#zuko arc!!!!

[atlaculture]

Really interesting video about how ATLA was received by Chinese audiences and how its ending would be different if it aligned more with Chinese philosophical traditions. Would love to see some discourse in the reblogs and comments!

[demaparbat-hp]

He noticed the spears resting not too far away from the women. Zuko squinted his eyes and recoiled at the sight of blood painting the blades, in clear contrast to the whimsical whites and blues of the South. These women were hunters.

The Southern Water Tribe brings shades of white to Zuko's soul in For The Spirits Chapter IX: A Rider Alone.

Sharpened mothers and fatherless children resting on the back of tattered tents. A Ghost-Mother, a shapeless howl, and the blue eyes from his dream—everything comes together in the land of the Midnight Sun.

[jellybloom17]

i made a chart!

here's what the main characters of atla and tdp have in common.

(sorry to leave out suki, azula, terry, corvus, etc but this was all i could handle for now)

[pineapple-frenzy]

i always had a theory that Uncle Iroh was lowkey a Zutara shipper but imagine if he sees them interacting before the rest of the Gaang arrives and tries to convince Katara to stay with Zuko “officially”

aka

sorry i think your AU is absolutely adorable and starting word vomiting lol

please ignore this if you find this annoying

No anon this isn't annoying at all!! Sorry for answering a bit late, I was away for a bit but please keep enabling my book 2 au brainrot akdjsksjdjo

Oh uncle Iroh is definitely a zutara shipper especially in this au!! I do think they find uncle Iroh first before the rest of the gaang. They would meet him on the ferry on the way to ba sing se and Katara stays with them til she hopefully finds her friends in ba sing se. And this is how we end up with zutara working in a tea shop together (another trope I love that I'm putting in this au!!) But yes, uncle Iroh definitely sees how they act around each other and teases them sometimes

[beifong-brainrot]

One thing I don't get about the atla fandom is why so many people are so desperate to somehow prove Zuko was a good person from the begining of the show. Or that he was somehow innately better and kinder than any other fire national.

I've seen this point tossed around a lot and I can kinda see where its coming from but like.... guys. Yon Rha did that too. You know the guy who traumatised Katara for life and took her mother? He did it almost word for word.

He went on in there looking for a singular genocide survivor, found that survivor. The survivor gave themselves up after he promised to leave the village alone.

The only difference is that instead of killing Aang on the spot, Zuko took that 12 year old hostage with the goal of handing him over to the Fire Lord to be kept in conditions described as "You'll be kept alive. Barely" by Zhao.

Zuko's paralels to Yon Rha and his poor morals in the begining are crucial to his arc and to his and Katara's relationship.

Hell, you could even point out how similarly shaped the scarlet detailing on the Southern Raiders' helmets and Zuko's scar are.

[ionesyapping]

Notes about this single panel from her 'dream reality':

The guy: He is the guy who in the beach episode invited Azula, Zuko, Mai and Ty Lee at the party. At the balcony scene, Azula tries to flirt with one of the guys (though I don't remember which one and she doesn't seem to remember either) but the guy gets scared (his loss) and refuses her. With him being there it means she has a good reputation and social life.

Uncle Iroh: You can see he is present as well, we didn't see a bond between him and Azula but now we can see Azula wanted him in her life. Iroh is complimenting her, calling her "The conquer of Ba Sing Se" meaning in this reality she did conquer Ba Sing Se as in the canon, thing that Iroh couldn't do. Iroh was also the one who gave her dolls as a gift, nothing wrong in that if he didn't gave Zuko weapons, very inappropriate but it shown how he saw Azula and Zuko.

Ozai and Ursa: Both of them are sitting together, this means they have a good relationship, this means Ursa was never abused or had to leave the castle. In Azula's dream reality her parents are loving each other.

Zuko: There is a lot about him. He doesn't have a scar, meaning he never had an agni kai with his dad, the scene where Azula seemed so happy... she wished it never existed and her brother remained with her. Zuko says AZULA killed the avatar SINGLE HANDILY, again, Zuko was never thrown away so he never had to "Regain his honor". He, as everyone else seem genuinely happy for her.

Ursa: Beside the fact that in this reality she has a good relationship with Ozai, she is also loudly complimenting Azula, she genuinely looks proud of her.

There is a lot more going on but I think you got the idea

[late-draft]

I think one of the reasons I like Zuko's redemption arc is because it doesn't all happen in clean cuts such as "evil-progression-backslide-redemption". He held the status of "fully a good guy" for like, 4 episodes at the end of the show, if his entire redemption was crammed just there, he would have been this "new version of himself" too short and it would have been jarring. Instead he demonstrates changed attitudes gradually, even before he sides back with Azula. Basically the last thing to change is just his allegiance.

