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"Fitting Pieces"

For Zukaang Week 2025

Day 3: Matching Scars @zukaangweek

I need more Aang centric hurt comfort so I'm making it

Tags: nightmares, hurt/comfort, kind of, aang-centric

Summary:

Aang wakes up from a nightmare, Zuko helps by being barely awake and disgruntled that Aang dared to move

I'm going to start adding my favorite lines to these posts for funsies

Aang would spend his days feeling like a ghost that should have been laid to rest a century ago, and then he'd see Zuko's scar, and he figured he couldn't be too out of place. Couldn't be that wrong a puzzle piece if his edges matched Zuko's.

Here's the Link

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"How I Met Your Father"

For Zukaang Week 2025

Day 2: Future @zukaangweek

Mostly self indulgent because I like writing kids

Tags: established relationship, kid fic, dad!zuko, storytelling

While Aang is gone, Zuko gets asked by their kids how he met Aang. Just a fluff fic of Zuko telling the story.

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Just a reminder to zukaangers while zukaang week is going on

We Have A Discord!!!

Whether you're participating in zukaang week or not, we'd love to see you there!

Sidenote: I'm the owner of the discord, so if you are having trouble getting in or have any questions, feel free to send a dm or ask so I can help! ♡

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Zukaang Week 2025

Day One: Friends, @zukaangweek

Fellas, is it gay to pine for your best friend while you're celebrating saving the world?

Tags: scene rewrite, mutual pining, mai and katara dont get paid enough for this

“And now we're friends.” Aang filled in for him happily.

“Yeah.” Zuko dragged the word a bit, looking to the side. That was not, in fact, how he would have phrased that.

A rewrite of the coronation scene.

"Just Friends Don't Live Like That"

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@aangarchy Damn it now I'm going to have to rewatch those episodes so I can overthink them, thanks, that's going to consume way too much of my time smh /j

Thinking about how Combustion Man can be seen as a manifestation of Zuko's continued obsession with Aang despite him having everything he wanted. The inability to let go of the thought even though by all means Aang should be dead. I think it's interesting that Zuko was so sure that Aang was still alive. Yes, he knew about Katara's water, but there's no knowing for sure that the water was good enough to defy death. Yet he acts sure of it. Almost as if a part of him needs Aang to still be alive which leads to the desperate need to rid himself of that continued attatchment.

So, Combustion Man. The thematic embodiment of Zuko's connection to Aang. And I just think The Beach episode is interesting because we see Combustion Man attack the gaang, we see Aang nearly get severely hurt again and again, and then the very next scene is the iconic burst from Zuko "I'm angry at myself!"

Idk, I'm definately reading too much into it, but it's just interesting to me that we have those scenes connected. Aang being hunted by Combustion Man, who, again, is Zuko's will, and Zuko questioning his right and wrong and being angry at himself.

Despite having everything he wanted, Zuko can't let go of Aang, and he tried sending someone to kill Aang (who may not even be alive as far as Zuko should know), to sever that connection, and then gets mad at himself right as Combustion Man finally gets to Aang and nearly succeeds in what Zuko asked him to do.

And then there's also something to be said about Zuko joining the gaang coinciding with the defeat of Combustion Man and how this connects to Combustion Man being the manifestation of Zuko's obsession with Aang and the symbolism of that form of his obsession being killed and directly opening the door for him to join Aang and, as we see in the Firebending Masters, having his purpose (obsession) go from hunting Aang to helping him. Yada yada. I need a nap.

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Zukaang AU idea

Disclaimer: I'm not saying this behavior is okay or romantic or should ever be condoned irl, I'm saying it's fucking hilarious in the context of a story

Anyway, spoiled rich kid Zuko and new cop Aang. Zuko gets pulled over by Aang once for a serious reason and Aang, being a good cop, escorts him to the hospital.

Afterward, in true Zuko 'somebody I thought would harm me helped me' fashion, he becomes obsessed with Aang but doesn't know how to convey that so he just bribes people in the police department to give him Aang's scheduling on where he's posted so Zuko can speed past and get Aang to pull him over. Being rich, he just tanks the tickets.

Aang, eventually realizing Zuko is literally only speeding in front of him to get his attention, stops pulling Zuko over when he sees his car. Cue Zuko renting different cars so Aang can't tell it's him and continuing to speed past Aang in the hopes of getting pulled over.

Aang is simultaneously so done with his ass but also begrudgingly charmed by this idiot who doesn't understand the concept of asking someone out.

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"The Avatar gives Zuko hope."

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It's True In My Heart: The reason so much of what Zuko says in the show can be taken as flirting out of context is because they realized what they did in the pilot episode and backtracked so hard they ended up in the same place.

