#zuko: not willingly

[discordiansamba]

that said the idea of Zuko being the spirits go to guy for problem solving is so funny to me. something something AU in which Zuko was born a hundred years ago and when Aang vanishes the spirits are just like. gee. we need a temporary bridge between worlds until he gets back so they just make a beeline for zuko. yeah you'll do. we're going to slap you with immortality. go forth and problem solve for us.

zuko: do I have the option to unsubscribe.

spirits: no.

local immortal firebender doomed to wander the earth doing whatever the spirits want of him. they promise they'll release him if the Avatar ever returns. Zuko is increasingly suspicious that won't happen. he doesn't have any cool spirit powers- he just doesn't die. or grow. he would have appreciated not being perpetually sixteen actually.

he can't prevent the war from happening. that's not what the spirits want from him. but he watches it all unfold- and he tries to help whenever he gets the chance. he somehow still manages to forge vague connections to the rest of the world. it's not why he's there, but he helps a young woman from the northern water tribe escape her unwanted marriage by fleeing to the south. he hates going to omashu because that bumi kid won't leave him alone- what do you mean he's king now.

he watches the war get worse. he watches the dai li grow increasingly corrupt. there's so much he wants to do, but the spirits usually won't let him intervene in mortal affairs. he belongs to them. just when he starts to believe that he'll never be free, the spirits tell him he has only one last task left. go to the south pole. escort the three children there to the north pole.

it's a weird request, but zuko literally cannot refuse, so he goes. kanna greets him. she's gotten older again since the last time he saw her. her son is off to war. her oldest grandchild is almost his physical age. they went out fishing and haven't returned. when they do, they arrive on a sky bison- and there's an airbender with them.

it's the fucking avatar.

after a hundred years, the avatar has returned... and instead of instantly releasing him from his contract, the spirits want him to be his babysitter. what did he do to deserve this.

(well. his father being fire lord sozin probably didn't help.)

[demaparbat-hp]

Maybe... the Fire Nation's got a point?

AKA the Katara Willingly Joins Zuko In His Quest To Find The Avatar AU

[inamindfarfaraway]

Do you ever think about Azula after Zuko's banishment and before she was sent on her mission? About the time it was just her and Ozai? Because I do.

Her worst fear is being what Zuko is to their father. It's easy to look at her smirking while she watches Ozai light Zuko’s face on fire and think that she enjoys her brother’s suffering, but from the day she was born, Zuko has been the bad example. The scapegoat. The failure she exists to surpass. Where he is disrespectful, she will be obedient. Where he is weak, she will be strong. She will make Ozai proud. She will be perfect. She has to be. Because if she isn’t -

well, in that moment she sees that for herself. Iroh looks away, but she doesn’t. This eleven-year-old child watches the whole gory scene that her experienced general uncle can’t stomach, because this is a lesson for her as well, that’s why Father had her be here, and so she must not let herself tremble or cry or flinch or scream. Zuko is. That means she can’t. Instead she will do the exact opposite, smile with a princess’s proper posture.

Then Zuko is banished. He will most likely never return - most likely die young. He isn’t around to be the foil under her jewel anymore, making her shine brighter simply by contrast. (Or to play with her or comb her hair. But it isn’t useful or becoming to miss those moments. She isn’t a child anymore; her childhood was burned through like Zuko’s skin.) All Ozai’s attention is on her. All her people’s hope in the next generation of royalty is pinned her. If she doesn’t hold her shoulders back and her head high, she will collapse under the weight of her nation’s future. Zuko got what he deserved. Just as whatever happens to her, she deserves it too.

How many nightmares does she have? How many times does she flinch or shake when her father touch her? Or force herself not to? How many times does she smell burning hair and flesh and hear her brother’s agony when she spoke her own opinion in a war meeting? How much does she secretly grieve him, and scold herself for it?

[ask-ozai]

Hi, Phoneix king Ozai! If somehow Zuko gives you freedom, what will you do? Will you try to usurp the throne ? Or will you try to make the world a better place with the help of the avatar (or atleast try to help the fire nation(For that you should become Zuko's minister)) ? Or will you try to have some daddy-daughter time with your daughters? Or Will you try impress your excess wife? Or will you decide to have a brand new family? .....

How will you try to spend your time ????

-From your foreverloyalist

It makes very little sense to think about that possibility, even as a fantasy. I am not delusional yet and the soup may have cactus juice in it, but not that much. Zuko's reign is already fragile enough with me and Azula still alive. And that fragility has forced him to resort to one of the oldest strategies in populism: blaming the previous government. That is, me. Zuko cannot afford to free me even if I could solve all of the nation's problems. (And I can, but Zuko insists on making things harder than they have to be with that human rights nonsense. They're going to eat him alive).

But let's pretend for a moment that Zuko one day hits his head and starts making good decisions like getting me out of here: he would still be forced to confine me to house arrest for the rest of my life (where I would at least have access to a bathroom and a bed, although probably not to better food, Zuko is determined that only I eat this soup) or banish me. He can't afford the luxury of freeing me or many people would try to organize a coup. Even the worst idiot knows this, so there's no way Zuko doesn't know it.

But let's continue developing the fantasy and say that he somehow decides that it is best to banish me. I think the first thing I would do is trying to get Azula out of the madhouse. (If she hasn't escaped yet, the information on this is very confusing). Although it would be very difficult to achieve. Freeing Azula is the one thing Zuko would never do, because everyone would prefer Azula on the throne instead of him. The people would prefer Azula. The court would prefer Azula. Even Zuko would prefer Azula. My son makes very bad decisions, but I want to believe that he is not self destructive on purpose.

Which would leave me with only one purpose in life: to do whatever it takes to get my firebending back.

When Zhao returned from his year-long stay with the giant owl he told me that on the island where Iroh killed the last dragon, people have secrets about healing and firebending (in the case of anything Zhao said back then could be trusted, I don't forget that he came back convinced that destroying the moon was a good idea). Unlike Iroh and my father, I never believed much in the importance of spirituality. But my will and perseverance have always been made of steel. I was the best firebender in the world not only because of the power I was born with, but also because of the strength of my character.

You mentioned my wife (Because Ursa is my wife, no matter how many playthings she has. We don't have divorces here like the savages from the Earth Kingdom) and my second daughter (Because it's absurdly obvious that the child is mine no matter how much Ursa insists she's a bastard. She melted a huge steel door, for Agni's sake. What even is wrong with Ursa). It's not a bad idea to take them with me on my quest to recover my bending, after throwing Ikea off the balcony. It would save time, since they would eventually return to my side anyway. Kiyi has immense potential that should not be wasted making wooden swords with Ikea. Most likely I would have to kidnap them, however, but they would get over it. And then it would be possible to get Azula out of the madhouse.

We would give Zuko a taste of his own soup medicine.

