*Azula and Ty Lee consistently making out over time*

Ty Lee: You know best friends don't make out right

Azula:

queer atla headcanons

aka me, a bisexual nonbinary mass of flesh, testing my gaydar

Aang: pansexual, goes by he/they, assumes everyone is pan unless given an indication otherwise, audibly gasped when Tenzin came out as straight, constantly argues with Katara over which flag (bi or pan) is prettier

Katara: bisexual and demisexual, she/her, came out to Aang while they were engaged by saying "Aang... I like boys and girls" and to this day has not gotten over the fact that he responded, "yeah ofc, doesn't everyone?", only identifies as bi because she doesn't like the pan flag's yellow

Sokka: bisexual, Zuko was his bi awakening, deals with some internalized biphobia poor bby but works through it eventually, bonded a lot with Katara over their sexuality crises

Suki: they/she but still considers themself cis, aggressively bisexual and poly-questioning, takes offense to being called an ally, she and Sokka facepainted each other's cheeks with the bi flag for their first pride parade and it is still one of their most cherished memories <3

Toph: goes by she/they mainly, doesn't care a ton about labels but identifies as ace and pan, knows every gay bar in the United Republic and drags Sokka to them often (Suki highly encourages this), uses neopronouns when they feel like it

Zuko: bisexual, so so so much internalized homophobia from the Fire Nation but he also works through it, comes out to Mai first after a few months of internal and her response is just "cool," had a gender crisis for a while there but is 99% sure he is cis... probably

Mai: queer but doesn't want to put a specific label on it, Ty Lee sees auras but Mai sees Gay^TM and is as a result never surprised when ppl come out, holes herself up in the palace every pride month (bc Zuko did declare it to be a thing after the war) bc of all the colors

Azula: thought she was bi at first but realizes she was a lesbian in denial when she gets the healing arc she deserved, calls everyone into the royal meeting room to say, "I am a lesbian" and the resounding response is "Yes aren't you and Ty Lee dating???", also takes offense to be calling an ally after she accepts her sexuality, spirits help you if you make a bigoted comment in her presence bc she is the embodiment of queer wrath

Ty Lee: lesbian, goes by she/her but is fine with any pronouns, claims to have a gaydar through auras but everyone knows that Mai helps her out, helps Azula come to terms with her sexuality and they are the most adorable gfs after Azula's healing arc,talks to Bosco abt her girl problems (and he is always very understanding)

feel free to disagree or agree with me but these are just my personal opinions and takes on each of the characters!

1 22 and 24 for ryan and atty <3

Eeee yay I'm glad I'm getting more of these! Ty for asking :)

What do they think of each other's family? And how does the family feel?

Ryan is definitely a little intimidated by Atticus's family. I mean they're The Winthorpe Lineage, one of the most revered and known families in the vampire community. His mom and dad are much more traditional/conservative than Atticus, and it makes Ryan uncomfortable when they mention their thralls/familiars or talk about mortals like food. But he does think Atticus's mom is charismatic and intelligent and charming in a lot of the ways Atticus is - the two of them get along. Atticus's dad is a little standoffish but so is Ryan so he doesn't take it personally. Atticus's parents (even dad) really love Ryan. They know that he's not a born vampire and that Atticus turned him, but they've come to accept that and are impressed with the work Ryan's done to master his new powers. Imperia (mom) especially has a soft spot for him. She thinks he's adorable. Like "I could just eat him up!" (figuratively. unless...) Atticus's sister HATES Ryan though, on principle. He's a turned and doesn't deserve the Winthorpe name. He still smells mortal. Ryan is mostly just creeped out and kinda afraid of her lmao Ryan is pretty estranged from his parents and doesn't have a lot of contact with them. They know about Atticus but haven't met him and definitely don't know he's a vampire . Atticus is curious about them and a part of him wants to meet them, but he won't push Ryan about it. He knows it's a sore spot for Ryan, and doesn't take it personally.

22. What's different about their backgrounds? Do those differences affect the relationship?

A LOT. Atticus: white, filthy rich socialite vampire family who are extremely loyal to the Lineage. Atticus was pitted against his sister so they would be competitive and work harder to become more powerful. It worked but gave them an Azula and Zuko type relationship lmao. Ryan: POC working class mortal family with pretty hands off parents who blatantly liked his brother more than they liked him. His brother is his absolute best friend in the world.

It affects a lot of their values. How they feel about work (Atticus: working is pointless; don't do anything unless you love it. vs Ryan: working hard is a necessary evil to survive under capitalism and I take pride in what I've accomplished through working hard at it and being dedicated to that), money (Atticus: literally does not know how much money he has because of infinite generations of generational wealth. vs Ryan: weird about letting Atticus support him financially, much more frugal) and even their aesthetics (Atticus: MAXIMALIST. Loves STUFF and THINGS and ITEMS vs Ryan: Minimalist. Only wants what he needs) Class and race and upbringing are huge. I think there are just some things that Atticus will not be able to understand because of that, but he does try his best.

24. How did they fall for eachother?

If you want the full story 👀

A "brief" summary: They were both contestants on The Bachelorette, and well...they lost the plot. It started off a simple arrangement--Atticus needed a source of fresh blood because blood bags weren't cutting it, and Ryan had a type of blood cancer that essentially gives you too much blood lmao. Kind of a no brainer that they'd meet up to help each other out. The more time they spent together, the more the tension built. There's something inherently intimate about feeding on someone. They also got to know each other on a deeper level. They'd found a blindspot from the cameras and so they could talk at length about whatever they wanted without it being recorded. Atticus was immediately smitten with Ryan. He found him dark and fascinating and easily saw through his prickly exterior to the loving, soft, broken man that was underneath. Ryan saw that Atticus saw him. They were able to bond. But Ryan's internalized homophobia and jealousy about Atticus getting on so well with Aja soured things before anyone could say how they felt. Atticus chose to leave the show, thinking Ryan wanted to be with Aja and not him. But then he came back for Ryan, confessed how he felt, and they both realized what a stupid misunderstanding the whole thing had been. It was a dumb, twisty love story that could've been a lot easier if one of them was just like "hey I think you're cute" but that's not how either of these idiots do things.

If you’re reading this send me some numbers from this prompt 💕

a lil guide to the Fire Nation for the ATLA fic writers out there

(aka. a no means exhaustive primer on east asia by an asian person)

This is a guide for fic writers want to write a canon-era story set in the Fire Nation, or featuring Fire Nation characters. A quick little primer on the tiny details of everyday life that you might not think about, but certainly stuff that would make me, an asian person, wince if I were to encounter it. BRUSHES, not quills. CHOPSTICKS, not forks. 

(note #1: this was partly inspired by a chat with @elilim​) 

(note: #2:  I originally intended it for zukka fic writers before realizing that other writers might find it useful. so apologies for a slight Zuko-bias for that reason)

(note #3: this is all stuff i was thinking about when writing firebender’s guide, in case anyone was wondering)

1. CLOTHING

Okay, I think the most straightforward way to describe what everyone’s wearing most of the time is “tunic”. They’re all just...tunics of different colours and varieties. Later when Zuko’s the Fire Lord he wears robes. The show provides a better visual guide than I could, here are a few notes to keep in mind:

a) Japanese people wear their collars LEFT crossed over RIGHT

I don’t think this would come up in writing as much as it would in art, but it’s considered bad luck to do it the wrong way because that’s only for dead people. Let my boy Zuko demonstrate:

b) There are no buttons

This is picky, but Wikipedia says “Functional buttons with buttonholes for fastening or closing clothes appeared first in Germany in the 13th century.[6] They soon became widespread with the rise of snug-fitting garments in 13th- and 14th-century Europe.” I kinda believe it. If you look closely, characters’ clothes are always tied together or wrapped in some way with a belt. If there are fasteners, they’re braided frog closures that go into a little loop, like the qipao-style dresses women wear in Ba Sing Se, or Zuko’s casual prince’s clothes in the topmost image. Anyways, I don’t think Zuko or Azula or the Gaang would technically button or unbutton anything when they’re changing clothes. Clothing is designed to be tied, not buttoned.

[so much more under cut]

c) This isn’t a real rule, but there’s something called koromogae, or the seasonal changing of clothing in Japan.

This is something I learned when I was writing firebender’s guide, and I just liked the fun detail about there being a strict calendar for when to wear something. I liked the idea of someone like Zuko, who actually spent most of his formative years outside of the Fire Nation, coming home and just suffering mutely through the summer heat because upper class etiquette says no changing into cooler clothes until August 15. 

From My Asakusa: 

And this website:

Generally, people change from thick, heavy, dark-coloured clothes for winter to thin, lighter, bright-coloured clothes for spring and summer. In traditional Japanese culture, particularly in formal settings such as tea ceremony, it is important to acknowledge the changes of seasons—in such circumstances, not only the patterns and colours of the kimono that are worn but also the utensils and furniture that are used are required to change. By changing their clothing, people notice and appreciate the change of seasons. [Japan Foundation]

Here are some visual guides from the official creators for clothes: (notice how it’s pretty much always left over right)

2.FOOD AND EATING

a) Traditional cuisine

It seems like the most common foods in canon are Fire Flakes and meat, to the point where poor Aang had to eat lettuce out of the garbage at some point.

HOWEVER, the Fire Nation seems to basically a big subtropical archipelago, so I would guess that seafood and rice are common. If you want to write about characters eating, a. quick google for “traditional japanese cuisine” would help you come up with a menu really quickly.

Wikipedia says:

The traditional cuisine of Japan, washoku (和食), lit. "Japanese eating" (or kappō (ja:割烹)), is based on rice with miso soup and other dishes; there is an emphasis on seasonal ingredients. Side dishes often consist of fish, pickled vegetables, and vegetables cooked in broth. Seafood is common, often grilled, but also served raw as sashimi or in sushi.

But before we get too serious, at one point the Gaang eats a “smoked sea slug” (Sokka’s Master) 

Oh ATLA, never stop being you.

b) Utensils

One thing to keep in mind is chopstick etiquette. Someone like Zuko or Toph, for instance, would have completely internalized all of these.

