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yourhighness6 · 2 months

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NATLA Episode 2 Debrief (by yours truly)

Hi again! Here's episode 1 if anyone is interested. This is going to be another outrageously long post, just a tw

I absolutely loved the ominous start and then it's just:

They really captured the Zuko/Iroh dynamic the cartoon had in this scene. I hope they keep this sort of thing throughout the show. Also, side note, but for whatever reason Zuko seems a LOT more violent in this version. This child needs some serious therapy.

I guess this is their version of the map joke, huh? Low-key disappointed but not as mad as I thought I would be.

I'm not sure how I feel about the writers prolonging some of the conflicts that were resolved back in the SWT into this episode. I guess it makes sense that they would have to extend the drama, but I'm a little disappointed these thoughts didn't make it into the first episode. I'm glad they're included, but I think at this point team avatar had started to feel like family already in the cartoon, so it's kind of annoying and misses the mark a bit.

Yes I'm so glad they put GranGran's blessing back in! I was really mad when they took it out, but this honestly feels more meaningful than it did in the cartoon. It's a precious cultural artifact rather than just a couple of blankets. This is similar to what I was mad about with extending SWT conflicts, but I don't have nearly as much of a problem with it, as it seems like they're carrying a little piece of home with them rather than just extra drama.

The burial scene was very sweet and sad. It gave us a bit more insight into Air Nomad culture, and a sense of closure the cartoon didn't really give us. A+ for Gordon's acting as well (he is perfect for this part, even if he does still need some more acting experience)

Zuko has officially mastered the "my uncle dragged me here and I'm an agnsty teenager" face. A+ to Dallas for this entire scene. I am absolutely LOVING the Iroh and Zuko dynamic. Never change (jk I wish you a wonderful redemption arc)

Suki looks just as beautiful as she did in the trailer. Unfortunately can't say the same for the Kyoshi statue (I wish it had been made out of wood), but there is something to be said for the little shrines to the avatars instead of a few big ones. I actually kind of like that they changed that element, and I hope they explore it more in future episodes, because I assume some of the spiritualism surrounding them would have to be changed. Side note: but I've seen nothing of the spirit world so far and I'm getting a little nervous. I guess I wouldn't mind if they decided it was some long-lost avatar trick or is introduced in the NWT, but if they get rid of it altogether I'm gonna be pissed.

I'm glad they decided to make Kyoshi Island a matriarchal society instead of having a male leader. It just makes sense based on the lore and I like to see more strong adult women than in the cartoon. Also Suki got a mom! Maybe she'll get some development too!

This Aang speech was very in-your-face storytelling, but I feel like the whole show is gonna be like that so I'm just accepting it at this point. I think it stayed true to his character while getting the point across, and it also kind of helped his character compared to the cartoon. He's very emotionally open and has a charming nativity about him, but he's clearly trying to help. Loved it.

He's so awkward I love it. This whole interaction was really cool, because it expanded on their relationship in a cool way. They're both struggling between doing what their parents expect of them to help their respective villages, but are being faced with a pull to the outside world, Suki with her "big heart" and Sokka with his need to protect Katara. Thishonestly gives more depth to their relationship and I don't mind the writers dragging out first episode conflicts if this is how they're choosing to explore them.

Aww look at these cute little siblings. I like that the writers are giving them more time to progress from strangers to besties. Their interactions seem more natural, and Aang's grief more realistic. It's also great to once again see Katara growing more confident and powerful in her abilities. I love the smell of some good character development in the making.

Look at her face! She's like,"I'm so good at flirting. Mother would be proud." Meanwhile Sokka's scared of her. Anyway I'm living for their scenes and they're making me giggle. (Despite Sokka's sexism being toned down it still exists to a lesser level and I love to see her beating his ass while he tries to flex)

I love the new subplot! I love that flashback! I love this conflict! It gives more credence to his fears as a prodigy. Whatever writer came up with this deserves a hug.

AHH the ship is sailing! I love Sokka learning to be more open minded! I love Suki learning to be more open-hearted! I love when characters in romantic relationships learn from each other! This is giving Suki and Sokka development in ways the cartoon did not without trying to play Sokka's sexism off as a joke and also giving us more screentime and when I say I love it I mean I am doing a happy dance right now!

Okay, so just a quick word on shipping besides Sukka because as Zutara trash I am legally required to do this:

It seems like they are keeping the zutara hope parallel intact, with Katara and Zuko both finding hope in the avatar but in different ways. However, I don't think this really changes anything. So far, there's beven nothing to suggest they're going with ZK instead of KA, and I'm a little worried that they're trying to parallel Sukka and KA wwith the way they're setting up both girls as kind of a "teacher" to the boys in a way and giving both ships a huge amount of screentime in the same episode. Also, and I hate to say this, they might be attempting to fix KA by toning down Katara's anger and her "dark side". She didn't get angry to break the iceberg and they're eliminating her entire waterbending scroll plotline. They're trying to make them a better match for each other by watering her down and therefore increasing her connection with Aang and decreasing the chance of a future connection with Zuko over their anger and shared trauma. It's sad news that I didn't want to deliver, and I've seen spoilers that there is another ZK moment later down the line, but at this point, I think KA is a lot more plausible than ZK. *cries*

In slightly less depressing news, they're inserting the avatar state plotline a lot earlier. This makes sense with the condensed timeline, and I think I like the way they're going with it so far. I hope they keep the concept of avatar guide intact, though, and I'm worried that they're going to play into more of a connection to all of his past lives instead of just Roku. I kind of hate Roku but I do think that's a major concept I don't want them to get rid of, and his inaction during a time of adversity mirror's Aang's own challenges with confrontation. Their dynamic is a good one, and I wouldn't be opposed to changed but I really hope they don't entirely throw it out.

Scratch whatever the fuck I said before. I'm back on my shipping bullshit I can't believe we got a BONUS FIGHT! Also kudos to whoever decided Zhao should burn the village instead of Zuko. I was always so pissed at him whenever I rewatched this episode and now I can sleep easy knowing it was that military dipshit instead of him

I love Kyoshi to an unhealthy extent but I kind of wish Katara had been the one to go off on him. It would have seriously fixed things.

COUPLES THAT FIGHT TOGETHER ARE THE BEST COUPLES CHANGE MY MIND

Also, side note, but I love the hair these in fight scenes:

Most action movies hairspray the shit out of them but these actors are allowed to look a little disheveled while they kick ass. Huge thank you to whoever decided that more natural hair is superior cuz they are 100% correct

THE BONUS FIGHT SCENE IS NO LONGER COOL I REPEAT THE BONUS FIGHT SCENE IS NO LONGER COOL

I think this was the perfect conclusion to Sukka (for now)! Sokka learned something so much more valuable and impactful than in the cartoon, in my opinion. His masculinity is handled very well in my opinion, and even if I would have liked to see him wear the warrior outfit, there's something really great about the way he continues to embrace protectiveness, a masculine trait, while having rid himself of toxic masculinity, such as not being able to learn from others. He's leaving a more open minded and humble person and I love the way they portrayed it.

Okay the speech was a little on the nose but I liked it. One of the best things about ATLA was the way they executed Aang's childishness ending up beneficial for the world. I think the new conflict is expanding on that nicely while staying true to its roots. *pats writers on the head*

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH IS THIS REAL I LOVE IT SO MUCH AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

IM TRYING SO HARD NOT TO THINK ABOUT THIS LINE AND HOW IT COULD BE ANOTHER PARALLEL TO K/A I HATE IT BUT I LOVE IT AT THE SAME TIME LETS JUST FOCUS ON SUKI SAYING SOKKA HELPED HER AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Also the fan was so cute. That last scene on Appa really wrapped everything up nicely. I like the way they tied in the conflicts between the siblings while engineering growth for Sokka.

Daniel Kim delivered in his two seconds of screentime. Zhao was such a bitch but idk what else I expected. Can't wait to see more of these two bastards in future!

Anyway, to recap:, things I did like:

Aang's new conflicts

Sokka's mini arc

SUKKA

Expanding on Katara's PTSD

Zhao burning the town instead of Zuko

Zuko and Iroh's dynamic

Things I didn't like:

Katara's characterization

Lack of Aang's actual avatar guide

K/A hints and lack of zutara implications

Postponing the Zhao and Zuko agni Kai

Overall, I have to say I think that they're playing into the core themes very well while expanding on the characters. If it weren't for the whole Katara debacle this would be a 9/10 episode, but with the Katara debacle imma give it a 7/10. Still, I can at least understand why the writers made their crappy decisions, even if I don't agree with them. Hopefully certain things are fixed in future episodes, but as it stands I think I'll live (barely)

#natla debrief #emmie babbles #zutara #sukka #aang #sokka #suki #zuko #katara #avatar the last airbender #natla episode 2

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starlight-bread-blog · 24 days

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Do you think there's a more complex and nuanced outcome as a result of Katara marrying Zuko rather than it just being Katara becoming a fire lady? Especially since, technically, she's the daughter of a chief and that considers her to be a tribal princess like Yue.

That is a good question. I suppose I don't think there's a situation where Katara marries Zuko and doesn't become fire lady. Since the definition of the word is, and correct me if I'm wrong, the Fire Lord's wife. But if you mean whether she'll live in a palace, I believe that she will.

According to this article she also lived Far From Home (lol) with A\ang, and in their family picture none of them wear clothes for the SWT's cold weather. Which does make sense with how fine she was with leaving to find Aang and how she spent the entire series away from home and the show rarely treated it as an issue to be dealt with. Additionally, now that the war is over she can pay regular visits to her home.

But that doesn't mean that the chief's daughter becoming fire lady isn't complex and nuanced. First thihgs first, I want to go through what being the fire lady & daughter of the chief would mean.

The fire lady doesn't seem to have duties, since we never see Ursa do anything for the Fire Nation. But it at least has to grant you respect and THE connection to the Fire Lord. Katara isn't Ursa, and is passionate & active in nature. The role comes with a certain power that can assist with one's political pursuits greatly.

As for her being a tribal princess, as opposed to the Fire Lady, Yue explicitly that she has duties.

Yue: You don't understand. I have duties to my father, to my tribe.

But Yue was probably the heir to the throne. She had no siblings as far as we know, and she says "my tribe". I don't know whether the north would accept a female chief, given how sexist it was. But some evidence there is to support that she was the heir is this line from her fiance:

"Perks". If she was going to marry him for him to become the chief despite having no other connections to the bloodline, he wouldn't casually call becoming a chief a "perk". Furthermore, when Sokka tries to hit on her, he remarks of their simularities as they're both a prince and a princess. And Sokka is ann heir, he's the future chief.

It's likely that they were arranged for other political reasons and Yue was going to become queen. Whether she was going to be respected/accepted is up in the air.