When he goes on a date with Jin, he's already relaxed enough to not puff himself up, instead feeling okay with looking foolish. When he's with Katara in the Crystal Catacombs, he's already tempered enough to not instantly explode in rage and screaming at her accusations (instead just rebutting by saying she doesn't know what she's talking about). In the War meeting, he's already on the side of the Earth Kingdom citizens, just scared down to his bones from his father, Azula and other generals contributing to this fear as well.

You get the point. Not only did he show his true core positive personality traits and attitudes he always had even back in season 1, they gradually develop back and reveal themselves fully as time goes, not artificially in sections, but in waves.

[burst-of-iridescent]

i keep seeing the argument that katara saving zuko in the final agni kai means nothing because her character arc was completed in the crossroads of destiny, which makes no sense because it's incredibly clear that the ending of CoD is not framed as a triumphant moment by the narrative.

aang's death is the show's darkest moment, and the scene where katara catches and escapes with him only reinforces this hopelessness and despair. she is outnumbered, outclassed and outmaneouvred, saved only by iroh's intervention, and most crucially, the moment where katara revives aang hinges entirely on her spirit water and has little to do with katara herself or her own abilities. even the slight hope that surfaces with aang's survival is immediately undercut by the bleak reminder that ba sing se has fallen to emphasise that this is a retreat, not a victory. all they can salvage from the brink of catastrophe is the chance to live and fight another day, cold comfort in the face of losing the last, greatest stronghold against the fire nation.

take by contrast the final agni kai. the fight with azula highlights every one of katara's strengths as well as her growth and talent as a waterbender: her ability to evade and trick azula displays her intelligence; her use of the materials at hand (the chain and drain) reveals her resourcefulness; her final combat move demonstrates her ingenuity and proves that she has taken to heart the show's most important lesson of learning and drawing wisdom from even the unlikeliest of places.

the emotional crux of both fights is anchored in katara's apparent helplessness and fear (hence the near-identical shots of her horrified face as she watches aang and zuko get struck by lightning), but the difference is that the resolution of the final agni kai is contingent on katara and katara alone. this time, there is no magic water, no allies, no one to turn to for help, only a merciless, prodigious enemy at the apex of her power... and yet, it's katara who proves victorious.

where aang's death and resurrection are an actualization of katara's deepest fears - that by herself she is not strong or brave or skilled enough to protect those she loves, no matter how hard she tries - defeating azula and healing zuko serve as a repudiation of those very same fears, bringing her full circle from the scared little girl who could do nothing to save her mother.

the crossroads of destiny and the final agni kai are intentionally mirrored narratives, most obviously exemplified in the katara-zuko-azula triangulation and the polarity of their respective arcs; thus, where katara could once save aang only with a miracle, she now saves zuko with nothing but her own skill - and in so doing, brings her arc of empowerment to its triumphant completion.

[aangarchy]

I just saw a post from someone saying "zuko obviously never wanted to be firelord" and.... did we watch the same show?

Like at this point i've gotten used to people grossly misunderstanding the show's characters (mainly aang and katara) but i've never seen it happen so blatantly, and to ZUKO of all characters.

Zuko, the guy that asked his uncle to let him into the war meeting when he was only 13 because "he'll be firelord one day" and he wants to learn as quick as possible. Zuko, the guy that interrupted said war meeting also at age 13 because even that young he already felt a massive responsibility for his nation and the people in it, and he couldn't just stand by as these generals were planning on killing them. Zuko, who at age 13 BEGGED his father not to punish him, because he only had the Fire Nation's best interest at heart.

Zuko, who despite what his father did to him, still traveled to the world's most desolate places for a chance of getting his honor, his family and his throne back. Zuko, who at age 16, looked his father in the eye and told him he was going to free his people, and the whole world of his tyranny. Zuko, who at age 16, said he wasn't betraying his nation by joining the Avatar, he's saving it. Zuko, the teenager with so much love for his nation that he questioned his own uncle when he suggested Zuko should be firelord, because he didn't feel like he deserved it, because his people deserve a leader that hasn't made as many mistakes as Zuko.

And you're telling me you think this kid never wanted to be firelord? What version of atla have you watched, genuinely?

[asm5129]

Catra had a better redemption arc than Zuko. Yeah, I said it.