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thinking about atla and like... imagine you're a pubescent boy and overnight your entire life changes and suddenly you have a role of global significance you never asked for and also your primary caregiver is being taken away from you, immediately followed by going through a physically and emotionally traumatic event, the fallout of which prevents you from ever going back home

and if you want any semblance of a normal life, all you—a child—have to do is complete an impossible task that full armies have been unable to accomplish in the past century. good luck!

...and they did this twice in the same show

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So close, yet so far away. If you're craving more Zukaang while you wait, don't forget to check out past Zukaang Week entries! We've been queuing some works from previous years, but you can find even more in our Carrd, including ao3 collections and past tumblr submissions. It's never too late to show some love with reblogs and comments to artists, authors, and anyone else who creates for Zukaang!

See the pinned post for prompts, rules, & FAQ

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for the last time

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I'd just like to thank my fellow zukaangers for always having the canon relationships break up amicably or have their rift resolved after some time apart and letting them go back to being best friends.

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Thinking about how Combustion Man can be seen as a manifestation of Zuko's continued obsession with Aang despite him having everything he wanted. The inability to let go of the thought even though by all means Aang should be dead. I think it's interesting that Zuko was so sure that Aang was still alive. Yes, he knew about Katara's water, but there's no knowing for sure that the water was good enough to defy death. Yet he acts sure of it. Almost as if a part of him needs Aang to still be alive which leads to the desperate need to rid himself of that continued attatchment.

So, Combustion Man. The thematic embodiment of Zuko's connection to Aang. And I just think The Beach episode is interesting because we see Combustion Man attack the gaang, we see Aang nearly get severely hurt again and again, and then the very next scene is the iconic burst from Zuko "I'm angry at myself!"

Idk, I'm definately reading too much into it, but it's just interesting to me that we have those scenes connected. Aang being hunted by Combustion Man, who, again, is Zuko's will, and Zuko questioning his right and wrong and being angry at himself.

Despite having everything he wanted, Zuko can't let go of Aang, and he tried sending someone to kill Aang (who may not even be alive as far as Zuko should know), to sever that connection, and then gets mad at himself right as Combustion Man finally gets to Aang and nearly succeeds in what Zuko asked him to do.

And then there's also something to be said about Zuko joining the gaang coinciding with the defeat of Combustion Man and how this connects to Combustion Man being the manifestation of Zuko's obsession with Aang and the symbolism of that form of his obsession being killed and directly opening the door for him to join Aang and, as we see in the Firebending Masters, having his purpose (obsession) go from hunting Aang to helping him. Yada yada. I need a nap.

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aang loves everyone he comes across call him a carebender

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I will defend pretty much anyone or anything in the atla universe. Whether that's plot holes, character flaws, or inconsistencies, you can trust me to be the one with an explanation and defense. Except for one thing.

The fucking Guru. I hate that guy. I hate that guy with every flickering cell in my body. The depth of my disdain for that stupid fucking hack is unprecedented. I don't even have the words to properly drscribe what an absolute crime it is that he breathes air. Get the fuck out of the air temples bitch, you don't belong there. Not when you're going to look the last remaining air nomad in the eye who is, by the way, TWELVE, and tell him to just dismiss all the trauma and shit and then tell him he can't have earthly attatchments because he's the Avatar even though being the Avatar literally prevents air nomad avatars from achieving enlightenment BECAUSE they have to have earthly attatchments and also NO OTHER AVATAR HAD TO DO THIS and also you DON'T EXPLAIN TO THE GODAMN TWELVE YEAR OLD WHAT LETTING GO OF AN ATTACHMENT EVEN MEANS YOU JUST IMPLY HE CAN'T HAVE PEOPLE HE LOVES IN HIS LIFE LIKE FUCK RIGHT THE FUCK OFF BITCH, HE. IS. TWELVE. STOP GIVING HIM 'HOW TO GIVE YOURSELF A MENTAL ILLNESS TEN YEARS DOWN THE ROAD' STARTER PACKS JUST BECAUSE YOU THINK IT'D BE MORE CONVENIENT FOR HIM TO MASTER THE AVATAR STATE EARLIER THAN HE SHOULD. THE GURU IS JUST AS BAD AS GENERAL FONG AND MORE.

YOU SENT THE CHILD TO HIS DEATH GURU PATHIK, ARE YOU HAPPY NOW? DID IT PAY OFF? TRYING TO CHEAT THE PROPER LEARNING CYCLE OF THE AVATAR? THE THING THAT HAS FAILED AND HAD CONSEQUENCES AGAIN AND AGAIN? WERE YOU PROUD LEARNING THE TWELVE YEAR OLD AVATAR WAS STRUCK DOWN DURING HIS FIRST ILL ADVISED ATTEMPT AT ENTERING THE AVATAR STATE AT WILL? I HOPE THE GURU DIED WITH SHAME IN HIS HEART. I HOPE HE NEVER LEARNED AANG ACTUALLY LIVED. I HOPE HE UNDERSTOOD HIS VILE CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE WORLD AND TOOK THAT GUILT TO THE GRAVE.

anyway, atla is a good show, and some of yall criticize small things way too harshly

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I'd like to apologize for the recent, uh, meta spam. I am having CONSTANT thoughts. And also very anxious due to life rn. So, like Aang, I cope in the totally healthy form of thinking about Literally Anything Else kabdmsnd and that else is the fact that Zuko and Aang should kiss.