But we do know of another heirs that might help us get a fuller picture: Eska and Desna. They had a duty to their father as a prince and a princess. It was their wish to help their father whom they believed was a great man. Which isn't typical for an heir. This is why we can look at their case to see what Katara's life as the daughter of the chief would look like. In their case, they helpped the NWT in whatever they thought was right. And it's likely that so would Katara.

What does that leave us with? A role that grants her political power in the Fire Nation with no duties, and a person with a duty to the Southern Water Tribe.

The Positive

To me this paints a clear picture: Katara would use said political power to push the Fire Nation to rehabilitate the Southern Water Tribe from their atrocities.

I'm not the first person to show these before vs. After pics, but it's very important to remember the sheer extent of the Fire Nation's harm to Katata's home.

Before:

After:

And until the show ended, Katara was still the last waterbender of the south. Don't get me wrong, it IS Zuko's job to rehabilitate the SWT. But she'd want this.

Katara always want to help those around her by any means necessery. If it's getting captured in a Fire Nation prison or blowing up a factory, she will find the power to help others. So the power to fix the wrongs inflicted on her own culture and home being given to her, just for loving who she wants to love, is incredibly rewarding and narrativly satisfying.

The Negatives

1. All of what I've just described is good in theory, but in practice she's likely to face immense backlash. The people of the Fire Nation have been indoctrinated into believing the war was good and were fed Fire Nation propaganda since their school days (The Headband) and continued well into adulthood (Ember Island Players).

Suddenly the new fire lord comes along and decides that the war they've been fighting fir a 100 years is bad actually. And NOW he's dating a waterbender and the daughter of the chief, no less. + Suddenly the girl is starting to have demands. She'll be one of the most cobtroversial figures of that era, and that's no easy task.

2. It opens the door for one bad situation that no one could be blamed for. What if Zuko's heir would be a waterbender? That cannot be. Will the role of the heir go to whoever's a firebender/none bender regardless of order? What would it make their kids feel? Will Zuko be okay with how it'd make his kids feel? It raises so many questions, so many complexities and there seem to be no winners.

But looking at these negatives from a perspective of literary merit, as A:TLA is a fictional work, are these really negatives? I'd say no. There is no real suffering at stake here, only captivating conflicts to be explored. In real life, these nasty situations have to be dealt with. They're raw, they're complicated, and in literature, that's good. Conflicts are the oxygen of a story. Especially ones with no easy answers.

In conclusion, Katara marrying Zuko would make her the fire lady. This would lead to complex and nuanced situations, both good and bad, making for excellent conflicts/character progressions.

I don't know if this is the answer you wanted, but these are my thoughts. Thank you for the ask and have a nice day! 💕

#zutara #zuko x katara #katara x zuko #fire lady katara #zutara meta #asks #send me asks #pro zutara #anti anti zutara #zutara analysis #zutara asks #zutara forever #zutara nation #zutarian

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kawaiichibiart · 17 days

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You voted for it, let's develop my Kya Lives AU

For those who haven't read through it, my Kya Lives AU explores the idea of Kya being kept alive in the FN as Ursa's servant, rather than in prison. While she could have been locked away, they didn't want to give her that luxury. It was also because they wanted her be around when the real last SWT waterbender was found. They'd be killed and Kya would be forced to watch as they die. That way she'd see her failure before she, too, was ultimately killed. This is also why, when they find out she isn't the real last SWT waterbender, she isn't killed on the spot.

From there, she Ursa develop a mutual companionship, which turns into a cautious friendship, neither woman wanting to lower their guards at first. After all, while both are nonbenders, both must have skills elsewhere that should be taken seriously.

Time goes on and the search for the last SWT waterbender becomes an afterthought. The FN has a war to win, chances are they might have killed the last waterbender from the South Pole and not known. Kya's living on edge, careful when she speaks of her family and home to Prince Zuko who has taken an interest in it.

And then Prince Lu Ten dies. The Siege of Ba Sing Se fails and Prince Iroh goes "missing" after he pulls back his men. Ozai goes to present his children to Azulon, and we know how the rest goes. Azula overhears Azulon tell Ozai that he has to feel the pain of losing a firstborn son by losing his own, she tells Zuko Ozai is going to kill him, Ursa intervenes and kills Azulon after making a deal with Ozai so he can become Firelord. Not the best retelling of what happened, but you get the idea.

This where we once again, leave canon behind. Because they're sorta friends now, Ursa tells Kya about what she plans to do and offers to make a deal with her. Help her get her children out of the FN, and she'll help her go home. It's risky, but Kya jumps at the chance to go home. She gets Zuko, Ursa gets Azula, and they get the fuck out as fast as they can.

At first, things are tense. Azula is fully blaming Zuko for what happened, fighting with her mom, demanding to be returned home, and snapping at Kya whenever she tries to intervene. She's upset she got dragged along, because had she been asked, she would have preferred to stay in the FN with her father.

Zuko is also blaming himself, knowing, whether his father was actually going to kill him or not, he should have just not let Azula get to him. They're on the run because of him. For once Azula has to be right, right?

Ursa and Kya are just trying to get by. They'll separate the two kids whenever their fights get bad, and will take turns watching them as one of them goes gets supplies. It isn't an ideal situation for either of them, honestly why they hadn't split paths earlier is lost to them. Would they split once they find a ship? Would Ursa and her kids literally follow Kya to the South Pole and see to it she reunites with her family? (yes)

Both women have wanted posters up. Posters that paint Kya as a witch, a savage who caused Ursa to kidnap the Crown Prince and Princess. Posters that paint Ursa as an usurper. Since she took the kids, the deal she made with Ozai is essentially void. Her murdering Azulon soon becomes public knowledge and Ozai "worries" she plans to kill his "heirs" as well. This makes traveling more difficult, as know all four of them need to be heavily disguised.

And because they have to be so careful now, a journey that, at longest (like extremely long) it should have been roughly half a year to a year. And it takes them longer. They're doing what they can to get by, but they have several points in time where they have to stop and lay low.

The three FN Royals use fake names (Noriko (obviously), Lee (again obviously), and I haven't chosen one for Azula yet, but part of me really wants to choose Loh for the irony). Kya ends up going by Mera.

As time passes their relationship evolves. Azula and Zuko still fight, but Azula no longer blames him for what happened (he hasn't stopped blaming himself yet). Their fights are moreso petty (not the word I was looking for but whatever, I can't think of the right one) fights (one called the other a name, one was being annoying, one kept making faces at the other, etc.). Kya and Ursa have settled into their friendship. Their journey to the SWT has slowed significantly, and they've lived in several places temporarily, but they do, eventually, reach the South Pole.

Once there, they have to track down Kya's tribe, which in itself is, thankfully, an easier journey. It takes them about a day to find someone who recognizes Kya. And, while weary of the 3 people with her, they lead all 4 of them to the tribe.

Kanna is overjoyed at Kya's return, and upon being asked where Sokka and Katara are, tells her about the Avatar. How he returned and was found by her children. That they left with him to stop the war. And Kya's heard the rumors. But she didn't want to consider the Avatar was traveling with her kids. She'd hoped they were home, safe.

But they were gone, they left to help the Avatar, and as proud as she should (and later would) feel, worry takes a front seat in her mind. Her children were the one thing she hoped to see when she arrived. And they weren't there. She ends up sitting with Kanna, listening as she tells her about what had happened while they were gone. The men had left to help fight the war, something she'd suspected would happen. She knew there a chance Hakoda wouldn't be around when she returned. She'd hoped her family was waiting for her, that Hakoda, Sokka, Katara and Kanna would all welcome her home. That, maybe only her husband would be absent. But only Kanna was there. And while, yes, the rest of the tribe welcomed her home, it's not the same thing. Kanna does her best to reassure her that things will work out. That she'll see all of them again.

If you're wondering about Ursa, Zuko and Azula, yeah they're just sorta...standing there. They don't know what to do. Or rather, Ursa and Azula don't know what to do. Zuko thinks he has the solution.

While some Kya and Kanna go about helping the FN ex-royals settle in, Zuko takes note of where the canoes are. That night, he leaves a note, takes a canoe, and leaves in hope of finding Sokka and Katara. And maybe the Avatar. Maybe. (Queue another mother becoming worried sick, because what the fuck?)

Through his random, whatever the fuck you wanna call it, luck, Zuko manages to survive and arrive in the Earth Kingdom. And we enter the second half of the AU which focuses on Zuko looking for, and eventually joining, the Gaang. The first one he finds is Sokka and that's by pure chance. Sheer luck. And Sokka becomes the first between him and Katara to learn Kya is still alive. That she's home. And he's learning this through this boy, this FN boy who spent a few years living with his mom. This boy who had heard stories about him and his sister. Heard his mom speak about them with so much love and decided he had to meet them. It's a bit overwhelming but...mom's home. Waiting. Waiting for him. For Katara. Maybe even for this weird boy.

Katara, takes this revelation differently. Since Zuko isn't their enemy here (that role belongs to Zhao), her animosity towards him isn't because he's chased them around. It's because, all this time, all these years she's spent blaming herself. Believing she'd gotten her mother killed, that her mom died protecting her. Her mom had been alive this entire time. Telling a FN boy, no, the FN Prince, all about her and Sokka. And while she knows chances are Kya couldn't leave without being hunted or being followed, she hates that she apparently bonded with members of the Royal Family. It wasn't fair. It's not fair. He has no right talking so fondly of her mother. He has no right saying her hugs were comforting. That she told the best stories. He had no right being close to her mom.

Katara is hurting, so a lot of what she says comes out because of that. Things she doesn't mean. Things she knows aren't important or will matter in the end. But she watched as her mother was taken away. As her betrothal necklace was ripped off her neck and tossed in front her crying daughter. Told she might as well have a last reminder of her mother. Her mom was gone and it was all her fault. If only she hadn't been a bender. If only the NWT actually helped them. If she'd just been born earlier or never at all. She doesn't mean what she says.

She knows her mother loves sharing stories, of course she'd tell a little boy if he asked for one. She knows her mom's hugs are comforting, she's been held in one every time she hurt herself, like when she pricked her finger on a needle, or when she got scared, such as the time she accidentally broke the ice under Sokka's feet and he fell through. Her hugs were warm and loving.

She can't help but feel hurt. And it takes her time to apologize, not for how she feels, never because of how she feels, but because of how she let those emotions made her act. For the things she said out of anger. Not just to Zuko, but to her brother, to Aang and Toph.

But she spent 6 years blaming herself and she still blames herself. And she can't help but just feel afraid. She's scared Kya blames her as much as she blames herself. That, when they go home, her mom will look at her in disdain. With nothing but hatred, any love she had for her daughter gone. It's so, stupid, but...

And Katara does eventually become friends with Zuko. The two take to talking, listening as the other vents. She thinks he's a moron for deciding to look for them via a fucking canoe (and now understands her brother's constant prayers to Yue to help him deal with this, he wasn't asking for more crazy benders even if they were cute, and wow was that a way to find out her brother liked boys). But it's also kinda nice, that it was solely because of Kya's stories and worry for them that he decided to look for them.

