#do aang katara sokka zuko and azula have last name?

[celestialxmiku]

A little Izumi approached her dad and her aunt and uncle. Apparently Sokka (her dad),was getting tea with his father in law uncle Iroh. With one question on her cute innocent mind. "Papa,auntie,uncle Aang." She bowed despite not needing to. She was to polite for her own good. Aang chuckled. Zuko smiled. "What is it,Turtleduck?" Katara lifted her up and put her on her lap,while Aang pat her her head.

"I had a question. All my friends have grandparents,do I have any?"

A jolt went up Zuko's spine. Perhaps it was heaven sent? Hell if she was dead in Zuko's opinion. Aang stood there nervously. While Katara tried to come up with a response. "Uh," Katara chuckled nervously. "Well,sweetie..." Zuko took a nervous sip of tea to try to calm himself down.

"And what was Azula like when you were children,papa?"

Zuko spat his tea out and coughed aggressively. Aang stood up to try to help him. Katara waterbend it out of the ground,while Aang tried to slap Zuko's back,rather hurting him instead.

"Well,auntie Azula is good now."

"Was my grandpa a good father?"

Zuko was on the ground,if he wasn't he would be laughing at this ridiculous suggestion. Katara decided to take initiativ.

"Long ago-"

"THERE WERE AWFUL AND SHITTY PEOPLE!"

They turned around to see Sokka standing next to Iroh. Aang swiftly covered Izumi's ears.

"Hi? I'm right here you know?" Azula stated from the back. Chuckling to herself. She walked over to Izumi and took her into her arms. "Good job."

Bonus:

Izumi sat in her papa's lap. "Okay,I'm going to teach you something very important. Alright,repeat after me. Azula always lies,Azula always lies." "Azula always lies."

Azula and Katara peaked through the door,an offended Azula next to a smug,teasing Katara.

Iroh and Aang were lecturing Sokka,that as Izumi's dad,he shouldn't curse in front of her. Albeit,Iroh, slightly kinder than Aang. Toph was laughing her ass off.

[mugentakeda]

OK LAST DOODLES OF THE DAY IM SERIOUS THIS TIME ill do more tomorrow anyway

[comradekatara]

I just read your rant about zukka and it made me think what if zuko’s obsession with sokka has to do with the fact that sokka in some ways encompasses some of the traits that have been forced on Zuko since he was young like the whole killing without mercy or remorse and the need for control and the strategic thinking. But Sokka uses these skills no to try and rule the world but to help aang stop Ozai. I haven’t watched atla in a while but your analyses help me realize a lot of details that I missed about it was he characters

yeah i’ve talked before about how sokka and azula being so similar must be kind of a mindfuck for zuko because sokka has “a killer instinct that’s just so fire nation” but also he’s literally friends with the bald baby pacifist monk avatar who says shit like “do you think we could’ve been friends too?” and so zuko clearly has no idea what to think. like he and azula were both indoctrinated into this world that valued certain traits and dogmas over others (ie, sokka’s over aang’s) and so azula sees sokka as more of a threat.

it’s funny because obviously sokka and zuko’s first encounter is sokka getting his ass handed to him by a guy who doesn’t even care that he’s in his way, but also that scheme is pretty immediately disrupted by sokka’s boomerang. and then the next time they meet, sokka has actually spent time training under someone (instead of fumbling around in the dark by himself) and can now hold his own far better. and every single encounter after that sees sokka not only rising to zuko’s level, but surpassing him, fighting him, foiling his plans, advocating to leave him for dead, ignoring him, dismissing him.

even at the western air temple, sokka is the liaison who welcomes him into the group (the designated “leadership” role comes with more responsibilities than simply assassinating assassins), but he also makes it pretty clear that he doesn’t care for or trust zuko throughout “the firebending masters,” even if his manner of bullying is far less overtly malicious than katara’s. and yet, zuko cannot discount him. zuko saw him kill combustion man. zuko understands his value to the group. zuko recognizes that quality he and azula share. zuko may have had an advantage over him the first time they met, but it sure didn’t last long. if azula and zuko have anything in common, it’s a mutual respect for sokka.

like, sokka is the only member of the gaang’s name azula actually says (aang is “the avatar,” katara is “peasant,” toph is [insert blind joke here], and suki is “my favorite prisoner”) and on the day of black sun, she elects to distract sokka first and foremost knowing that he’s their “leader.” and she does clearly respect him more than most people do because she can see herself in him (at least to some extent, i don’t think either of them are actually insightful enough to realize how deep that connection truly goes) and thus can recognize his worth as someone who is in a similar position, albeit on the opposite side.

zuko does say and aang and katara’s names (and appa’s), but sokka’s name is the first he says, and it’s really the only name he uses as a mode of address. and the matter of naming is clearly important to royal heirs, who are defined by their names and titles. we see that especially when zuko confuses ursa’s “remember who you are” with “remember your ancestry,” declaring who he is not as internal identity, but as title. to afford someone the respect of addressing them by name is to implicitly demonstrate respect for them.

this is further demonstrated by the fact that unlike “you just had to pick up the glowing egg” zuko of just an episode prior, zuko really does follow sokka’s leadership and places his complete faith in his abilities. there’s no complaining or backseat driving or undermining of his intentions, which is genuinely anomalous for zuko, who generally refuses to listen to anyone about anything (unless he’s being actively scared into submission, and even then he’s stood up to ozai multiple times). he’s not outspoken in these episodes, however. he is downright docile. and it’s because he genuinely believes sokka to be his superior. which isn’t to say that sokka isn’t better than he is, but like. aang is too and he doesn’t take his knowledge into account! because aang doesn’t represent the values that zuko strove to embody his entire life.

what’s more, i would imagine there’s something kind of satisfying, if not downright intriguing, about knowing someone who basically is what you aspire to be, who you were told you must be your entire life, and seeing that he is just. absolutely fucking miserable. like azula is also miserable, but zuko doesn’t know that (yet), because she hides it better. but sokka is genuinely suicidal (especially in these episodes). meeting this idealized standard of perfection you have always failed to reach and realizing that whatever standards you once (recently) held yourself to are actually deeply unfulfilling. that sokka isn’t “perfect,” that he actually considers himself a failure. and the fact that when he does fail, he considers it the end of the world because he never built up the resilience one gets from being a normal person who doesn’t always succeed on their first try. and zuko’s like “finally, something i have that he doesn’t: intimate knowledge of what it’s like to constantly fail and underperform and disappoint people!”

zuko is really perfectly equipped to support sokka in this situation, because he idolizes him enough to provide him with the unconditional support sokka feels fundamentally undeserving of, and also understands sokka’s misery enough to give him actually meaningful advice when it matters. what’s interesting about how zuko feels about sokka is that it’s not just about uncritically putting him on a pedestal for being Nice Azula or whatever, it’s also about zuko’s genuine desire to help sokka and protect him.

yue inhabits the martyr role that sokka has always envisioned himself in, suki establishes herself as someone who is equally capable of protecting him and he can her, and zuko risks his life to support sokka on his crazy suicide mission, when sokka was so intent on going it alone because he wasn’t thinking clearly didn’t want anyone else to get hurt. sokka doesn’t need someone who treats him like an irreproachable god. in fact, i think sokka would hate nothing more than having a sycophant. he needs someone who understands that he is fallible and vulnerable and needs help like any human being does, and respects and trusts and admires him anyway.

zuko doesn’t have the capacity to recognize azula’s insecurities and shortcomings, or the desire to help her, but he does for sokka. because he never felt like he was in a position where he had to compete for something against him. he’s not trying to usurp sokka’s role as “leader” (except for whatever was going on in “sozin’s comet,” but that’s for another post) and is happy to simply follow him, in a way that is genuinely uncharacteristic for him.

and you can say that it’s because zuko is gay and stupid (which wouldn’t be wrong, per se), but it’s also because sokka embodies everything zuko ever thought he had to be. and it’s because sokka doesn’t even care. it’s the recognition that one person’s idealized model of behavior is another’s burden. that if zuko had been “perfect” like sokka, he never would’ve gained the wisdom to accept defeat and not let it deter him. perfect like azula, who, like sokka, shatters in the face of failure.

zuko says as much in “the siege of the north,” and again in “the western air temple.” the fact that he isn’t a prodigy, the fact that he “had to struggle and fight” to achieve what little he has, is “what made me who i am.” so he’ll respect sokka, of course, because sokka is who he wished for so long that he could be. but he’ll also support sokka, because he has just enough distance from the situation to recognize that he’s not an island (even if sokka himself is convinced that he must be). so it’s not obsession, per se, nor is it simply uncritical admiration that confuses excellence for infallibility. it’s unconditional support born of understanding, a sort of empathy. it’s devotion.