Another thing is that there are no glasses. Cups and bowls are made of ceramic or clay. Let the Gaang show you:

And another note: characters won’t eat “bread” in the European sense, ie. a baked lump of dough. Steamed buns, yes. Fried pancakes made from batter, yes. Flatbreads, okay I’ll give it a pass. Rice or noodles should be the most common carbs of choice.

3.ETIQUETTE

“In the homeland, we bow to our elders” - angry schoolmistress in The Headband.

Japan Guide has a list of etiquette rules for visiting Japan, which is interesting but not too necessary to read. In general, based on what The Headband tells us, Fire Nation characters would have been raised with a strong nationalist curriculum that values communal contribution over individualist expression. Even someone like Zuko, who openly rebels against that, probably couldn’t help but be affected by it. In general the Fire Nation seems to have an East Asian-ish set of values. It’s patriarchal, all the positions of authority are filled by men; there seems to be a strong emphasis on patriotism; there’s a sense of diffidence and respect towards one’s elders; and finally, there’s an emphasis on “knowing” one’s place in society and fitting into what’s expected of oneself.

I don’t really know how to describe it, but in China and Japan I sometimes feel like there’s rules for everything, and even people born and raised there acknowledge it could be stifling at times. You could go down a rabbit hole researching points of etiquette (for instance, rules on who has to sit where in group dinners...), but to me the most important thing is acknowledging that Fire Nation has a rigid system of etiquette, and also, they’re an imperialist power who’s pretty prejudiced against foreigners. Poor Aang/Kuzon gets called “mannerless colony slob” just for being slow on the bowing action (!!!)

(in firebender’s guide I had a lot of fun imagining the stupid microaggressions Ambassador Sokka has to face in the Fire Nation, so obviously I’m just biased)

4.WRITING AND DESKS

Characters would probably write on paper, with a calligraphy brush. Not quills or pens -- a brush. Technically, old Japanese and Chinese texts should be written top to bottom, right to left, but the show itself doesn’t do this, so I think you’re fine. 

One fun thing about traditional calligraphy is that you don’t use bottled ink. You have something called an ink stone, and then you grind your ink yourself by rubbing the ink stone in a special little dish with a bit of water. In my (very few) encounters with this stuff in the calligraphy lessons of my youth, the ink stones can be plain or have beautiful designs on the side. It looks something like this: 

ATLA is an East Asian-ish universe, so characters are likely to be kneeling at a table, not sitting. To demonstrate, here’s my boy Sokka doing his famous rainbow at Piandao’s:

and here’s the war chamber meeting when Zuko speaks out against a general’s plans to sacrifice some soldiers:

THERE ARE EXCEPTIONS: This is Zuko’s cute little setup when he’s writing his goodbye letter to Mai. In this case he’s writing in a chair and table. It’s possible that some furniture items, like a sitting desk and a bed in a bedframe (not a bedroll or futon) are special royal palace features. Normally in a private setting we see characters sitting on the ground or on a slightly elevated platform with a low table. Maybe Caldera is just different? Or rich people are just different: the Bei Fongs also have a sit-down dining table + chair setup.

(That little rectangular box is his ink dish!!)

5.A NOTE ON GENERAL CULTURE

It’s worth talking about a few general points of East Asian culture. I can’t claim to speak for ALL of Asia, and I don’t think I should. But I do think ATLA fic writers who want to set something in the Fire Nation should take a few moments to at least skim the wiki pages for filial piety and Nihonjinron (literally, "theories/discussions about the Japanese"). There’s a certain...vibe to...asianness... that I’m not sure I can explain without like, a doctorate degree in sociology. 

It’s a bit like gender, I guess. There’s no definitive checklist to what is a woman and what is a man, and we can argue that gender is performative, that it’s a construct, but at the end of the day gender is still (tragically) real in the sense that it still shapes people and affects how we walk and talk and dress and think. Nationality is the same. Obviously, the Fire Nation is a made up place in a made up show, but out of respect to the cultures that inspired it, I do think it’s worth familiarizing yourself with some of these cultures’ codes and values.

Also, ahem, if I can direct you to war crimes in the Japan’s colonial empire. Again, worth remembering that the Fire Nation was an imperalist colonizer too.

I might do a continuation of this post and talk through my more abstract takes about Fire Nation culture - Is Zuko an example of filial piety gone right or filial piety gone wrong? Why I think Zuko’s flashbacks are like, at least part teenage melodrama bullshit (the reason is son preference), how someone like Sokka might be treated once he’s openly Water Tribe in the Fire Nation (probably with racism...), specific aspects of asian homophobia and racism, etc. We’ll see.

This is not a definitive guide. Comments and critique welcome.

If you think there’s a factual mistake, PLEASE hop in my asks and let me know. I also think there’s a huge blind spot in ATLA for South and Southeast Asian representation, so I acknowledge that I can’t speak for all Asians, and there is no such thing as a “pan-asian” identity.

If there’s something else you’re curious about, I’m not a historian or anything, but I like research. Ask me and I’ll try to answer the best I can.

And oh, one last thing, this is how I do research when I wrote firebender’s guide, in case anyone’s interested in learning more (LINK)

I looooove your zukka rec lists! I recently became Avatar-obsessed, never got a chance to watch it as a kid and only just got through it all! I was wondering if you'd consider doing a specifically angst rec list? I love fluffy zukka everything, but sometimes you just gotta have your heart ripped out of your chest and put back in after being thoroughly blended.

thank you! i relate heavily to “recently became Avatar-obsessed” haha. as for the angst list, i sure can try! warning: all of these have happy endings because im a crybaby who can’t read unhappy endings. also, p much all of the fics in the completed section were featured on my other lists but this is specifically the ANGSTY ones >:^)

angsty zukka wips

first, most obviously, feels like we only go backwards by @oldpotatoe

-currently at 102k with 19/27 chapters posted; rated teen

-the amnesia fic. the amnesia fic. the amnesia fic. you know. i haven’t actually read it yet because, as previously mentioned, i’m a crybaby and am waiting for it to finish up but, from my understanding, this fic will murder you in a dark alleyway with no remorse. if u like zukka angst, you’ve probably already read this, but just in case!

An injury leaves Sokka with amnesia. His last memory is of the failed invasion, of leaving his father behind in enemy territory on the Day of Black Sun. Of hopelessness. Rage. // But then he wakes up, and the war is over. Suddenly, he must come to terms with the fact that years have passed, and that he's somehow the Southern Water Tribe Ambassador to the Fire Nation. He is also supposedly friends with banished-Prince-turned-Fire-Lord Zuko, of all people. Close friends.

Yeah, nah.

and i’ll do anything you say (if you say it with your hands) by @goldrushzukka

-currently 38k with 6/8 chapters posted; rated mature

-holy shit. holy SHIT. modern au based on the “my cat likes my fuckbuddy and i am falling in love” trope(?). maybe it’s just because of how the last chapter ended, but oh my god. this one made me cry. made me want to commit violence. when it’s not angsty as hell, it’s pretty funny, but holy shit. ao3 user nebulastucky please.

It’s supposed to be a one night stand. Pick up some guy at a bar, barely remember his name and never learn anything real about him, send him packing in the morning with a thanks for the ride and a cup of coffee to-go. That’s how it’s supposed to go. // But then it’s the best sex Sokka has ever had, and he thinks he’ll hate himself if he never gets to have it again.

Violet Blossoms and Celestial Objects by @hollypunkers

-currently 15k with 2/? posted. rated teen.

-this is the sequel to blue (an angsty, zukka rewrite of book 2-- go read it if u havent!)! !! this is a book 3 rewrite. only two chapters in and mrs hollypunkers is really abusing the miscommunication tag, as zukka writers seem to enjoy doing. im excited to see how the world and story develops with the changes to the story! you should be too!! its very good! obviously spoilers for blue lmao

Having sided with the Avatar in Ba Sing Se, Zuko not only must navigate his new relationship with Sokka but returning to the Fire Nation as a banished enemy. His own journey of self discovery and personal growth must now coexist alongside the personal struggles of every other member of the Gaang as together they blaze a treacherous path toward an unsure victory against Zuko's own father and nation.

breakable heaven by @fruitysokka

-currently 71k with 9/11 chapters posted. rated teen

-swt ambassador zuko! soon to be chief sokka! fake dating ur best friend to get out of an arranged marriage! what could go wrong!!! i also haven’t read this one ((see: i’m a crybaby who is being hurt by too many zukka wips already)), but it has been hanging out in my marked for later for months. from what i understand, this fic has: angst.

With his twenty-first birthday looming just around the corner, the Southern Water Tribe Elders have decided that Sokka, next in line to be Chief, needs to get married. Sokka does not want that, but he does need to get them off his back until he can figure his way out of it. What better way to do that than to pretend to date his best friend (and newly minted Ambassador to the Southern Water Tribe) Zuko? // Seriously, this is a foolproof plan. Maybe one of Sokka's best. Absolutely nothing can go wrong.

angsty zukka fics (completed!)

(i’ll put these in wc order)

lighthouse beam by @incorrectzukka

-7k, rated g

-a modern college au!! zuko’s inner-monologue is very angsty in this fic. typical zuko. also per usual, theyre both fucking dorks. they sort themselves out in the end, but not before The Angst. zuko is semi-deaf in this fic and also he has a bit of internalized homophobia.

Sokka’s breathtakingly beautiful and he’s smart and makes other people laugh. Zuko has a half-burnt face and a deaf ear. It’s not rocket science. // Or, Zuko falls in love with the boy in his Philosophy class.

This Isn’t My Idea of Fun by @khaleeseas

-9k, explicit

-moon spirit/nwt prince!sokka, no war to be found here! admittedly this isnt THAT angsty but like. the angst IS present. zuko is still the prince. a lovely childhood friends (though they hated each other for a minute haha) to lovers story. 