Not like she can get rid of him, they all got attached.

I've written a lot, so the rest will be in bullet points, feel free to ask about this AU, relationships (the only one I was sure I had planned was Zukka or Zukki):

Kya definitely wanted to leave earlier but wasn't sure how to go about doing so

Because they left the night Azulon left, Zuko doesn't have his scar

That being said, he gets captured in Ba Sing Se with Iroh and upon arriving home, gets one chance to reveal where his mom, sister and Kya are at. When he refuses to say, Ozai burns his face and ships him off the Boiling Rock, which is where he meets Suki for the first time.

Katara's guilt is something she's been hiding for a while. So when Sokka shows up with Zuko and says their mom is alive, that he was told by the FN boy next to him, her emotions slowly begin to break through the wall she built until it broke and she let everything out on everyone. She was hurting and wanted everyone else to feel hurt so she used her words to do that. And while she knows she was wrong to speak to them in the way she did, she was not going to apologize for how she felt.

That also being said, she's genuinely afraid of reuniting with her mom, because she can't help but think of it going wrong. She keeps imagining what her mom will say. How she'd look at her. And when the day comes she can finally see her mom again, she's the last one to do so.

Azula does, eventually, track down her dumdum brother's new friends. She'd hoped he was with them and was more than a little pissed when she learned he got captured by Zhao (I can't remember it correctly, but I think originally I had her catch up with all of them, so prior to Zuko being caught, but I like this more).

Zhao just barely made it out alive. First was his escape from the NWT and his failed siege. The next was when Ozai gave him one last chance to redeem himself. Now he's on his last chance. And he was sure he redeemed himself. He killed the Avatar, he caught the traitor Iroh and brought Prince Zuko home, who then revealed himself as another traitor. His last task? Find Ursa and Azula and the savage woman. Hopefully before the two women corrupted her as they did the Prince.

That's all I'll be sharing for now. A lot of it is things I've written before, some of it is changes I've made and some of it's new. This AU will still go through changes and I do want to go over the relationship between characters, so feel free to ask for certain ones!!

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hella1975 · 1 year

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taob chapter-by-chapter summary except it's brief and mildly insensitive (obviously spoilers ahead)

chapter 1: hakoda and the water tribe crew are on a boat. zuko is on a boat. it's just after the blue spirit episode. two world's collide and they fight each other. zuko loses. zuko gets injured. it's not funny. during the fighting however a young crewman from zuko's ship - a teenage boy called lee - is killed. the swt take zuko prisoner and so ensues a very chaotic series of events

chapter 2: zuko is placed in the infirmary where we meet the fan favourite healer, kanut. hakoda decides to enter correspondence with general fong bc he doesnt want the hassle of dealing with the fire prince (fair) and zuko throws soup at him. he escapes but it lasts like 5 minutes LMAO. it's not funny. hakoda threatens to hurt zuko if he firebends again and zuko reacts v normally

chapter 3: zuko is, fundamentally, a dumb cunt and he escapes again, this time bumping into the Biggest Warrior Who Is The Entire Reason He's In The Infirmary To Begin With; chena. kanut intervenes before a fight breaks out but zuko is still taken to hakoda for his first proper interrogation. they go back and forth before zuko reveals he went to the south pole. not believing zuko's avatar shenanigans in favour of assuming there was a raid, hakoda decides to go home to check

chapter 4: OUR VERY FIRST TOMKIN FRATERNISES WITH THE ENEMY. we officially meet the youngest crewmen; tomkin and nanook. cultural misunderstandings see the rocky beginning of their friendship with zuko. it's also decided to put zuko to work bc no one really knows what the fuck to do with him and he's just moping about the boat atm. another crewman, aput, is put in charge of zuko's chore duty, but is joined by tulok, the man who killed lee, which makes zuko uneasy. he's brainstorming another escape attempt when hakoda asks to speak with him

chapter 5: a letter arrived from general fuckfeatures saying he was happy to take zuko off hakoda's hands (bruv 😐) in three weeks time. hakoda finds himself reassuring zuko but, in a panic, zuko lashes out and flees, cornering himself on the bowsprit of all things. hakoda tries a different approach and talks zuko down. they talk for a long time before zuko feels comfortable enough to come back to the deck, but when he does, he slips and hakoda instinctively saves him, which causes a moral panic for both of them. the bar is truly on the floor

chapter 6: we arrive at the south pole! the crew find out zuko was telling the truth and never led a raid. hakoda is v perplexed by zuko and in a bid to try and find out why he doesn't commit gratuitous violence he winds up admitting that he wasn't actually going to attack zuko's ship that very first day. we also get a kanut backstory! this is his chapter fr

chapter 7: hakoda's revelation leads zuko into a crisis thinking it was his fault lee died. lots of lee turmoil in this one. you are not immune to explorations into the moral greyness of war. tomkin backstory! zuko gets his stitches out as well as a lecture from kanut on the importance of community/family. zuko is very quickly realising these people are not at all what he was told, and they're realising the same of him

chapter 8: sleepy zuko is not rocking with arctic winters. where the fuck is agni. this is very funny to everyone else involved. he soon wakes up tho bc we get THE AURORA SCENE

chapter 9: THE GANG GO HUNTING! zuko cant kill though and hakoda is being so brave about it. more lee turmoil as zuko starts interviewing everyone like 'Yes or No: No Violence Is Ethical Under Wartime?' and receiving different responses, none of which feel right. regardless, he goes back to the village and actually has a moment where he's laughing with tomkin and nanook and doesnt feel like they all hate him, so naturally it all goes to shit bc tom nook - misreading the situation so badly they should get an award for it - start asking about zuko's scar, and they go too far and he lashes out and boom! one burnt tomkin coming right up. JUST as they were starting to trust him too. life's a bitch

chapter 10: scar reveal chapter!!!!! there's tears and hugs and it's all generally v cathartic <3

chapter 11: zuko continues interviewing people. tomkin sets all of nanook's shirts on fire for shits and giggles. kanut starts pushing the zukka agenda on complete accident. hakoda carefully pulls out the adoption papers. kanna is horrified. more news at 10

chapter 12: tulok and zuko! they talk! they come to a conclusion on their wartime morality dissertation! they give lee a proper burial! zuko decides he wants the war to end! zuko ends the chapter with thee most obvious line of foreshadowing known to man no seriously what was that

chapter 13: the great rum heist of 99AG. zuko also gets fried by lightning but this isnt about him bc we officially get OUR FIRST TOVAH POV

chapter 14: we stop in wei hai where hakoda makes zuko promise to be less reckless. chena joins the Adopting Zuko bandwagon except he's caught on a stirup and is being dragged unwillingly along through the mud. meanwhile, tovah isnt what she seems and reveals a very malicious side to herself that is very focused on zuko

chapter 15: gaoling! the kids dick about on the beach and generally get to act their age before convincing hakoda to let them go into the town together. while in gaoling, tomkin reveals he's a HUGE blue spirit fan. zuko has a meltdown about it. tomkin then tries to get the attention of a girl he likes, but she waves at zuko instead (HELP) and tomkin takes that personally. like yes king that's zuko's fault he's just too much of a pussy magnet guilty as charged. zuko is just very confused bc he's fully gay but he's fully not okay about it so instead of clarifying him and tomkin just fall out. pray for nanook. chapter ends with two footsoldiers, oro and renmin, being told to send word to tovah that zuko is in gaoling and to keep an eye on him

chapter 16: nanook knows what zuko is. hakoda doesn't. tries to talk to zuko about embracing queerness anyway. it goes HORRIBLY bc zuko's just like 'i dont think my great-grandfather - inventor of homophobia - would like this' and storms off all angsty like. he goes to gaoling WHERE TOPH IS!!! she bumps into zuko on her way to earth rumble and they decide to beat each other up at a secondary location as like. a bonding activity. kids being kids. meanwhile oro and renmin are all about profit maximisation these boys want a PROMOTION baby, so they decide to ignore tovah's orders and eavesdrop on the water tribe camp, overhearing that the boy they're watching over is PRINCE ZUKO. they decide to kidnap him and take him to general fong, and if the water tribe put up a fight, they'll kill them. zuko overhears this

chapter 17: zuko decides - instead of running to save his own skin - to go back to the water tribe, but remembering the injuries and potential fatalities of their fight in ch1, he decides to do this alone. he's so clever. he sneaks into camp to get his swords and just before he leaves to intercept oro and renmin, he remembers his promise to hakoda about being more careful. wanting to leave something to show the water tribe he left willingly and to make it look 'less reckless', zuko leaves ONE of his dao swords behind. i love metaphors. cue a fight scene with oro and renmin god i fucking hate writing action scenes this one still elicits a trauma response out of me. zuko surrenders when they threaten to kill the swt and goes willingly. his firebending stops. he gets blood on his hands. shadowing the fore if you will

chapter 18: toph goes to meet zuko and he doesnt arrive so she immediately snitches on him to his adoptive family. the water tribe find evidence of his fight with oro and renmin and combined with hakoda's knowledge that he wouldn't just leave one sword behind for no reason, they know he's been kidnapped again lol. BATO ARRIVES! tovah goes to fong saying she lost the prince and fong is like 'oh ffs :('

chapter 19: bro i swear i almost got death threats for this chapter 😭 zuko arrives at fong's base and it's immediately clear he's not there to have a funky good time. fong kills oro and renmin because he doesnt want anyone knowing he has the fire prince and he cuts zuko's hair to send to ozai and enter negotiations. meanwhile bato has to be the voice of reason and, because they're outnumbered due to most of their men waiting for them at chameleon bay AND this is clearly fong's doing so they have to be politically careful AND they cant be seen being actively fond of the fire prince, it's decided they cant go look for zuko (at least not yet). chena is the most vocally against this. im so normal about them. zuko gets taken to a prison beneath fong's base by the prison warden - who he nicknames spider bc of his apperance - where zuko meets two young boys. zi se (5y/o) and lanse (10y/o) - war minnister qin's sons. both boys are shouted at/threatened when news of the northern air temple arrives and zuko defends them. lanse is killed, and days became weeks became months (🤭🤭🤭)

chapter 20 - appendix between book 1 and book 2. not important. go girl give us nothing

chapter 21: zuko in the cell with the five year old he's totally not developed a codependent self-sacrificial bond with. we see life in the prison aka chan - the biggest prisoner - fighting zuko for food and zuko just being BRUTAL like these two are just tearing into each other rn. zuko's firebending is gone and he's scared of fire now from being tortured. meanwhile our above-ground gang reveal it's been four months and they're going into the day of black sun arc and bc of war politics the water tribe have had to ALLY WITH GENERAL FONG NOOOO. very tense convo between him and them BUT he does reveal that zuko is alive which is more than what they knew 5 mins ago

