but she would set up targets for him to practice hitting with sticks. It was just like their block game!

Maybe Zuko was her new best friend– he was too afraid to ask– but she was still his.

— —

Mai was crying. Mai never, ever cried. Tom-Tom didn’t know what to do. Mom told him to leave his sister alone, but when he cried he didn’t want to be alone. She had broken up with Zuko yesterday. At first Tom-Tom had been thrilled, but now he felt like his happiness had burnt out. He needed to make sure that she was okay.

He opened the door to her bedroom as carefully as he could. It was tricky because he could only just reach the door handle, but he managed to make his way inside. Mai sat on her bed holding a picture of herself and Zuko. 

When she noticed Tom-Tom, she set the picture aside and reached out for him. He ran into her arms. They sat like that for a few minutes while Mai slowly stopped crying. He used his pudgy palms to wipe the tears off her cheeks. 

Mai attempted a smile. “How do you feel about ice cream?” 

They spent the day in the market. It started with ice cream. And then they had to balance out the sweetness by getting fireflakes. But the fireflake stand was next to the toy store. And the toy store was next to the bookstore. 

Tom-Tom babbled happily the whole time. He knew it was important to keep his sister distracted so she didn’t get sad. Mai didn’t say much, but she listened intently as always and she let him cajole her into one stop after another until it started to get late. 

“We should probably head back home, kiddo,” Mai said. He could tell her eyes were getting glassy again.

And then something caught his attention, at the end of the street, a portrait painter was beginning to pack up for the day.

“One more!” Pleeeeeease!!” Mai followed his gaze.

“You want to get a picture?” she asked.

“A new picture! With us! No Zuko.” 

He looked up at her hopefully, and Mai let out her first real smile of the day. “Okay, kiddo. Let’s go.”

She asked the painter if he could do one last portrait for the day. She gave him a handsome tip, and he happily obliged. That night, Mai and Tom-Tom hung the picture in her room together. 

When Mai tucked him into bed, she gave him an extra forehead kiss and whispered, “Thank you for being my best friend.”

— — 

When Mai and Zuko got back together, Tom-Tom tried to learn to appreciate Zuko more. He liked how Mai always smiled when he was around. And he liked hanging out with Kiyi while Mai and Zuko had their dates. And Zuko always sent fruit tarts to their house. As the years passed, they got closer. Nonetheless, Tom-Tom was still surprised when he received an invitation to go to the palace after school one day. 

He was 10 years old now, and he was very pleased with how things were going. He finally had his own group of friends. He didn’t need Mai to sit with him to fall asleep (unless he had a nightmare which was very rare, thank you very much). And his studies were going well. 

So, he didn’t like the prospect of a royal summons shaking things up. To make matters worse, the invitation arrived during his lunch period and all of his friends saw him receive a letter with the royal seal. How embarrassing! 

Now he was sitting in his final class pondering what to do. Ignoring a royal summons had to be illegal, right? Would he end up in prison like his dad? No, Zuko probably wouldn’t lock him up or anything, since Mai would be angry. On the other hand, mom would be super upset if he had an opportunity to “network” and he passed it up. Tom-Tom sighed. It didn’t help that Zuko’s portrait was staring him down from the front of the room. At long last, the teacher dismissed them, and Tom-Tom decided that he had to see what Zuko needed. After all, it would make Mai happy.

He had been to the palace loads of times, but never without his mom or his sister. It was strangely daunting. He handed his invitation to the guards at the gate and he was made to stand in line with a lot of older people in very official looking robes. He tugged awkwardly at the sleeve of his uniform.

“Hiya Tom!” Thank Agni, Kiyi appeared to rescue him.

“Hey Kiyi, do you know why your brother needed to see me?” 

Kiyi smiled brightly. “I’ll leave that for him to tell you. C’mon, he definitely didn’t want you to stand in this line.”

An old man with a very long beard glared down at them. Tom-Tom shifted nervously under the scrutiny. “Umm… It’s okay. I don’t mind waiting.”

Kiyi laughed, “Trust me. It would be good for Zuko to talk to you as soon as possible.”

She grabbed his hand and dragged him away. Kiyi was very headstrong, and she always pushed him past his comfort zone. Sometimes Tom-Tom found this liberating, a nice counter balance to all his mom’s rules, and sometimes he found it extremely unnerving. This was the second case. They marched straight past nobles and ministers and Fire Sages until they reached the front of the line. The attendant at the door to the throne room bowed to Kiyi and let them in as soon as the current petitioner left. 