[augustinapril]

Avatar: The Last Airbender -> as things my friends have said.

a lot of these do NOT have context, which might make them confusing, so I apologize for that!

— ☆ —

Sokka: Hold up I'm googing.

***

Sokka: Who does firebending willingly?

Zuko: Firebenders and masochists

***

Zuko: Does someone saying "I have a hittable head" mean they want me?

Toph: I mean, they're hitting on you. Literally.

***

Zuko: I am stuck for eternity with only the chains of my own self. To lie to the song of the soul is to torture oneself.

Aang: You're stuck with the sillies.

***

Aang: My heart is racing!

Sokka: What kind of cars does it drive?

— ☆ —

reblogs & likes are highly appreciated!! <3 I haven't finished season 3 yet, but I'm excited to!

[integer115]

Interesting moment:

Zuko hires an assassin to kill Aang. Then he tries to get Aang to kill Ozai. In both cases, he tries to do dirty and dangerous work with someone else's hands. You can also remember how he hired pirates in the first season. And then he betrayed them, creating problems for himself out of nothing.

Iroh sends Zuko and Katara to fight Azula, which in the context of two against an entire enemy capital is pure suicide. He also sends Aang to fight Ozai, justifying it by saying that his fight with his own brother will look bad, apparently Azula and Zuko are strangers to each other in his opinion. That is, Iroh also willingly uses other people for dirty and dangerous work.

Ozai used Ursa to get rid of Azulon, and most of the achievements in the Earth Kingdom are provided by Azula's work. That is, Ozai may also not be without a desire to rake in the heat with other people's hands.

But when it comes to Azula. In fact, in all her operations, she always fought in the front lines. I can't remember a single episode when she dumped the dirty and dangerous work on someone else. Moreover, we can recall that Mai, who refused to fight the Avatar and his team who attacked the drill, did not receive even a verbal reprimand from Azula. The princess simply ignored it and rushed to solve the problem herself. In my opinion, this is a very characteristic difference between Azula and the rest of her family.

[thefandomthings]

Okay HEAR ME OUT BUTTTT what about zuko betrayal part 2 with the prompt “you own my heart” 👀

Betrayal

Fluff Prompt #30: "You own my heart."

Pairing: Zuko x F/Gn!reader

Warnings: Angst, Fluff, Terrible writing, happy ending? ¡¡SPOILERS!!, Takes place in Book 3. Ep. 11. It doesn't follow the script in the episode.

Notes: I'm so sorry I haven't been writing, I work in agriculture and summer and fall are my busiest times of the year and I lost motivation in the process 😭. But, hopefully I'm back. Thank you for your patience.

Part 1 Part 2 Prompt Event

Who knew betrayal could hurt so much. Chest heavy, heart heavier. Why did he do it? Does he think everything will be okay once he got back? Maybe Azula manipulated him? No. He did it willingly.

It's been weeks since the incident, a few months actually. You dont know what to do with yourself. Everything has been so emotionally hard. The long term depression grasping you in a chokehold.

The gaang has been there for you. Aang suffering from his own mid childhood crisis, the weight of the world literally on his shoulders. Katara tires to help as much as she could, but she is also dealing with things of her own. Sokka....was just Sokka.

After the invasion, you retreated to the western air temple. It was definitely a sight for sore eyes. The architecture was incredible. The Air Nation really outdid themselves.

"Y/n? Why don't you come eat dinner with us?" Katara leaned against the door frame of the room you are currently residing in. You look over at her gave her a small smile, one that didn't quite reach your eyes.

Katara didn't exactly like Zuko, having felt being betrayed as well. She has a lot of not nice things to say about the young prince, but for the sake of your ears she kept them to herself.

She grabs your arm pulling you up from your bed. You reluctantly follow her, head resting on her shoulder.

Today was a rough day. It Started out with a dream of you and him dancing in the temple. Oh so in love. Hands intertwined with each others. Whispering small nothings, butterflies occupying your chest and tummy. You woke up as if it was a nightmare, your brain toying with you like a yoyo.

Katara holds you gently, her hand laying on your head as if you were a child. At this moment you felt as if you were. Needing someone to comfort your aching heart.

"What are you doing here?!"

"Please just hear me out..." You immediately recognize that voice. It was him.

Zuko.

"Why should we? Huh?!" Sokka crosses his arms defensively. Katara flicks the lid on the water pouch on her hip, bending the water out.

You heart is hammering against your chest. His eyes immediately are drawn towards you. Zuko feels himself choke up. The sight of you made his chest hurt. The dullness you held in your eyes was unbearable to look at.

"Y/n...."

"She doesn't want to talk to you." Katara says, she moved to stand in front of you. Her body is blocking his sight of you. Zuko wants to reach for you, to grovel at your feet, to beg for forgiveness. Even if it hurts his pride, or his reputation. Which wasn't much good anyway. He had to make it right with you.

You are his everything.

"It's okay Katara." You give her a reassuring smile, it wasn't very convincing to anyone who knew you.

"What're you doing here?" You inquire and step next to Katara. Your eyes boring into his, he looked...Sad. Regret swimming in his honey irises.

"I've changed-" You feel yourself moving on its own. You hold your hand up, and he stopped talking.

"That's what you said under Ba Sing Se, then you left. Betraying everyone who cared about you. Especially Uncle Iroh."

That struck a nerve, his face hardens and he looks away slightly, eyebrows furrowed. His tongue darts out and wets his dry and cracked lips, his golden eyes looking back up at you. He steps closer, his hands clenching and unclenching by his side.

Zuko wants to hold you...Needs to feel you against him. To kiss you, to be with you. He needs you like he needs air, without you he's nothing, just a shell of the man he was before he lost you.

"Y/n, please...I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." Zukos voice cracks slightly.

You purse your lips together tightly.

It's so very tempting to close the gap between the two of you, forgiving him just felt right. Maybe it was just the your heart talking over logic. Your headspace is messed up severely, the wound is still fresh in your brain and heart.

"Zuko-"

Katara stops you, stepping in front of you.

"Leave. You've done enough, you are not welcome here."

"Y/n...please." It was strange seeing him so weak for once, pleading you. Practically on his knees for forgiveness.

"You own my heart."

It hurt you to watch him get treated so badly. He deserved it, mostly. Everyone has the right to be angry with him. Chasing Aang across the globe, trying to kill you then after everything at Ba sing se. It was almost unforgivable. Almost.

•°•°•°•

Taglist: @etherjen @xlatinaaxx @youngladysakura @m4rlvky @kitt38 @monysakura @kenqki @rdpiano @mikemakesartt @thigh-o-saur @chi-ara @kookiegirl444 @snixx2088 @zacatecanaaaa

[rifari2037]

Always???

Just because there's a fanart of Zutara with Fire Nation culture, doesn't mean Zutara with Water Tribe culture never existed at all.

In one fanart, Zuko and Katara share cultures. Katara tries spicy Fire Nation food. Then, Zuko wears a parka and experiencing life in the pole.