[dualcordie]

I’ve seen people talking about Zuko adopting Izumi instead of her being his biological child and I had a silly little thought (that I haven’t stopped thinking about for days)

warning: this post is basically just my last two brain cells trying to put out a semi-coherent thought

What if Zuko and Azula mend their relationship after everything and heal, but they both still despise Ozai so much that they make a pact that their lineage dies with them and they refuse to ever have children?

BUT

Azula goes on some self discovery trip and eventually meets this little orphan named Izumi. They hit it off almost immediately. Azula is usually super awkward around kids, but Izumi is a little menace and Azula loves her. She sees parts of herself, and even Zuko, in Izumi (ya know, before things went downhill for the both of them as children). She manages to bring Izumi back to the capital and tells Zuko she has a surprise.

Zuko nearly shits himself when said surprise is a 6 year old who can’t seem to stop bouncing off the walls and talks so fast you can barely make out what she’s saying. Zuko is adamant that Izumi doesn’t belong there and “What about our deal?!”

To which Azula starts to persuade him (because she’s good at that shit and would be able to do it without hesitation) and even makes the point that their ancestors would be livid if they knew that the Fire Lord adopted a random child rather than “keeping their lineage pure” or whatever the fuck kind of bullshit they’d say. She wants to be an auntie so bad, she’s bound and determined to get Zuko to adopt this kid.

Zuko says Izumi can stay, but he can’t be a dad right now and they’ll have to eventually find someone to take her in. Azula doesn’t believe that for one second, especially after seeing how great Zuko is with every child he comes across. She manages to rope the gaang into it and when Zuko sees how Sokka and Izumi instantly click, how comfortable Izumi is around Aang and Katara’s kids, as well as Toph’s, he can’t say no to adopting her. He takes her in, spends more and more time with her, and they’re definitely a dynamic dad and daughter duo (even though he hasn’t officially adopted her yet). There’s even talk going around the palace that Zuko is spoiling her rotten (but he swears he isn’t, he’s just trying to give her a better childhood than he had).

then blah blah blah Zuko’s a great dad to her and him and Sokka surprise her with the official adoption and they sometimes struggle with the whole new being married and parents thing but they’d give their lives for Izumi in an instant and they’re in love and that’s all that matters

[ilikepjo24]

Take a minute from your day to imagine Zuko and Azula with therapy cats that they each name after the other. It gets so confusing so fast because whenever the name Zuko or Azula is used people have to clarify if they’re referring to the cat or the prince/princess.

Human!Zuko: Azula, I don't know what to do about Azula.

Human!Azula: Are you asking me for advice on what to do about the cat that keeps ruining your furniture, or are you asking the cat for advice for our argument from earlier?

Cat!Azula: Meow.

[...]

Human!Azula: Ugh! I'm so pissed at Zuko!

Sokka: Did he forbid the kitchen chefs from making mochi again after you burnt that general's robes in the last meeting?

Human!Azula: ...What?

Cat!Zuko: *continues pushing objects off Azula's desk unbothered*

[...]

Aang: Where did you get that mark from?

Sokka: Oh that? Azula just bit me.

Aang: Ouch!

Katara: Some pet owners just don't know how to train their pets properly!

Sokka: ...

Sokka: Yeah. The cat. I meant the cat. The cat bit me.

[...]

Zuko, yelling from a distance: Azula no! Stop it! Stop! It! You're supposed to be helping me, why are you acting like that!? After everything we've been through! Stop it, I say! Azula!

Ty Lee: Which one do you think he's talking to?

Mai: It could honestly be any of them.

Cat!Azula: *walks in the room and lays on the carpet to take a nap*

Ty Lee: Well now we know.

[...]

Aang: Hey, Azula! How are you? You seemed upset earlier after your fight with you brother.

Azula: Oh, I'm fine. I spent some time with Zuko and now I've calmed down.

Aang: That's nice, I'm glad you could work it out.

Zuko: Hey, Azula, I was wondering if you could-

Azula: No, I couldn't. Go fuck yourself. *storms off*

Aang: ???

Cat!Zuko: *runs after her*

[...]

Zuko: Azula's just so adorable! And helpful too! We've been getting along so well, it's wonderful. She's really taken some stress off my back.

Toph: That's nice to hear, sparky. And here I thought you could never tolerate each other.

Zuko: Yeah, in the beginning I was hesitant too. All I could think of is how she'd leave hair everywhere, and she might bite, or break stuff. But after I got her, I found out just how well behaved she is. The only thing I still can't get behind is when she spits out hairballs and that at night, she likes to lay down and sleep on my face.

Toph: ...

Toph: What the fuck, actually.

[745voiceofthepeople]

Dissatisfied partisans and reactionaries have launched a coup against Zuko’s regime several years after the war. The Gaang has gone in search of princess Azula. Rightly believing that her wits and courtly know how can save Zuko regime. Barring the military and the avatar forcing the populace to accept Zuko’s rule.

At long last, Aang, Katara, and Sokka have found the princesses whereabouts in a small mostly untraveled island in the Fire archipelago. Inhabited by only a small town.

The three descend off Appa, and walk to confront…er ask Azula for her help.

Aang: We need your help Azula. Old officers and administrators from Ozai’s rule are plotting a coup against your brother. We need your help to stop it, and bring them all to justice.

Azula: No

Sokka: What! Zuko needs your help!

Azula: The last time I helped my brother, he stabbed me in the back.

Azula: Turned my only friends against me, fought and usurped me from my position while I was undergoing a breakdown, sleep deprived, and hallucinating my bitch of a mother

Azula: Then he threw me into an abusive “insane asylum” where I was kept in a straight jacket nearly 24/7 for months!

Azula: Where he left me to languish until he needed something from me. Which was to find my emotionally negligent mother that never gave a single shit about me!

Azula: I’m not going to risk being betrayed by Zuko again for helping him.

Katara: I’ll let you kiss me, if you help.

Azula: why in Agni’s name would I want to?

Katara: You want to help princess, because I saw your eyes drifting from mine. And we’re they landed.

Azula: Your eyes were doing the same, water bender. This sounds like more of a reward for you… but the incentive is tempting I’ll admit.

Katara: Theirs no reason we can’t both benefit from reward and incentive. Come on, I’ll even let you choose where you plant it 😘

Azula: …Where do I sign?

The two walk off into the direction of Azula’s house. Holding hands and sneaking peaks at the other with shy smiles.

Aang: I guess that’s why Katara broke up with me…

Sokka: Azula is terrifying, but she is a looker. So I can’t exactly blame Katara. No offense Aang.

Aang: Non taken. If it’s what gets Azula on side I’m fine with it.

Aang: I’ve made my peace with Katara being a lesbian… but with all the times she’s spent complaining and talking about Azula. This… makes sense.

Sokka: On the bright side I’m sure after the coup attempt is resolved, we won’t have to see Azula ever again buddy!

Azula ends up becoming Sokka’s sister in law and the other parent of Sokka’s nieces and nephew. Also the personal Firebending teacher of Aang’s successor Korra. While her darling wife was Korra’s Waterbending teacher.

[itslenagain]

My thoughts on episodes 1-3 of Netflix ATLA (SPOILERS):

1. Commander Zhao has middle-aged white guy manager energy. I feel like this man is about to lead me in a team-building exercise

2. Aang having his origin story changed irks me! He ran away impulsively in the original show and got stuck in the ice. In this version, he fully monologs to Appa about his fears, but then just leaves for a joyride and gets stuck. It takes away from the significance of Aang leaving in the first place. When Kyoshi berates him for running away, it doesn't feel right because in this version, he didn't really run - he just got stuck in the wrong place at the wrong time

3. The Zuko that stood on an iceberg during a full Moon and challenged Katara to battle would be absolutely enraged at the Zuko that ran from the conflict in Omashu

4. Also, the fact that Zuko has not mentioned honor yet? What the fuck?

5. Seriously, Commander Zhao has a LinkedIn. He's got great networking skills

6. I miss aggro Katara. This version is way more subdued (though we do get a sibling fight in episode 3) and somehow listening to Aang's weird circular philosophy helps her learn how to waterbend and I don't get it

7. Seeing Aang be joyful is a nice change from the movie that shall not be mentioned

8. If Gram-Gram putting the waterbending scroll in Katara's bag replaces the storyline where Katara says fuck cultural looting and steals one I will scream

9. It's interesting to see Azula so early in the story, but I'm bummed we missed out on the whole blackmail thing with her & Ty Lee

10. Do you think Commander Zhao pays his employees a fair wage? Do you think they have health insurance? 401k matching? Vacation time? Sick days? What kind of benefits does his company offer?