Zuko was sitting at a low table beneath the dais. His hand was a fist and he was chewing his thumbnail nervously. He normally kept the wall of fire unlit, except in ceremonial situations, but today the flames were sputtering in and out. It was very distressing to see the ruler of his nation in such a vulnerable position, but Kiyi laughed out loud. 

“Stop worrying, Zuzu! Tom-Tom is here to help.”

“He’s here?” Zuko stood up and the flames behind him died. “Come in. Come in. Take a seat.” As Tom-Tom approached the table, Zuko shoved a stack of very official documents on the floor and called for a servant to bring tea. Thankfully, Kiyi stayed and sat with them.

She cleared her throat, prompting Zuko to speak. “Hi, uh, Zuko here.” Kiyi snorted, but he continued. “I’ve been thinking a lot about my relationship with your sister.”

At this point, Tom-Tom was internally having a panic attack. What was happening? Why was Zuko freaking out? Was Zuko going to use him to break up with Mai? He had heard that Zuko broke up with her over a letter the last time. Even at ten years old, he knew that was a huge mistake. Maybe Zuko thought breaking up by proxy was more honorable. But what should Tom-Tom do? He would probably have to fight him for Mai’s honor or something. Spirits, this was going to be a disaster. 

Tom-Tom tried to imitate Mai and filled his voice with as much steel as he could. “Go on.”

Zuko visibly tensed up at his tone. “I– I know that you’re the most important person in her life, and so I need your help. I… I want to propose.”

Tom-Tom first felt relief, and then a new panic. Mai already split her time half and half between the palace and the flower shop. Now she was going to leave him behind completely. His whirlwind of emotions must have been visible on his face because Zuko quickly continued: “I know this is going to be a big change for you. But Mai and I talked about this a little bit in the past.” His face flushed. “And we agreed that you and your mother are welcome to move in with us. Your aunt too, but Mai figured she would want to stay near the flower shop. You can have your pick of any of the bedrooms.”

Tom-Tom took a breath and composed himself. “Of course! Mai’s going to be so happy.”

Zuko brightened up, and the fires behind him blazed, seemingly without his notice. “You really think so?”

Tom-Tom smiled back. “I do.”

Zuko sighed in relief. “That’s good. Mai always says that you’re her best friend, so I trust your opinion more than anyone else.” Tom-Tom finally started to feel calm again. Mai obviously loved Zuko, but she loved him too. She had made a place for him in her future plans. And she considered him to be her best friend.

“So what do you need me for?” Tom-Tom asked.

“I had some ideas, but I was hoping you could help me come up with a plan to ask her.” 

The tea arrived and Zuko dismissed the rest of his visitors for the day. Kiyi had someone send a message to his home to let his mom know that they were having an impromptu playdate. The three of them began masterminding Mai’s perfect date.

— — 

It was almost dark out by the time Tom-Tom arrived home. Mai greeted him at the door. “I was getting worried about you, kiddo. It’s late.”

“Sorry, Kiyi and I got a bit carried away.”

Mai smiled. “That’s okay. I’m glad you two are friends.”

Tom-Tom felt a wave of happiness wash over him. “Yeah, but you’re my best friend.” 

She pulled him into a hug, “Always.”

[mugentakeda]

okay more runaway fire fam hcs

-zuko gets gift giving as a love language from ursa. ursa loves to go to the market after work and parooze. she loves finding shit that she thinks the kids would enjoy. knick knacks and shit. she has a fondness for earth kingdom jadeite.

-ursa gives zuko and azula little potted plants from the florist and tasks them with the assignment of taking care of them as long as they can. competition comes second nature to them, and its gonna be hard for her and lu ten to shake that off, but for now, maybe ursa can make a compromise by having them compete in nurturing. hopefully, what they learn from that will stick.

-when azula and zuko arent nosing around the town, theyre messing around in the surrounding forest. one day zuko wants to see if he can cross the water and explore air temples, but for now hes gonna scout the area. the amount of trees are good for practicing stealth, even if he doesnt have his dao.

-zuko finds a baby sparrowhawk-lynx with azula. they agree to take him home and work together to convince mother and cousin lu ten to let them keep him.

-ursa is dismayed at the idea of having any kind of furry animal around the house and getting fur on their clothes and rugs. she also swears that feline type animals all smell strange. lu ten is dismayed at the idea of having a lynx around the house because they get fucking huge. (he never makes the point that its a wild animal, and not a toy- because zuko and azula do have the discipline to care for an animal. and lu ten can trust azula to be able to defend herself and zuko if something goes wrong when he isnt around)

-they keep the sparrowhawk-lynx.

