#Implied one-sided Zhao/Zuko

[erisenyo]

now you’ve got me thinking about zhao and how yucky disgusting he is and we all love angst here… perhaps “did i do good?” with zhao and zuko (i refuse to say the ship name because 🤢) or maybe instead/in addition to, “you’re a weapon and weapons don’t weep”

For this prompt game! (And also this one!)

Content Warning: Zhao being a creep, implied underage, blood, implied threat of sexual coercion (no one gets hurt, it's just Zhao's POV, so.)

“Come now, Prince Zuko, it’s not like you to be so reticent.”

“Fuck you, you stupid worthless—”

“There it is,” Zhao sighs, enjoying the fury in the little demon’s voice, the nice contrast it makes to the impotent way he keeps twisting against the metal cuffs holding his hands behind his back and anchored to the wall.

“I knew you had an opinion somewhere in you, you always do,” Zhao smirks, delighted when the little brat actually hisses at him. “You researched is so extensively, after all,” he says, making his tone sympathetic even as he feels a rush of satisfaction at the way those gold eyes track him around the room, exactly as it should be. Zhao is the one to watch, Zhao is the power in the room.

And now Prince Zuko will know it. Will acknowledge it. Agni, the way the boy had been so dismissive of Zhao’s suggestion to share information, dismissing of him—

“All that time wallowing in backwater ports and begging for scraps of rotten parchment,” Zhao muses, shaking his head, “And where did it get you?” he lets a curl of the amused pleasure he feels enter his voice for the way it makes the little brat spit and jerk against his restrains again. “Captured trying to break into an allied Earth Kingdom noble’s house, bound like the common criminal you apparently are, and chained up awaiting my authority.

“So tell me, Zuko,” he says, letting his voice go hard, “What do you think now? Did I do good? Up to your standards?” he hisses, shoving the boy back against the wall and thrilling at the startled grunt it gets him, at how easy it is, at the way he can just keep his hand against the brat’s chest and press. “Did I do it the way you would have, Prince?”

“Don’t touch me,” the brat snaps, jerking once, uselessly, chin up and somehow managing to look down his nose like he isn’t panting for breath under Zhao’s spread hand. “You’re a coward, is what you are,” he spits. Clearly the worst insult he can come up with, Zhao thinks, amused. “A lazy, worthless coward who’s done nothing to deserve—”

“Tsk tsk,” Zhao interrupts, fire thrilling at the indignation on the boy’s face at the interruption. “This conduct is quite unbecoming a prince, don’t you think? I would have thought your dear uncle would have educated you better than that,” he chides for the pleasure of watching the brat’s expression screw up in outrage. Always so expressive. It always makes Zhao want to see what other faces he can drag out of him. “Or at the very least your father.” Oh, that was a good one, and the way Zhao can feel the boy’s chest hitch— “You should know by now that a true leader delegates,” he says, greedily watching the brat’s face as he adds, delicate, “Though some lessons…”

“You—you—fuck you, don’t—you don’t dare talk about the Fire Lord that way,” the brat snarls, nearly spitting sparks as he struggles with renewed vigor, shoulders moving as he twists against the cuffs behind his back, straining back against Zhao’s hand with such lovely, useless fury. “My father—”

“Yes, what would your father say?” Zhao interrupts, sliding his hand up the brat’s chest, excitement pulsing in his fire at the way the boy cuts himself off. “When I return with information on not just the Avatar, but the weakness of the Northern Water Tribe?” The information on the Avatar being next to worthless, of course, which makes it all the more delicious how desperately the little demon chases after it.

“Do you think he’ll offer his thanks and admiration?” Zhao murmurs, letting his fingers gentle as they drift up the boy’s neck, feeling the rapid beat of his pule.

“Will he think I’m worthy?” Zhao runs his thumb over the lower ridge of the scar, fascinated to see it so close. Agni, the ridges and dips of it, the force that must have been used, the way the boy just knelt there and took it—

“Will he tell me I’ve earned great honor?” Zhao smirks, tone pitched low, enjoying the naked hate in the boy’s eyes, enjoying the impotence of it, the thrill of having something so wild and dangerous trapped, forced into submission by him.