11. This version of Sokka is definitely not silly enough

12. I feel robbed that Aang got to transform into a magical girl but we didn't get a magical girl transformation sequence

13. Also, we were robbed of Sokka crossdressing as a Kyoshi warrior and they are so rude for that

14. The graphic murder of the Airbenders felt. Weird? Wrong? I don't think we needed to see that. The impact it had when Aang arrived at the temple to find all of them gone in the original show felt heavier than in this version. We saw what happened, we know they're all dead. As a kid watching ATLA the first time, I remember feeling hopeful for Aang that maybe he wasn't really the last one. We don't get to feel that with this version

15. They did not understand Uncle Iroh at all. His character is so weird. Maybe it gets better???

16. The pacing is weird but maybe that gets better too???

17. I have never related more than when Ozai just burned that Earth nation dude who was about to start monologing, please shut up in my presence

18. Apparently everywhere has names?? Who decided on these names?

19. As a lesbian I also get horny on main immediately for girls who could definitely kick my ass, Sokka was so real for that

20. Overall I think they lean into the idea that the audience for this show is primarily older than the audience for the original (they're not totally wrong!) but I worry about it losing some of the messaging along the way. Part of the beauty of the original ATLA show was tackling these big, complex issues in a way that both kids and adults could relate to and understand. Anyone who knows me knows I also love Bluey for this, along with a few other shows that do it well. Media like ATLA that tackles the ideas of colonization, genocide, war, and so many other important issues is crucial! I hope that these topics are handled just as well as they were in the original series.

Am I going to watch the whole thing? Probably, yeah. Will I enjoy it? I hope so! It's not terrible, but it's also hard to do a show that has so much nostalgia attached to it in a way that will please all viewers.

If you haven't watched it, I think it's worth a shot. Just don't expect it to be an exact retelling of the original story.

[casualdadnomad]

hello atla fans this is my take on the fanfic gaang nicknames bc god do i love to shorten and change a name

masterpost (✯◡✯)

there is no way to nickname aang naturally besides just calling him names (ex. toph’s “twinkle toes”)

alternatively. making his name longer in a nickname sort of way

sokka: sok

pronounced like sock. i don’t make the rules (yes i do)

idk why but i love that one sm it’s so goofy and silly

suki is another one i’m not sure you can really nickname. su?

zuko just doesn’t strike me as a nickname guy but i appreciate the mocking (lovingly ofc) zuzu

I understand THEORETICALLY why we would call katara kat but the first a in katara is pronounced as a schwa (unstressed syllable) not the short a in kat so it doesn’t work for me

toph (#1 nickname creator) having a one syllable name is a crime

but i do love the concept of her being the only one they can first name last name if she is in trouble

also referring to her just as beifong is pretty good too

azula…. zula? zules?

zuko could also call her zuzu right back

ty lee would probably shorten it to ty instead of lee because less common name

mai is mai. don’t call her anything else unless u r ty lee or u will probably get a knife thrown at u

little bonus is the whole gaang calling iroh uncle

Idk if this is a real post i just saw a post about zukkas using kat and zutaras using tara and i am not a zutara that’s for sure but i don’t like kat so #subvertingexpectations

[bunthebreadboy]

ATLA as things I’ve said or heard this week :)

I haven’t seen one of these in a while so I decided it was a necessity and made one myself!

Aang: “Listen, I don’t normally condone violence but I would LOVE to square up with my Zionist professor.”

Katara: “What do you MEAN I have to take biomedical ethics? How are those any different from the human research ethics I already know?!”

Sokka: “What’s thermodynamics? Is it hard? Eh, I’ll just take it for my physics elective.”

Toph: “The flannel really isn’t helping your case. Just admit you’re a lesbian stereotype.”

Iroh: “Can you please eat some real food?”

Zuko: “Donuts and Pringles ARE REAL FOOD!”

Suki: “Hey Dr. Smith, have you heard of the 4b movement?” *proceeds to spend the next five minutes of class explaining it*

Azula: “I knew you were a lesbian the second you told me that you cut your own bangs.”

Mai: “So we know *human ancestor I forgot the name of* was cannibalistic. And we have plenty of evidence on child bones. What about old people? The elderly die too, you know.”

Ty Lee: “Bitch I cried to the new Chappell Roan song for an hour last night! I want to recommend it to my ex situationship who still says she’s straight.”

[starstruckphantommoon]

Polar Opposites - Book 3: Fire - Chapter 20: Sozin's Comet - Part 4: It's Finally Over

The comet had come to an end and we had finally won the war.

It’s finally over, the war that has been raging on for 100 years. 

All of the sacrifices, blood, sweat and tears, were not in vain. You and the others did it, you had put an end to the 100 year war.

All of your hard work had finally paid off.

It feels so good to breathe as a free woman in the Fire Nation. It feels good to walk around and waterbend without always looking over your shoulder.

To not have to hide anymore is a massive relief.

After the battle, Aang, Sokka, Toph and Suki arrived on a large Fire Nation airship. It was so out of the blue that for a terrifying moment, you had literally thought that Ozai had beaten Aang, but luckily, the four of them stepped off of the ship looking very tired but still smiling.

After seeing that the four of them were alive, you got quite the shock when you found out that Ozai was still alive. Aang, of course, explained that he had taken Ozai’s bending away, permanently.

Aang taking someone’s bending away is a scary thing to think about.

Ozai was escorted to the prison outside of the Palace City.

You updated each other on what we all did during Sozin’s comet while eating together.

Sokka telling his overly exaggerated version of the whole airship slice thing was hilarious! But it was much better when Suki explained the real version of what happened.

Aang explaining how he had defeated Ozai and managed to master the Avatar State.

It was almost a miracle.

Then you, Zuko, and Katara all told them about what had happened during the Last Agni Kai.

Yes, it has an official name because it was the last Agni Kai between Azula and Zuko. And it’ll probably be the last Agni Kai that she’ll ever have.

That night, you just slept. you slept in my own bed by yourself in the Fire Nation’s royal palace.

You fell into a deep, deep sleep.

For once, since before you and your siblings had met Aang, you didn’t have to worry about being attacked in your sleep or surviving tomorrow. You fell asleep knowing that you were completely safe. Knowing that there wasn’t any danger out there that was trying to kill you.

It was a huge relief for you to be completely honest.

A few days of relaxing had passed, and now it’s the day that Zuko is to be crowned as the new Fire Lord. The war is also to be declared over but you had to wait for everyone to show up.

All of your closest friends and allies are coming from all over the world to watch it all go down.

During the few days that you and the others had to have in between for everyone to arrive, the preparations were made. While the preparations were being made you and the others found out that no one had allegiance for Ozai.

And to say that you and the others were very surprised to learn that is a complete and utter understatement.

After your allies started arriving for Zuko’s coronation, you and Katara went around healing people if they needed to be healed (and there were a lot of people who needed to be healed). Katara’s healing ability is amazing, she really does have a real gift for helping people.

Everyone else that didn’t need to be healed helped to fix up the Palace City as much as they could so that it would look presentable for Zuko’s coronation.

You have to say that you couldn’t be prouder of Zuko.

He overcame the demons of his past to help build a new world.

He defied his family - known for destruction and devastation - to help bring an era of peace in this world.

Even though you didn’t know his mom, you know that she’d be very proud of him.

You sigh as you let (hair length) (hair colored) hair fall in cascades of waves around you shoulders and down your back as you walk down the long hallway towards Zuko’s private quarters so that you can do another healing session on his wounds that he had gotten from Azula.

Katara had left the duty of healing Zuko in your capable hands.

She’s way better at healing than you but she still insisted that it was your duty to him as his girlfriend.

You approach the familiar large red and gold doors, a smile making its way onto your face. So, without thinking, you push open the door. “Hey Zuko, time for another healing ses-”

You stop mid-sentence when you process the scene in front of you.

Standing in the middle of the room stand Zuko and Mai.