-they couldnt agree on a name for him so until they could they started calling him "Beast" in the meantime. unfortunately this ends up sticking so neither of them end up getting to pick a name.

-ursa takes all but two days to warm up to him because hes a cute little baby that likes to rub his head on her skirts. ursa is a weak woman to cute animals. she starts cradling him like a newborn and baby talking him. azula will not stand for both her AND zuko babying Beast. she keeps trying to train him to attack things or wrestle with her but he just crawls on her and licks her face.

-lu ten warms up to Beast as well but also treats him and talks to him like a human child. this is a problem because Beast is a sparrowhalk-lynx that can only understand basic words and not full sentences. so whenever lu ten tries to scold him for using their shoes as chew toys he just stares at lu ten blankly. pet idiot baby :(

-hot garlic chili oil and kimchi is something that has to be made in very large batches. theyve gotten used to the mild and savory flavors of earth kingdom style food but they also cant live without at least SOME spice. ursa is working on a whole section of her back garden that will be dedicated to just hot peppers so they dont have to keep buying it from the market

-nobody has a specific role or chore assignment in the house. they just do it as it comes. it doesnt matter who all does it, or how its done. azula likes washing dishes more than folding laundry, so zuko does the laundry with lu ten. but azula doesnt like doing dishes alone after curry dinners with their thick sauces that stick on the plates, so on those days, she splits it with ursa.

-lu ten has found the perfect spot in solitude to keep up azula and zukos training- up a tall rocky trail, near a cliff that faces where the sun rises.

-lu ten keeps azula and zukos lessons conjoined rather than doing it by skill level, because the ones lu ten took were different bending courses from the ones ozai had azula and zuko take, so its new material for them both. on top of that, lu ten has to also take the time to do life lessons with them too. instead of proverbs, lu ten prefers the approach of the way he best learns- making each lesson a group discussion. lu ten thrived in the court, and loved nothing more than waiting and listening, in order to dissect the natures of the councilmens hearts. open discussion is blunt and confrontational. lu ten likes proverbs, but doesnt see them as very effective when it came to foundational lessons. their vagueness leaves too much room for misinterpretation, and azula and zuko were never allowed to leave their parroting phase by ozai, so lu ten has to be very careful about what he says, lest he starts planting even more stupid shit in his cousins' brains without thinking.

[thecaroliner]

NATLA: An Extremely Mediocre Mess

I spent the entire day watching Netflix's ATLA adaptation and oh boy was it...something.

I struggle sometimes with putting my full thoughts into words but here goes. No idea how long this will be.

Spoilers ahead, obviously.

I want to start out by getting a few things I thought were good or at least fine out of the way.

First off I wanna mention the acting (aside from Gran Gran) was fine. I think Gordon Cormier has a lot of potential and it really felt like sometimes he was being held back by the script and direction. Really hope this role opens up new doors for him in his acting career!

Not that I think ATLA needed more violence or anything, and initially I was against them adding more violence just to make it more "realistic", but I actually didn't mind it. It was way more gruesome than I thought it would be, both Sozin and Ozai literally set people on fire and burn them to a crisp. Kind of does help set in the actual horror of what they're doing. We even saw the same happen to Kya in a flashback. Again, this wasn't needed, but I didn't mind it.

The bending effects DID look a little better than in the trailers I thought. Firebending in particular I thought was decent, all the other elements were just okay, with waterbending I feel suffering the most from it. The rest of the CGI kind of sucked though which I'll get into later.

Having Gyatso be more of a presence I thought was nice, as I always felt like he could've been a little more to the front of Aang's mind in the original series than what he was. I honestly LOVE the idea of him hanging around in the Spirit World for Aang, as in the past I've thought of that idea and wished it had happened. Except....they just kind of throw this plotline away later for no reason. So that's great.

Lastly, it was neat to see Indian culture being represented in Omashu.

Now that that's out of the way....time to really dig in.

The series starts with the Air Nomad genocide, pretty brutal stuff but I don't have much to say about this aside from the moments with Gyatso being nice.

Aang can apparently just fly now, but he only really does it to show off in this first episode. Apparently it's because he's an Airbending prodigy, despite the fact that the ability to fly was established in LOK as being a very rare occurance that only comes after letting go of every earthly attachment. But sure, let's just have Aang fly now. Why even have his glider in the first place?