Katara has to wear FN clothing!

Zutara shipper once made Zutara's wedding with Southern Water Tribe culture in South Pole. I don't see 'Katara has to wear Fire Nation clothing' there.

Zuko doesn't have to make an effort with her culture!

The same Zutara shipper made a fanart of Zuko joins Water Tribe hunting culture with his father-in-law and brother-in-law. He uses a parka, water tribe braids, and a water tribe spear.

This is one of my favourite Zutara SWT fanart. Zuko tries to learn Katara's culture, but it's turn out Gran-grand pranks him!

And there's no need to worry about Katara's heritage because there are also Zutara and steambabies fanarts with Water Tribe culture.

Look! Zuko is playing snowballs with steambaby. So adorable! What's the 'Katara has to wear FN clothing' thing?? I don't see it here, except for the fire symbol on Zuko's parka, that's all.

Also there are a lot, literally a lot of Zutara in Water Tribe clothing fanarts. I can't put them all, but, here some of them.

Oh, Netflix ATLA also gave us Zutara Water Tribe crumbs!! 😍😍

Zutara fanarts are very diverse, they usually wear red and blue, sometimes FN or SWT clothes, or sometimes Earth Kingdom clothes, or sometimes Painted Lady and Blue Spirit clothes.

So, 'Katara has to wear FN clothing' is ridiculous comment. Please, at least do a little research first before commenting.

Ship what you want but surely a relationship should be balance with both wanting to learn about the other's heritage.

Exactly!

But, to be able to learn and accept other cultures as part of ourselves, at least there is no culture that clash with our own principles, right?

For example, when someone have a vegan culture, meanwhile hunting animals, eating meat, and making clothes from fur are his gf's cultures, how can he blend in with that? Would he comfortable with all those??

Also, if he learns and accept most of his gf's culture - comfortable or not - then wouldn't he disrespect his own cultures and principles? So, how to make the relationship balance?

*hmm, well, I'm just saying. It's not like I take an example from canon

The good news is that Zuko's culture does not clash with Katara's. Their cultures are different, but them learn each other's culture will not disrespect their own principles (not like the example above).

He could hunting the animals, eats meat, wears parka, and wouldn't mind with the pelts. All fine!

Sokka [in the Fire Nation city] : Come on, Aang, everyone here eats meat. Even the meat! 

Bruh, even in canon Zuko willingly pretending to be water bender and using water bending move (he learns the move from Katara), so what are you complaining about?? 😭😭

[zvtara-was-never-canon]

Can you give examples of Aang showing Empathy? Oh wait, you can't.

Actually, I can - because unlike you, I base my opinion of the characters on the actual stuff that happened in the story, not the bad faith takes dumb people on the internet come up with.

Zuko literally only survived past book 1 because Aang was the ONLY person amongst the heroes that gave a single fuck about his well-being. Aang offered to be FRIENDS with him as early as episode 13, even though this dude is trying to kidnap him.

In the first damn episode we see him realize and try to remedy Katara's struggle with no longer being able to act like a kid and have fun. He wants to travel with her so SHE gets to learn waterbending. He willingly lets Zuko take him into his ship because he understood that a conflict could lead to the people of the water tribe getting hurt or killed.

In Warriors of Kyoshi he apologizes to Katara for letting all the praise and admiration go to this head. He makes sure to put out the fires Zuko and his crew started in Suki's village.

He tries to help remedy the Hei-Bai situation, even though he is unsure of himself and even scared, because he knows he is the only one that has any chance of helping - and the thing that allows him to connect with Hei-Bai is the fact that he is ALSO upset about the destruction the Fire Nation has caused AND hopeful that the world would eventually heal.

He thinks Jet is awesome because he wants to help people that are being oppressed by the Fire Nation - and then is horrified when he finds out his intension is to "free" them by killing everyone

He wants to help the two rival groups not only safely cross the Great Divide, but also stop hating each other.

He confesses that he hid the map to Hakoda because Bato, Katara and Sokka are showing how much they appreciate and trust him and he feels unworthy of it after what he did because he knows it'd hurt him if the roles were reversed.

He is so devastated by the fact that he ACCIDENTALLY hurt Katara that he swears to never firebend again. He is also able to recognize the same principle behind his mistake in Zhao's fighting style, allowing him to win the battle against the bastard.

He accepts the fact that the Northern Air Temple is now occupied by people who not only don't belong to his culture but also don't understand it and unknowingly destroyed something sacred to him (and that one of them had been forced to make weapons for the Fire Nation) because these people have nowhere else to go and he doesn't want them to suffer.

He is furious at Pakku for refusing to teach Katara waterbending, because he knows how much it'd mean to her and how unfair it is that she can't learn it just because of her gender.

He is so devastated by the death of the Moon Spirit that the Ocean Spirit latches onto him to avenge it and save the day - and the leve of destruction it causes haunts Aang, even though the violence was against his enemies. And still, he tries to go into the Avatar state again because people are dying and he can't accept that.

After the fall of Omashu, he wants to rescue Bumi, not because he needs a teacher, but because they're friends.

He felt empathy for Toph when she was explaining to her parents how lonely and unappriacted their over-protection made her feel.

He and Katara both feel bad for snapping at Toph during "The Chase" and wanted to apologize for not understanding that being part of a group was a radical change to her, even though she had refused to even try. He also didn't have a problem with fighting alongside Zuko and Iroh against Azula, AND he looked concerned when Iroh was injured.

After Katara comments on the fact he called Toph Sifu but not her, he calls her Sifu while bowing, to show that he respects her both as his master and friend.

The hopelessness and downright depression he was feeling after Appa was stolen only starts healing because he saw a couple being happy with their newborn baby - the same couple he decided to help cross the Serpent's Pass, even though he and his friends had just been allowed to take a much safer route to Ba Sing Se.

His understanding and sympathy towards Jet, even after everything the guy did, was so strong that it freed him from literal brainwashing.

He doesn't want to push his love for Katara aside to gain power because he cares about her too much - and then does it anyway because, even though not making her his main focus 24/7 offers the risk of her being hurt, him neglecting his mission guarantees she'll get hurt.

He is devastated to learn that the world thinks he is dead because he knows he was everyone's last hope - and yet in the end he still accepts the burden of failure because he understood that, at that moment, everyone would be safer if no one else knew he was still alive.

He goes to a Fire Nation school and bonds with the kids, wanting to give them a taste of freedom and joy, as well as trying to understand what the war is like from their perspective. The same episode also has him pull Katara for a dance because he noticed she was feeling left out.

The boy felt empathy for, and understood the mistakes of, both Ruko and Sozin. SOZIN. Aang could see the humanity in the monster that is responsible for him losing his entire culture and everyone he loved.