Did you mention that they’re too close for your liking?

Mai looked unfortunately comfortable and Zuko looks out of place but still slightly happy. You mean, he is in the Fire Nation palace, about to become the new Firelord, standing with a girl from the Fire Nation that he used to date.

You guess he is happy because she isn’t in prison anymore.

However, Mai didn’t exactly look happy when she saw you standing in the doorway.

Seeing that slightly flared up your temper but you swallowed it down, not really wanting to escalate the situation too much.

“Oh, um… sorry… I’ll just… wait outside…” you mumble, feeling the heat creep up your cheeks.

Turning quickly, you resist the urge not to sprint out of the room, walking as normally as you can, ignoring the awkwardness, jealousy and anger that built up inside of you at the sight of the two of them like that.

Shutting the door of the room behind you, you lean up against the wall and sigh.

You probably had this coming, you mean they’ve liked each other since they were kids and they pretty much grew up together. You were just some girl from the Southern Water Tribe that let her hormones and emotions get the better of her.

Oh, how could you have been so stupid…?

You slump against the wall and look up at the ceiling, forcing every single thought out of your mind by concentrating on the patterns and designs on the ceiling.

Just how the gold thread twists and twirls on the ceiling, resting an elegant pattern.

While staring at the ceiling, you force yourself to think about what you would have for lunch.

Thinking about whether it's a good idea to go home or not.

Now that you think about it, I think a trip to the South Pole is a very good idea right about now.

The door to Zuko’s room slamming shut is what causes you to snap out of your thoughts.

I look over to see Mai storming toward you.

Instinctively, you would’ve backed up to the wall but you’re already against the wall, so you just press yourself to it as best as possible as she get right into your face with a very angry expression on her face.

You’ll admit, it did scare you a little but you don’t think you’ve ever seen her show this much emotion before.

In fact, now that you think about it, you’ve never seen her show this much emotion.

You reluctantly meet her eyes to find her heated glare.

A few days ago you were able to take down Azula during Sozin’s Comet without a second thought, standing here now with Mai and staring right into her eyes as she glares down at you.

You want to run.

You’re legitimately scared of her right now because by the harshness of her glare, you’re guessing she wants to grab one of her knives and chop you up into small pieces.

“I have no idea why he chose you over me.” she whispers dangerously, expressing her curiosity.

“Me neither.” you respond honestly.

Whoa… Wait, what?

He chose you over her?

Mai narrows her eyes at you, intensifying her glare.

“What do you have that I don’t?” she wonders threateningly aloud.

‘Waterbending, caramel colored skin, a family that cares about me, emotions.’ you list off in your head. And to be honest, you think she would honestly kill you if you had said any of them aloud, so you keep your mouth shut tightly, not wanting to accidentally blurt something out.

“But, you know what?” she asks you. “I’ll be waiting for the day that he decides to dump you.”

This sparks up your temper again.

What on earth makes her think she’ll be around IF Zuko dumps you?!

“Then, you know what I think about that?” you ask her. “I suggest that you move on with your life or else you’ll be waiting a very long time.” you retort sweetly, just to annoy her.

Somehow, her glare gets even more deadly.

Being as angry as you am though, it excites me.

“I really doubt that you’ll last long with him.” she warns through gritted teeth.

“I’ve lasted this long with him, so I think I can go for a little while longer.” you tease, smirking slightly.

She seethes in anger for a moment before turning away from you and storming off down the hallway.

You watch as Mai storms off down the hall and around the corner, letting out a silent sigh of relief.

Spirits, that was scary; being mad at her just gave you false confidence.

You really wonder how Zuko’s ego will take two girls fighting over him. You might as well go and find out.

Shaking off what just happened between you and Mai, you turn and walk into Zuko’s room again. You walk in to find him pacing around the room in his robe with a hand placed on his chin, his face showing concern and worry.

Once he sees you, his face lights up with relief.

“She didn’t kill you.” he breathes out in relief, coming over to you with his arms open.

A chuckle escapes your lips. “No, she didn’t.” you say, stepping into his embrace.

With a sigh, you basically melt into his embrace. If you could, you would live in his arms because they’re so comfortable.

You wrap your arms around him tightly, hugging him back.

Zuko wincing a moment after you wrap your arms around him, catches you off guard and you immediately let go of him.

Guilt rushes through you as you remember why you came here in the first place.

Zuko groans slightly as he holds the center of his chest, where his wound is.

“Are you okay?” you ask softly.

“Yeah… I’m fine.” he says, his voice strained from the pain.

“No, you’re not. Let me heal you.” you pretty much order him.

Zuko meets your gaze with a pleading look.

You give him a small smile before you help him remove his robe.

Once his robe is removed, you go to undo his bandages and let them drop to the floor.

Lucky for you, there’s a large pot of water in the corner of the room.

Bending the water around your hands, you place them against his chest and focus on relieving Zuko from his pain.

You feel Zuko’s body tense up for a brief moment before he sighs out in relief, causing you to smile and bend the water back into the small pot.

Once the water is back in the pot, you look down at his chest, looking at the wound. The light pink flesh that is calm now from being healed slightly. You want to touch it, run your fingers over it softly but you can tell from the moisture and pinkness that it would hurt if you touch the wound. Denying yourself that pleasure for Zuko’s sake, you move over to get the bandages, feeling Zuko’s intense gaze on you the whole time. You resist the urge to shiver from his intense gaze and try to even out your breathing.

Slowly, you wrap up the wound in bandages again, his golden eyes watching you, very happily.

“Is it still sore?” you ask, meeting his eyes.

You almost regret looking up.

Almost.

Immediately, his golden stare traps you so much that you’re unable to look away. His gaze softens as you meet his eyes and you’re lost under his spell.

It’s like nothing else matters anymore, it’s just you and him.

“The pain was nothing that I couldn’t handle.” he comments, smirking slightly.

“That’s good.” you breathe out as your heart starts pounding and the heat in your body begins to rise as you begin to get really flustered.

“Shouldn’t you finish bandaging me up?” Zuko smirks at you, raising an eyebrow.

That immediately snaps you out of your trance.

“Yeah, yeah.” you mutter with a roll of your eyes as you continue to wrap his wound up.

Stupid Zuko and his big ego.

Knowing that he’s watching you, you keep trying to fight the smile that’s playing at the edge of your lips.

“Are you excited to become Firelord?” you ask, breaking the tense silence.

“More excited that this war is finally over and we’ll be creating peace in the world.” Zuko answers thoughtfully.

“You’ve got a lot of mistakes to fix, y’know?” you ask, fixing his bandages so that it doesn’t come undone.

“I know. And I’m going to fix them. This is my destiny.” he says proudly, a smile creeping its way onto your face.

Spirits, he’s so dang cute when he’s proud.

“I’m glad you finally figured it out.” you whisper before leaning up to kiss him. It’s only a small peck, and you just know that it’s going to drive him crazy that you didn’t make it last any longer.

“Don’t keep everybody waiting.” you warn as you turn around so that you can join everyone else outside in the courtyard.

*********

You join everyone down in the courtyard, finding Katara, Sokka and your dad with the rest of the Water Tribe warriors.

“Dad!” you smile as you run up to him, engulfing him in a huge hug.

“(Y/N).” he smiles as he hugs you back.

“Katara told me what you did.” he continues as he pulls away. “Your mother would be so proud.”

A tear runs down your cheek at the thought of our mom being proud of not only you but Sokka and Katara too.

“There's my favorite warriors!” Sokka exclaims, causing you to turn to see the Kyoshi Warriors standing there in full uniform and makeup. “I have to admit, I kind of missed the face paint. So how does it feel to be in uniform again?” he asks.

“It feels great!” Tylee, who is in a Kyoshi Warrior uniform as well, says.

Sokka limps up in front of Suki to protect her, pointing his crutch at Ty Lee. “Careful, Suki! Ty Lee is pretending to be a Kyoshi Warrior again.”

“It's okay. She's one of us now.” Suki assures him which makes him look from her to Ty Lee and back again, with a stunned look on his face

“Yeah, the girls and I really bonded in prison. And after a few chi-blocking lessons, they said I could join their group. We're going to be best friends forever.” Ty Lee explains before she hugs two of the other warriors, smiling widely.

****

After a few more minutes, everyone hushes as the curtains part and Zuko walks out, all formal and royal looking in his Firelord robes.