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Aang during the Ember Island Players. This is an Aang character analysis, not a kataang meta. Kataang will obviously be talked about as it's an important part of the episode, but I want to make it clear, this is about Aang, not kataang.

Anyway, one thing I've never really seen mentioned is Aang's fear of the upcoming battle with Ozai. We see it before the invasion, a fear so pervasive he literally can't sleep due to crippling nightmares, but by the end of the Nightmares and Daydreams episode, it is resolved and he gets sleep. He wakes up feeling much better and ready for the invasion, and it seems like he's gotten over his fear.

Except, he hasn't. He's just returned to his usual state of 'pretend like everything is okay and everything will be okay'. We know this because we see a small crack in it the day of the invasion. During his kiss with Katara.

I don't know why nobody points out the fact that a child said "what if I don't come back?" Aang has died before. He is starkly aware of his mortality, of the very real possibility that, if he fails like he did in Ba Sing Se, that's it. Aang, though he doesn't mention it outside of this one moment, is genuinely thinking about and worried over the idea that he could die in just a couple hours.

Katara then tries to comfort him, as she does. "Aang, don't say that. Of course you'll-" but, as often happens, this doesn't work on Aang. No amount of someone telling him to feel differently is going to stop his fears. He doesn't even let her finish. Like he knows her words, though well intended, don't actually reflect reality.

Instead, he kisses her. This is his response to his fear. I think multiple things go into this, but part of it probably has to do with his avoidant tendancy toward difficult emotions. He distracts himself with other things, and I honestly think there's a pattern of him using his crush on Katara as a point of distraction. After all, his crush on Katara is one of the few good things he has in his life, the others being his relationships with his other friends, but those don't have the same effect as a crush.

Then we get to the Ember Island Players. We get to the infamous kiss scene. Katara here is totally right and understandable. There is a war going on, there is a very scary battle coming. She is being faced with reenactments of trauma. All of that stuff is going to feel far bigger than relationship issues. It's hard to sort through your feelings on a crush when you're trying not to be overwhelmed with traumatic memories, especially ones relating to the regular fear of losing said crush.

I think it says a lot that Aang left when he did. The direct reason is because he's upset about what the actor Katara said, but again, Aang is avoidant in nature. He takes emotions he can't handle and covers them with ones he can. You know what comes after the moment where he left?

The lightning strike. His failure. His death. One of the worst things to ever happen to him. Something that has literally left him with a permanent scar. He hyperfocuses on his insecurities with Katara, and conveniently leaves right before he has to witness the Fire Nation's version of his fall.

I think this also explains a lot about where Katara's head is at. She comes out later then Aang, which means she probably watched that scene and left shortly after. She's seeking Aang after being forced to watch the time she nearly lost him. So, of course her mind is on fear and war. Of course she's avoiding discussing their relationship when she was literally just exposed to a horrific reminder that losing Aang is still a very real possibility.

Their arguement, while played for drama, is very real and indicative of the way each of them is responding to fear. Aang asks for validation, seeks a distraction, wants to know if there's more to his world than just the pressure he is under. Katara is afraid, confused, and just wants things to stay as they are, because the alternative is losing Aang.

Aang, when given a non-answer, given nothing to focus on (either happiness at a yes, or sadness at a no) goes for a kiss, just like before the invasion. Again, these kisses are more than someone with a crush, these are Aang facing down potential death and wanting to carry something with him.

And of course, everything else happens as we know it, Katara pulls away and storms off and Aang realizes what a mistake that was and beats himself up over it. He returns to the play, clearly with it still on his mind (and notably reminded of the time he kissed Katara at the invasion). So, he's stewing over that, successfully distracted.

Until the end of the play when he is forced to watch his worst fear happen, unable to walk away because he didn't know it was coming. Even before we see Ozai actually kill Aang, we are shown Aang's reaction just to the comet arriving. A look of fear so stark it's almost dissociative. We aren't even shown his reaction to Ozai's defeat of Aang (probably because that's a little too morbid for a kids show).

But that look is important. That look is the thing he was desperately avoiding the entire play. That look is the root of his desperation to get an answer from Katara, and his focus on their relationship. The reason he and Katara have that disconnect because they are both facing the fear of Aang's death, and Katara can't focus on something that feels trivial on comparison, while Aang is focusing on it because it is trivial in comparison.

It's a really dark episode when considered what it says as an Aang episode, not a kataang episode.