When Zuko spoke about wanting to control his impulses so he wouldn't accidentally hurt anyone, Aang explicitly connected with that struggle and saw them being teacher and student as fate, and Zuko agreed because that's how deep their connection was.

Aang is not happy about Katara wanting to murder a man, but he still lets her take Appa on her mission and is not disapproving when she ultimately spares the guy but does not forgive him and makes it clear she never will.

He feels empathy for freaking Ozai, to the point that refuses to kill the guy - even as he has the balls to say that Aang's family, his people, deserved to die. He spared that guy - but only after he had a way to do that without it meaning the death of more innocents. Aang, the pacifist, was going to turn his back on everything he believed in just to avoid more human suffering.

So yeah, miss me with your bullshit and don't come back until your brain is developed enough to understand a cartoon aimed at kindergarterners.

[cienie-isengardu]

Zuko and Azula in "The Beach"

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

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

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

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

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

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

Azula's first attack,

later Ty Lee landing on the net

and Mai kicking the ball (and presumably scoring)

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

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

[beifong-brainrot]

Katara and the fear of loss (aka why she waited)

I think one aspect of Katara's storyline I don't see explored nearly enough the fact that she is terrified of losing others, especially those whom she cares for. This makes sense, especially looking to her background, how the death of her mother affected her and the fact that war has been a very large part of her life since she was a small child. Not to mention, she is actively a huge part of said war, along with her brother and friends, at the tender age of 14.

Now, some of you may ask "quill what the hell does Aang have to do with Katara's mother?"

Yes, on the surface, there isn't that much connecting Katara's dead, grown ass mother to Katara's alive 12 year old goofball bf but the parallels between Kya and Aang are planted even at the beginning of the show, in the first few episodes.

When Zuko and the Fire Nation attack the Southern Watertribe, they are looking for Aang, the last airbender, not dissimilar to the Southern Raiders looking for the last Southern waterbender. Furthermore, both Kya and Aang willingly give themselves up to the Fire Nation in order to protect the village, particularly Katara.

Throughout the show, we see Katara's interest and endearment towards Aang grow, and we see them create a genuine friendship. But I'd argue that Aang being the Avatar is, to some degree, a problem to their relationship. Aang's duty as the Avatar, and the risks and decisions he is faced with due to it, often create a rift between him and Katara.

Be it due to Aang's responsibilities leading him to make decisions she doesn't agree with, like in the Avatar State, where Aang feels the pressure to force the Avatar State due to the suffering of the soldiers he feels responsible for.

Or, more poignantly, in the Awakening, where Aang is once again compared to one of the parents Katara lost due to the war, though Hakoda's 'loss' was not due to death, but a need to fight. I think this also shows how much Katara values Aang not just as the Avatar, but as a person.

Katara: Aang. He just took his glider and disappeared. He has this ridiculous notion that he has to save the world alone, that it's all his responsibility. Hakoda : Maybe that's his way of being brave. Katara: It's not brave; it's selfish and stupid! We could be helping him, and I know the world needs him, but doesn't he know how much we need him, too? How can he just leave us behind? Hakoda : You're talking about me too, aren't you?

This is twice Aang has been directly paralleled to one of Katara's parents, whose repsective losses have clearly affected her greatly. This is also extremely poignant, since we've been explicitly told that Aang's love for his own lost family, the Air Nomads, was reborn into Katara. For Aang and Katara, the ways they deal with their losses influences how they pursue each other romantically.

Of course, there's also the ✨️ immediate threat of death and physical injury✨️. Aang and the rest of the Gaang, but particularly Aang is constantly being chased and tracked and endangered by the Fire Nation and he is meant to face the Firelord and defeat him. There are a lot of possibilities for something to go horrifically wrong here.

From Aang being half dead when Katara found him, then almost immediately getting kidnapped by the prince of the goddamn Fire Nation, to almost every villain of the week shenanigan, Katara already has good reason to worry for Aang.

But then the reach Ba Sing Se and things get even worse. Jet, Katara's only other canonically confirmed love interest dies, and Katara is helpless to do anything about it. This is already enough to make someone reconsider future romantic endeavours, but surely it can't get any worse, right?

Oh yeah, Aang FUCKING DIES

He gets blasted in the back with lighting, right as he enters the avatar state, right before Katara's eyes. The saviour of the world, but more importantly, her dear friend, brutally cut down before her very eyes. And Katara, a child, is the only person with even a sliver of hope of bringing him back.

So is it really any surprise that Katara, having experienced loss before multiple times over, and almosf having lost Aang himself, would be hesitant to enter a romantic relationship with someone being actively hunted by the greatest military in the world, someone obligated to take on the leader of said military?

Katara is afraid. She's afraid of opening her heart up to loving Aang and then losing him after that. This is the main reason why she hesitates in initiating her and Aang's relationship. Whenever Aang tries to brooch the subject, she brings up the war and the Firelord, but due to being a child, she struggles in communicating her exact feelings, which leaves Aang confused and of kilter. Katara often gives Aang romantic attention, and clearly feels rather possessive of him, however, she is not ready to enter a romantic relationship due to the threat of the war looming above their heads. But due to being 14, she doesn't know how to explain these feelings, which is what leads to the minor conflict between her and Aang. Because, you know, they're both children in a situation that children aren't built to deal with.

Katara : Aang, I don't know. Aang: Why don't you know? Katara : Because, we're in the middle of a war, and, we have other things to worry about. This isn't the right time.

It's important to note that Aang isn't exactly a bad person for wanting this relationship to be made tangible. He does push boundaries, and kissing Katara without her consent in the Ember Island episode is obviously a horrendous misstep (which he acknowledged), but I think you can at least understand his motives. He may soon die, after all, and he wants to love Katara and wants to express that love before he possibly loses his entire goddamn life. I think this can also be traced back to how Aang deals with the genocide of the Air Nomads and vs how Katara deals with the death of her mother.

Aang certainly blames himself for the death of the Air Nomads, although this guilt is unfounded. Perhaps part of him believes that if he'd just stayed with them, spent a little more time with Gyatso, he could've helped them. It wouldn't be a leap to imagine that Aang wanting to spend more time with those he loves, including Katara is a coping mechanism surrpunding that loss.

Now juxtapose this to Katara, who's entire encounter with Yon Rha is permeated by helplessness and fear, an 8 year old Katara being unable to do anything but run away and try to get help, sadly not in time for Kya to survive. So Katara trying to assert some control over her relationships, maintaining a certain distance to Aang while the war that robbed her of her mother is still in full swing isn't an improbable concept. She's trying to not feel that helplessness again.

(Katara probably blames herself for her mother's death too, but it has less to do with Katara's actions and more to fo with what Katara was; a waterbender, something she hasno bearing on)

This is why she initiates the kiss with Aang at the end of the show. Not because she feels the need to give in to his advances due to him being the hero of the world. Not because she's caving to his insistence or because she's pressured. But because the possibility of Aang getting fucking murked by glorified pyromancers are significantly lower than they were during the war.