You have to say, seeing him like this, he looks rather attractive. Especially with his hair pulled out of his face, he looks so… authoritative.

At the same time, everyone starts to cheer him on, but he raises a hand, ceasing the cheers.

“Please. The real hero is the Avatar.” he says before he steps to the side as Aang walks out in his ceremonial monk robes.

Seeing both Aang and Zuko up there, fulfilling the places that they’re destined to be in, you just can’t be prouder of them.

Both of them have grown so much in the last year that you’ve known both of them.

From the annoyingly energetic little kid to savior of the world.

From the hot headed, banished Prince of the Fire Nation to the calm and collected Firelord.

So much has changed, you’ve all changed.

For the better of course.

“Today this war is finally over!” Zuko announces and your heart swells with both relief and pride as everyone else cheers out in excitement. “I promised my uncle that I would restore the honor of the Fire Nation. And I will. The road ahead of us is challenging. A hundred years of fighting has left the world scarred and divided. But with the Avatar's help, we can get it back on the right path and begin a new era of love and peace.”

As he says that last part, you swear that you saw his eyes flick to yours briefly.

Your smile stretches into a large grin at his words.

They were spoken like a true Firelord.

The worst of it is over, now all you and the others have to do is make it get better.

Zuko kneels down, preparing to be crowned Fire Lord and one of the Fire Sages behind him, comes up behind him, holding the Fire Lord’s hair piece high into the air.

The Fire Sage puts the Fire Lord headpiece into Zuko’s top knot.

“All hail Fire Lord Zuko!” the Fire Sage announces, causing the crowd around me to cheer again as Zuko rises to his feet.

Everyone around you cheers, all the while you stay still with a silly grin on your face as you watch him.

He’s here, he’s alive, he’s good, he wants to fix the world and he loves you.

You’ve watched him grow in this past year and you know that you’ll watch him grow in many more years to come as the new Fire Lord.

Tears well up in your eyes as the cheering gets louder.

Who knew watching your boyfriend get crowned Fire Lord after everything he’s been through would be so emotional.

You’re so proud of him that proud doesn’t even cover it anymore.

That stupid fire bending jerk that was trying to capture you, Aang, Katara, and Sokka, whom you fell in love with as a prisoner on his ship, stands in front of you now, as Fire Lord of his nation ready to help heal the world.

It’s a very heartwarming moment.

After Zuko’s coronation you and the others all decided to take a vacation to Ba Sing Se to celebrate.

You all arrived at Ba Sing Se and are now sitting inside the Jasmine Dragon.

You sit next to Iroh who’s playing the tsungi horn as Zuko serves the rest of you some tea.

He places a cup for Iroh on the table before handing me one.

“Thank you.” you smile and he nods before kissing your forehead gently before moving on to give tea to the others.

“Zuko, stop moving!” Sokka exclaims from his spot at a table at the other side of the room. “I'm trying to capture the moment. I wanted to do a painting, so we always remember the good times together.”

Katara walks over to him to see the painting. “That's very thoughtful of you, Sokka.”

Her face suddenly looks annoyed. “Wait, why did you give me Momo's ears?” she asks.

“Those are your hair loopies!” Sokka defends as you and the others walk over to him.

“At least you don't look like a boar-q-pine! My hair is not that spiky!” Zuko exclaims.

“Why do I look like a man?!” you ask Sokka with a glare.

He opens his mouth to defend himself but Suki cuts him off. “And why did you paint me firebending?”

“I thought it looked more exciting that way.” Sokka shrugs.

Momo jumps on to the table and chitters at him.

“Oh, you think you can do a better job, Momo?” Sokka asks which makes Momo chitter again.

“Hey, my belly's not that big anymore. I've really trimmed down.” Iroh comments pointing at the painting.

“Well I think you all look perfect!” Toph exclaims with a smile which causes you and the others to laugh.

It feels good to feel like there’s nothing in the world that can stop you and the others at the moment.

The war is finally over. Now it’s time for you and the others to continue to make the world a better place after 100 years of war that has left the world scarred and divided.

You know that it’s not going to be easy… but you know that if you and the others work together, you can make the world a better place for everyone.

[ao3feed-zukka]

twice as many stars

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/Aqol5Um

by hella1975

Zuko was supposed to die that night, at his father's hands and at the behest of his grandfather.

Ursa was supposed to vanish that night, and take nothing with her but her name.

Things didn't exactly go to plan.

Or: spirited away from the fire nation by their mother and abandoned to a life of poverty and running, zuko and azula learn to manage. right until the avatar and his friends drop way too cheerfully into their life, and the war returns to them in earnest. a story of hope, hardship and learning to believe in humanity again. zuko wants absolutely nothing to do with it, thank you.

Words: 16778, Chapters: 2/20, Language: English

Fandoms: Avatar: The Last Airbender

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Categories: Gen, M/M

Characters: Zuko (Avatar), Azula (Avatar), Ursa (Avatar), The Gaang (Avatar), Original Characters, Jet (Avatar), Toph Beifong, Sokka (Avatar), Katara (Avatar), Aang (Avatar)

Relationships: Sokka/Zuko (Avatar), Azula & Zuko (Avatar), Azula & Ursa & Zuko (Avatar), The Gaang & Zuko (Avatar), Azula & The Gaang (Avatar), Past Jet/Zuko - Relationship

Additional Tags: look! it's the on the run fire siblings au no one asked for!, in which zuko and azula are actually very close, Protective Zuko (Avatar), Protective Azula (Avatar), they now have... a very niche skillset between the two of them, Herbalist Azula (Avatar), also the jetko happens within the fic but doesn't last, they do however get a bitchy exes subplot, the gaang is generally very confused, but they'll be damned if they dont strongarm the fire siblings into friendship, pray for sokka

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/Aqol5Um

[bellatrixobsessed1]

I Am Blackened Bones (Part 2)

Sometimes he looks at pictures of her and his heart aches. Most of the time he thinks that it is his fault. And maybe, partly it is. He is her older brother and he can’t say that he was the best at it. Azula, of course, was no delight to him. Once or twice Zuko swears that she had been, in her own way, trying to connect, trying to be kind. But it always felt short. She just…she never felt sincere. And so he never felt compelled to show her any compassion. He can’t imagine that she would show him any were their roles switched. 

And yet he stares at her portrait. At her perfect, impeccable smile. Not a hair out of place, not a crinkle in her clothing. A far cry from the last state that he’d seen her in. Although he must say that she looked at least a little better. Her face had regained its color and her eyes had lost that odd glint. 

“I think that I should try to find her.” Zuko comments one day over dinner. 

“Who?” Aang inquires. 

“My sister.” 

“Did you already try that?” Katara asks.

“It’s a waste of time.” Mai sighs. “She doesn’t want to be found.” 

Zuko shrugs. “Yeah. Maybe.” The last that he had heard any news of her at all had been two months ago. A fire in a factory then things had been quiet around Caldera City.

“She’ll turn up eventually, she always does.” Mai mutters.

“Usually at the worst time too.” Sokka adds with a swish of his fork. 

But she doesn’t. Not in the month to come nor the month to follow that one. And then Zuko would get swept up in politics and duties and a vacation or two. He doesn’t know it now, he has absolutely no clue, but it would be another four years before he’d think to look for his sister again. 

While he eats his supper, his sister enjoys her fifth day of fire.

.oOo.

As many things do, it begins as only a vague cause for alarm. A subtle sense that something is not right. The kind that she would readily dismiss if she hadn’t experience to tell her that some of the worst fates have come in the wake of tiny inconveniences. 

Her little itch is a hole. 

This minuscule blank spot in her mind.

It used to be a memory that occupied that space. 

A useless fun fact to be precise. 

She can no longer recall how tall the average komodo rhino grows to be. She remembers that she had a phase as a child. She had a stuffed toy that father had won for her at a sun festival. She remembers the jingling bells tied to the stall. She also remembers the smell of spicy sausage links and the sound of their sizzling. She remembers tugging on father’s sleeve and asking for one. He had gotten her two since it was her birthday. And then she got to ride one of the komodo rhinos—its name was Kenzo. She held her stuffed komodo rhino, nibbling on its horn until father reminded her that doing so was unbecoming, and that big girls didn’t chew or suck on their toys. Lu Ten came home the next day and he had fashioned some armor for her toy. For his efforts and troubles she had prattled on and on about real komodo rhinos. She could list off everything that there was to know about komodo rhinos; their horn length, their average weight, what to feed them, and how to saddle them. She still knows these things. All of them except for how tall they grow to be. 