If you asked Zuko, he and Azula saw far too much of Chief Hakoda of the Northern Water Tribe’s children growing up. It wasn’t until they were older, and Azula pointed out that - duh - their families were trying to set them all up, that he realized why. // He was told by his mother to be polite. These people were their friends and allies, and though their nations were as different as they came, harmony between nations was the most important thing. // It wasn’t his fault the Chief’s children were so annoying.

put your lips close to mine (as long as they don’t touch) by @celestialceci

-9k, teen

-modern au! zuko and sokka are college roommates. zuko goes to spend the summer with sokka. again,, not really that angsty but-- its there!! the detail and feeling of Home in this story make me happy. zuko is insecure as hell here too. if ur into that. 

Zuko hates his home. He likes college alright, but he likes Sokka even better, his assigned roommate turned best friend. Spending the summer with Sokka will be fun, a welcome change of pace he desperately wants. It probably won't awaken anything in him... right?

the thing about dancing by anodymalion

-9k, teen

-yes. this one right here officer. it makes my heart ache. also trans sokka! which is cool. but the zuko angst in this one. hurts me. not so much relationship angst as it is zuko learning he deserves happiness angst. i’m sure u know The Type.

The first time a attendant spills Zuko’s tea and doesn’t immediately fall to her knees, begging the Fire Lord’s forgiveness, it is not anger but a resounding warmth that fills his chest.

i could (never) give you peace by @zukkababey

-10k, mature

-OUCH. OUCH OUCH OUCH. boys please learn to communicate im begging u. also zuko.. zuko, dude. as the tags of the fic say, hes “really going through it” in this one. YOUCH. post-canon.

Zuko almost said it. He almost said the words I think I’m in love with you, but he choked them back down at the last second. // Zuko would never be able to be what Sokka wanted. They might have needed each other during the summer, when two boys with too much weight on their shoulders found comfort in each other in the only way they knew how. // But now Zuko was Fire Lord, and Sokka was leaving.

this love burns so yellow (becoming orange and in its time, exploding) by @meliebee 

-18k, teen, major character death 

-i lied. THIS is the one, officer. found family.. good mai and zuko and toph friendships.. . ozai escapes prison and tries to overthrow zuko. OBVIOUSLY angst ensues. poor boy. he Does heal in this but it gets worse before it gets better. angst angst angst angst.

Ten months after Zuko is crowned at seventeen, he faces his first coup.

Anything for You by beersforqueers

-23k, explicit

-istg. this is probably one of my favorite zukka fics. its PAINFUL. modern au where theyre broken up but sokka hasnt told his family yet so zuko goes home with him for kataang wedding. a bit smutty, but the plot oh my god ohgm y fuvk. made me cry the first time i read it. (see: crybaby!me) insert that one picture of the horse with the caption PAIN. 

In which Sokka and Zuko have broken up but Sokka hasn't told his family yet. So when Katara and Aang's wedding weekend rolls around and he doesn't want to break Gran-Gran's heart, he asks Zuko to pretend to be his boyfriend for one last weekend. // Things don't go as planned.

Moving Mountains by @thefangirlingdead

-64k, mature

-so. when i read this the first time it was in one sitting. soulmate au set within canon era / the comics, to an extent. soulmates can hear each others thoughts. i will happily say this is slowburn, jesus christ. champagne without the cham. 

Soulmates are chosen by the spirits and can hear each other’s thoughts. Sokka thinks it’s cheesy and dumb. Zuko thinks it’s poetic justice that he doesn’t have one because he doesn’t deserve it. Cruel irony is finding out that the prince of the Fire Nation (and the person currently hunting you) is your soulmate.

In the Soft Light by @voidcenturyscholar and @romancedawning

-83k, teen, graphic depictions of violence

-moon spirit!sokka living in the northern water tribe. zuko is sent to the northern water tribe as a cultural liaison. iroh is the fire lord but while he is away taking care of lu ten after his injury ozai steps up. i cannot express how many emotions this fic made me feel. background yuetara. i would almost say found family?? but. anyway. plenty of angst to spare here with a healthy dose of enemies to friends to lovers.

As the newly appointed cultural liaison to Northern Water Tribe, Zuko is the first Fire Nation Citizen to step foot inside the city's walls in nearly a century. He's determined to prove himself—to the Fire Lord and to his father—even if the Water Tribe's spirit-touched prince seems to want nothing to do with him.

That Midnight Sky by @zukkababey

-103k, teen

-now now now. tms... modern college au where sokka agrees to tutor zuko in physics because zuko has to maintain straight a’s and physics is just not doing it for him. so. thats cool but THEN azula moves in, randomly, with zuko. to hide the fact that sokka is tutoring zuko, they fake date! what could go wrong!! the mutual pining in here combined with the angst... wonderful, tasty. everyone read it rn. also SLOWBURN 

In Zuko’s strict family, needing a tutor is just about the worst thing you could do. Failing a class, however, is even worse. The only rational solution? Take up Aang on his offer to find him a physics tutor and have Sokka—beautiful, smart, handsome Sokka—tutor him in secret. // When Azula’s arrival threatens to reveal Zuko’s secret, it’s up to Sokka to convince her this definitely isn’t what it looks like. See, he’s actually… Zuko’s… boyfriend? // Hmm. There’s no way this could get complicated, right?

No, no, tell us more about your thoughts on tyzula

alright,,,, i feel like this was a long time coming with how much i talk about my deep love for azula and her character arc so i'm gonna write a pretty lengthy analysis/discussion here about it all,,,,,,,, i'll put in it a read more so people don't have to scroll past a super long post if they aren't interested, so click below if you DO wanna read it

right SO, in order to understand the crux of why tyzula is so compelling and such a complex ship to understand, we have to understand azula as a character first

to preface, i should clarify that i'm not the kind of person who enjoys the "people are born evil" narrative because it's pessimistic, cheap, and in my opinion, not realistic. i think that characters can progress past the point of redemption, sure, but i don't think that any person is inherently meant to end up a monster

azula is a character who has never received unconditional love. the only reference to positivity in her childhood that we get is ozai's praise of her as the better firebender. this, however, is conditional love to the fullest; growing up knowing your value to your parent is intrinsically tied into what you can accomplish makes you highly defensive of losing your ability and disappointing, because then, what do you have? maybe this is the gifted kid in me speaking, but being identified as "special" at a young age is SO damaging in so many ways

azula only knows love in the form of praise for her abilities, not for her as a person. her mother certainly had no unconditional love for her in the way she did zuko, in azula's mind at least. azula herself says that her mother thought she was a monster; now, we can argue until the hippo cows come home whether or not ursa ACTUALLY thought this but it doesn't change the fact that this is how azula PERCEIVED it. she watched zuko receive love from their mother and their uncle while all she ever received was praise for what she could do, not who she was. she also received praise from her father and admonishment from her mother, so it's natural she would be inclined to follow her father's - horrible - advice rather than her mother's

anyways, now that we've established azula's lack of understanding of unconditional love, let's talk about ty lee. ty lee is the first one to give azula a taste of what love is. now, again, much of this is borne out of manipulation on azula's part BUT this is mainly because azula only knows how to receive approval through actions and not character. for ozai, she molds herself into what he'll approve of; for ty lee, she molds HER into something that won't be swayed by azula's flaws

nonetheless, we see some real azula peek through when she's with ty lee. during the ember island episode, we get a pretty sincere apology from azula to ty lee that feels VERY out of character for someone who never apologizes for anything. we see azula's dependence upon ty lee as, on the surface, something related to ty lee's abilities. however, it does seem strange that azula chose a non-bending circus girl as one of the members of her elite, inside squad (no i'm not arguing ty lee isn't strong or powerful, i think she's actually one of the most powerful characters in the show re: chi blocking, but azula probably wouldn't think this immediately)

INSTEAD, azula chooses ty lee because she TRUSTS her. trust is how love manifests when you aren't taught how to love in the first place. ozai, the only person azula thinks cares about her, puts his trust in azula to carry out his orders so she, in turn, does the same as an expression of care and love. because that's what she thinks love is! love to her is "i trust you to do this for me when i can't" and not "i trust you to do this for me because you WANT to"

because azula doesn't GET to want. she only gets to DO

so, now, let's get into the betrayal, turning, rebellion, whatever you want to call it, at boiling rock

IF azula only ever expresses real compassion for ty lee, and we've established that trust seems to be the way azula expresses this compassion most of the time, a betrayal would be the worst possible thing for her to face. she's already dealing with mai turning on her and choosing zuko, although i'd argue this was always in the back of her mind considering mai and zuko's relationship. what she ISN'T expecting, however, is ty lee. ty lee, who she trusted explicitly, turning on her and choosing the other side. because in azula's mind, she's not sure what she's done wrong! she's carried out orders perfectly, she's the strongest, she's the logical option at this point in terms of who will win the war

and still, ty lee turns on her

so now we have an azula who's lost the one person she cared about most (if we're going on the context clues of the show), and it breaks her. breakdown azula sends away all her advisors and protectors out of fear that they'll betray her because she's already been betrayed by the one person closest to her, so what's stopping all of them from doing the same?

her hallucination is important in understanding tyzula too; her mother talks about her use of fear to control people and azula replies with "trust is for fools, fear is the only reliable option." funny how hallucination ursa never mentions trust here and yet azula talks about it, huh? because trust is equal to love in her mind and she just lost any semblance of love she had left in her life the moment ty lee left her. i could write a whole other thing about the symbolic hair cutting here, but i'll save that for another time probably because this is already getting long and it'll turn into a whole discussion about hair in the avatar universe

ANYWAYS, this is all essentially why i love tyzula so much. we have a girl who doesn't understand and has never felt real, unconditional love losing a person who DID love her deeply but couldn't trust that her actions were good

we have azula, who was raised in a restrictive environment where her abilities were the only things keeping her from being physically abused (because she was regularly being emotionally abused if we're being honest), trying to grapple with understanding what GOOD even looks like

it's worth it to mention that azula was raised in a highly homophobic environment as well; it's not coincidental that bryke specifically confirm it is the fire nation who criminalized homosexuality. azula's internal homophobia, compounded with her inability to understand love, makes tyzula this tragic mish mash of almost, maybe, but also never

in any other world, tyzula happens a million times over; ty lee and azula are childhood friends who grow up, lose contact, come back together, and break free of their oppressive environment that neither of them are truly suited for (azula mentally and ty lee emotionally)

in the world we're given, however, this is everything they CAN'T be. and that's what makes them so fantastic

i love azula, i think about azula a lot, i RELATE to azula, my heart breaks for what she could have been if she weren't a product of her environment. but, more than anything, i'm just so heartbroken by azula getting SO close to understanding what love is but coming just short because the one way she expresses love, through trust, is the one thing she feels ty lee breaks

and isn't that the tragedy of it all?