“I’m willing to share, you know,” Zhao murmurs, leaning in, excitement twisting in his gut at the way he can hear the boy breathing fast and tight. “For a price, of course, you know how these things work” he adds, inhaling deep like he can smell the fear, closing his eyes to savor it. “I know your ship’s budget is small—” he traces the edge of the scar, fire itching to gather in his hand. “—but I’m sure we could come to some sort of arrange—”

Zhao cries out as pain suddenly explodes through his nose, reeling back and tripping over the chair he’d set up to in front of the prince in case he wanted to take his time, blinking in disorientation and realizing that the brat headbutted him.

“You little shit,” Zhao spits, taking in the blood trickling down the boy’s face as he glares back, the brat breathing hard and triumphant and clearly not understanding his current position. “You are going to regret that,” Zhao promises, wiping blood off his face. His nose fucking broken, and Zhao was willing to show mercy, but now—

“Prince,” Zuko snaps, enough growling command in the tone that Zhao pulls up short before he can catch himself, rage sparking in his chest at the satisfaction on Zuko’s face as he catches the motion. Zhao snarls back, hauling himself to his feet only to pull up short again at the sudden clank of metal on metal, one heavy cuff hitting the floor as fire blooms in the boy’s suddenly free hand.

“That’s Crown Prince little shit, to you,” Zuko snarls, Zhao scrambling the rest of the way to his feet and calling his own fire, knowing that fire to fire he far outclasses the brat.

Except the sneaking little demon has no honor, not even the pride and decency of the lowest of firebenders as the chain comes out swinging instead, the brat fighting more like a feral creature than anything human, let alone anything that claims to be royal, as he throws himself at Zhao with the single-minded intensity and disregard his own self of the truly insane and Zhao should have never sent his men from the room, should have known the little fuck would be more trouble than he was—

Zhao goes down, flat on his back, the kind of fall firebenders are trained never to take. And Zhao has plenty of training, and in any decent fight he’d have more than enough time to swing back to his feet even with the breath knocked out of him by the fall and the brat’s ridiculous kick—

But this isn’t a decent fight, it’s a common brawl. And the little demon slams into him with enough force to slam Zhao’s head back down against the metal decking.

“Don’t worry, Captain,” the little demon pants, crouched on Zhao’s chest and grinning like some savage, blood on his teeth and dripping down onto Zhao’s face. “I’ll make sure to tell everyone exactly how good you did,” he promises, his chain-wrapped fist swinging down the last thing Zhao sees.

#asks and answers #ask game #Truly just content warning for Zhao POV. He is a messed up man #Zuko #Zhao #Implied one-sided Zhao/Zuko #fic writing #my writing

[akiizayoi4869]

The Search: A story about abuse, abuse apologism, and ableism.

So as you guys all know, I spent my night reading The Search for the second time, and much like the first time I read it last year, I wasn't impressed. At all. It gives us a detailed backstory about Ursa, and what her life was like before and after she married Ozai. To make a long story short, she was forced into an abusive marriage. And the comic goes out of its way to show us just how abusive it was, and that this was a bad thing.

These panels show us an abusive marriage, and how that was bad. The panel that shows they're wedding night shows a prelude of what will be an abusive marriage. Ozai also happens to be abusive to his children.

This is verbal abuse, not just to Zuko but to Azula as well(even though the writers clearly don't see her as an abuse victim) and it's framed as a bad thing. And it is. No child should have to go through this. As far as all of this goes, Yang did a good job with depicting Ozai as an abusive person, and how it had a negative effect on his family.

Now let's move on to the abuse apologism and ableism that this comic had when it comes to Azula.

Every time Azula has an outburst, she's immediately attacked because she's seen as dangerous, even though the characters should have used their damn brains and asked her who was she seeing and what was she talking about, rather than constantly attacking her. It's heavily implied that she was abused at the asylum, and yet this is framed and written as a good thing by Yang, simply because she was mean to people, fought on the wrong side of the war, and dared to be better than her brother. She's forced into a straight jacket that she wears 24/7, which realistically she shouldn't have even been able to MOVE after being in that thing for so long, and she gets chi blocked for no reason at all. OZAI has better imprisonment conditions than she did, when he was the one who nearly committed genocide in the earth kingdom. When he was the one who had no intention of stopping the war. When he was the one gave Zuko his scar, who had his father killed. That same person is treated better than Azula. And for what? Because he's not "crazy" like she is? The way how this whole thing is framed when it came to Azula makes it seem like Yang was pretty much saying that she deserved the abuse that she suffered in the asylum, that she deserved to be constantly attacked by everyone, as a consequence for her actions during the war. Even though she didn't do anything worse than what Zuko, Iroh, Zhao, and Ozai did. And yet she's the only one getting treated like this.