She sits upon a large rock, lightly beating a fiery fist against a flaming forehead, as though she can knock the memory back into her mind. But no matter how hard she tries she can’t seem to fish it back out of that hole. And so the blank space remains, small but seeming to gape all the same. 

Azula rubs her hands over her face. Not that she can call them hands anymore. They look more like twigs on the end of a branch of a smoldering tree. At first she thought that she was looking at bone…her bones. But no, her arms have a very distinctly woody texture and spines to go with it beneath all of that fire. Her ribcage on the other hand, is very much still bone and it is displayed openly with her flesh burned away from it. In place of guts and throbbing bits, she has a belly full of fire. A belly like a furnace that never stops raging. She doesn’t know what her face looks like, she doesn’t want to. But she imagines that it is no longer pleasant to look at. Perhaps it is hollow and skull like. Perhaps her eye sockets are empty of eyes. But how then, would she see? She knows that she has a tail, it is long and rigid and spiny like her arms. It bares likeness to a hardened lava floe, complete with cracks, glows, and occasional pops of sparks. It warps around her when she is feeling dread—an involuntary motion from an appendage that she hasn’t learned to use. It is wrapped around her now. It has been wrapped around her since her transformation. 

Azula, for all of her intense warmth, shivers and trembles. Not for the first time in her life, she doesn’t know what to do. But for the very first time in her life, she hasn’t even a semblance of a plan. 

Most of the time she finds herself wandering, occasionally stopping to catch the attention of a spirit. But when she begins to ask her question, only fire and smoke spouts from her mouth. Her words are weak, her voice soft and lost beneath the fire’s roar. 

And so the spirits slink or dash away from her, terrified of the power that she hadn’t meant to unleash before them. 

She is no closer to uncovering the how and the why. Possibly the who. Which spirit had done this to her? Or had it been the universe itself? Had she done this to herself? She thinks that she might have—with some help of course. The last of this gaggle of spirits flutter away. 

But she cannot weep for the fire steals her tears before they are shed. The feeling is still there constricting her chest. Azula is terribly sad and this time she doesn’t think that she can salvage anything at all. 

And so she wraps her arms around herself and carries on. 

Lost…

Lonely…

Suffering…

[comradekatara]

i never thought of modern au katara being a writer, but that's so fitting and i love it. do you see any parallels between her journey learning waterbending in canon with her gaining confidence as a writer in your au? ex being dismissed bc of all the disrespect the art of writing gets irl, meeting haru and being mutually inspired/ working with jet and having a fallout? i know there's a fine line between narrative parallels in aus and like, contrived shit like katara being the last mcr fan or smth

not the last mcr fan 😭 but yeah!! it feels like the very natural connection between her being the show's narrator and the way storytelling and narrative is such a crucial aspect of her identity, culture, the way she sees the world, and survives. i think her being an investigative journalist who travels and reports on various crises and exposes corruption and inequality, but also writes more personal essays on her own experiences, or even just writing about media and art and fashion and sports and the stuff she enjoys. historical monographs, journalistic exposes, personal essays, poetry, fiction, maybe even like. a children's fantasy series. truly, she can do it all!

however, unlike waterbending, i don't think it's the kind of thing she would aspire to excel at since childhood. i actually think that she wouldn't really try hard in any academic pursuits for most of her childhood/adolescence bc she doesn't feel like she'll ever be good enough anyway, so what's the point. she's like "i only learned how to read when i was five and i don't understand number theory i must be some kind of ignoramus." the prospect of actually being very smart in many ways (including academically) just totally eludes her. because in a mundane world like ours, where bending does not exist and there is no such thing as a chosen one, it is sokka, not katara, who is the shiny, special wunderkind, and katara is the one who compensates by excelling in areas that sokka does not (namely, athletics, activism, and art). so mapping those arcs into this world actually inverts a lot of their dynamics in the sense of what and who is valued.

obviously katara does nonetheless struggle with being valued as a waterbender (by the nwt, by sokka himself, by the fire nation) and has to work incredibly hard to prove herself, so the idea that she's never underestimated or undervalued in the show isn't entirely accurate, but there's definitely a sense, at least within her family and tribe, that she is the world's specialest princess, and although i still think she'd be kanna's favorite and cherished as the baby of the family and beloved by aang in modern au, she isn't deemed inherently worthy and special. because she isn't a waterbender, she's just a normal girl.

sidenote: i do actually think a lot about how katara and sokka both undermine each other out of jealousy, like it's just not sokka calling katara a freak for playing with magic water, katara is constantly dismissing and undermining sokka in a way that's like. hang on. does she think she's....punching up?? like i do think katara probably carries resentments about not being as smart and special as sokka and compensates via her bending in the same way sokka compensates for his lack of bending via his other skills. they are constantly caught in a cycle of trying to be worthy of being the other's sibling, with the ultimate result just being that they are both incredibly gifted and accomplished in their respective areas (azula and zuko also sort of have this going on, but it's less mutual, because azula's skills are valued and zuko's are not, whereas both katara and sokka possess valuable skills that make them special to their community).

anyway. as for katara's journey to becoming a writer, i think she would write for fun as a kid but never show it to anyone, not even aang. and then occasionally she'll hand in an essay for school that she actually put effort into, which is very rare, because she only puts effort in when she's genuinely interested in the subject, but sometimes she'll put in a lot of time and research and effort just to prove the teacher wrong, which is when she truly shines. and some of her teachers can actually see that she has a lot of potential when she actually allows herself to be vulnerable and her passion seeps through the page, but she never really pays attention when they try to tell her that she's talented, because she just assumes that they're only being nice to her because they know that she's sokka's sister and feel an obligation to praise her by association. so it's only when she gets to college, and enters a world where sokka simply does not exist, that she realizes that she has merit of her own as a writer, thinker, and student.

she begins writing essays for various school publications, and after a while starts publishing them online, and then eventually in legitimate journals. it takes her a long time to actually establish herself as a career journalist, because she doesn't have the luxury of just writing full time, but eventually she's established enough that she actually publishes a book of essays, and goes on a book tour, and is invited to speak at various universities and events. and then one day, during a talk at a college, she says, "you know, there's hope for everyone. i only learned how to read at the age of five. but i went at my own pace, and eventually found my calling." and the moderator is just like "uhhh.... that's actually above average??? you're basically just saying you've always been smart." and katara. shuts down for a second while she attempts to process this information before she just goes, "WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

[natlacentral]

Elizabeth Yu is bringing the heat in Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender. 

In Netflix’s new live-action series Avatar: The Last Airbender, the actress dons the role of Azula, princess to the Fire Nation and foil to her brother Zuko (Dallas Liu) and our protagonists of the story, namely Aang (Gordon Cormier), Katara (Kiawentiio) and Sokka (Ian Ousley). Yu brings Azula to life with depth and thoughtfulness that has never been previously explored. Fans of the original cartoon will be pleased to see that their favourite cold, conniving (and downright psychotic) princess will be given so much more to do. In Book One of the animated series, we see nothing of Azula, but with this fresh retelling, we’re able to see the seeds of ambition, what drives her, the fraying away of her psyche, and everything that leads up to that inevitable breaking point. Yu plays it beautifully, through subtle facial expressions, to her graceful line delivery, we’re able to get a glimpse of what life is like for Azula back home in the Fire Nation while she plots and schemes her way into her father’s good books.

Yu knows what this story means to people being a fan of the animation herself. And while the fandom has been hurt by live-action in the past (we’re looking at you, 2010 adaptation), this series is being told by the fans for the fans. There isn’t a facet of this show that hasn’t been given the attention and love that it deserves; like most retellings, The Last Airbenderwill not be beat for beat of the animated original but will breathe new life into a story we know and love. With that in mind, Yu cannot be prouder of the series and hopes that new and old fans alike will love it just as much as she loved making it.     

In conversation with 1883 Magazine’s Dana Reboe, Yu discusses how she’s feeling about her whirlwind success, working on two massive hits like May December and The Last Airbender, what element she would bend, how she handles imposter syndrome, and so much more. 

Life has been crazy for you lately between May December and now Avatar: The Last Airbender. How are you feeling? 

How to put it into words? It’s insane. I feel so blessed. I get impostor syndrome all the time; all the craziness that’s been happening doesn’t feel like it’s happening to me. You know, I have to separate myself from it all. It’s incredible.