And as far as Azula's specific journey

She invariably knows she *is* a lesbian (even if the Fire Nation due to not speaking Greek doesn't have the exact term) from when she's very young and sees girls the way other people see boys. And from not being able to fit in as neatly into the hyper-femme expectations for Fire Nation nobles and not even really trying. This creates a grim paradox where when her main influences as a kid are men in one way or another they don't really see anything too wrong with this in some ways as she reads to them with a more masc presentation in a way....and they're studiously pretending that she's just fitting in with the boys, nothing 'odd' here, no sir (mostly).

Where those influences are women with standard Fire Nation expectations it becomes much more jarring more swiftly and it works very poorly for everyone involved.

From that initial knowledge she has the first moment where it goes from something she tries to hide (because internalized misogyny and homophobia), to something she can't hide (whenever she meets Suki in any given AU is when the gay panic tends to hit like a sledgehammer) to something she learns to ultimately accept and finds her own peace with (and invariably ends up with a wife and doesn't care a damn what the world she grew up in thinks).

In any given story or AU she may be anywhere on this path, with the first AU's Azula entirely aware she's gay but she's a bit busy trying not to be squashed by cosmic horrors that are fighting their own war on her world, and fully intending to play the Professor Armitage to their Whateley Brothers. Even there there are more than a few allusions to it and when the postwar setting is reached she goes down a path that is less telescoped and more 'now that she can relax she can actually learn about herself as a person with far less fear about everything.'

Each version of the Fire Nation and the Royal Family has their own approaches and understandings of things, as well as the meaning or enforcing of the Sozin Laws (and ending the prohibition on this is one of the few forms that Ursa does *not* end up doing with the Sozin Laws and figuring out Azula might be gay is one of the big reasons why she doesn't and why things really start to snowball into an avalanche).

In all AUs outside the Royal Palace the Sozin Laws vary but the general attitude is 'those Caldera people are weird and good luck enforcing what I do in my bedroom fuck you very much'. Mostly. Some opportunists are there and some bigots feel empowered by the laws to make everyone else's life miserable, and even the people who are tolerant tend to have an easier time dealing with queer people who are less flamboyantly so....while in every AU she shows up in Hoelun is the Butch with the capital B and quite proud of it.

i get homophobic katara but why are toph and azula homophobic?

this is a good question because unlike the katara homophobia question, which we are confronted with so often we even made an entire page for it, this is something i actually don’t get the opportunity to talk about. and as much as we may jest about gay homophobes, this response is actually going to be a pretty serious examination of gender and power. 

unlike katara who deems any expression of gender non-conformity “wrong” and in need of fixing, including toph’s lack of femininity, toph and azula don’t have a problem with lack of femininity, only lack of masculinity. 

when toph first meets aang at earth rumble xi, aang manages to get the upper hand on her by using airbending to dodge her earthbending. toph turns to another weapon in her arsenal: demeaning her opponents by devaluing their strength. moments prior, she calls the boulder “the pebble.” she calls aang a little girl, and says “what’s your fighting name, the fancy dancer?” and continues to call him “twinkle toes” for the rest of the show (which sokka helpfully points out he shouldn’t respond to, because it’s “not manly”). toph knows that aang is more powerful than she is, so she uses his femininity as a weapon against him, against her own insecurity. 

during “the ember island players,” toph is delighted to see herself portrayed by the pinnacle of masculinity. she teases aang for being played by a woman, saying that he is “more in touch with his feminine side than most guys” with sheer glee. she was made well-aware of just how powerful aang is the first time they met and she could not defeat him, and she feels the need to undermine him by exploiting the traits society deems feminine, the traits that she so desperately wants to shed out of a desperate desire to be seen as strong and invulnerable due to her upbringing, especially regarding her disability. when toph feels threatened by someone else’s power, her immediate response is to emasculate them (or in katara’s case, mock their femininity), and that’s really, really sad. 

azula was raised under strict patriarchal values, and she was taught that any sign of femininity is a weakness. she witnessed firsthand the consequences of zuko’s sensitivity and gentle nature, and was led to believe that fear was more powerful than love because of it. she internalizes ozai’s rhetoric that zuko is pathetic, that their mother corrupted him, that iroh taking time to grieve his son was a sign of weakness rendering him unfit to rule. she undermines zuko’s masculinity (and thus, his power) by constantly calling him “zuzu” (similar to the way toph calls aang “twinkle toes”). she says shit like “oh, zuko, don’t be so dramatic,” which is a very loaded line for something said so flippantly. 

azula has always been rewarded for her proximity to masculinity, ie strength, and she knows that zuko has always been punished for his proximity to femininity, to the point where he has spent years trying to purge any of his “mother’s values” to the point where book 1 zuko is simply doing a poor man’s impression of ozai. azula knows that the easiest way to get zuko riled up, and assert her dominance, is to say things just subtle enough that imply that he’s too flamboyant, too sensitive, too “weak.” 

ty lee’s overwhelmingly feminine presentation is very clever in this regard, because she knows that people are less likely to consider her a threat. even azula, who is well-aware of how powerful ty lee is, does not bother to question ty lee’s loyalties, because she assumes her to be a sycophant drawn to power. of course, this is not the case, and you’d think azula of all people would know the importance of donning a disguise to get your way. 

toph and azula both antagonize people by undermining their masculinity. toph rolls her eyes at katara’s typically feminine traits, just as azula rolls her eyes at ty lee’s, but it is their relationships to aang and zuko respectively that indicates internalized homophobia to complement their internalized misogyny (obviously homophobia and misogyny both fall under the umbrella of patriarchy, and one cannot exist without the other). they emasculate them because they consider them a threat to their power. toph plain doesn’t like that there are people in this world (aang and katara) who can match her power, whereas with azula, it’s more like she’s terrified out of her mind of suffering zuko’s fate, of being the “weaker” sibling. so she does everything right, and cannot help but taunt zuko for it, throw in his face that even though he’s the boy, he’s less of a man, and they both know it. 

toph is right; aang is more in touch with his “feminine side” than most guys, because he was raised in a culture that wasn’t imperialistic and militaristic. he doesn’t value strength and stoicism, and even after waking up from the iceberg, his main role model is katara, who never shies away from her femininity, whether internally or externally. katara expresses her emotions and wears flower crowns and likes makeup and is gentle and nurturing and she’s proud of it. she loves fighting in the mud just as much as toph does (though she’s less likely to admit it) but she embraces her femininity in stride, and aang thinks katara is the coolest, so he never sees a problem with doing any of those things too. zuko grows to embrace his femininity, which he tried desperately to shed after being punished for it. upon realizing that he did not deserve his punishment, he comes to disdain the institution of patriarchy, and searches for his old self, the sensitive boy he was taught to loathe. 

the reason that both toph and azula feel the need to demean people in this way is because they’re scared. they’re both very powerful young girls who constantly must prove themselves against stronger (but far less capable) men, and they retaliate against these insecurities by lashing out at perceived threats to their power. toph is still mature and level-headed enough to welcome a bit of femininity, whether it be spa days with katara or her vulnerability with sokka, but azula doesn’t gain a support system like toph does. in fact, she loses any semblance of a support system she had because she was indoctrinated into a system that valued fear over love, and ultimately, this breaks her. 

Two lovers, forbidden from one another

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/3orol2U

by DarlingRei

At the ripe age of eight the people across all four nation receive a soulmark. Depending on the person it can range from a symbol, to an initial or even a name for those who are lucky. So when Zuko turns eight and it greeted by a name, he can't seem to understand why his father is so angry. However when Sokka has his eighth birthday, his entire village celebrates, he is one for the few members of the southern water tribe to have a symbol as his soulmark.

Years later the gaang is showing off their soulmarks around the fire. Then Sokka starts a fight with Zuko when he refuses to show his soulmark. Angst enues. Don't worry there is a happy ending

Words: 468, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: Avatar: The Last Airbender

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: M/M

Characters: Zuko (Avatar), Sokka (Avatar), Katara (Avatar), Aang (Avatar), Toph Beifong, Azula (Avatar), Ty Lee (Avatar), Mai (Avatar), Suki (Avatar), Ozai (Avatar), Ursa (Avatar), Hakoda (Avatar), Iroh (Avatar)

Relationships: Sokka/Zuko (Avatar), Aang/Katara (Avatar)

Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, I wrote this on Tumblr first, but then I deleted it cause it sucked, so hopefully it's better here, I just wanted to write something sweet, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck, Bisexual Disaster Sokka (Avatar), Angst with a Happy Ending, Misunderstandings, but not too much, cause a some point it just gets annoying, Homophobia, Internalized Homophobia, Bad Parent Ozai (Avatar), Ozai Being an Asshole (Avatar), Hakoda Adopts Zuko (Avatar)

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/3orol2U

I hear someone has asked for Azula/Mai fics? Allow me: Lissom Locum by melonbug, not focused on ships but Azula and Mai play a huge part, still ongoing. An Au where Toph is the Avatar, the fic has great political intrigue, as a treat and one of the only healthy-ish depictions of the ship. If your gonna read any of these fics, read this one!---! Azalea by Pippinpaddleopsicopolis (Barnable), one shot, modern au. Mai is a tattoo artist and Azula is an awkward lesbian, surprisingly wholesome.(1/6)

Blades Are Hidden In Beautiful Smiles by kynikos. One chapter, Azula/Mai is again, not entirely the focus. Au where Azula is the Firelord, the fic deals with mostly politics and Azula being Big Brain TM. !---! my heart in your flaming hands by izukillme. One-shot, angsty, one-sided love from Mai POV and gives her betrayal in Boiling Rock some more depth. (2/6) 

What are you fucking gay? by CommunistUshanka is probably the most fluff you will find for this pair. Internalized homophobia as they share a bed, cute? And i could rec more then you go into stuff some dont like, some fics are, like you said, ecky bout their relationship, and others a bit more explicit. (3/6)

But in case anyone is interested. Silkinsilence has a LIBARY of Azula/Mai content that are all excellent but most of it is very mature and explicit, and their relationship isn’t the healthiest in those stories. (im warning you, they can be very hard to read!). On the flip side Awkward Confessions by RockPaperTheodore (childishPoultrylord) is MUCH more softer Azula/Mai smut story, if the name isnt any indication lol. (4/6) 

Oh whoop i was gonna send links, didnt know u couldn't do that, nvm then last ask was 4/4 not 4/6 my bad 

And here comes an Anon with a delivery, like it’s a holiday giving season or something.