chapter 22: TOVAH BACKSTORY! fong asks her to keep an eye on the prisoners while he's gone bc she's his most trusted soldier and she's like huh. what an odd request. i think he's hiding something. im so hot and clever. so she goes to the prison cells and what do u know there's a boy matching prince zuko's description right there. she breaks him and zi se out and throws spider to chan and the other prisoners where he literally gets torn to shreds. hot girl summer. the day of black sun happens and the adults are taken prisoner while the kids (including tomkin and nanook) escape on appa. kanut punches fong tho and gets taken seperately for bad behaviour. i giggled

chapter 23: zuko above ground finally! it's all rlly overwhelming but tovah gets them out of fong's base and all the way to the woods before zuko starts threatening her. she reveals that she's part of the white lotus and has been working for iroh this whole time. we get more of her backstory r.e her vendetta against long feng and the dai li. we catch up with kanut and he's put in prison WITH iroh. when unclehoods collide. the gaang arrive at the western air temple

chapter 24: zuko and zi se arrive at the white lotus camp and a healer - akinari - sees to zi se but when he tries to check zuko, zuko lashes out and breaks his arm. it's all just a lot for him and zi se is struggling too. after a bad nightmare, zi se asks zuko to promise him that they're safe now and zuko - with a very healthy relationship with promises after hakoda let him down - realises the only way he can promise that is if he kills fong. he comes to the decision and when does, his fire comes back blue. meanwhile, sokka starts brainstorming about which prison his dad was taken to, figures it out bc he's the most character of all time, and sneaks off to break hakoda out of the boiling rock. the same prison tovah told zuko fong was in....

chapter 25: zi se reveals to zuko that he's got a rotten tooth (months in unsanitary conditions with poor if nonexistant hygeine measures are a BITCH! hate it when that happens) and zuko has like? a whole downwards spiral about it? he takes it as confirmation that - at least as he is now - he cant take care of zi se and he's 'failed' him after sacrificing everything trying to do the opposite. it's basically confirmation for him that he needs to leave not just to kill fong but also just to be alone. i gotta put me first! tovah gives him his blue spirit mask LMAO and those two leave the camp on akinari's war balloon. tovah is going to break iroh out. zuko is going to kill fong. high treason besties that slay together. meanwhile iroh and kanut are bonding over the trauma that is dealing with zuko, and they decide their own escape plan. sokka gets to the boiling rock and, not long after, so does zuko. they bump into each other and have a !!!! moment before deciding to work together (sokka doesnt know about the Kill A Man plan zuko's got going...). tovah gets to iroh and kanut easily enough and tells them about zuko. they both decide they need to go to the boiling rock as well

chapter 26: zukka sleep in a cupboard overnight and NO ONE is gay about it at all ever. sokka sees zuko's scars and knows Something Bad Happened since he saw zuko last but zuko is deflecting at the speed of Repress Everything so not much comes of it. still, they bond and sokka actually really clicks with zuko and wants to help/befriend him and he's generally pretty chuffed with their alliance. meanwhile, hakoda and fong are being transported to TBR together bc they're the respective leader of their groups. hakoda clobbers fong. it's v fun. the guards take their weapons including zuko's dao that hakoda has kept with him this whole time. sokka sees suki and zukka decide to split up; sokka going after hakoda and zuko going after suki. they agree to all meet again in TBR's old library. zuko and suki get their old weapons back from where they're all stashed before being caught by chit sang, who wants in on the escape. suki asks after her warriors but chit sang says the only earth kingdomers to come in recently are a general that morning. zuko knows it's fong and goes a bit crazy like 👹 bring him 👹. meanwhile, sokka has already got hakoda to the library bc he's the compotent half of zukka and they're there when kanut and iroh come bickering in

chapter 27: bonus chapter! all the shuhon prison shenanigans with chena, aput, tulok and bato. they start a food fight and meet suki's kyoshi warriors. this fic is so fun and angstless

chapter 28: SIKE! everyone is in the library; sokka, hakoda, iroh, kanut, suki, zuko, chit sang, fong etc. there's reunions and dramatic dialogue and sokka feels very betrayed by EVERYONE and iroh is not communicating with his tormented nephew AT ALL and hakoda is so worried about what will come of this that he also isn't communicating that well either. it's a SHITSHOW. kanut is chill about it tho. so anyway zuko kills fong and is all like 'im evil :) i need to go to the land of evil people where i dont feel guilty about being evil :)' so he returns to the fire nation with azula and no one can rlly do anything about it lol. there is a frankly silly amount of comments on this chapter i literally barricaded my house to escape the screaming and bitching of my comment section

chapter 29: ZUKO ALONE CHAPTER! he's en route to the fire nation. this is almost entirely just him and azula having very tense conversations trying to figure each other out bc their relationship is VERY warped from canon. zuko is summoned by ozai and ozai says he's welcome home and he's proud of him for doing something that is literally HAUNTING zuko and zuko's like 'hmm. should probably unpack the implications of that at some point'. they all go ember island like in canon and mai is like my arranged-husband-since-childhood in CHRIST you have septicemia' and he's like 'nah'. him and azula talk on the beach and zuko finds out she has blue fire as well and it's a nice 'we're terrible but we're terrible together' moment. she reveals that ozai is planning to destroy the earth kingdom and it jolts zuko into realising he cant just step out of the war; he needs to act like he swore he would when he resolved lee's death. he knows he needs to leave the fire nation to warn the others of ozai's plans

chapter 30: ANOTHER ZUKO ALONE CHAPTER! zuko packs a bag and decides to just like. TRASH his room lmao take that fire nation! azula catches him and those two have another moment. they're very angry and hurt by each other but she also doesn't snitch on him to ozai when she realises what he's doing so it's just very complicated. zuko goes to yell at ozai anyway and gets a lot off his chest in that conversation. he escapes with help from mai and flees the fire nation as a traitor

chapter 31: we check back in at the western air temple! everyone is v concerned about sokka and tom nook are struggling being the only real 'adult' presence. the other water tribe men are en route to the western air temple and are all reeling from the news of zuko. sokka particularly is Not Okay about it all and him and suki basically break up. he talks to hakoda but he's not ready to hear the full story yet, so they agree to discuss it another time. meanwhile, zuko goes to the white lotus camp to get zi se so those two reunite! yay! hope this doesnt further their co-dependency! they journey to the air temple and zuko's injury gets progressively worse. the rest of the tribe reunite at the temple

chapter 32: HUGE FUCK OFF REUNION CHAPTER JESUS CHRIST THIS HAS SO MANY SPIDERMAN POINTING MEMES. so sokka finds zuko in the woods trying to figure out what the FUCK he's gonna say bc he's not seen everyone since literally chapter 16. zukka are zukka. zi se is their divorce lawyer. sokka eventually takes zuko to the temple and everyone chokes up and hugs and it's so cool. zuko explains about the comet and ozai's plans and then immediately passes the fuck out bc that's what happens when you don't treat an infected wound! kanut is fuming

chapter 33: fever dream chapter!!! all those fucked up fever dreams god i loved writing those i should give zuko septicemia again just so i can write more fever dreams. the gaang come to terms with zuko being in the camp; suki is chill with it, aang and toph are ecstatic, and katara is reluctant but has too much of a bleeding heart to overlook the Tortured Teenager and Literal Five Year Old. sokka is the only one actively against zuko rn. everyone else sneaks in to see zuko and we get our first bit of comfort in ages <333

chapter 34: zuko getting Rest and Recuperation and biting it and biting it and biting it. he talks with hakoda who confirms he's actually wanted at camp and zuko - who thought they'd all hate him - is like what the fuck, so they get a lot of clarification there. katara comes in and offers to use her water healing on zuko, but she comes in with food and we see the beginnings of zuko's inch resting relationship with food now after starving/fighting for food in prison. he has to chuck the food away to stop himself from seeing katara as a threat and that combined with what she's seen of zi se's behaviour is enough for katara to be like 'ah. this is an Issue'. the whole thing is just a lot for zuko and he has a panic attack when katara leaves, seeking comfort from zi se like they always did in prison except zi se doesnt need zuko as much as he did, and it's just a very stark reminder that ZI SE is getting over things but zuko just cant seem to. he lashes out and shouts at zi se, who cries and is found later by sokka. sokka comforts him and zuko sees and is SO normal about it

chapter 35: zuko gets discharged from the infirmary and is immediately faced with kanut and bato's 'we've been friends since childhood and ARE going to be annoying about it' shenanigans. meanwhile sokka is figuring his shit out and decides he's comfortable enough in himself to finally start over with zuko. those two have a talk and decide to have a clean slate and zuko takes it... weirdly seriously. like bro is DETERMINED to get his redemption by sokka. cool the jets freak that's how homosexuality happens!! oh also aang tries his first real attempt to get zuko to be his firebending teacher and zuko is effectively just like 'omg thanks for asking! fuck no 🙏🔥'

chapter 36: sike!! aang no.1 bully manages to bug zuko into going to the firebending masters with him and zuko saw an opportunity for a day out with free childcare and didn't look back. they do the whole firebending masters episode as normal just with some taobification (aka zuko is a massive baby about it) and then they come home with a healthier relationship and hearts open to the element of fire <3 beautiful showstopping never gets old

chapter 37: SOKKA AND HAKODA FINALLY TALK AND FIGURE THEIR SHIT OUT JESUS CHRIST YOU'VE NEVER SEEN TWO MEN MISCOMMUNICATE SO BADLY SINCE HAIKYUU. zuko however cant get out of eating with everyone today and it really triggers his food trauma. he spirals and lashes out at tulok when he goes to reach for him, pointing a knife at him and nearly wounding him. obviously this makes zuko freak out and he runs outside. tom nook comfort him and then so do the others. still it's a huge step back for zuko and he's really beating himself up over it. also zi se says 'good soup'. taob is increasingly becoming me seeing how much shit i can get away with

chapter 38: just a hakoda, zuko and zi se chapter that at the time i thought read as a shitty bonus chapter but has lowkey become one of my favourite, most integral chapters of book 2. zuko is having a nightmare and goes for a walk around the temple to calm down, which then sets zi se off crying when he wakes up and zuko's not there, and they proceed to just make each other worse from that point on. like that is the plot of the chapter. zuko starts shutting zi se out when he cant stop him crying which is when HAKODA FATHER FIGURE NO.1 finally steps in <3 he comforts zi se and puts him to bed and then comforts zuko, who has a really cathartic scene of just shouting and saying shit he's been needing off his chest for a WHILE. he falls asleep with hakoda watching over him