This is not a 'taking one for the team bcs I feel like I have to due to Aang saving the world' type of smooch. This is a 'finally I feel safe to express my feelings' type of smooch.

To be completely honest, I don't like how Kataang was handled post day of black sun, I think it was an unnecessary addition of a redundant "will they, won't they?" aspect to the relationship. Teasing Zutara in the last few episodes was also just unnecessary, because it was obviously never a viable endgame relationship and it only served to give kid zutara shippers false hope. This is especially fucked up looking at how the same zutara fans were later mocked by the creators, which, no matter what you think if the ship, is a horrible thing to do to a bunch of teenage girls and I think has contributed to those teenage girls growing into bitter, aggressive adult zutara shippers.

But, as much as I dislike this storyline, it does make sense for Katara's character and is an interesting and touching 'silent arc' for her to have. We often see characters fall in love in the midst of a conflict, but we aren't always shown how that conflict would affect the way they look at their relationship, so I appreciate this storyline for what it was.

[ilikepjo24]

I said I do it and this is me doing it.

On Mai's half-assed redemption arc..

We all noticed it. We all (hopefully) didn't like it, let's talk about it.

Unfortunately, Mai is currently the main love interest for Zuko. And I say unfortunately not because I don't ship Maiko (I don't, but that's irrelevant) but because it's the reason why they screwed up her character. Zuko is Good™ and so his love interest needs to be Good™ too. It's why the creators are finally trying to actually redeem her instead of ignoring her bad actions during the war, like they've done up until now.

So why am I complaining? Well, in case you're new here, that's just pretty much what I do, in general. But also, it's because they aren't really fixing anything. Let me explain.

See, redeeming a character implies that we are adressing their actions, holding them accountable, expecting them to do better and them actually doing better. Mai's redemption arc is failing to follow this plan at the very first step.

Mai's role in the war was greatly affected by her friendship with Azula. Had she been a nobody noble that Azula wouldn't look twice at, she'd never be recruited and wouldn't have any impact on the battlefield. Being friends with Azula is what upgraded her from a bakcground character to a side character. Does that mean Azula forced her to do it all? No. I'm not having this conversation again. Mai asked to join Azula and both girls visibly had fun. Mai made her choice. Now what should be done is to hold her accountable expect her to do better and ultimately get redeemed. Only problem? Well...

This. Creators seem to think that since Mai had the opportunity to do bad stuff because she was Azula's friend, then by making the friendship "fake" and "forced" that makes Mai's actions be Not Her Fault™. After all, she could only do those things because of Azula, so if her frinedship with Azula isn't real then that means that she was just plaing a role and her actions aren't really her own, right?

Sorry to let you know, Mai dickriders, but that is simply not true. For multiple reasons. First being; her friendship with Azula was not fake. The narrative might be trying to push the agenda that it was forced, but you can't seriously believe that Mai didn't grow to care for Azula and vise versa, as is made obvious by the moments they share physical affections and laugh together at a joke Mai cracked.

Sure, the motivation for the relationship may have been gaining power, but the end up liking each other, and Mai joins Azula on her mission as willingly as she later does the bad things she ends up doing. And with great pleasure, may I add. That's right, Mai enjoyed doing evil things. She smiled in anticipation of beating down Earth Kingdom soldeirs and laughed at the fear Azula instilled in others.

In case you needed a reminder.

In any case, whether or not the friendship of Mai and Azula were sincere, Mai did bad things that she needs to be held accountable for if she's ever going to be truly redeemed. You could argue that she was "forced" to do it by Azula, but then anyone else could argue that Azula was forced to do it by Ozai. Truth is, both were urged, gently or not-so-gently to do bad things that they ended up enjoying doing because they got pleasure out of instilling fear on others because they are the villains of the show. One can't just brush all of Mai's actions under the rug to "purify" her of the bad things she willingly did and enjoyed doing. You wanna redeem her so bad? Do it properly.

Thus proven.

[blackbullet99]

Aang, he’s just better than Zuko.

For Katara anyway.

Frankly even in Book 3, the season where Zuko was at his best, Aang was still kinder and more altruistic than Zuko. 

In Sozin’s Comet (Part 1) both Aang and Zuko are driven to a rage breaking point due to the stress of the comet approaching and the others not taking the situation seriously enough, the others want to have fun at the beach while Zuko is concerned about Ozai’s genocidal plan, whereas Aang is concerned about having to kill Ozai, something the others don’t fully understand. Zuko gets violent and destructive, burning everything and attacking Aang to “teach him a lesson”, while Aang is genuinely angry which is verbally directed at the others (even Katara who trying to help), and so he leaves the situation to think out his dilemma. Guess who gets more flack from that side of the “fandom”.

You cannot convince me that Aang hating Zutara weirdos genuinely think Zuko is a kinder person than Aang simply because he learned familial abuse, violence, imperialism and colonialism were wrong and sought to improve himself. Or that he’s more mature than Aang for those same reason and because he’s less joyful. Zuko’s always been rather temperamental, even post-redemption arc.

They like Zutara for superficial reasons, nothing more. All of their media-illiterate “reasons” is amounts to nothing but misunderstanding The Southern Raiders.

These people will say Zuko is the only who supported and understood Katara. Lemme set the record straight, Zuko does a total of three significant “supportive” things for Katara, that’s it. 

He has one moment of empathy when she mentions her mother dying in the cave, which is nice. She considers healing his wound and he ends betraying her. The way the Zutara shippers go on, you’d think they kissed in the cave like Oma and Shu.

Oh, wait.

Not only that but Zuko himself never reflects back on that moment with any remorse, he never apologizes to Katara, if anything HE gets annoyed when Katara is rightfully pissed off at him much later. Zuko is “the only one who understands Katara” right.

Anti-Aang Zutara morons LOVE to bring up Zuko taking Katara to confront Yon-Rha as if it’s the nicest thing anyone’s ever done for Katara as if it’s the only time Katara was ever cared for. 

HOLY GLAZE BATMAN!

The MAIN reason Zuko did was specifically because he wanted Katara to stop hating him. He isn’t concerned about this will affect Katara about what choices she’s gonna make when she confronts this guy, or even if Sokka wants to tag along (he was kinda sidelined despite Kya being HIS MOM too). 

Both Aang and Sokka are concerned for Katara not because “they idealize her.” They’ve known Katara the longest, They saw her break down when bloodbending, they don’t want her to do something that will mentally break her later on.

The only time Zuko shows genuine support and kindness in the episode is when he checks on Katara when she’s in control of Appa and when he hears exactly what happened to her mom, he shows genuine sympathy and understanding. 

Cool. But this ONE moment in no way means he’s the only person who supports Katara.

He also saves her from Azula’s lightning. Great, really shows how far Zuko’s come as a person. But saving Katara’s life isn’t something exclusive to Zuko. Aang saved Katara too many times, just as she did for him.