A depressing amount of the fic I find I won’t even touch because there’s a lot of unhealthy skeeviness. Also irritating character assassination, usually for Azula. If people have thoughts on any of these, feel free to comment; I certainly haven’t read all of them so can make no fair calls.

Issues with the Tyzula ship that Tyzula shippers/fics typically avoid

Stereotypical Tyzula Ty Lee: “Azula-san, I completely forgive you for everything you ever did to me or my best friend and have always loved you unconditionally. I will help you become better if it means risking the quality of my life, my other relationships, my sanity, and even my life. I will magically be able to help you deal with your myriad of mental issues as if you always only needed love/affection instead of real medical help. I will always love you even if you don’t really change your behavior or worse, remain the same power hungry bitch you grew up to be. I love you ‘Zula.”

Look, I am not opposed to Tyzula for I actually think that they had a real friendship, even if there was a massive power imbalance, that got fucked up by Ozai’s abusive teachings and Azula trying to act as her sovereign and friend at the same time. But there is a tendency among Tyzula shippers/fics to make Ty Lee forgive Azula way too easily, make Azula not deal with her flaws or make (proper) amends to Ty Lee and Mai, retcon Azula into a soft baby who didn’t do anything wrong other than get abused, and/or gloss over the issues between the two.

For example, If Tyzula occurred pre-Boiling Rock like some fics imply, do you think it would have been consensual? Especially considering that there has been a massive power imbalance (Azula is Ty Lee’s Sovereign) since their childhood that Azula took advantage of even then; Azula forced Ty Lee to join her squad at firepoint; and Ty Lee is deathly scared of Azula? And if it happened post-Boiling Rock there is a massive power imbalance in favor of Ty Lee since the moment Azula “acts up” (it doesn’t have to be a big thing since Ty Lee is scarred shitless of Azula) Ty Lee can either call Zuko to jail her and/or have Aang de-bend her. There are some Tyzula fics that properly deal with, imo, the pre- and post-Boiling Rock power imbalances but most of them just gloss over them.  Not helping is the fact that comics imply that the two never had a real relationship at all and that Ty Lee is still deathly afraid of Azula, willing to chi-block Azula the moment she is anything other than docile. 

Also, how come most Tyzula shippers/fics don’t touch about LOK’s Turf Wars said about Sozin outlawing homosexuality and the implications it has for a lesbian/bisexual Azula? If Azula, who tries to be the model princess in a post-Sozin Fire Nation, can’t even realize that using fear is not a good way to maintain relationships, how would she deal with the fact that she has feelings for girls? Most of the Tyzula fics or headcanons I have read don’t seriously deal with the fact that either Azula is deep in the closet and/or suffering from serious internalized homophobia and would not likely express her sexual preferences in public unless she was in an extraordinary situation or got serious therapy plus years of self-reflection/character growth. Not to mention the fact she would be one of the leading perpetrators of homophobia by virtue of being Ozai’s right hand general/advisor.

So, do I have a valid point about how Tyzula shippers and fics often engage in abuse and/or toxic friendship/relationship apologism? Or I am just being too harsh on a group of shippers that have been vocally condemned by the greater ATLA community and most likely will never see their ship be canonized? And yes, some of my own fanfic works do contain Tyzula so feel free to call me out if I am being a hypocrite and holding people to standards that I can’t uphold.

-----------

This was a very interesting submission, Anon, and I don't think you're "in the wrong" here, even if I don't necessarily agree with you. At least you're polite, so I won't swear at you xD I'll sum up your points for clarity's sake

"Tyzula shippers make Ty Lee dumber and ready to do anything for Azula. They write stories without depth and without adressing the imbalances in their relationship"

Here's my personnal opinion on that: this kind of drama/angst is hard to write, and I don't want to waste my time for 10 chapters while they're angstying over whether or not to love each other. Mental health issues are hard to write too, and I want azula to be happy, so I can just make them dissapear. I completely acknowledge it isn't the most realistic kind of writing, but I don't care, I just want to have fun. I wouldn't pretend it's canon either.

Now, some Azula fans are just biased towards her, and like to pretend her canon character did nothing wrong and is purely a victim and is owed Ty Lee's love. I'm not gonna shit on them, in the grand scheme of things it's quite inconsequencial, but I don't think that's accurate.

"Tyzula shippers make it happen even if Azula is still a "villain" and hasn't redeemed herself for her sins"

I can link this to my first point a little, and erase all moral complexity for the funzies while acknowledging it isn't canon. But there's also the fact in ATLA, Ty Lee has little to no redemption arc herself. She just betrays azula, and then the good guys accept her and mai with no problem? We could interpret that as "she was always supporting Aang's cause and hated azula secretly since forever" but I don't think that's very correct, because Ty Lee never shows any sign of it, never talks treason, never helps the good guys while azula isn't looking (unlike mai!). The only thing that could possibly make her betray Azula, in my point of view, is seeing her other best friend almost die to her hands. And even then, it isn't a moral choice. I firmly believe Ty Lee was just as indoctrinated in the Fire Nation's ways as everyone else there. And that she actually supported her nation and obeyed Azula as her commander not only because they were friends, not only because she had to, but because she was loyal to her nation. And the only reason I can see her go to the good guys' side at the end of atla was simply because of self preservation with a side of unbrainwashing from FN propaganda

So, in conclusion, I don't think Ty Lee is a completely good character, and I don't think she has a problem with Azula's crimes.

"There is a power imbalance"

I'm not going to deny that. But who told you all relationships with a power imbalance are inherently bad? They're more likely to be toxic, but they won't always be. If the person with the upper hand is respectuous and nice, everything works out perfectly. It's more of an advice towards people who don't have the upper hand in their unbalanced relationship, and who could get taken advantage of. But Ty Lee is smarter than she looks, and I believe she would know to stay away from that.

Pre-boilling rock, there is indeed problems with them getting together, but they're not due to one of them being toxic. Azula is Ty Lee's princess, and it isn't her fault. She was literally raised to lead. And Ty Lee was raised to follow. We see that despite that, Azula still considers Ty Lee as her friend and gets her in her team in a nice way. But it isn't her fault she was raised in the middle of a war and sees the will of the fire nation as more important than anything.

Additionally, I don't think Ty Lee hated Azula, for the reasons I mentionned before.

Post-boilling rock, I just don't think Ty Lee would be scared, or cruel enough, to jail or unbend Azula for no reason. Because, again, I don't think she hates her.

"The fire nation is homophobic"

As is usual with me, I loathe the comics and don't consider this as canon. It doesn't even make sense, apart from saying "fire nation's evil, they're homophobic now too" to be honest, if anyone's gonna be homophobic it's gonna be everyone, cause there was no gay representation in atla.

Oh, and f*ck this, I hate homophobia, I don't want my fictionnal worlds to have it too. It's dumb as shit and everyone is gay in the Fire Nation. There.

"So, do I have a valid point about how Tyzula shippers and fics often engage in abuse and/or toxic friendship/relationship apologism? Or I am just being too harsh on a group of shippers that have been vocally condemned by the greater ATLA community and most likely will never see their ship be canonized?"

You do have a valid point that some tyzula shippers have the same problem as some azula stans, as in that they put her on a pedestral and say she did nothing wrong. But some also just don't want to bother with that and just want to write fluff, and that's fine. There are way worse things they could be doing.

It is true that Tyzula is kind of a controversial ship, and for this reason I don't think you should care too much about it. Bullying people never help anyone, and criticising tyzula shippers will only push them back in their fandom spaces and make them unable to tell apart genuine, objective criticism and mean bullying.

I don't want Tyzula to be canon, btw. Well. For me canon kinda stopped at the end of atla, so everything is possible after this point lol. Not that I even care much about canon.

You are not an hypocrite for liking tyzula and criticizing it. You can call out the behavior of people in your own community, it's perfectly fine and should be encouraged. I'd pay more attention to your opinion too, because I know you don't just dislike the ship and want to find any reason for it to be "problematic"

I'm gonna put that submission in the Tyzula tag, if anyone in there feels offended by that do let me know. I don't intend to shit on this ship at all. Also, if anyone wants to add points or give me perspectives I didn't think about go ahead!

modern hc for every possible atla ship

Alright, I said I’d do it and now I’m doing it. We will not be arguing over ships because it’s impossible to argue if I include..... all of them. I’ll include some nice ship things and then rate the likeliness of the ship happening in my au.

Kataang: my babies. soulmates. they would be that adorable couple that has been together since the eighth grade. they work well together because they’re both kind hearted and care about each other deeply. they hold hands in hallways, call each other pet names (the infamous “sweetie” that makes sokka want to die), and always try to give each other little surprises to brighten each other’s day. they’re very into valentines day. would it happen? yes. 100/10. 

Sukka: my babies part 2. sokka comes to every football game to cheer her on during halftime. he also goes to every winter guard competition. Suki goes with him when he does his graffiti. she insists it’s to be a lookout in case the cops find them, but she just loves watching him make his art. they don’t go out much, and are just as happy watching anime in suki’s room as they would be on a date. would it happen? YES. 10/10.

Zukka: the hottest ship of the ATLA renaissance. probably the best ship of all time. they just have this perfect dynamic. sokka is a genius with terrible ideas and no impulse control. zuko is just a guy with anxiety. sokka would definitely help zuko come out of his shell a little bit. and iroh loves his nephew’s boyfriend. sokka helps out for free in the jasmine dragon if zuko is working. would it happen? maybe. i do love them a lot. 8/10.