chapter 39: sokka drops his food plan to the delight of zukka readers everywhere. seriously i took the piss with the slowburn tag. zuko agrees to start having his meals with sokka and it goes better than expected and is also a weird take on the forced proximity trope, bc apparently shoving them in a cupboard in TBR wasn't enough. bato is On To Them. meanwhile tulok found a waterfall and tomkin bullies nanook, zuko and toph into going with him which causes our latest zuko freak out: Coming To Terms With Your Damaged Body Post-Torture. still they have fun and zuko takes a little healing step in the right direction which becomes a LEAP when it starts absolutely pissing it down. the Rain Scene u will always be famous

chapter 40: GAY CHAPTER! canon aroace kanut PLUS bato-hakoda-kanut flashback PLUS queer adults being comfortable and idiotic PLUS lesbian chena mention PLUS zuko starting to tackle his own internalised homophobia PLUS our roots of kanut and zuko bullying each other into life-changing revelations. i fed you so well with this update

chapter 41: it's decided that they're gonna leave the air temple soon but azula goes 'we leave when I SAY WE LEAVE' and ruins everything. before that though zukka go hunting and zuko gets a Very Normal Amount Of Protective over sokka when he cuts his knee. those two are making PROGRESS. tom nook have a gay sparring scene... i know the rituals are intricate... AZULA ATTACKS! tense sibling moment! mailee slaying (literally)! the gang deciding to flee! everyone splits up! zuko & tomnook go with the gaang and the swt crew go with the others! tragic. i am booed off stage

chapter 42: ZUKO AND KATARA BESTIEISMS ERA. starts off with zuko generally shutting down, being really overwhelmed to be back out in the world and retreating to his tent as a result, missing the simplicity of being back in the cell. insane thought process from your local trauma victim. tom nook try and help him but are almost TOO accomodating, and in the end it's sokka who helps most because he's able to kind of shake zuko out of it without babying him. still, zuko goes on to lash out at AANG OF ALL PEOPLE and it causes a fight between him and sokka. katara speaks to zuko alone and those two just Get Each Other i mean it we need more zuko-katara friendship in fics NOW. they relate over being angry at the things that have harmed them and being unable to forgive and move on quite as well as their peers, and the chapter ends on a really sweet note of the two of them sitting with that admission and finding solidarity in each other

chapter 43: a taob take on the southern raiders ep. katara's leftover anger bubbles over and she starts snapping at everyone. tom nook have a very fruity scene where nanook longs harder than a wife waiting for her husband to return from war. what's all that about buddy. finally, katara's bad mood comes to a head and she upsets zi se, which makes zuko feel like he needs to acknowledge her temper, but first he needs to deal w the other water tribe sib. zukka talk! zuko apologises for their spat last chapter and they have a weird 'let's promise to be vulnerable with each other in a bro way forevermore' moment. guys being dudes. sokka tells zuko about kya and why he thinks that's what has katara in such a bad mood. zuko then talks to katara and says that he can help her find the people who killed her mother if that's what she really wants. zuko and katara bestieisms will always be in any atla fic i write. katara very firmly decides she is in fact going to commit premeditated murder which sokka and aang are NOT chuffed about in fact sokka is pissed OFF with zuko and those two fight AGAIN however in the exact same pov sokka realises that he fancies zuko. lord grant me patience. katara and sokka talk it out and eventually katara decides not to commit murder. epic loss for murder everyone boo for the left-wing agenda.

#FINALLY DID THIS #im not gonna be too thorough with these bc it's just supposed to rejog your memory not like. actually explain everything lmao #like if u want more detail ur gonna have to read/reread otherwise this would have been an UNGODLY length lol sorry <3 #i'll reblog this with each update and add to it as i go #it'll also be linked in the next chapter's summary #im so fucking organised god im hot #taob updates

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firelxdykatara · 3 months

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I'm glad you're optimistic about the remake but the cast is far from perfect. Not a single Inuit person has been casted to play a SWT character and every Air Nomad actor with the exception of Gordon Cormier, who is Filipino-Canadian, is of chinese descent and they're portraying Tibetan inspired characters.

I didn't say the cast was perfect, I said the cast has a lot more poc than any iteration we've had (original show, sequel series, and movie) thus far, which is unequivocally true, and that there are a number of poc behind the camera (both showrunners and a significant number of the writers and directors who I can find credits for), which was not true of the original show.

I think looking or asking for or expecting perfection is always going to be an exercise in futility, if not abject failure, and I think it's important to acknowledge what we do have now, which we did not have with the original story, and which makes 'but the show was perfect as is, why change it' more than a little bit suspect.

That's all.

#atla #atla la #atla fandom salt #the casting isn't perfect but it's a damn sight better than what has come before #and i really hope the show is successful #those kids deserve it #Anonymous #asked

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rebelband · 1 year

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Have you ever drawn a personality swap with the group? Or maybe even like an opposite personality thing. Idk I was imagining k k with a bit of attitude

mnn... I doodle full-on body swaps (x) once in a blue moon, but I don't usually tend to sit too long on personality swaps?

here's two hypothetical configurations though (based off my own interpretations for convenience). these keep their main trait (energetic/smooth/silly) and alter their personalities solely.

swt is a worker and a perfectionist; it is also, well. sweet! but has a lot of drive while being a bit stubborn. cpn would be more strong-willed (while still avoiding physical conflict), and he'd be the sort to try and work to avoid any feelings/thoughts. cks would be less easygoing, but they'd still be excitable! (their jokes, unfortunately, land a lot more flat this way.) they'd have more priority on work than play.

cpn cares about appearance a lot and maintaining things (or getting new, better things). swt's never been much to care about its looks, but this verse would make them a bit more worried about how cube-like it is and try to smooth those edges down. cks would be the kind to act like they're flirting/being deceptive, but it's all just to lead it into some sort of joke or silly prank. basically they're just more lowkey (and self-conscious).

cks is a huge people pleaser that doesn't want anyone to fret over them and fairly passive when it comes to taking lead. in this case... swt would want to make sure everyone (and it means Everyone) has fun; they also have far too much energy and not enough time to do everything that comes to mind. if they didn't have enough dropped drafts already, well, now they have so many more... cpn would be the guy that tries to play cute/cool in a funny way, not a "hey mama what's up!" way, and would Not have many issues with their identity.

...at least, the configuration I like more is scc but one position to the left (swt with cpn's, cpn with cks's); that's just me being biased. I could talk about the dynamics of both kinds in another post, maybe...?

and an opposite personality verse sounds interesting, but I'm not sure how that'd go...

is it that sweet becomes less brave and willing to fight whereas cap'n takes on those attributes? k_k being more straightforward and honest than they are silly (e.g., "I'm thirsty" when wounded)? no clue... I don't really enjoy this one too much since it takes too much away from them when it's exaggerated in such a way............. kinda.

#[inbox]#[art]#[2023]#i love worldbuilding and i love thinking about verses but even if i want to get into it here i don't think the weather is permitting me to #it doesn't really matter what kind of personality they have - swt and cpn are still going to bicker; and they all respect each other in #their own way as well. albeit the swaps make the arguments less... long?#k!cpn would scam you with a smile and s!cks would still give you the free bagels because they don't have any vendettas against you.#k!swt would still fight you as well but that's ... more of a try and get you swayed to the good sight with good fun and dance. almost.#mmm... y'know? i could talk about it more if anyone really wants but i'll leave it as that for now and lie down #i never pass up excuses to put them in outfits in like 👍 hope they're free on weekends!

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mah-o-daryaa · 5 months

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The Cycle Repeats: Part V

One of the key themes of the ATLA franchise is the concept of the Avatar; master of all 4 elements, the fusion of humanity and Raava, the spirit of light and order, whose sole duty is to bring balance to the world, and be the bridge between both the physical and spiritual realms. Along with this comes the idea of reincarnation, which is the premise of the Avatar Cycle, the idea that the Avatar reincarnates in a cyclic order in any of the four nations (fire, air, water, earth). Another concept related to the Avatar Cycle (although originating from the fandom) is the idea of the Avatar fixing the mistakes of their past life, which is often indicated in differences in both habitual circumstances and personalities between both predecessor and successor, and therefore differences in morality.

But what if I were to tell you that the saying "history repeats itself" is also true among Avatar incarnations? Not exactly going the same way, but rather parallels between the lives, personalities, and accomplishments (and failures) of past lives?

In this series of metas, I will be going over parallels (or in some cases, foils) between certain pairs of Avatars that lived decades, or even centuries apart, and yet could not have ever been more similar.

Equivalent Elements: Avatars Kuruk and Korra

"Kuruk was the Water Tribe Avatar immediately succeeding Avatar Yangchen and preceding Avatar Kyoshi. Native to the Northern Water Tribe, he was a powerful and gifted bender who dreamed of changing the mortal world for the better by uniting the people and acting upon the foundations laid by Yangchen."

"Korra is the current incarnation of the Avatar and immediate successor of Avatar Aang. Born and raised in the Southern Water Tribe, where she mastered waterbending, earthbending, and firebending, she later relocated to Republic City to attain a similar proficiency with airbending under the tutelage and guidance of Tenzin, as well as to help her overcome her aversion to the spiritual aspects of the bending arts. With the assistance of Aang's spirit, Korra gained the ability to energybend and, after connecting with her past lives, she gained the capacity to enter the Avatar State at will, marking her transition into a fully realized Avatar."

These are the respective wiki pages for Kuruk and Korra, and you might actually notice they even look similar (which I guess makes sense, considering they're both from the same nation). You might actually notice that there are some similarities between them, from their heritage, to personalities, to their downfall as the Avatar. I'll get to each of these parallels in a moment.

First and foremost, unlike the previous four pairs I analyzed, both Kuruk and Korra are from the same nation: Kuruk is from the Northern Water Tribe, and Korra was born in the Southern Water Tribe, although her father was from the NWT royal family, while her mother was from the SWT. Therefore, they ended up learning the elements in the same order: water, earth, fire, air. Ironically, I guess you could say they are... polar opposites. (Get it? 'Cause they're from opposite ends of the world?)

Both Kuruk and Korra succeeded Air Nomad Avatars who ended global conflicts that originated in the aftermath of their predecessors' deaths (Yangchen ended the Platinum Affair; Aang ended the Hundred Years War). During Korra's era, the world actively questioned the need of an Avatar, while in Sozin's Comet Part 2: The Old Masters (Book 3: Episode 19), Kuruk told Aang that "When I was young, I was always a go-with-the-flow kind of Avatar. People seemed to work out their own problems, and there was peace and good times in the world." This implies that Yangchen established peace between the four nations which was also prevalent in Kuruk's time, at least in the physical world.

However, during the course of both of their journeys, it's revealed that Yangchen neglected her duties in the Spirit World, which led to an increase in dark spirit attacks during Kuruk's time. Aang, on the other hand, ran away from the Southern Air Temple, indirectly allowing his entire race to be slaughtered during the first Sozin's comet, in addition to indirectly favoring benders over nonbenders, and taking away Yakone's bending, which led to the rise of the Equalists and their leader Amon, Yakone's son, during Korra's time. Korra also witnessed the Harmonic Convergence, which brought back the Air Nation from extinction, while Kuruk hunted dark spirits during his visits to the Spirit World.