Objectively speaking, Aang DOES support Katara, more times than Zuko. 

If taking Katara somewhere is so very important (in regard to her tribe’s colonization no less), in the first darn episode Aang willingly agrees to take her to the North Pole to learn Waterbending. He’s nothing but supportive to Katara in regards to her Waterbending, supporting her in moments of insecurity, refusing to learn from someone who’s openly discriminatory to Katara and cheers her on when fighting the discriminator.

He goes out of his way for Katara several times throughout the series, going through hell and high water to get frozen frogs to cure Katara’s illness, securing her lost necklace which he knows is important to her culture, surrenders himself to Zuko so that he’ll leave Katara’s tribe, helps her commit eco-terrorism when she masquerades as the Painted Lady, inviting her to dance when she feels left out, leaving the Guru specifically to save HER, etc.

If it wasn’t clear already Aang cares about Katara emotionally, he calls her Sifu when she points out he’s never done so before, when he walls himself off from his emotions, much to Katara’s dismay, he later tells Katara that she was right about not losing sight of hope and his feelings (especially for Appa and for her) which she greatly moves her, when Jet died and Katara was forced to bloodbend Aang comforted her, simply by placing his hand on her shoulder, letting her know he was there, which she appreciated.

It’s thanks to Aang that Zuko even joined their team at all and even then, he specifically asks Katara if it’s okay (seeing as she feels so strongly about it) and she only agrees to go through with it because of Aang, which he appreciates. 

People use The Southern Raiders as an example of Aang not understanding Katara, when if anything, it’s the opposite.

Aang himself knows what it’s life to feel “rage and pain” and appeals to Katara by brining up times he not only felt grief loosing his entire nation, his father figure, and Appa, the only living thing from his time and culture, all of which Katara comforting Aang over this by relating her own grief to his. Both have lost people they care about to the Fire Nation, both are kind people who once let themselves be driven by rage and pain, both are the last benders of their tribe. Even with Aang being concerned for Katara, he doesn’t invalidate her anger, he encourages her to confront her oppressor and even though she doesn’t forgive him, he accepts this. 

In addition to everything else, Aang and Katara simply just bring out the best in each other, they’re friends first, they have fun together (penguin sledding started it all), they both have each other backs, they work extremely well together in combat as a battle couple, they both care deeply about the other and while the both admire each other strongly, they have an equal partnership and love each other flaws and all. 

With all that said, can you really say Zuko was the only one who supported and understood Katara, because (aside from The Southern Raiders) he didn’t do anything super significant and factually speaking Aang clearly understood and supported Katara more than Zuko ever did.

Heck, even Sokka who was initially rather rude and dismissive of Katara in the first episode did more for Katara than Zuko as the show went on. Supporting her desire to save Aang in Episode 2, supporting her saving Haru, throwing hands with Aang when the later burned her, comforting her when she was sad about Aang’s capture at the North Pole, acknowledging how much Katara did for him when their mom died, purely so Toph would leave her alone, he was was good brother.

The Zutara brigade will cling to three moments where Zuko did anything for Katara because of the #aesthetic of their mid ship. Meanwhile they act like Aang not only did anything for Katara, but treated her like garbage, by naming three moments, all of which he either apologized for or realized he was wrong. 

They only like the idea of Zutara in their Wattpad fanfics, as opposed to what Zuko and Katara’s relationship actually is and no matter how many times they deny it, it’s primarily based on aesthetic and superficial reasons.

If Aang was 16 like Zuko, they’d lap up all those Kataang moments like crazy, even Aang kissing Katara in EIP (which was bad) given how much they love Zuko kidnapping Katara (I’ll save you from the pirates).

If Zuko was 12 like Aang, Zutara wouldn’t even be a thing, especially by how immature and quick to anger Zuko is for a good chunk of the show. They’d see Katara try to heal Zuko and think “it’s a mom caring for her child”, they’d see Zuko get mad at Katara for not trusting him and see Zuko throw a fiery, violent tantrum at Aang in Sozin’s Comet and say “he’s way too immature to be with Katara”. 

The hypocrisy snd double standards of these morons are insane. 

Shipping obsessed fake A:TLA fans is what they are. Nothing more.

[bouncybongfairy]

Ma’am thank you from the bottom of my heart for the writing the only live action zuko smut on the face of this earth I am surviving on freezer burn. Do you have more live action zuko smut????

Masked Feelings

Prince Zuko x Fem Reader Smut

Summary: High from the adreniline of capturing the Avatar; Zuko fucks you with the blue spirt mask on.

Word Count: 1.0k+

Ref Account: @kaionyx

TW: Masked Man, Rough Smut, Creampie. <3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3

You were nervously waiting for Zuko to come back from his mission. He didn’t tell you much about it and it scared you when he left in that mask. Lately he was so down over almost catching the Avatar, eating away at him in such an aggressive way. He was constantly talking down on himself, having angry outbursts over the littlest things. You were cleaning up the small space you were staying in while investigating a lead. There was no point in waiting for Zuko to return because that could be days from now. You’d fallen asleep while reading, jolting awake when you heard the door being slammed open and closed. A blast of cold air rushing in behind him, he was wearing a blue and white mask. You assumed it was Zuko but you couldn’t be sure. 

“Zuko?” you ask; he gave no reaction to this. 

“Zuko.” you called out a little more firm. 

He came closer to you, breathing so hard that his entire upper body would double in size after an inhale. Wearing all black with two swords strapped to his back. He pulled them out and dropped them on the ground. The loud clashing of metal against cement makes you jump. Immediately sitting up, letting your weight hit the head board. He started to take off his gloves and walked towards you. At this point, you weren’t sure what to do. He was scaring the shit out of you and it wasn’t helping that you kinda liked it.

 How dark and demented his energy was. He came up to you, using his thumb to part your lips. He chuckled once he saw the scared and unsure look in your eyes. High off the adrenaline after invading the Pohuai stronghold, he was craving power. Looking for it in every dark corner and shadow; now it was sitting right below him. Looking up with a deer in headlights expression, wearing one of his undershirts. It was freezing in the room and your teeth were chattering. 

“Just that excited? Like a puppy being teased with a treat,” he said, moving his thumb from your lip. 

It slightly infuriated you that he was getting off on how nervous you were. Like he was pulling a side out of you that he knows you’d never show willingly. He trailed his fingers down your throat and to your chest. There was a small hole in the fabric of your shirt, he looped his fingers into the hole and ripped it. Leaving the shreaded fabric draping from your body. You gasp and try to cover yourself but he grabs your wrists. He has never been this rough with you, taking out his frustrations out on your body. 