Zutara: okay. everyone has an opinion on zutara. my opinion is that i don’t like it unimportant. they stay up late on facetimes and talk until like 3 am. they play a lot of games and katara is super competitive, so zuko lets her win a lot. she’s cute when she’s convinced she’s the king of gamepigeon 8 ball. would it happen? unlikely. 4/10.

Taang: i don’t hear about this ship a ton. it’s not one i ever thought about. they’re both super protective, even though neither of them really need to be protected. aang is definitely more affectionate than toph, but toph can and will beat the shit out of anyone that hurts aang. would it happen? they’re the only two freshmen, so maybe, but still unlikely. 5/10.

Tokka: i’ve always thought toph’s little crush on sokka was adorable. they would skip school, go break the law for fun, that kind of nonsense. this is one of those rare instances where sokka has the most common sense. they would be more of a “what’s up you ugly idiot” kind of couple than a “hey baby! :)” kind of couple. would it happen? I could see them getting along. it would be pretty chaotic. 6.5/10.

Mai Lee: MY GIRLS. they’re perfect for each other. Mai is peak alt girl. She’s a goth queen, eyeliner sharp enough to kill a man, chains, little shirt big pants, and a nose piercing. ty lee is the exact definition of cottagecore. strawberry dresses, lots of blush, makes her own earrings. ty lee even gave mai a pair of earrings she made to look like knives. they walk down the street holding hands. if anyone throws them a weird look, mai throws a knife right back. would it happen? HELL YES. 1,000/10.

Tyzula: here’s the thing. azula never did get that sweet sweet redemption arc, so in my au she’s still a bit of an asshole. if they got together, i can see azula really trying to improve herself as a person for ty lee. i see ty lee really trying to sell the idea of including azula to the rest of the friend group. i’m really into the idea of instead of ty lee “fixing” her, having azula work on herself with ty lee as some extra motivation. would it happen? if azula put in effort to be a better person, sure. 7/10.

Maitara: what, did you think i was going to forget maitara? i did say every ship. katara vibes with the softgirl aesthetic while mai is on the egirl side, and honestly i am living for it. would it happen? this one is definitely a rare ship. but i think it could work. 5/10.

Maiko: ah yes, the canon one. zuko’s not quite as edgy as mai is. he’s like, if you diluted the eboy aesthetic a little. but i think it would maybe work between my two emo babies. they’re a couple that you never really see engaging in any pda so you just assume they’re friends until someone tells you otherwise. they’re very cute together, but dare i say kind of boring...? would it happen? goth x goth solidarity is cool, so maybe. 6/10.

Azutara: dude, there’s not a lot to say for this one. it’s been a little while since i’ve even seen an azutara shipper. are they extinct? (azutara babes pls tell me if ur not extinct). yeah so if this happened i think it would be because azula put in the work to be a good person and was welcomed back into the group. once she was in the group, katara would have gotten to know her real personality and liked her. but katara also holds her accountable for her actions. she puts up with no bullshit because she knows her worth. would it happen? i don’t think so. 2/10.

Sutara: this seems like chaos. these ladies would be the power couple of the century. i think with two women so strong and powerful, they’d butt heads a lot. they would be out in the world and actively changing it. would it happen? they’re both badass awesome women, but i’m not sure. 3/10.

Zukaang: uhh... i can’t say i ever thought about zukaang before now. but i guess you would have this bright ball of energy and a dark brooding type, so i can see how it could be cute. would it happen? um... no. i’m not sure if opposites attract that much. 0/10.

Tophko: another one that has literally never crossed my mind! i’m not sure how i feel about angry + angry as a dynamic. i think they would make great friends. okay, i think they would be a couple you mostly wouldn’t want to mess with. they can mess with each other, but no one else is allowed to mess with them. would it happen? no. i’m a slut for height differences, but not at the expense of a good personality match. 0/10.

Jetko: ah, the infamous jetko. the thing about jet in my au is that he’s kind of a sports boy. jock vibes. i guess i haven’t thought about his personality much except that he’s, well, a cocky sports guy. even if mans was bi or gay, i think he would have too much internalized homophobia to openly be in an gay relationship. would it happen? here’s the thing. i could maybe see them having kissed once or something, but not together currently. 4/10.

Jetka: okay i see a handful of people saying jetka rights so i thought i’s include it. i think the most likely scenario would be, maybe, they kissed once or twice and then sokka got ghosted because jet was closeted and scared. since jet obviously didn’t try to burn down a village, maybe that could be the reason sokka doesn’t like him. would it happen? maybe they never got together but jet could have been sokka’s first dude crush or something. 2/10.

Jetara: my immediate thought was that jet asked her out and they went out for like a week but katara quickly realized hey, he’s an asshole. ALTERNATIVELY, katara recognized him as the guy who hurt her brother or zuko and never went out with him at all, because hey, i don’t need all that drama. would it happen? maybe awkward exes. 3/10.

okay these took soooo long! if you have another ship, questions, or headcanon ideas, my ask box is always open!

Zukaang-centric modern au that I’ll never finish where: - Katara and Sokka meet this hella queer new kid named Aang at their conservative American Midwest high school. He’s living at the group home and the kid has clearly been through some shit. - Katara is hella protective of her new GBF and Aang is all about supporting his new friends who have had to deal with racist bs for years in their small town. They live with their grandma, their dad’s an activist/lawyer who’s busy travelling all the time, and, because of legal system jurisdiction crap, their mom’s murder case has been cold for years even though everyone in town knows who did it. - Zuko hardcore bullies him, but Aang clocks Zuko’s posturing for the internalized homophobia that it really is. Zuko’s dad is probs the sheriff, or a judge, or the mayor, or something along with being the biggest asshole in town. But most people don’t even realize Zuko was kicked out of his house a while ago and lives with his uncle. - At a Halloween party that Katara and Sokka are too sick to attend, Aang gets dragged out by some violent upperclassmen. Just as their about to beat him to a pulp, someone dressed as The Blue Spirit shows up and they fight back against the would-be queer bashers together and escape. Aang recognizes it’s Zuko beneath the mask, and Zuko opens up to share a tender conversation and a beautiful kiss. But, just when it seems things might change, Zuko says that he’s not a fag like Aang, so Aang runs home hurt and confused. He never tells his friends :’( - By the end of the year, Zuko has become even more aggressive in his verbal attacks on Aang and has majorly pissed off Katara who eventually eviscerates him. But before she can go in for the final blow, revealing what she knows about his home life in front of the crowd of kids that have gathered, Aang puts his hand on her arm and gives her a pleading look. And she holds back to Sokka’s disappointment. - In Aang’s second semester, Zuko’s younger sister comes back to the school after spending time at a boarding school abroad or something, and she’s immediately hella popular (more for her apparent status than actual personality). She also reveals to the school Zuko’s family drama. The lingering social status he was clinging to plummets. He’s sitting by himself in the cafeteria on the daily and every time he tries to make friends something goes horribly wrong. He keeps up his bullying of Aang, but now the Gaang sees it with a sense of pity rather than fear. Azula and her friends take on the role of the big-baddies in the school, subduing even the impenetrable bureaucracy of the teachers and admin. - Toph enters the Gaang too but idk exactly how she works in yet. Maybe her parents are shitty teachers, so she’s got inside information as the gaang tries to report all the bullying that’s rampant in the school. And she def schools the Gaang on a whole bunch of shit cuz she’s still a badass. - By the end of the school year, Katara finds an opportunity to talk and empathize with Zuko, probs in detention or something. She’s pissed off at him for Aang, but she starts to see how confused he is. She’s not exactly sure why he picks on Aang so much, but she offers him friendship and a chance to change. In her eyes, we can even see that she can imagine something more than friendship between them.  - But when Aang and Azula come to meet them after their detention, shit goes down! The four of them stand tensely, eyeing one another, waiting to see what will happen. Katara watches how Zuko looks at Aang and the dynamic suddenly becomes clear to her: Zuko’s crush on her best friend. Just as this realization hits, Zuko throws a full fist at Aang, and it turns into an all-out brawl between the four of them, only ending when Azula strikes a cheap KO on Aang. Uncle Iroh shows up and helps drive Katara and Aang to the hospital.  - Third year Zuko’s finally living back at home thanks to Azula’s recommendation, mostly cuz part of the fight was caught on cam and Aang, Katara are wanted for assault and property damage charges. Ozai’s psyched cuz he has a beef with Hakoda that goes way back to their time in high school. And the queer kid has just been pissing off for the past two years, getting in the way of the police’s bs. The Gaang stops going to school so they can avoid getting caught. But Zuko, worried they’re going to report the full truth of the fight to some higher power, hires a private eye to search for them and dig up dirt. - At school Azula brings Zuko back on good social standing, and he’s dating one of her friends. But it clearly is not sitting right with him. And he’s too caught up with his own brooding to notice that all this isn’t really sitting right with her either.  - Eventually Zuko confronts his dad, ghosts Mai, and heads out to make amends with the Gaang, and maybe....just maybe...rekindle the flame between him and Aang. And after an initial misstep, in which he clumsily hurts Toph, the one member of the group with whom he had never previously had any beefs, he is eventually welcomed in. Aang was unsurprisingly the easiest. Despite Aang having the MOST negative experiences with Zuko, the chemistry between them is undeniable (plus Aang’s therapy dog clearly loves Zuko). They have some magical moment where their flame is LITERALLY rekindled and they start dating.  - Katara is the hardest to win over. Even after Aang explains his feelings and he and Zuko officially start their relationship, she’s protective and distrustful. He pulled the wool over her eyes before and she can’t comprehend how Aang can forgive him or trust him at all. Zuko has to really earn her trust, helping her trace down her mother’s murderer before she can even begin that journey. - Zuko and Sokka go together to help break out Sokka’s dad and, to their surprise, Suki from prison, but they’re caught by Azula, Ty Lee, and Mai. Mai, despite her hurt over Zuko’s ghosting, still has compassion for her ex, so she instead helps him escape. And, just as she’s about to face Azula’s wrath, is saved by Ty Lee who admits she’s had feelings for Mai this whole time. And y’all KNOW they start dating. - Flash forward, Zuko truly proves himself worthy of Katara’s friendship, putting his life on the line for her. Katara pwns Azula, done in by her tragic perfectionism. Ozai is disempowered by Aang, the local government’s restructured in a wayyyyy more equitable way, Hakoda takes on some leadership role. Zuko & Aang finally get to have their relationship out in the open. And we can see more clearly that the friendship between Katara and Aang is what makes the world turn toward a hopeful future.