Both of their journeys had devastating impacts on their health. Every time Kuruk killed a dark spirit, a portion of his own spirit was harmed, which shortened his lifespan to just 33 years. During Harmonic Convergence, Unalaq and Vaatu destroyed Korra's connection to Raava, which ended up severing her connection to her past lives. However, she was able to fuse with Raava again before the Harmonic Convergence was over. Ironically, Korra was taught spiritbending by her uncle Unalaq, which could have really helped Kuruk to not die.

Korra was also poisoned by the Red Lotus, who tried to poison her with mercury in an attempt to force her into the Avatar State and die, ending the Avatar Cycle for good. She probably would have died had Suyin not metalbent the poison out of the former's body. In the end, Korra was paralyzed and was left to deal with the aftermath for 3 years. During the final year, she coped with her pain by travelling and participating in bending contests in the Earth Kingdom, reminiscent of Kuruk's travels and challenges centuries ago. Since she was 21 years old in Book 4 (the legal drinking age in the US) she probably would have indulged in alcoholism, too, if there was no Y-7 rating for The Legend of Korra (even though Book 1 literally ended with a double murder-suicide, and the poisoning thing).

Despite the Water Tribes' strong emphasis on family and community, Kuruk never told his companions about his spirit hunts, and Korra isolated herself from her family, her companions, and Tenzin during her recovery.

However, there is one difference: Korra was able to get medical attention for mercury poisoning (Suyin used metalbending to remove most of the poison from Korra's body, and Toph encouraged Korra to metalbend the rest of it out), whereas Kuruk was not (spiritbending wasn't discovered at the time to help Kuruk, and he wasn't able to heal himself fully). If Korra still had the connection to her past lives, I imagine Kuruk would somehow manifest in front to Korra to tell her that he was very proud of her.

In addition, in Beginnings: Part 1 (Book 2: Episode 7), Kuruk is the only one of Korra's past lives to mention Raava by name.

"Go back. Return to the beginning. Find Raava."

(I couldn't find the image sorry.)

Although all of her past four lives (Aang, Roku, Kyoshi, and Kuruk) told Korra to connect with the Avatar Spirit, Kuruk is the one who told Korra about its proper name (even though Korra mistook Wan for Raava). I actually have a theory based on this detail that I might come around to later.

We can even predict some of Korra's failures by looking at Kuruk. Kuruk ended up spending so much time in the Spirit World that he neglected his duties in the physical world, which led to the Earth Kingdom being overrun by criminals during Kyoshi's time. Although Korra didn't neglect either the physical or spiritual realms, she did leave the spirit portals open, which led to the ability of humans and spirits to coexist and travel between both realms. Unfortunately, this could lead to negative consequences like dark spirits, like Koh The Face Stealer, escaping from the Spirit World during the next Avatar's time. Only time will tell.

Speaking of which, since Korra opened both spirit portals, and created a third in Republic City, this technically means she can visit her past lives in the Spirit World. However, if I remember correctly, since Kuruk's spirit is still wandering the Spirit World in search for Ummi, and he is currently the only Avatar confirmed to end up in the Spirit World after death, this means that Kuruk is the only Avatar Korra can talk to when she visits the Spirit World. Again, only time will tell.

Accordingly, I can conclude that Kuruk and Korra have interesting, yet expected, parallels. From their heritage, to their journeys, to their obstacles and recoveries (or lack thereof), they are the same song sung in different verses. In the next part, I will analyze the differences between their respective predecessors, Yangchen and Aang, and discuss why they act as character foils.

For now, enjoy fluffy-haired Zuko!

<- Prev I Next ->

#atla #lok #past avatars #the cycle repeats #kuruk #korra #I decided that I won't include a spoiler warning for the Chronicles of the Avatar series anymore #at least until the Roku novel comes out #I also realized something #Yue #Katara #and young Kanna look identical to each other #Korra resembles Katara who resembles Hakoda #who is her father #Kuruk and Hakoda also look identical #but that's also for another post #mone lives

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sanrielle · 7 months

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Hi! Hope you've been having a good day so far <3

For the OTP Questions, 11, 16, and 23 for Tokka? :D

Thank you!

Hi! I'm doing well and hope you are too :D

11. What is their love language?

Toph's love languages would involve her senses, I think. Being blind, she relies that much more on her other senses to give her information, so physical touch and words of affirmation would both be meaningful to her.

Sokka is more of an acts of serve/gifts guy. He constantly makes sure people are eating regularly and getting them food if they're busy/stressed/not feeling well.

Together, I think those love languages are very compatible, assuming Toph is able to let go of some of her pride and let him take care of her. Maybe it could cause some conflict in an angstier setting lol. But Sokka would love experiencing Toph's more affectionate side when they're alone. And by affectionate, I mean both the cuddling she would absolutely deny enjoying and the animalistic fervor with which she throws herself at him >:)

16. Who cooks most? (I'm reusing this one from Twinkles' ask XDDD)

Sokka, easily. Toph can make tea and noodles. She's also really good at picking up takeout, but she'll still make him do it, anyway. I think Sokka would at some point pick up a hobby of like, smoking meat or something. Maybe he even knows how to do it already (I'm no expert but I'd imagine smoking would be a common cooking technique in the SWT?)

Sokka's the kind of guy who likes to take care of people, and he's also very food-oriented, so I think those two things would mix well. Maybe he's never a master chef, but if he were to live with a woman---especially someone like Toph who Simply Does Not Cook---he would take the time to learn a few things.

Addendum: Bachelor Sokka would rarely cook for himself.

23. How well do they know each other’s favorite foods?

I guess I'm just going to talk about food in all three of these haha.

Sokka knows exactly which takeout dishes to get for Toph, depending on her mood. He can't cook her favorite foods, but he'll make sure Katara does on special occasions. (But secretly Toph still prefers the takeout version because she grew up with Fancy Food and can therefore taste very subtle differences in how things are seasoned, etc, and Katara just doesn't quite get EK cuisine. But Toph doesn't say anything.)

Toph knows that Sokka will happily eat just about anything as long as it's got some meat in it. I know this is kind of a cliche from the show but Idgaf haha it's so central to his character and it also makes a ton of sense, considering that SWT cuisine would be like 90% meat/fat. Toph also knows that Sokka (and Katara, too) hates the ""authentic"" SWT restaurant in Republic City and will only suggest going there if she's mad at him.

Thanks for the ask!!

#toph #sokka #tokka #atla #lok

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3cosmicfrogs · 2 months

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I am curious about your thoughts if you have any on Hakoda/Bato/Jee. Are they in a harmonious throuple? A messy ex of my ex situation? Are Bato and Hakoda both arranging dockside meetups without being aware of each other, or even flirting yet? Are they all pretending what they have is sustainable and fine and not a big deal until suddenly the Avatar is back and the ship blows up?

hmmmmmmmm you're out here asking the big questions...

i think bato and hakoda ought to be together already. they've been away from home for so long etc etc. but because they're not always in the same place for months at a time (bato being hakoda's second in command often leads part of the swt fleet for extended periods of time when they divide up their forces) and through mutual understanding they've opened up their relationship, which is fine, totally, and they're not secretly jealous, absolutely not. this is a healthy relationship.

So they both are not so much arranging as occasionally running into jee on docksides. Look, there's only so many ports not under firenation control this far into the war. And their partner surely wanted to open their relationship, so they might as well reciprocate the flirting of this very tired man.

i think up until the final defeat of the firenation they just somehow manage to never be in the same location all 3 at once, and no one is pursuing anything because bato and hakoda are pining after each other while already being in a relationship, and all 3 are aware that their loyalties put them on ultimately opposing sides. they're all reasonable men, and able to compartmentalize, this is fine this is totally fine. there are no feelings here.

Hm. I dont really headcanon a romantic relationship per se, perhaps a bato/hakoda situation with jee as a platonic third? family friend? Guy they occasionally sandwich when he's in the area? For me the meat of this crackship comes from the mental gymnastics everyone is doing to 1) avoid discussing war loyalties and 2) pine after your romantic partner on bato/hakoda's side. If you want to go down a proper throuple romantic route, I would imagine the above situation except with the addition of jee learning what polyamory is (as i headcanon the water tribes being a lot less into the concept of marriage and monogamy than the firenation). ("lieutenant jee, meet my boyfriend sokka and his girlfriend suki" "you're... all in a relationship with each other, sir?" "what, like it's hard?" "...i see. excuse me.")

hehehehe thanks for this ask! it certainly got me thinking ! about old men, which is my favourite activity btw!

#mail from the beloved mutuals #lieutenant jee #bato #hakoda

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yourhighness6 · 2 months

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What is your favorite Zutara headcanon?

I hope you have an amazing day! ^.^

I'm so sorry this has been sitting in my inbox forever! I haven't had a chance to answer asks and I kind of forgot about it, so I'm going to give an extra long answer to make up for it lol. I have a few that are tied for first and second, so bear with me.

Firstly, I absolutely love the idea of Zuko helping out Katara with the chores after he joined the gaang. It just makes sense that he would try to help her out, and that he would feel guilty and try to do extra work. Of course, it takes Katara awhile to actually appreciate his help, but after TSR they actually manage to have fun together while they're doing dishes and laundry together, and she can't imagine it any other way.

This one is kind of cheesy, but I love the idea of them both being musically inclined, but in different ways. Zuko is obviously great at the tsungi horn, but he's an absolutely awful singer, and Katara can't play an instrument to save her life, but she has the voice of an angel. They like practicing songs with each other to let off steam, and even after the war whenever Katara finds herself in the Fire Nation or Zuko in the water tribe, they still get together to make a bit of music. They're also both wonderful dancers, Zuko from growing up learning dances in the FN court, and Katara because it's a big part of her culture, and she also just thinks it's fun. Zuko never really liked to dance, because it reminded him of being boxed in at court, but Katara shows him some different steps and he actually enjoys himself for once. In an AU where they end up together, their kids grow up combining the dances of both their cultures and creating new trends in both the FN and the SWT.

This one isn't really Zutara-centric, but Toph teases the HELL out of them. She literally goes around making the snarkiest comments and she will not stop until they are both blushing like tomatoes.

In an AU where they get together, they are the second in the gaang to get married, after Suki and Sokka but before Aang and Teo (I said what I said). Their wedding is obviously a huge event, and Sokka and Aang are the groomsmen while Toph and Suki are the bridesmaids, obviously. Katara is super into wedding planning and picking out her dress. Uncle Iroh helps her with the plans and buys fireworks and organizes the guest list and Zuko rebels against the both of them at every turn because he doesn't really want a huge, ostentatious wedding. He eventually realizes that this is way more important to Katara than it is to him, though, so he stops trying to get them to tone things down and only helps her with the planning when asked, to give her all the creative freedom her heart desires. In canon (where they don't get together) I like to think that Zuko would be Katara's 'man of honor' at her wedding with Aang. Partially because of pining and angst, but mostly because they want to be there for each other and see each other happy, even if they aren't going to be the ones spending their lives together.