I’m sure seeing all the billboards with the shows you’re in must be an out-of-body experience.

It’s crazy. I’m waiting for when I go back home to New York, and hopefully, I’ll be able to see some Avatar ones while I’m there. I’ll probably tear up. [laughs]

Take me back to the audition process for The Last Airbender. Did you know right off the bat, what you were auditioning for? Or did they keep it a secret?

They gave me a completely different project name, storyline, and character background. I had no idea when I first read, but for some reason, something within me was like, ‘That’s a codename. I feel it.’ Once I got farther in the audition process, I thought, ‘I know what this is!’ And then they sent my second to last audition, word for word from the original show, just to see if I could do the original material. And so, at that point I was like, ‘You don’t have to put on a show anymore, I figured it out!’ 

And when you officially booked it?

Albert (Kim) called me and said, ‘I think you know what this is for.’ And I was like, ‘I do!’ [laughter]

Avatar: The Last Airbender is so beloved. What are you most excited to see as a fan? And what are you excited for the audience to see?

Excited to see what we’ve done or what we might do in the future?

What you might do in the future.

Hopefully, if we get to Season Two–

We’re speaking it into existence.

Absolutely! Seasons two and three would be great. The Ember Island episode where they’re all at the beach; that campfire scene has so much character development, it’s insane, I cannot wait to get my hands on it. Favourite scene I’m excited for everybody to see… [Elizabeth thinks for a second] I’m excited for people to see our take on this world and making it more plot-driven. I’m excited to hear what people think about what we’ve chosen to keep in and get rid of and how they think it works. I’m so proud of the way that it’s turned out. But yeah, I’m excited to hear the feedback.

Well, I can tell you my feedback: I thought it was incredible.

Thank you!

Not sure if this is a spoiler since this will be out when the show premieres, but what hooked me was seeing the Air Nomads being wiped out in the first episode. We didn’t see much in the animated series, but this was very graphic, and while I was watching, I was like, ‘Oh, so they’re not afraid to go there.’

That was so important to show because it kind of grounds the audience to be like, ‘Okay, now we know what we’re dealing with, and what the stakes are’, it sets everything up perfectly. 

I agree. And I know the internet is worried about some of the changes that’ll be made, but I thought they served the story well. It’s important to remember this is not a direct retelling. One change I really loved was that Azula was given more to do. You gave her so much depth. Other than the original series, what did you do to bring her to life? And did you touch base with Grey DeLisle at all?

Oh, my gosh, thank you for saying that. First, that means a lot to me. I sent Grey a DM but I think it must have been filtered out. I’m absolutely obsessed with her work. She’s so iconic, hopefully, somewhere down the line with the release of this show, I’ll be able to meet her. That’ll be like an absolute dream come true. I’m so excited. I’ve watched all the videos of people meeting her at cons and stuff like that, getting her to read those iconic lines, I’m getting butterflies! 

I think with the success of the show, that’s definitely on the cards! Two Azulas in one room, I don’t know if we could take the heat [laughter]. Circling back, how did you prepare for the role? How did you put your spin on her?

Albert Kim, our showrunner, kept saying, ‘The original show is the sacred text. We’re going to abide by that as much as we can’ I think that just rewatching the show helped and then there are a lot of these YouTube videos where that are over an hour long that go into the psychology of Zuko and Azula. I watched those religiously, I used those as my toolkit. We also had an awesome onset acting coach, Lee Hutton, who helped a lot. The only way to make these cartoon characters really human is to delve into the way that their mind works.

I caught myself a couple of times, throughout the first few episodes feeling (a little) sorry for Azula. She’s trying so hard to do well in her father’s eyes, and seek his approval, but keeps falling flat. You play it so well.

It’s important to note that she and Zuko, at the end of the day, want the same things. You see Azula in this first season mirrors the second season of the animated series, you see her kind of go crazy. You see that slow build-up; she starts out not that crazy and then gets pushed to that breaking point.

Switching it up a little bit; if you could choose an element to bend that’s not fire, what would you choose and why?

I vibe with water. I also think the whole blood-bending thing is sick and swamp-bending [laughter] here are so many different things, healing, too! That’s a big one! That would be iconic. If I could be a healer? It’s so useful in battle because you can continuously heal yourself if you’re hurt. Water is so OP (overpowered). 

What about Azula captivated you?

Oh, good question. I remember getting that dummy audition and the character description was Azula. It just fit her. I’ve never auditioned for a character like that. I probably sent out like 400 Auditions before booking Avatar. I’ve never had a character who was a young Asian woman who was smarter and better than everybody else. She is confident and conniving and is just desperate for power. Who wouldn’t want to play a badass?

You said in an interview with IndieWire that your imposter syndrome was massive. In those moments, how do you talk yourself out of it? Or do you just let it pass?

There’s something very grounding and humbling about imposter syndrome. You know, there’s a balance of being able to reward yourself and congratulate yourself for the work that you’ve done, but also understand that the amount of attention that these projects are getting has very little to do with you and has to do with a lot of other people who have worked on them. It’s a mixture and I think impostor syndrome comes through not knowing where that line is between the two, so I think that’s what I struggle with. I don’t have any ego; I say my pleases and thank yous, I’m not going to be that person, and then on the other side of the coin, I did a good job, and I should be proud of myself. I think that especially spending time with my friends from home and being home with the cats and stuff like that, those are moments where I can look at the big picture and be like, I did a good job I should be proud of myself and let’s move on to the next thing.

What have you learned about yourself working on projects like May December and The Last Airbender?

The number of Asian pros I’ve gotten to work with on these projects is a huge, huge part of my proud-to-be Asian journey. I grew up in a white town and I’m half Korean half white. Before I filmed May December or started work on ATLA, I’d never been in a room with more than 15 Asian people. Also, we filmed in Vancouver and the Asian community out there is huge as well. It was amazing getting to talk to people like me and having these conversations I’ve never had before. And in May December, I worked with other half-Korean actors as well. And having this feeling of family with these people, there are many layers to it; not only being Asian, and presenting predominantly Asian, but also being a mixed kid and having that white side of you and then the Asian side of you. These two projects have been so, so integral to me being so proud and loving that part of myself that I, for the majority of my early life, hated. It’s been amazing. It’s like that’s the greatest gift I could have asked for.

It’s so incredible to see these stories come to life with the proper representation they deserve. With films like May December and shows like Avatar: The Last Airbender hopefully, we’re on the road to seeing more. If you had the chance to work with any actor living or dead, who would it be and why? And what would the dream project be?

I’m really getting stumped by this one [laughter].

Do you want to come back to it?

Okay, can I choose two?

You can choose two.

Beyonce, please. Renaissance. Act Two. I’m waiting for it. And number two would be Andrew Scott. He’s absolutely killing it. In another life, I wish I could go back in time, and watch his Vanya that he did. He did a one man show of Vanya. Oh, and his Hamlet, too! 

It’s good to see him getting his flowers recently. Did you see him in Sherlock at all?

Yes! 13-year-old Lizzy was a SuperWhoLock girl. Do you know what that is?

Of course, I was on Tumblr in those days. I love Doctor Who.

Oh, don’t even get me started on Doctor Who. 

Well, now I have to ask who’s your favourite Doctor? 

Good God, you’re going to get me in trouble. I have to say Matt Smith, but David Tennant is fantastic, too. Like, let’s put some respect on his name. But yeah, I’d definitely have to say the Matt Smith run is my favourite.

Have you caught up? 

I’m not caught up. 

Okay. I won’t say anything. Not a word. Nothing.

I appreciate it [laughter].

Pivoting back – your career is flourishing. What is one hope you have for the future?

Something great about working on Avatar and May December was this sense of family with cast and crew members and the directors and Albert (Kim) showrunner. Both are some of the first projects I’ve ever gotten the chance to work on. You’re able to have this connection with these people. That’s why I love acting; we’re in this together. Let’s make something cool. That’s what makes me want to keep doing it. That’s a goal of mine – to keep making cool things. And I always learn so many new things, all different aspects of my life on every project, I’ve been blessed to be able to work with some amazing people. I just want to accumulate as many of those special moments onset as possible.

And my last question is, what is something you’d like to manifest for yourself this year?

I would like to manifest being booked and blessed, not being too hard on myself, and living my life to the fullest.

[ilikepjo24]

Atla characters as more unhinged tweets!

.____.