So I just watched Avatar: TLA for the first time and I have some thoughts

So basically I just watched this absolute masterpiece and I am very emotionally attached. The way that the show handles development and redemption (y’all know exactly what I’m talking about) is just. Wonderful. Amazing. The way that the characters interact and build off of each other, and are just allowed to exist in this world together because their development allows them to be individuals within a larger, evolving group dynamic... *chef’s kiss*

That being said, there was one dynamic that I found myself IMMEDIATELY being drawn to: Zuko and Sokka. And I’m about to rant about why I am now a Zukka shipping fool. (There will be spoilers lol)

So first off, the parallels. Sokka being abandoned at a young age and being given responsibility for his tribe long before he was ready for it is the parallel antithesis of Zuko being cast out of the Fire Nation and being forced to redeem his honor by capturing the Avatar. They are both left feeling like they have something to prove to the world, to themselves, and to the people around them. In Sokka, this manifests as his need to be a leader (although his actions are often misguided) and his initial reliance upon masculinity to give him his perceived value. In Zuko, this manifests as his obsession with honor and catching the Avatar. Essentially, these actions and attitudes can be perceived as Sokka and Zuko’s respective ways of coping with their emotional traumas. By the time they meet as allies, though, these coping mechanisms have been broken down and each character has largely come to terms with their past and identities (Zuko has identified his father’s treatment of him as abuse, rejected the plan laid out for him by the Fire Nation, and finally joined Aang. Sokka has matured and built upon his own strengths, and sees himself as part of the gAang. He does not feel compelled to take a position of leadership, and no longer perceives himself as a burden to the benders). That being said, it doesn’t mean that they don’t both have scars. This is where we get to how they’re just good for each other.

Sokka and Zuko have the capacity to understand each other’s experiences and past burdens in a unique way, and each’s personality makes him a perfect fit for the other. Of course, this is where I bring up the boiling rock, because what sort of analysis would this be if I didn’t bring that up. We see quickly in the prison episodes that Zuko trusts, really, genuinely trusts, Sokka’s decisions as a leader. He even goes so far as to risk his permanent imprisonment to help Sokka rescue his father, if Sokka thinks that’s the right call to make. Likewise, Sokka has quickly gone from viewing Zuko as his enemy to trusting him in combat and as a partner in crime. Parts of his plan hinge entirely upon Zuko’s ability to follow through on his word, and Sokka seems to trust that he will with no reservation. In essence, they trust each other. FAST. We know that Zuko isn’t the trusting type, what with his family trauma (lest we forget that “Azula always lies”). We also know that Sokka isn’t necessarily one to trust either, and that before this episode, he actually wasn’t willing to trust Zuko. Why do they trust each other? Their backgrounds allow them to see the motivation behind the other’s actions. They are uniquely capable of understanding each other, almost effortlessly as it would seem.

Now- we don’t see much interaction between Zuko and Sokka apart from this episode, but we just KNOW that their dynamic is equally effortless. Zuko is dramatic, brooding, and single-mindedly motivated. Sokka is lighthearted, compassionate, and a steadfast friend. Because of their seemingly opposite personalities, they can temper each other. We just know that Sokka will stand by Zuko as he continues to cope with his past, and we know that Zuko will have the same passion for Sokka that he once had for restoring his honor- he’s not going to abandon him. I’m not even gonna get into how Sokka is the perfect person to help Zuko through his internalized homophobia (which he almost definitely has from years of trying to live up to Ozai’s impossible standards). They are perfectly positioned to understand each other’s pasts, recognize each other’s struggles, and build each other up into their futures. Also, these two are just massive, awkward dorks. No explanation needed. They’re perfect for each other!

So yeah. I could go on and on. These two have a special place in my heart.

zukka fic rec list (post-canon)

howdy! i’ve been collecting zukka fics i like since uhhh june and now i am sharing my lists with the world. i’m splitting it into three posts so it hopefully wont be too long. this is the second one: post-canon fics! the other two will be canon era and modern au. [side note!! if youd like a specific type of rec list,, i.e. soulmate au, fake dating, ambassador sokka,, hmu and i’ll post a list !!]

within this post, the fics are in word count order! also, if you’d like a soundtrack for your reading, i might recommend my zukka playlist :^) happy reading!

speak ill by @moonsongdotmp3

-4111 words, teen

-developing/established relationship, ozai hate <3

"I hate your dad so much,” Sokka considers for a second. He tries to mix it up as often as he can when they play this game. “That I have considered starting an official petition begging Aang to reconsider his commitment to nonviolence.” // It’s quiet for a beat. He’s afraid he’s miscalculated, but Zuko laughs, broken and sincere. // (Or: 5, 8, 15 years after the war, Sokka talks shit about Ozai.)

Friends Don’t Let Friends Fake Date Each Other by @d-naggeluide

-5349 words, general

-fake dating, coming out, kinda crackfic

Toph demands that Zuko fake date her. This goes just about as well as can be expected. Sokka steps in to show them how it's done, and this goes a bit better than expected.

Oh, How We Find Our Way by @donvex

-6043 words, teen

-bed sharing, hurt/comfort, domestic fluff

In which Zuko doesn’t sleep nearly enough once he takes up the throne, and Sokka isn’t having it. And maybe they get to fall in love on the way, as a treat.

(let me be) there for you by @bisexuallsokka

-8471 words, teen

-friends/idiots to lovers, mutual pining, getting together

Sokka pulls out a clean piece of parchment and starts to write: Reasons Why Sokka Would Be A Great Bodyguard for Lord Zuko // He smiles in satisfaction at the title. Seeing it in writing only makes him feel more confident in this brilliant, two-minute-old idea of his. Zuko is one of his closest friends, and Sokka is a great fighter, he would be the perfect bodyguard! He has the entirety of his trip in the Fire Nation to prove it to Zuko. This is going to be a piece of cake.

This Isn’t My Idea of Fun by @khaleeseas​

-8921 words, explicit

-royalty/moon spirit!sokka, childhood friends to lovers, no war au, mutual pining, fluff and angst

If you asked Zuko, he and Azula saw far too much of Chief Hakoda of the Northern Water Tribe’s children growing up. It wasn’t until they were older, and Azula pointed out that - duh - their families were trying to set them all up, that he realized why. // He was told by his mother to be polite. These people were their friends and allies, and though their nations were as different as they came, harmony between nations was the most important thing. // It wasn’t his fault the Chief’s children were so annoying.

the thing about dancing by anodymalion

-9713 words, teen

-trans sokka, family angst

The first time a attendant spills Zuko’s tea and doesn’t immediately fall to her knees, begging the Fire Lord’s forgiveness, it is not anger but a resounding warmth that fills his chest.

Will You Fake Date Me (But This Time For Real)? by AlyssiaInWonderland

-10520 words, not rated (teen, i think)

-fake dating, mutual pining, idiots to lovers

Zuko is determined to convince his Uncle that he is not, in fact, pining after Sokka. // Sokka is desperate to convince Katara and Aang that he is not, in fact, pining after Suki. // When Sokka's scheme to avoid pity means Zuko and him must fake date for an entire diplomatic event, shenanigans, realisations and confessions ensue.

i could (never) give you peace by @zukkababey​

-10540 words, mature

-ambassador!sokka, friends to fwb to lovers, angst with a happy ending, miscommunication

Zuko almost said it. He almost said the words I think I’m in love with you, but he choked them back down at the last second. // Zuko would never be able to be what Sokka wanted. They might have needed each other during the summer, when two boys with too much weight on their shoulders found comfort in each other in the only way they knew how. // But now Zuko was Fire Lord, and Sokka was leaving.

Operation: Get the Fire Lord a Boyfriend by @rejectscanon 

-10679 words, teen

-established relationship, attempted matchmaking, fluff, hurt/comfort, 5+1

5 times the people of the Fire Nation tried to get Zuko and Sokka together, and 1 time they realized they already were.

a study in matchmaking by @verdanthoney​

-12218 words, general

-friends to lovers, mutual pining, idiots in love, bg bakoda and kataang

Zuko and Sokka try to play matchmaker, but things don’t go exactly as planned.

Always read Your Peace Treaties Carefully by preciousbunnynoiz

-14039 words, teen

-arranged marriage, miscommunication, found family, fluff, non-linear narrative, angst with a happy ending

Zuko and Sokka have been engaged to be married since the peace talks. Only they were the only ones who didn't know. // Everyone else thought they not only knew but that they had already been dating the entire time. // This is also news to Zuko and Sokka who have definitely NOT been dating but maybe they aren't as uninterested as they are protesting.

this love burns so yellow (becoming orange and in its time, exploding) by @meliebee​

-18767 words, teen, major character death (NOT ZUKO OR SOKKA OR ANY OF THE GAANG)

-found family, slowburn, fluff and angst, hurt/comfort, mutual pining

Ten months after Zuko is crowned at seventeen, he faces his first coup.

All the Little Things by @voidcenturyscholar and @romancedawning

-23575 words, general

-fake dating, friends to lovers, mutual pining, bed sharing, fluff, miscommunication

Sokka receives an offer of an arranged marriage from the Northern Water Tribe. On the one hand, accepting would strengthen ties between their tribes. On the other hand, Chief Arnook has suggested Hahn as a potential match, and Hahn sucks. But with the future of the Southern Water Tribe Reconstruction project relying heavily on the good will of the North, Sokka doesn’t know how to say no. // (Katara doesn’t have to deal with this. Katara is dating the Avatar.) // Zuko has a solution. Sokka just wishes he’d realized he was in love with the Fire Lord before he agreed to pretend to date him.

isn’t this the vision that you wanted by @goldrushzukka​

-34633 words, teen

-pining, matchmaking, coming out, friends to lovers, bed sharing, internalized homophobia

Firelord Zuko - ender of the Hundred Year War, ruler of the Fire Nation, payer of respects and reparations - takes advice and counsel from representatives of every nation, division, and specialty. // But teenage boy Zuko - friend of turtleducks, wielder of fun looking swords, stumbler over words and feet in the presence of cute boys - only listens to two people, and they are conspiring together to ruin him.