Zuko would be the first one to realize his feelings for Katara, but he'd be in denial for so long that by the time Katara realizes her feelings back, they're at about the same place when it comes to their relationship. She's the first one to say "I love you" and even though it takes him a little time to say it back, it's only because he's scared to be so vulnerable with someone at first. She gives him time, and his love confession ends up being simultaneously the most awkward and the most romantic thing in the world. Zuko is the one to propose and Katara says yes without question.

They end up having two kids, twin girls named Kya and Ursa after their mothers. Kya, the nonbender, is set to inherit the throne, and Ursa, the waterbender, has a special gift for healing. Zuko only wanted one kid because he was afraid of messing them up, but he ends up being a wonderful father. Katara is a great mother as well, of course, and she loves to teach Ursa waterbending while Zuko helps her incorporate firebending moves into her fighting style. Kya feels a little left out of these family training sessions at first, but Zuko teaches her how to use the dao swords, her Aunt Mai teaches her how to throw knives, and her Aunt Ty Lee teaches her chi blocking, so she's just as deadly as the rest of her family.

Katara's first project after becoming firelady is to help spearhead pollution reform and create industrial regulations that help the FN become more environmentally friendly. She eventually travels back to the village in "the Painted Lady" with her daughters to show them the value of respecting nature.

This one also isn't very zutara-centric, but I don't think Katara and Azula would ever really reconcile. Although she becomes good friends with both Mai and Ty Lee (who are dating, obviously), she can never forgive Azula for some of the most traumatic events of her life. Zuko and Azula do eventually have a healthy relationship after Azula realizes the error of her ways, but she decides to move away from the palace of her own accord. There are too many bad memories there.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed my headcanons! These are the only ones I can think of right now but I probably have more somewhere in my brain.

#atla #avatar the last airbender #zutara #zuko #katara #katara x zuko #zuko x katara #headcanons #zutara headcanon #asks #emmie babbles #emmie answers

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comradekatara · 7 hours

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i read somewhere that, after the war, zuko at least hands hama over to the swt instead of keeping her in fire nation prisons 'till the end of her life. Which is nice, I think. But I'm also curious as to how that would work out.

Most notably: how do you think it'd go down if she were to meet Pakku? given they both have some sort of connection to kanna's life, the idea of them being forced to interact even once entertains me very much. like, old waterbending master pakku—white lotus member—who has grown up in a patriarchal society and actively forbidden women from training to fight, under the precedent they are somehow ontologically weaker, fragile, and belonging in the healing huts... THAT guy, meeting his former fiancé's old friend: (or current wife's if you go by canon, which, eugh) A woman who not only fought in the front lines but ended up becoming one of the most skilled, creative, and deadly waterbenders in history. How would he react when finding out that a woman came up with blood bending? How badly would Hama mind-fuck him?? Because I'm confident they'd hate each other's guts-- no way she'd tolerate him,,,

And on a similar note—how would Kanna feel upon reuniting wirh Hama and discovering what she put Katata through, in your opinion? Idk, I'm just full of puppetmaster thoughts today. Hama is incredibly interesting and I wish she wasn't handled so much like a Halloween Specisl creepy witch, (even though katara herself is handled and written pretty well in this episode, i think. but i digress.)

i mean obviously i think about this all the time. i personally think that zuko hands hama over to the swt upon katara's request, and she and aang personally deliver her on appa (sokka is not there, for the very deliberate reason that if he knew what they were doing he would very vocally disapprove). and so katara is sort of retraumatizing herself by doing this, but she also feels like it's necessary specifically because she needs to be able to look hama in the eye and tell her why they're not actually the same (especially now that she actually did bloodbend someone in cold blood). katara has the love and support and safety to step back from her anger and her pain and her grief and hang onto her own humanity and allow herself to be the bigger person even in moments of abject rage and acute trauma, and hama doesn't. hama is a victim of her circumstance, and that's part of what makes her so uniquely terrifying to katara, because katara has that same capacity to make people hurt, she has the same tools at her disposal, and she has the same justifications to exercise that power. but unlike hama, she hasn't actually been pushed past her limits. sometimes she can see the cliff's edge, and sometime she even teeters on the line, but hama was fully just shoved off without a parachute, and that's really what separates them above all. i think katara should be allowed to acknowledge that and forgive herself for that, even if hama doesn't directly apologize to her (although in my mind she does, and it's not enough, but it's also so much more than katara ever expected to hear). even if it is too late for hama, katara deserves to heal.

frankly, i don't really give a shit about pakku or his reaction to hama. i also don't actually think that he thinks woman are ontologically incapable of being talented waterbenders of whatever; he's a pretty worldly guy, the reason he clings to these traditions isn't born of the belief that they're grounded in logical evidence like sokka's is, it's because he believes in the preservation of a system that benefits and valorizes him. pakku thinks katara belongs in the healing huts because he comes from a culture that dictates that women belong in the healing huts. like, he might also subscribe to the bioessentialist logic that women are better healers and men are being fighters, but that honestly doesn't really matter, because (unlike sokka) his epiphany lies not in the fact that woman can fight, but in the fact that his role in upholding these systems has actively driven his loved ones away due to his cruelty. he decides to be kinder, to women and in general, because he realizes that being an asshole has negative consequences. but frankly, who cares what he thinks of hama. realizing that your sister tribe in the south deserves aid and protection after being subjected to a century of genocide is kind of too little too late imo. unlike katara, sokka, aang, or kanna, who can approach this situation from the perspective of being a genocide survivor who even remotely understands hama's trauma, pakku really has no place in this conversation to me.

as for kanna...... god. hama/kanna reunion is genuinely one of the most heart-wrenching concepts to me in all of atla. as a sidenote, hama/kanna fanfic goes so hard every time. there's a total of like 15 fanfics for them on ao3 (last i checked) but they're all sooooooo. fucking delicious. tide locked........... ugh. anyway. i cannot fathom kanna's reaction upon learning that her closest friend once upon a time is not only alive, but also a convicted felon, for crimes including but not limited to manipulating her granddaughter, violating her (and sokka's) bodily autonomy in cruel and perverse ways, and forcing her to participate in that mode of violence in a way that traumatized her forever. even if you don't read them as former lovers (although it is indubitably better that way) it's so gut-churning. kanna lost so many people over the course of her life, and to learn that one of them has returned but in the worst way possible must be mind-boggling and distinctly unreal. like how do you even process that. first, how do you process how much pain she must have went through to become the kind of person who is capable of doing this, and then, how do you process the knowledge that the person you once loved most in the world irreparably hurt the person you now love most in the world? obviously she would always prioritize katara's safety over anyone else's no matter what, but god. kanna has led such a fascinating and impossibly difficult life, and it's not over yet.

#kallianthi #asks #analysis #postwargaang #hama #katara #pakku #kanna #hamaxkanna #hama&katara #also i didn't mention it in the post itself bc i've talked about it before but yeah i very much agree that i wish hama had been framed #differently because i do feel like making her into a cackling witch kind of undermines the whole point of the episode #she's someone who is deserving of our empathy and understanding despite her violence and by reducing her into a caricature #we lose that nuance #but otherwise it's such a fascinating episode....#kataraaa.... katara i love you katara <33333

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erisenyo · 1 year

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⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ELECTRIC LOVE!!!

Ohhh this was tough to pick! I'll go with this bit from their shopping date:

“What’s this?” Zuko asks, holding up a deceptively simple-looking circle of thin, stamped leather. “An armband? This is nice?”

“…Let’s do one thing at a time and save armbands for later,” Sokka suggests, doing a double take at the raised-eyebrow look the shopkeeper gives him over Zuko’s shoulder as Zuko shrugs and goes back to the basket.

“My son works for a wholesaler in Zhou,” she says, lips twitching.

“Ah,” Sokka says—it’s a frequent stop for Southern trading vessels, even before the end of the war—as he waves away Zuko’s questioning look and goes back to looking through the basket again with a new purpose in mind.

I am unable to resist teasing a proposal between the two of them but not actually writing it, as it turns out, and I really liked the idea of using that in particular to show the boys' relationship progression here and to orient the reader into this post-canon moment where they're together but also still figuring it out, to some degree.

(I also just love the detail of armbands for the SWT as a sign of commitment, from the novels)

Both Sokka and Zuko's attention is caught by something proposal related in the story (Sokka here with the armband, Zuko with the jewelry making to anyone who has read some of the other stories set in this AU). But neither of them directly references it or brings it up to the other, and Sokka outright redirects the conversation. There's a readiness that isn't there for either of them yet for that conversation, even though they feel very sure and happy with each other--which makes sense, since they're probably 18/19ish here (I don't feel like doing the math) and both still heavily involved in their individual post-canon rebuilding efforts and functionally in a long-distance relationship.

And there's still a level of unfamiliarity with the details of each other's cultures, too, in the fact that Zuko doesn't know about armbands (where this vendor whose son would interact with Southern traders does). I wanted to show the ways they're still learning and sharing with each other, and also suggest their tendency to get very caught up in each other and the giddiness of being back together. Plus, it felt like something Zuko wasn't likely to get in a Fire Lord briefing ahead of some formal visit South, and that no one else would think to tell him.

For this Fanfic Directors cut ask game!

#asks and answers #ask games #chitsangenthusiast #Sokka's outfit in this fic was also inspired by Blee's gorgeous art and I about lost my mind when the follow up piece came out

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kawaiichibiart · 20 days

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Random assortment of ATLA AU ideas I'm probably not gonna do anything with but needed to get out there:

AU where Zuko was never banished from the FN due to the people of the FN revolting when they found out. Word of the Agni Kai and the War Meeting had made it's way across the nation and the majority were in favor of Zuko. So much that they were planning a mutiny. Annoyed, but seeing a way out, Ozai orders a tower be made far away from Caldera. Once it's made, Zuko would live there. If they win the war, he'll forgive his son and welcome him back. The tower is built and Zuko is dumped in there. Only one way in and out and he can't open it. The other option is literally barred. Blah blah blah, we get into book 2, Suki has been caught by Azula. She's on her way to prison, not sure where she'll end up. And she's surprised when she's told she'll be keeping the prince company. Because, what prince? And she's put into Zuko's tower. In short, Zuki prison roommates AU but it's not in the Boiling Rock.

No one understands how it happened. Why it happened. They prayed to the moon. So, why did the sun respond and save their daughter? She prayed to the sun. She prayed and begged for him to answer. The one who answered her was the moon. Sun Spirit Yue and Moon Spirit Zuko AU. Bonus if both can bend the element of the spirit that blessed them (firebender Yue and waterbender Zuko).