She sunk much lower and had to put in so much more emotional labor to become someone who can see a future for herself beyond the cycle of abuse.

Zuko was never truly cruel, he never perpetuated the cycle of abuse the way Catra or even Azula did. He had much less to come back *from*.

It’s a far more meaningful redemption arc for me if it doesn’t come from someone merely misguided, but from someone who truly needs to atone and is willing to put in the work regardless of whether they are forgiven.

Zuko did a bunch of favors for the Gaang over just six short episodes and that was enough. He even explicitly did a favor for Katara just so she would like him like the others do, when she was perfectly reasonable in her distrust and anger at him.

Catra didn’t get a chance to do big favors. Her change in behavior needed to be enough.

Finally, Zuko was repeatedly shown to have always been a deeply compassionate soul. He just had to stop trying to please his father and he could reconnect to that. But Catra?

Catra had to claw her way back from the darkest pits of her own choices and start to put compassion for others above her own personal fears, something she had no real practice with.

When she starts on this better path in season 5, all she really has to go on is a crushing sense of guilt and shame and loneliness. And she comes to grips with the reality that the only way out of that guilt and shame and loneliness is to actually let in positive emotions. Be vulnerable. Actually choose to be the person that the woman she loves sees in her.

[sad-endings-suck]

I have seen exactly 1 episode of Blue Eye Samurai and I am gobsmacked by how amazing it is. Mizu is already my everything. I am almost never so deeply invested so quickly in any media. I am obsessed. If the rest of the show is consistent in quality with the first episode then this show is Arcane level incredible, and I do not say that lightly.

[pechuyu]

Im so late to ursa discourse but trying to read the comics and the first few pages of dialogue are so weird

Like i get that azula was the "troubled kid" and ursa wasn't equipped to help or do much but at the end of the day one of azula's core issues is that her mom thinks shes a monster and doesnt love her so it is kinda on her to ensure her kid feels like shes loved by her mom.

Plus talking about "losing" her like shes dead. Girl ur kid was a 14 year old child soldier who had a psychotic break and fucked off into the woods, if ur so upset about losing her maybe you should go out and find her??

Like imagine Azula seeing this. Her mother worrying abt her "new replacement daughter" ending up like her and talking abt her like she's too far gone.

(also zuko knowing azula's struggling, heard her talk abt her mommy issues, and doesnt even try to defend just reassures their mom the new kid won't be like "the bad one" )

(if this all apart of plan i take it back but its not looking good so far lol)

[demaparbat-hp]

Hiii I love your spitfire au it's sooo cute!! I was wondering since this version of Zuko isn't as hell bent on finding the Avatar, what does he do during book one after Ursa gives him Lu Ten? Does he go back to looking for Aang? I noticed he still has his bald pony tail so I was curious XD Hope you're having a lovely holiday season! <3

Hi and thank you!

You can imagine the sheer mayhem when Zuko returns to his ship and crew with a three-year-old in his arms. Iroh, of course, is ecstatic, and Zuko's been holding off a panic attack or two since finding out he has a little brother. The first thing he does upon spotting his Uncle is giving the kid at him, no explanations offered, and shut himself down.

It takes him a year or so to recover and figure things out. Parenting a young child isn't easy. Especially when you're a recently scarred and traumatised fifteen-year-old with a near-decommissioned ship for home and a mismatched crew of disgraced soldiers for company.

As it is, he never does figure things out.

It's reasonable that he doesn't look for the Avatar since...well, he's quite busy during that first year. And when time passes and Ten Ten grows and Zuko does have the time and resources to search for the Avatar—he still doesn't.

Somewhere along the way Zuko's priorities have shifted from going home to protecting Lu Ten II.

[ilynpilled]

i do find it interesting how queasy ppl become when george actually uses real very bad ppl as examples when trying to explain what he is getting at w the issue of redemption and its exploration in his story. like yeah thats what an actual mature exploration of redemption is… the question is can someone like that be redeemed? what does it take to be forgiven after that? is the possibility of it even there? like it is about truly vile figures here and their capacity to change and what that means. him using those examples is not supposed to answer the question itself for u about the arcs in the books lol

[sidsinning]

Seeing Chloe redemption defenders in 2025

[eggsbenedict8]

I will forever be mad at that stupid plot twist the writers did to make Lotor a villian again I will remain even madder that they took the friendship they planned for Keith and Lotor, Lotura, and Lotors redemption in general to give us that stupid plot twist

Then how they rubbed it in our face after by showing us his tragic childhood and his literal melting body...UGHH