(do you take this jerk to be) your one and only by @jatersade​

-55855 words, teen

-enemies to friends to lovers, (not actually) unrequited love, slowburn, sharing a bed, alternate universe, arranged marriage, huddling for warmth, fluff

Under the leadership of Fire Lord Iroh, the Fire Nation has made every attempt to restore peace and make amends for the harm they inflicted during the Seventy-Year War. Their newest proposal is a literal proposal: a marriage to unite the Fire Nation and the Water Tribes. // The Fire Nation offers Prince Zuko’s hand. // The Water Tribes offer Princess Yue’s. // Sokka is apparently the only person in the world who has a problem with any of this.

Wooing the Water Tribe by @dameferre​

-56839 words, teen

-didn’t know they were dating, i mean IDIOT idiots to lovers, ambassador!sokka, mutual pining, himbos istg

Zuko is courting Katara, and with every passing day finds new and insane ways of showing that he would quite literally move the spirit world and earth to make her happy. // In hindsight, it probably would've been better if Sokka had realised he was in love with Zuko at literally any time before this. Or preferably, never fallen for his best friend in the first place.

In the Soft Light by @voidcenturyscholar and @romancedawning​

-83901 words, teen, graphic depictions of violence

-moon spirit!sokka, ambassador zuko kinda, hurt/comfort, slowburn, pining, canon divergence, miscommunication, sickfic, huddling for warmth, angst with a happy ending, enemies to lovers, underage drinking

As the newly appointed cultural liaison to Northern Water Tribe, Zuko is the first Fire Nation Citizen to step foot inside the city's walls in nearly a century. He's determined to prove himself—to the Fire Lord and to his father—even if the Water Tribe's spirit-touched prince seems to want nothing to do with him.

Worst Prisoner chapter 10 rambly notes:

chapter here:

A03

FF.net

Today I'll ramble about:

Sokka

homophobia in ATLA

Zutara are mirrors and character foils for each other

The spirit oasis

Healing

Yugoda and Katara's character path

So, despite his advice to Aang, Sokka did not 'play it cool' when he was into a girl. He is, in fact, a massive dork when he has a crush on someone. His developing relationship with Yue is going to take up a lot more of his attention, so he will not be as focussed on Katara's love life, now that he has one of his own.  I wanted to give Yue a little more agency, and a role beyond being an idealised princess. Yue tries to involve herself in the Tribe's politics and strategy in my fic. Look at her, she can do so much more than sit and look pretty.

In my first draft, there was a huge bit about Sokka's reaction to “the armistice” between the Northern Water Tribe and the Fire Nation. The FN haven't attacked the NWT in 85 years, and it's implied there is an agreement of some sort.  The Northern Water Tribe effectively threw the Southern Water Tribe to the wolves and never lifted a finger to help them in canon. If you compare the two places, it is obvious that the Northern Water Tribe prosperity came at the cost of the Southern Water Tribe decimation – which makes Hahn attitude towards Sokka eight hundred times more frustrating. Sokka had a lot of feelings about the Southern Water Tribe being abandoned by their sister tribe, but if I followed that thread it lead to a mega depressing place where Sokka felt at odds with Yue and Zuko. I much prefer my boys roasting each other and budding romance because Sokka is a dork in love. So I cut it. Just look at this dork!

Instead they have a super awkward conversation about sexuality. Poor Zuko lands himself in two of these situations, but he brings it up. Romantic love and sexual thoughts have been much more on his mind lately.

Now, @araeph wrote a wonderful meta about the homophobia in the ATLA universe.  Rigid gender roles and homophobia often go hand in hand. The Water Tribe do have very strict gender roles, and it would make sense that they would have been more homophobic. However I think any gender subversion would have just been labelled as “wrong” and swept under the rug. Sokka's knee jerk reaction is because Sokka has also been brought up with this view.  Homosexuality and bisexuality is something he's vaguely aware of, but has never thought about deeply.

However, Sokka is not naturally a judgemental person. I think he would have a live and let live attitude about it, especially because Zuko doesn't have an issue with it, or see it as any kind of threat to his masculinity. Sokka would never tell him in a million years, but he does admire Zuko's “manliness”.   He learned to get over his sexism very quickly, and I think he would same about homosexuality. I think he would be more inappropriately curious, to be honest,  and he'd probably still see relationships through traditional gender roles for a while– eg asking who does “the boy bit” between two girls.  It would be your Pakku types who would be more rigid in their reaction I think.

This chapter was shamelessly fluffy and soppy for Zuko and Katara. The spirit oasis makes an appearance!  However Zuko and Katara are blithely unaware of the significance of the decorative garden they've chose to spar in. Zuko and Katara will still fight each-other here, mostly because I love the visuals, and the symbolism and everything in the spirit oasis In my fic, however, are coming up for friendly training, and will discover more about each other. Their elements are opposites, but there is a lot they can learn from each other.  They’ll always work well together.

They say that leaning fighting styles is like learning languages, if you already know a couple, it is easier to learn more. Zuko is a very versatile fighter. He's a ninja, sword-master and fire-bender, and in the show he actually uses fire-bending to copy Katara and Aang's moves a few times. He uses their moves when they would be more effective.

I wondered how he would go if he deliberately put his mind to trying to copy water-bending style moves, and I think he's actual be very good at adapting them. I also think his own style would need to adapt given his situation. Fire-bending is very dynamic and energetic, but relies on shock-and-awe style offensive tactics and quickly overwhelming an opponent. It's not good for long draw out fights, or days of repeated fighting.  Even someone with Zuko's stamina would get tired after hours of it. I think the tricky part would come in trying to teach Katara through fire-bending, because fire-bending is more aggressive. However Katara's style is more aggressive generally. look at her go!

Katara is driven. She is passionate about learning bending and she obviously worked her butt off to master it so quickly. I think in the show, she must have been teaching herself from scrolls and practising in her spare time, to make as much progress as she did so rapidly.  She'd probably make even better progress practising against someone who'd do their best to help her learn though.  

One of the things I really like about Zuko and Katara together is how they are opposites and mirrors at the same time. They actually both embody the underpinning philosophy of each other's elements. Water is the element of change, and no other character goes through as much change as Zuko. His life circumstances change very rapidly in the show, and he adapts himself to each new challenge, learning and growing all the while.  Fire is the element of willpower, and Katara is one of the most determined characters in the series. Through sheer force of will, personality and hard-work, she masters water-bending, saves villages, and brings her little family out of the desert alive. Katara's got a fire in her belly. They are learning to meet in the middle, even if the differences between them sometimes seem very large. It’s why the Yin/Yang symbolism is so fitting for them.

The whole thing about Zuko and Katara being mirrors comes into play in their attitudes towards healing. Katara has come from a culture where it is expected that she will fulfil a nurturing and healing role. She rejects this role, and even when she does learn healing it is because she can see how necessary it is, rather than because she is genuine interested. Katara would much prefer to kick butt.  

Zuko, on the other hand, has come from a very militant and competitive  culture that demands he become a violent and aggressive fighter. But Zuko was/is a sweet, soft boy, even despite being horribly punished for not living up to the vicious ideals of his father.  He knew enough about medicine to heal his Uncle when Iroh was struck by Azula's lightning. That to me indicates that he would have been genuinely interested in healing enough to teach himself more than rudimentary basics in his spare time.

He would be fascinated by Yugoda's powers to almost magically make people feel better. In more wistful moments, he would wonder if Yugoda would have been able to do anything for his scar had she been there when it happened, but he's not ready to ask her directly yet. Also what Yugoda told him about the spark of life will be important, when I get around to writing book 2.

So Yugoda got a longer bit here, because I think she's great and I also wanted to put some ideas about healing out there. I think there would be forms and techniques that Katara needed to learn to be a more effective healer, and Yugoda would do her best to teach her.

The gorgeous Boogum has a great fic called the Undying Fire in which Zuko has healing abilities, which I recommend to anyone. I also had a chat with paperman0 about healing in the ATLA universe. I wanted to explore healing and this is my take on it.

I think our bodies are at least eighty percent fluid, and it makes sense that waterbending is the most effective. However, Earthbenders would be much better at bones and firebending could be used for a variety of purposes that we use heat for today, such as muscular-skeletal issues.  Also “Fire is life” is repeated through out the show, and so I interpreted that a bit literally, by having firebenders able to give their chi or life-energy to others, for a brief window in certain circumstances.  

The Earth Kingdom and the Fire Nation have never really investigated healing with bending, as their bending healing scope is much more limited. There maybe some healers/benders in the other nations who have experimented with using their bending in more complex healing, but it isn't widely practised, or documented.  Collecting all that healing knowledge and finding out best practice would be an emerging field that would be interesting to explore post-war.

I wanted Yugoda to be an example of an older, female character, who is badass in her own way and  has the power of agency.  Yugoda chose healing and feels called to it. And choice is super important. In Bryke's canon, Katara is just labelled as healer almost by default. It does not seem like Katara actively chose it or is passionate about it.  So many wonderful metas have been written about what a tragic thing this is for Katara, to be so robbed of her inner fire by crappy writing.

If it must be Kataang, why couldn't Bryke have done something like have Katara interested in a goal of her own, like writing an international healing book, and have Aang devote time to taking Katara where she needed to go? If she pursues healing post-war, I would much prefer to see her actually passionate about it.  I would prefer she grew up into a sassy, wise older lady who enjoyed her job, like Yugoda.  The old, sad, regretful Katara we see in LOK is not my Katara.

Next chapter there will be drama and shenanigans. Zuko will get protective, Hahn will get punched in the face and someone will finally agree with Aang that violence isn't the answer.

Til then.