Zuku joins the Gaang early and poses as Sokka's wife the entire time (fiancee if we go as early as book 1 and up until they get to Ba Sing Se in book 2. Zuko: I must find my darling husband!! I'm so worried about him... Katara: Seriously, what do you see in that guy? Zuko: He makes me laugh.)

The SWT has collapsed. Men have gone to war, and the remaining women, children and elders have split between finding sanctuary in either Kyoshi Island or the NWT OR living a new life at sea as pirates. Sokka becomes well known as a decent pirate. He won't raid someone just to raid them. They have to have something he wants. And right now, his attention was in the rather pretty boy (he assumed it was a boy anyways) onboard Zhao's ship. He'd usually go for maps and plans and even rations when he raided a ship, but this time he's thinking of getting a person. Huh, kidnapping...well there's a first for everything. (Basic summary, the SWT doesn't exist, Sokka is now a pirate, and yes so are Katara and Kanna. Their biggest enemy personally is Zhao, who's hunting down the Avatar (whom they're hiding in their ship). Sokka eventually notices Zuko, who was given to Zhao rather than banished. Blah blah blah, it's easy to tell Zuko hates Zhao, hopefully he won't mind a small kidnapping if it means getting off Zhao's ship (he does but honestly he'd rather be on Sokka's ship, it's a lot cleaner and the avatar seems nice, the bison is a bonus.))

Despite his attempts, Zuko is unable to join Team Avatar. Not able to turn to either side, he runs off and goes into hiding. While on the run, he reunites with Jin and they end up having a heart to heart. Things are confessed but in the end they get together and go on the run together. They open up a secret camp for people like them, on the run from the war. They heal the injured as best as they can and work together to make food that can last a few days. The first time things turn sour is when Jet enters the camp. He's hostile and picking fights until he's given the choice to cool his attitude or leave and hope someone else takes pity on him. Things settle down and he gets close with Jin and Zuko. More time passes by and they're eventually approached by Team Avatar, Aang and Toph both seem pleasantly surprised to see Zuko, but Sokka, Katara and Suki (whom the two water siblings freed from prison alongside their dad) weren't, Hakoda doesn't say anything. Like with Jet, they were given a choice, cool the attitude or leave.

Growing up, Azula always trailed after her mother and older brother. Despite being their father's favorite, Azula preferred their company. Call her overprotective, but like Uncle Iroh and their cousin Lu Ten have told her over and over, they were dragons. And dragons hoard and protect what's theirs. Ursa and Zuko are Azula's hoard, and she wouldn't let anyone hurt them. So, when Ursa disappears, when Zuko gets burned and banished, she decides enough is enough. The war against the other nations has ended, it was time for Civil War. And once she won, she'd bring her real family back. Ozai touched her hoard, it was about time he learned why you should never touch something belonging to a dragon.

Is this how adoption works now?? He just, finds kids lost at sea, abandoned in random places, having run away? Hakoda's not sure why it happened. It started when he found a young girl adrift on a small boat. Her white hair hidden with scarves and her hood. Yue, Princess of the NWT. Ranaway upon learning she was engaged to someone who wouldn't care for her or her people. Then came ex-Prince Zuko, who had been abandoned on an island they stopped to camp at. He'd been living there for about 3 years, maybe longer, he's unsure. But hey, what's another kid? He joins their crew... Fuck his earlier words, he doesn't need more kids. But Hakoda just sighs as a small girl (Toph) follows Zuko aboard. Seriously, is THIS how adoption works now? How's he gonna explain this to Sokka and Katara and his mother? They'll accept Yue no doubt, Toph might also be easy, but Zuko? Fuck, he needs a drink- BATO STOP LAUGHING!!

She didn't want it to end the way it did. She hated what had happened to him. What Ozai did to him while she was gone. What their mother did when she abandoned them. She remembered when Zuko was happy. When he'd smile at her and tell her he'd love her. She remembered the expectations put on him, the extra lessons and how little he was allowed to sleep. She was...jealous for so long. Both of their fire were unique, hers a brilliant blue and his a kaleidoscope of colors. It wasn't fair he was treated special... He wasn't treated special. And she was blind to that. She was blind and the truth was falling apart right in front of her. She hated this. She hated what this war had done to her family. What it did to her. What it did to Zuko. And she hated that she just stood there as her brother was carted off somewhere, ignoring his gaze as he was taken away. She hates everything... (sorta a roleswap between Azula and Zuko but not really?? Both are strong benders, Zuko just peaked later on but not too much later. As the oldest, a lot of pressure was placed on Zuko and thus Ozai's attention was on him as well. Azula, upset with this, did everything she could to upstage him. The two have a good relationship, but Ozai favoring Zuko didn't help and so Azula left to capture the Avatar, stating she wanted a challenge and to prove herself. She got a ship, and set sail with Iroh at her side. Azula eventually joins to Avatar's side and branded a traitor alongside her uncle. Zuko is tasked at bringing her home and despite how much he'd rather join her, Ozai's grip on him is too strong (not in the sense he's loyal to his father, but in the sense that he's too scared to leave). We eventually get to Agni Kai during Sozin's Comet and Azula comes out victorious, but it feels like an empty win because she knows Zuko had lost long ago. This was just the fight that broke him (also yes, Azula becomes the Firelord).

#atla #atla au #avatar: the last airbender #avatar the last airbender #avatar au

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sisterssafespace · 8 months

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السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

Sisters I’m in a big predicament. I was approached for the purpose of marriage nearly a year ago and alhamdullilah this brother is EVERYTHING I would want in a future spouse. Everything was halal, spoke to my elder brother/s, we had my brother join us in all our meeting, never spoke unnecessarily and strictly kept things halal. To keep things short, my parents do not approve of him due to tribes (I’m Somali btw). They are strictly saying N.O. - not only to tribe, but they want me to complete Uni first and be established and independent.

I’ve tried speaking with them and it has not been working. I cut things off for now with the brother to lessen the stress as it started to worry me that there is no point continuing to talk if marriage is not promised. We were both hesitant, but ceased speaking. Although we kept thing’s extremely professional and distant, I’m shattered, because I know of what a great person he is and would be as a husband and father. Any advices?

و عليكم السلام و رحمة اللّٰه و بركاته حبيبتي،

First of all, I am deeply sorry for the situation you are in, even though you made sure things with this brother are kept professional and distant as you said, it does hurt, especially for us girls because we do get attached too quickly whether we like it or not and we start daydreaming and planning, etc. Having your dreams being crushed does and will hurt, it is bound to cause you a heartbreak even if you are trying to be not very emotional about it. It is definitely not easy for a sister to find the guy she thinks is " EVERYTHING " and then would have to let him go.. I am really sorry sweetheart..

لا حول و لا قوة الا بالله 💔🥺

Now, on a practical level, I do salute you for cutting ties with him right after your parents disagreed, that is very brave of you!! But you should remember that whomever left something for the sake of Allah swt, Allah swt will reward them and will please them in a way that exceed their expectations and all their dreams.

There are two theories here:

1) this guy, despite him being everything - Allahuma barik - he is not the one for you, he may be - and I am saying maybe - a good guy but he is not good for you, and in that case then Allah swt is removing him from your life because He swt knows that there is no khayr in this relationship for you. And in that case your parents' refusal is just a means to realize Allah's decree.

2) this guy is good for you, he is meant for you, this situation is just a bump in the road. Also, let me just clarify that your parents, with all due respect, have no business refusing the guy because he is from a different tribe. If Allah swt has said in Surah Hujurat (49:13)

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ إِنَّا خَلَقۡنَٰكُم مِّن ذَكَرٖ وَأُنثَىٰ وَجَعَلۡنَٰكُمۡ شُعُوبٗا وَقَبَآئِلَ لِتَعَارَفُوٓاْۚ إِنَّ أَكۡرَمَكُمۡ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ أَتۡقَىٰكُمۡۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ خَبِيرٞ

O mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Acquainted.

Then they're argument is invalid. Unfortunately, a lot of people are still carrying that mentality but that's purely cultural and it has nothing to do with the religion. You can find a lot of videos on YouTube where the Imams or the Shaykhs are urging parents to let go of that mindset and are actually defending the daughter or the son's desire to marry outside the tribe or outside the culture. You can send them or show them these videos, you can talk to someone influential in the family maybe a grandparent or an uncle and ask for their help to convince your parents.. I wonder what your brother can do about this as well, you mentioned he was with you when you'd meet the guy, and I got the feeling that he liked him or at least didn't object to him, so maybe as an older brother he could talk to your parents as well.. and in shaa Allah khayr. As for their argument for you to finish uni, we can't argue with that. I don't know though, I know it is not unusual in your culture to marry young and keep studying and finish one's degree while being married. It is not unheard of. I also don't know how young you are and how many years left of studying you have, may Allah swt grant you success and put blessings in your studies and make it a beneficial knowledge for you, ameen. But again, getting married while still in uni is not a simple decision, you need to consider a lot of factors, especially how financially stable the spouse is and to what extent he can support you.. some couples get married and still live at the parents' house, others get married and don't even live together because they'd be a way studying in a different city or something.. it really depends on their specific situation, on their priorities and on their boundaries, like what couple A is comfortable with might not be suitable for couple B, so like this one particular argument, you are the vetter judge for it. Does that make sense?

But how do we know which theory is the right one? How do we know whether he is not right for you or not .. well, " But it may be that you hate something while it is good for you, and it may be that you love something while it is bad for you. Allah knows, and you do not know."

So what you need right now and I know you asked for advice and I feel like all you can do right now, all that is in your hands and under your control right now is to pray on it: istikharah istikharah istikharah all the way.. istikharah and let go tbh. Pray on it, ask Allah swt to enlighten your parents' basirah, soften their heart and guide them, but also let go and focus on your studies. Time will tell. In shaa Allah with time, you will see and understand the answer to your prayers. If this brother is the right guy for you, if there is khayr in being with him, if he is your rizq and he is your maktoub then he will not go anywhere. Allah swt will make a way to reuinte you in his blessings. But if he is not your rizq then he was never yours to begin with habibty, and your rizq is hidden somewhere else. All you have to do is have tawakkul and rely on Allah swt, have good faith in Allah swt, and believe that He is the best of planners. Alhamdullillah, what is meant for us will never miss us.

I hope my reply is satisfying for you my dear.

I pray Allah swt grant you patience to walk through this trial, and I pray He grant you all the khayr of this duniya and hereafter. May Allah swt bless you with the good pious humble gentle brother who really deserves your heart and knows how to take care of you, and the same for all muslim girls who are looking to get married, ameen.

Lots of love, fi aman Allah,

- A. Z. 🤍🍃

#sisterssafespace #on marriage

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