Legs hanging off the side of the bed, he grabbed a fist full of your hair, near the nape of your neck. Forcing you to look up at him while his hand trailed down. Immediately dip his fingers between your into your wet slit. Circling his finger around your swollen clit. Enjoying how your body was involuntarily reacting to his touch. You could hear him growl, muttering curses from underneath the mask. Tracing your entrance once in a while, teasing like he was going to fill you only to leave you empty and achy. Normally you never thought about how your face looked while drowning in pleasure. Covering your face with a pillow or into the mattress. 

It made you feel so vulnerable, knowing he was getting his pleasure from watching you squirm and shake. You reach your hand up and rub his member through his pants. He leans into your touch, coming close enough to finally slip his two fingers in. His pinky and index fingers on either side of your sex. Fucking the digits in and out, you pressed your forehead against his arm. Letting your mouth hang open, moaning into the fabric of his shirt. 

He pressed his fingers into you and started curling and circling. Looking up at him and seeing the mask was intimidating, which made you avert your gaze. He corrected this and gripped your hair tighter, forcing you to look up. He wanted to see your face as he fucked his fingers in and out of you. Loving how your facial expression would change at the same time your walls tightened around him. 

“Fuck you’re so wet,” he groaned out, pulling his fingers out and slapping your sex. 

He pulled you by the leg towards the edge of the bed. He pulled his pants down, letting his length slap against his lower stomach. Using his tip to part your slit, spreading your wetness onto the head of his cock. Smacking his member against your lips before pushing himself inside. He held onto your legs against himself and began fucking in and out of you. Starting off slow then gradually increasing speed. Little -uhh- sounding moans slipped out of your throat everytime he thrusted into you. His nails digging into the flesh of your thighs. Your wetness was dripping down his legs. You reached up and grabbed the end of his shirt, trying to pull him closer. He pushed your legs down, pressing your thighs against your torso. 

“I wanna see your face while I fuck my cum into you,” he grunted, frantically rutting into you. 

Hearing how rough his voice was sent you over the edge. Arching your back and gripping the bed sheets tightly. He was rutting into you so hard the bed began moving back, he kept stepping forwards. Your face was red, mouth hanging open and the most vulgar sound coming out. Completely worked and worn from taking his cock, seeing you like this makes him cum. 

Keeping himself pressed into you while spilling his load deep inside you. Groaning through the mask once he felt it start leaking out against the base of his cock. Slowly starting to thrust again, enjoying watching you wiggle and squirm from how sensitive you were. Finally pulling out once he went soft, keeping your legs spread to watch his cum leak out of you. Eventually putting his pants back on and arming himself. 

“Where are you going?” you asked.

“I capture the Avatar,” he said walking out.

[the-badger-mole]

She knows

She knows

She knows

Zuko had thought his feelings for Katara were his secret. He'd never spoken to anyone about them, and he hadn't been treating her any differently since he'd figured himself out. His feelings were his burden alone, and he intended to keep it that way. Still, she knows ricocheted through his mind. His heart seemed to beat in time to words in his brain as he tried to process everything. The clamoring of the soldiers rushing up the stone stairs; the sound of the stolen air ship coming up behind him; the feel of Katara's lips on his.

Her fingers were clenched tight around the collar of his shirt. Zuko had just come to his senses enough to reach for her waist, intent on pulling her closer, when suddenly Katara shoved him backwards off of the ledge of the broken balcony. An airbender would've caught themselves and vaulted back onto the stone legdge. Zuko was no airbender, though. Their airbender was...someplace else. Zuko wasn't entirely sure of where. So when Zuko landed on the deck of the airship with a bone rattling thump, shock kept him there for the time it took him to refill his lungs. By the time he scrambled to his feet, the ship was already pulling away. Zuko had just enough time to see Katara turn from him to face his father's soldiers. She was outnumbered by at least a dozen, but she stood tall and firm, and even from behind, Zuko could see the determination in her stance. She would fight and die to make sure that he got away safely.

"No!" Zuko shouted. He threw himself at the railing, intent on getting back to her by any means necessary. He would leap from the deck and figure out the rest on his way back. Two sets of strong hands kept him from enacting his plan.

"Let me go!" he demanded pulling against the hold on him. "I'm not leaving her!"

"Zuko!" Sokka shouted. He and Suki pulled hard throwing him against the wall of the ship. "Stop!"

"Turn back!" Zuko half demanded, half pleaded. "We have to go back for her!" He was met with Sokka and Suki's twin grimaces.

"We can't," Suki said, grimly. "We have to get you to safety."

"I don't care about my safety!" Zuko insisted. "I can't leave her behind! Sokka, she's your sister! How can you just-oof!" Sokka's punch didn't hurt so much as it caught Zuko off guard.

"Don't you dare!" Sokka growled. He stood over Zuko, rage radiating from him almost tangibly. "Don't you dare imply I'm not just as worried about Katara as you are. If it wasn't for the fact that we need you to survive the war, I would've thrown you back to them to save her in a heartbeat. But the next best thing I can do is make sure my sister's sacrifice isn't in vain. That mean's getting you to safety and making sure you don't do anything stupid like trying to take on a whole troop of firebending soldiers.

A thousand arguments flew through Zuko's mind. They were superimposed over the image of Katara facing those same solders in his mind. Everything in him was demanding they turn around that instant and rescue Katara. His gambit for the throne was meaningless in comparison to Katara's safety. So what if she had willingly sacrificed herself? So what if he were summarily executed by his father, or even his sister? His own life meant nothing if Katara weren't in it.

Sokka was right, though. Zuko was loathe to admit it, but he was right. Katara knew what she was doing, even if Zuko was certain she didn't understand the full consequence. She'd saved his life. Again. Impotent and helpless as he felt watching her do it, she'd done it willingly. She'd done it strategically. His heart railed against it, but his mind knew why she'd done it. He had the best claim to the throne, after all. They'd talked about it to exhaustion. He'd told Katara all his worries, and she'd calmed them with her certainty that he was the Fire Lord his nation deserved. He'd never gotten the chance to tell her that he though she was the Fire Lady his nation needed, though they didn't deserve her by a long shot. He'd never told her that though he didn't deserve her, he needed her. Like he needed water.

She knew, though. She knew his weakness, and she'd used it. Zuko could still feel the pressure of her lips on his. Could still feel the way her hand tightened on his collar as she prepared to shove him away even while she was pulling him closer. She knew what she could do to him even in the midst of battle.

"They probably won't kill her," Suki said quietly. Both Sokka and Zuko looked up sharply.

"What?" Sokka gasped.

"They probably won't kill her," Suki repeated. "She's too valuable a prisoner. The daughter of the Southern Water Tribe chief? The... the friend of Prince Zuko? She's useful. If she surrenders, she will have a fighting chance." Suki's mouth was pressed into a thin, grim line. She was upset, too, Zuko realized. Maybe almost as upset as Sokka and Zuko were. Only almost, though. Zuko couldn't imagine his future without Katara in it, and Sokka had always been his sister's protector. As Zuko met Sokka's eye across the deck, he knew the Water Tribe warrior had made the same decision he had. If Katara was alive, neither would rest until she was safe again. The details of their rescue mission would have to wait until they could discuss them in private, but they would be going after her.