He gets frozen in pretty much the exact same way, which now leads us to the Southern Water Tribe, where Katara is practicing waterbending in secret in the abandoned Fire Nation ship. It's mentioned later that Sokka and Gran Gran forbid her from practicing bending in case the Fire Nation comes back and tries to kill her, which...sure, I guess.

They find Aang's iceberg, but since Sokka isn't sexist anymore, her anger at him isn't what opens the ice, it's her attempting to pull their canoe back to them and she accidentally splits the iceberg open.

Speaking of Sokka's sexism, remember when people were trying to say "Oh the show isn't getting rid of that arc, it's just updating it because a lot of moments in the original show were iffy!" Yeah, no, they got rid of that arc entirely. Which, honestly if they had just done that without making a big deal out of it in interviews wouldn't have been an issue. The issue is them trying to act as though the narrative of the show itself was sexist and not actively showing us that Sokka is in the wrong.

Anyways, Aang literally just falls out of the iceberg and it's lowkey funny cause he just slides out like he's going down a water slide.

They take him back to the village unconscious and once he wakes up, Gran Gran (who's acting was awful by the way. Not sure if it was the actress' fault or the direction, it really felt like the direction to me). She immediately recognizes Aang's tattoos and just tells him flatly that the Air Nomads are all dead. No compassion or anything. Oh, and she out of the blue begins narrating the original series' intro verbatim which was so out of place and funny. HEY REMEMBER THE OPENING FOR THE CARTOON?? THAT'S IN HERE TOO!!!!!

Weirdly enough....it almost felt like Sokka and Aang had more of a bond than Katara and Aang. Sokka was initially skeptical of Aang but then instantly wants to go save him and I swear they had more interactions than Aang did with Katara. The two of them don't even really feel like friends until the last two episodes or so.

Also, they go to the Southern Air Temple in the first episode where Katara doesn't calm Aang down from the Avatar State but rather a memory of Gyatso did. Okay....

Oh, this also had one more thing I liked, and it was Aang giving Gyatso a proper burial. I always assumed that happened at some point, whether during the series or sometime afterwards. Nice to see it here.

Okay, so my thoughts after this are just gonna skip around a bit because I was writing them down as I went. The first half the series really didn't have much egregiously wrong with it, it was mostly just mid.

It's mentioned briefly that...Aang's airbending went out of control sometimes? Like the reason he had to train with the monks was so that he would stop accidentally hurting his friends with airbending. Because why have the storyline of him accidentally hurt Katara with firebending when you could have this instead?

The like...purple and motion blur effects they used for the Spirit World scenes was such an eyestrain....

In the Spirit World, Kyoshi gives Aang a vision of the attack on the Northern Water Tribe. Before, Aang had no reason to even bother going here, because Katara is teaching herself waterbending (turns out Gran Gran had the waterbending scroll the whole time! But hid it from Katara til now). Aang also doesn't even attempt waterbending at all this season btw

The Gaang gets to Omashu, where they decide to combine The King of Omashu, Jet, The Northern Air Temple...and The Cave of Two Lovers. Despite this sounding clunky and weird, I think these storylines together actually did mesh well (except for the COTL, which OH BOY I WILL GET TO)

The idea here is that the Mechanist, whose name is now Sai (don't know if this was ever mentioned in any supplemental material or if it was just made up for this show) and Teo live here. Jet and the Freedom Fighters also live nearby, where they are trying to plant bombs around Omashu and make the Gaang think it's the Fire Nation.

One scene I wanna mention, and please correct me if I'm wrong, but I SWEAR Sai said he needed to control the "attitude" of the hot air balloon...not "altitude."

Aang ends up getting captured by Bumi's generals, and he almost immediately figures out who Bumi is. Which...I cannot believe Aang named his son after THIS Bumi. He's kind of a huge asshole and is mad at Aang for abandoning them for the past century. Like you really had to make the character angry at him Bumi???

So, um. Let's talk about the COTL plot now.

Katara and Sokka go to try and find Aang and find out that there's a series of elaborate tunnels underneath Omashu, where they run into the singing nomads. This was literally only a plotline so that they had an excuse to sing Secret Tunnel this season. They explain to the siblings the story of Oma and Shu (which is just verbatim from the original series), ending with "Love is brightest in the dark."

Remember that. They preface the storyline of the tunnels by explicitly telling Katara and Sokka about the two lovers. Very romantic.