Azula: @LastAirbenderXD remember when you almost died, lol? Imagine dying ����

Aang: EXCUSE ME?! WAS MY ENTIRE LIFE WORTHLESS TO YOU?!!!!

Toph: Yea like, wtf bro? Chill...

Zuko: @FireLordAzula lol remember when your friends turned on you cause you tried to hurt me? Lol funny times.

.____.

Sokka: @HelloZukoHere hook me up with ur mom pls

Zuko: no

Sokka: Okay then, set me up with your sister

Zuko: no

Azula: yes.

.____.

Azula: @WackAPow for christ Mas can we stay at the South Water Tribe?

Sokka: ofc babe but why exactly?

Azula: well Fire Nation has very high security so Santa can't come to my house to give me presents :(

Katara: buddy- Santa doesnt-

Zuko: DON'T RUIN IT FOR HER

.____.

Azula: Guys me and Zuko were playing adopt me last night and someone scammed zuko of his mega neon turtleduck. HE WAS SOBBING FOR OVER 45 MINUTES

Zuko: I worked for hard to get Mr. Ducky :(

Suki: I'll get u a new one don't worry babe

.____.

Toph: GUYS I JUST SCAMMED SOME DUDE OF A MEGA NEON TURTLEDUCK NAMED MR DUCKY IN ADOPT ME LAST NIGHT. LOL

Zuko: it was you...

Zuko: loser I know where u live

.____.

Sokka: me and aaang just got matching friendship bracelets yesterday. what have you been doing?

Azula: cheating on you

Sokka: WHAT

Suki: yes she has (;

.____.

Aang: I JUST GOOGLED MYSELF AND I HAVE COMMITTED LIKE A BUNCH OF FELONIES. I'M GOING TO JAIL GUYS!

Katara: dw I'll just you out sweetie

Azula: lucky...

Sokka: LUCKY?! YOU WANNA GO TO JAIL.

Azula: well no since you won't bother to bust me out 🙄

.____.

Azula: guys Mai is so weird and emo like I bet half that backstory is made up like she's so useless

Mai: LOL I BEAT YOU AT TAG AND NOW YOU'RE SALTY BTCH

.____.

Katara: @HideUrGFs wanna go to concert w me?

Suki: YES PLEASE ANYTHING FOR YOU KAT

Katara: we're gonna have to bring somebody else tho

Suki: ok.. T_T

.____.

Azula: ngl the Kyoshi Warriors kinda scare me

Ty Lee: yea ngl its kinda part of the job...

.____.

Suki: women are 🔛🔝 like I swear they are so hot

Ty Lee: fr I turned down being nobility to join a pack of lesbians

Suki: men are so pre-war era 💅

[aprikosenklang]

Review: Avatar: The Last Airbender Live Action

First, some context: I started watching A:TLA when book 2 was airing. Since then, I watched it at least 10 times. Half of it in German and half of it in English. The last time was in 2020. I know a lot of lines by heart—yes in both languages. Zuko was my fist teenage crush and Oncle Iroh’s quotes helped my through a lot of dark times in my life. I might be biased because I love the original series a lot. But I try to reason everything carefully.

The Good

I loved it visually! Bending looked so cool and never felt out of place or weird. All of the shown places could be recognized in a blink. It was beautiful to see this world adapted in a realistic way.

The casting was mostly done perfect. A lot of the characters looked a lot like I would have imagine them.

The Kiyoshi Warriors were really awesome. Especially Suki—even though she didn’t got a name at all?!

I loved the addition with the 41st devision. It gave Zuko‘s crew actually a reason the respect him and fitted to his character and backstory.

Zuko and Iroh give the same energy as in the original. Usually this wouldn’t be something to mention, since I would expect this from and adaption. But due to issues you can read further below, I have to mention it. Zuko and Iroh might be one of the few characters that never felt out of character. I’m happy we got those two true to original at least.

The Bad

Since there is so much, I structure it even further into story, production and costumes.

Story:

I didn’t liked any of the story changes. I don’t even understand why they had to tangle all the storylines. The original book 1 is 20 episodes each about 20-25 minutes—which results in 400-500 minutes in total. The live action had 8 episodes each about 45 minutes to an hour—let’s say about 400-450 minutes in total. So basically, they could have taken the timeline as is is. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t advocate for a 1:1 adaption here. I just don’t get why they saw the need to tangle storylines, pull in things from later seasons and leave out important scenes, places, character traits and even whole characters. Each and every story change felt out of place, out of character and over all pointless. Nothing added anything that made sense. Just like it was changed because they had to change something.

Aang didn’t even learn water bending!!! Like what is the whole season even about if the main character doesn’t have a real character arc? All he does is having guilt over disappearing for 100 years. Yes that’s also a thing he has to overcome. But it is just half of it. And he even doesn’t really get over it. He has none of his childish fun moments like he does in the original.

Why did Sokka have SOOO much screen time?!?! Sometimes it felt like he‘s the protagonist of the series. Especially with Aang not even learning water bending.

Momo in contrast had like 0 screen time. But than in the last episode when he became important as plot device Sokka was weirdly attached to him.

Katara being her own master made it pointless to actually go to the northern water tribe. Yes there was Aang's vision. But in the original the plot is not mainly driven by what the fire nation does, but by what team avatar needs to do. Like… Aang learning bending!!!

We didn’t get the epic intro we could have. It felt like they tried to make up for it in the first episode. But having three different versions of the epic lines and finally Gran Gran dropping the original ones was actually the worst. It felt forced and as if she would read them out.

Everything regarding Azula was sooo off for me. She felt like a completely different character with other motivations and struggles. I wish she would not have been so present in the first season.

Uncle Iroh drank not enough tea. Lol. This is maybe a personal one and I cannot reason it to be honest.

I‘m disappointed by the Lu Ten moment. Fist of all, why did it need to be in season one?! But also: It was a bonding moment for Zuko and Iroh. It didn’t payed any respect for Lu Ten in my opinion. And leaves from the wine was barely noticeable and didn’t make feel anything.

Katara never lost her necklace. Which I don’t mind. But it made a huge plot hole for the headhunter Zuko hired. They tried to cover it with randomly finding a piece of fabric. But how did they know this belonged to the Avatar? This change feels similar to the one with the water bending scroll. Important things just become meaningless.

Agni Kai was once mentioned but never explained. If I didn’t know what an Agni Kai is from the original series, this would probably be either the most missed or confusing thing.

Hei Bai was never healed!!! Yeah sure, Aang saved the villagers. But what about the forest and spirit?! And why was there no winter solstice? And in general why did everything in the spirit world was so all over the place?

The siege of the Nothern water tribe being a distraction for Omashu is stupid. It would take them way too long to hear about it. So they would not be able to send troops there by time and it would not weaken them in any way.

The world feels super flat and boring. Because they tangled so many story lines, they got rid of a lot of places. No fire nation prison in the earth kingdom, no nothern air temple, almost no villages. You never get a change to explore the world and learn about the ordinary people.

Production:

The directing felt bad. A lot of people say, the acting was bad. But I don’t agree. First of all, a lot of the cast were children. I think it is not fair to judge them so easily and hard. In my opinion the directing wasn’t good. And you could tell because even the older and more experienced actors were really stiff.

The dialogs were almost always awkward. This adds to the previous point and is another sign that the acting isn’t the problem. The lines were sometimes random, jokes felt forced and original lines never made the same impact as in the animated series.

Some of the CGI green screen backgrounds were awful. They reminded you that this is a show which really pulled me out of the immersion.

Costumes:

The costumes felt lifeless. They could have added so much details to the garments and accessories. But of all things they decided to stick to the original with the costume design?! I expected the outfits to be a lot more toned down in brightness too. That’s something you need in an animated series, but not in a live action. So much missed potential.

Why could they not cast old people for old characters? All of them looked so stale, emotionless and almost uncanny.

I was sooo disappointed by Yue! Maybe I’m biased here, because she was one of my favorite characters of book one. But somehow she was the only character that didn’t felt casted perfectly. And especially her hair was awful and looked like a cheap wig.

Conclusion

Overall, I‘m disappointed. Again, I didn’t expected a 1:1 adaptation. But I don’t see that the same care was put into it like it was for the original. I would have wanted to have something that creates similar emotions and an overall known feeling. But it doesn’t. It’s confusing, flat and carelessly made. I can definitely see why the original creators stepped back from it.

If you think about watching it, I would recommend you the original. Especially because it is not that much longer. So better invest your time wisely.