Part 2

[sapphic-agent]

Let's Talk About How Book 3 Ruined Aang

If you've seen any of my prior ATLA posts, you know that I don't hate Aang. In fact, I quite liked him in Books 1 and 2. He was flawed, as all characters should be, but the show didn't shy away from those flaws or justify them. He was called out for burning Katara and rushing his firebending, Sokka and Katara were rightfully upset when he hid Hakoda's letter, he willingly owns up to the fact that his actions helped drive Toph away, and his entire arc after losing Appa and finding hope again in The Serpent's Path was beautifully done.

(Hell, even in The Great Divide Katara says what Aang did was wrong and he agrees. It's played for comedy, but the show still makes the effort to point out that what he did wasn't the right thing to do. You're just meant to understand that he was fed up and acted off of that)

Those flaws and mistakes were addressed and improved upon and helped Aang to grow as a character.

But for some reason, that aspect of Aang's character was completely flipped in Book 3.

The best examples of this are in both TDBS and EIP. Both the show and the fandom are too quick to brush off that Aang kissed Katara twice without her consent, one of which after she explicitly said she was confused about her feelings.

(And yes, she is angry in response and Aang calls himself an idiot. But after this, it isn't really addressed. They go on like nothing happened for the rest of the episode. Aang's lamentation comes from screwing things up with her romantically, not that he violated boundaries)

The show never really addressed why what he did was wrong. Not only because he wasn't given consent, but also because both times he isn't thinking about what Katara wants. In both instances, Aang is only thinking about himself and his feelings. This is something that persists through a lot of the third book. And by Sozin's Comet it ultimately ruins any character development he had built up in the second book.

One thing I feel was completely disregarded was the concept of having to let go of Katara in order to master the Avatar State.

For me, the implication wasn't that he had to give up love or happiness necessarily. He was emotionally attached to and reliant on Katara, to the point where she was needed to stop him from hurting everyone around him and himself. This is obviously detrimental to his functionality as the Avatar. And the point of him "letting her go" wasn't that he had to stop caring about her, it was that his emotional dependency on her was stopping him from being the Avatar he needed to be and that was what needed to be fixed. I don't even think it's about the Avatar State itself, it's about being able to keep your emotions and duty as the Avatar separate.

(If you look at Roku, he loved and had a wife. It wasn't his love for her that messed everything up, it was his attachment to Sozin. He wasn't able to let Sozin go and not only did he lose his life for it, the world suffered for it. It's the unhealthy attachments that seem to be detrimental, not love itself)

And Aang realizes that in the catacombs, which is how he's able to easily enter the Avatar State and seemingly control it. He let Katara go.

So then why does it seem like his attachment to Katara is not only stronger, but worse in mannerism? He liked Katara in Books 1 and 2- obviously- but he was never overly jealous of Jet or Haru. He only makes one harmless comment in Book 2 when Sokka suggests Katara kiss Jet.

But suddenly he's insanely jealous of Zuko (to the point of getting frustrated with Katara over it), off the basis of the actions of actors in a clearly misrepresentative play. Katara showed a lot more interest in Jet and Aang was completely fine with it.

(Speaking of EIP, Aang's reaction to being played by a woman was interesting. He wore a flower crown in The Cave of Two Lovers. He wove Katara a flower necklace. He wore Kyoshi's clothes and makeup and made a funny girl voice. He willingly responded to Twinkle Toes and had no issue being called that. And for some reason he's genuinely upset about being played by a woman? Aang in Books 1 and 2 would have laughed and enjoyed the show like Toph did. His aversion to feminity felt vastly out of character)

I guess my point is, why did that change? Why was Aang letting go of Katara suddenly irrelevant to the Avatar State? It felt like him letting go was supposed to be a major part of his development. Why did that stop?

Myself and many others have talked about The Southern Raiders. The jist of my thought process about it is his assumption that he knew what was best for Katara. And the episode doesn't really call out why he was wrong. Maybe sparing Yon Rha was better for Katara, maybe it wasn't (the only one who's allowed to make that choice is her). Pushing forgiveness? That was wrong. But the episode has Zuko say that Aang was right when the course of action Katara took wasn't what Aang suggested.

Katara's lesson here was that killing him wouldn't bring back her mother or mend the pain she was going through and that Yon Rha wasn't worth the effort. That's what she realizes. Not that she needed to embrace forgiveness. How could she ever forgive that? The episode saying Aang was right wasn't true. Yes she forgives Zuko, but that wasn't what Aang was talking about. He was specifically talking about Yon Rha.

And that was wrong. Aang can choose the path of forgiveness, that's fine. That's his choice. But dismissing Katara's trauma in favor of his morals and upbringing wasn't okay.

I know it sounds like this is just bashing Kataang. But it's not simply because I don't like Kataang, in my opinion it brings down Aang's character too, not just Katara's. But let's steer away from Kataang and Katara for a minute.

The one thing that solidifies Aang's character being ruined in Book 3 for me is the fact that he- at the end of the story- does the same thing he did in the beginning.

He runs away when things get hard.

Aang couldn't make the choice between his duty and his morals. So he ran. Maybe it wasn't intentional, but subconsciously he wanted an out. And this is really disappointing when one of the things he was firm about in Book 2 was not running anymore. His character went backwards here and that's not even getting into the real issue in Sozin's Comet.

There's been contention about the Lion Turtle intervention. For many- including myself- it's very deus ex machina to save Aang from having to make a hard decision. And that in turn doesn't reflect kindly on his character.

Everyone- Sokka, Zuko, Roku, Kyoshi, Kuruk, and Yangchen (who was another Airbender and was raised with the same beliefs he was and would understand which was the whole point of him talking to her)- told him he had to kill Ozai. They all told him it was the only way. And he refused to listen to any of them, rotating through his past lives until he was given the answer he wanted.

And before anyone says that I'm bashing Aang for following his culture, I'm not. Ending the war peacefully, in my opinion, wasn't the problem. In a way, I think it allowed the world to heal properly. However, that doesn't make up for the fact that Aang refused to make a choice and face the consequences of that choice. Instead, he's given an out at the very last second.

Even if he couldn't kill Ozai and someone else had to deliver the final blow, that would have been better than the Lion Turtle showing up and giving him a power no one's ever had before. It would have been a good compromise, he doesn't have to have blood directly on his hands but what needs to be done needs to still get done. It would also show that being the Avatar isn't a burden he has to bear alone. That when things get hard, he can't run away but he can rely on the people closest to him to help him through hard decisions.

All these issues aren't necessarily a problem with Aang. Aang prior to Book 3 didn't have most of these problems. This is a problem with the way he was handled