Katara and Sokka quickly realize that the cave crystals glow in the dark and begin to follow the path. Love is brightest in the dark, right? Along they way they begin bickering because Katara feels like Sokka still sees and treats her like a child.

Eventually they get pursued by a badger mole who begins to chase them. They apologize to one another and hold hands as they think they're about to be killed but...the badger mole stops attacking.

Why does it stop attacking, you ask?

Because now apparently badger moles can feel human emotions. They don't like feeling people fight and want to feel the love between them instead.

I was LOSING IT at this part. "Love is brightest in the dark" was apparently metaphorical.

And don't get me wrong, I love seeing platonic and familial love portrayed in media...but like, to do this storyline...don't preface it with a romantic tale of two lovers????? It gives off a very unintentionally creepy vibe for the siblings. And I'm sure I don't have to explain why badger moles being able to sense love is just dumb as shit.

Moving on....Bumi is nice again. Yay.

They go to the town where Hei Bai is attacking and Aang somehow accidentally pulls Katara and Sokka into the spirit world with him because the writers also wanted to have The Swamp here. Oh, and the Koh storyline. He doesn't steal faces for showing emotion anymore either, he just captures people and eats them later and steals their faces then. Cool.

Oh, and Wan Shi Tong is there and he looks emaciated.

Katara relives the night her mom dies, while Sokka sees a mysterious looking fox in the forest. Initially I assumed this was one of Wan Shi Tong's knowledge seekers but oh no. Oh no, it is much, MUCH worse. We'll come back to it.

Aang manages to find Gyatso in the Spirit World, which again is an idea that I LOVE. Gyatso explains that after he died, he never moved on to the next cycle of enlightenment, instead choosing to stay in case Aang needed him. They have a really touching moment, and Aang promises to come find him again after he finds Katara and Sokka.........which we'll come back to.

The events of The Blue Spirit happen, not much to talk about here. Aang connects with Roku (apparently he can only connect with past Avatars at their respective shrines, btw) and finds out Roku stole a totem of The Mother of Faces from Koh and that's why Koh hates the Avatar. Why steal that totem?? Hell if I know. Roku's also a funny man now I guess.

Aang saves Katara and Sokka from being Koh food and all is well. Yay.

They finally get to the North and this is where the show really went from being mid to pure cringe for me.

The "women only learn healing" plot is still here. Katara is rightfully angry about it, but Aang's like "oh well maybe you should listen to them". Yes, really.

Here Aang is so worried about losing anyone else, which, obviously understandable. But he doesn't want Katara and Sokka, especially Katara, to fight AT ALL. Which I mean. OG Aang never once tried discouraging her from learning to fight. Obviously he loves her and does have concern for her safety a number of times throughout the show and comics, but he also knows she can kick ass and stand her ground on her own and never tries to stop her.

Katara fights Pakku, and despite literally the day before saying she still has a lot to learn and a long way to go, she's just instantly declared a master waterbender now!

And oh boy my friends, buckle in because now we're gonna talk about Yue.

First off...her wig looks BAD. Like I'm pretty certain I saw her real hair sticking through a few times. Why not just dye the actress' hair....even Shyamalan's Yue hairstyle looked better than this, and we all know what that looked like.

So right off the bat Sokka asks Katara if Yue is at all familiar. Katara says no but Sokka keeps pressing and eventually follows Yue, where we learn she's a waterbender? Okay, not like her being a waterbender or not has any affect whatsoever on the story, but sure. We also learn that she had previously been engaged to Hahn but broke it off because he "wasn't the boy of her dreams". Not sure why they bothered to write him in the first place.

So...Yue and Sokka begin talking, and Sokka finally realizes why she's familiar to him.

I genuinely had to pause the episode to laugh when this reveal happened.

YUE WAS THE FOX SPIRIT SOKKA SAW IN THE SPIRIT WORLD.

Yes, I'm being 100% serious. When Yue was healed by the moon spirit, she turned into Danny Phantom and can now just hop in and out of the Spirit World. As a fox for God knows what reason.

BTW, this has jack shit to do with anything overall. It adds nothing. It serves NO PURPOSE. Genuinely do not know what the hell they were trying to do with that.

Um, so yeah. Moving on.

Apparently in this version, Tui and La only become mortal fish once a year or something? On the night of the "ice moon". Your guess as to what on earth an ice moon is is as good as mine.

Zhao begins to lead an invasion on the north and Momo is killed in the crossfire.

Well, almost.

Again I just busted out laughing because Momo has served NO PURPOSE until now, he's just been there because he was in the og series. I'm sorry Momo, as much as I love you....why were you here.

To save a kid from being crushed by falling debris. He just pushes them out of the way and is crushed. The reason is just so that Yue can take him to the Oasis and use healing on him with the Spirit Water.

Katara and Zuko have their classic fight and Zuko says "Oh you've found a master haven't you?" To which Katara replies, "Yeah, me" because she's a master now after 2 days remember?

Koizilla happens...the tribe is saved...Yue makes her sacrifice. So now she can go be the moon instead of a fox I guess.

Also, I think Iroh killed Zhao, despite earlier in the series refusing to kill the Earth Kingdom soldier who captured him because "we've all seen enough death."

And then...Aang goes back to the Spirit World, to find that the little "house" Gyatso was in is empty now. Gyatso is just gone now, with no explanation, although he seemed to know when he met with Aang beforehand that he would be gone from the Spirit World next time Aang tried to find him. Great job, taking the only interesting storyline made up for this series and just throwing it out the window for no rhyme or reason!

Now lemme talk about Azula....

She's not even Azula anymore. She's really insecure and worried about pleasing her father. Because whenever I thought of Azula, I always thought "insecure!" Like I get what they were going for, Zhao says this honestly kinda raw line about Zuko merely being the fire to sharpen the iron that was Azula, but like....why did she have to be this insecure person now? Also why is she even an archer now? It again has nothing to do with anything

Mai and Ty Lee are there for also no reason at all other than to be like "HEY REMEMBER THESE TWO CHARACTERS FROM THE ORIGINAL SHOW?!" They just stand there and watch Azula train sometimes.

The show ends with a Fire Sage showing Ozai through their planetarium (which they have now I guess) that Sozin's Comet is returning "soon." Who knows when! Just soon!

Also, Kataang shippers do not get your hopes up. Not that I expected much Kataang here at all, but I swear they barely even feel like friends until the end. It almost seems like Katara is more interested in him than he is in her.

My expectations of this series were low from the beginning. When it was first announced this project was in development, I said it was unnecessary and couldn't improve upon the OG in any way...and I was right. Even as its own thing entirely divorced from the cartoon, it's just kind of bland and downright confusing at times.

Anyways, my fingers hurt now so I'm going to wrap this up. Apparently I've been typing for like 1.5 hr now lol

Watch the original series instead :)

[hello-nichya-here]

Zuko is sent to fight in the front lines instead of searching Aang, developing PTSD. After 3 years, he's allowed to return. How would the relationship between the fire siblings change, and how could she help him overcome his grief?

At first, Azula's idea of helping him would be repeatedly praising him for surviving those three years, for any important victory he was involved in, for how much stronger and powerful of a bender/warrior he is now compared to when he left, etc. She assumes that, much like herself, Zuzu just needs to be told he did a good job so he can "cheer up" (aka repress all the inner turmoil until it inevitably comes crashing down on them both).

Once she realizes that isn't working at all, she starts to internally panic a bit. Still, she tries to pretend all is fine, only being much sweeter and kinder to Zuko. She's trying to be understanding whenever he opens up about his trauma - but while there's compassion there, she's also a bit resistent to fully accept that "Yes, this is my dad's fault. No, there was no need for him to treat Zuko like this" because Ozai's brainwashing was very effective.

One night, to her surprise, Zuko comes to her room seeking comfort. He gets in bed with her, they cuddle for a bit, and eventually Zuko just breaks. He is an incoherent mess, constantly repeating how he was so afraid and lonely and miserable, how he still has nightmares about all the things he saw, all the things he did, all the horrible ways in which people died. And no matter how much Azula tries to soothe him, he simply doesn't seem to even be listening.

Without thinking, she kisses him and Zuko is so shocked that he just stares at her, both of them totally confused and unsure of how to deal with... well, everything.

After that night, Zuko goes to her room every night. Azula doesn't always know what to say or what to do to make things easier for him, but being close to her gives him enough comfort to either sleep peacefully, or be soothed after a nightmare/sleepless night. It doesn't magically make everything better, but it makes it easier.

But it also made them codependent as hell. So when Ozai decides to put Zuko in charge of chasing after the Avatar, Azula knows neither of them would be able to stand being apart from each other. So, she leaves with him - the crew is VERY weirded out by the fact that she shares a bedroom and bed with her brother and acts more like his girlfriend/wife than sister, but they know better than to say anything.