How many times do we have to see this shit in media? See the woman who was abused by a male who was dominant in her life be treated horribly because of the way she turned out as a result of said abuse? To have the people who supposedly love her, BLAME her for the abuse that she suffered. How many woman in reality go through this bs? And yet Yang and the other writers thought that this shit was ok to put in a book for a young audience? That's the wrong kind of message to be sending. Yang makes this message ten times worse by doubling down on it by making Azula "insane and nutty", which he uses to justify the treatment that she gets. And it's disgusting. The stigma surrounding mental health is already bad enough in this society, we shouldn't have to see it in a book that's meant for kids.

So in conclusion, fuck this book. Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk.

#atla #azula #zuko #ozai #ursa #akiizayoi4869 meta #fuck the search #anti Yang #fuck the writers #The Search meta

[zukosdualdao]

6, 7, 8, and 16 for the fandom asks!

6. My favorite character:

*nearly buzzing* hey have you guys heard of my good buddy zuko?

okay this is gonna be long and then i'll try to be normal shshhsghjh it's funny because the answer definitely used to be katara (and don't get me wrong, i still adore her and she is absolutely is a close second, she deserves everything tbh), but something about zuko on my last rewatch (before my current rewatch) (i am ridiculous) just... really stuck with me. i hadn't seen the show in years at that point, and while i'd always liked his story, this time around, i couldn't help but appreciate the nuance in it, as someone who is both a victim of abuse and a villain in the narrative, and how the show goes out of its way to show you why he's acting the way he is and doing the things he's doing in a way that allows you to sympathize with him (and that helps to sew the seeds of his redemption because his abuse cannot be disentangled from the fact that he was once a kid who valued kindness and things like not unnecessarily sacrificing new recruits on the front lines, and that he is now performing his father's ideals of cruelty to try to both conform and cope.)

but i also feel the show does a good job at showing this without ever falling into the trap of justifying what he's doing. and his story is really cathartic, as it's one of not just redemption but healing, and the idea that those two things go hand in hand? that the narrative didn't demand zuko hate himself to be redeemed (and, in fact, discouraged it, "pride is not the opposite of shame, but its source", after all) but instead, the actions he took toward changing his life and helping people made him a healthier, happier person??? it's just. it's so good. i could talk about zuko for hours, and i won't do that but. yeah i love this character a normal amount.

7. My least favorite character: (*i decided to interpret this as characters i don't like as people rather than characters i don't like the arcs of. that's a different, more complicated answer i don't feel like delving into at the moment.)

ozai is the boring answer, but i mean. c'mon. (he's not a BAD character, he's just the literal worst.) i don't feel like this one requires that much explanation.

also, though, i don't hear enough hate for my guy zhao. (again, good character! he does what he's supposed to in the narrative, which is overshadow zuko as a threat/villain and showcase viewing oneself as inherently superior as something that will ultimately lead to downfall, which foreshadows the defeat of both ozai and azula.) like.... i don't totally know why, but zhao actually really gets under my skin as a villain lmao. maybe it's because he's more tangible than ozai? like, ozai spends so long as this shadowy, untouchable figure, and so much about him is implied, but zhao is just right there throughout book one, being the worst. and i don't know how to explain it, because there are honestly a lot of similarities between them, but i feel like not everyone has met someone like ozai, but most people know someone like zhao. he has less power than ozai (not none, but less) but just as much ego and will rub whatever power he does have in your face and i just. yeah i hate him.

8. Is there anything I wish people would write more about in fics? (A dynamic, an exploration of an arc, just a character that doesn’t get much screentime, etc): honestly more of toph's dynamics with like, everyone in the gaang, because at a certain point, i do feel like toph gets shoved to the side a bit. (you're telling me TOPH BEIFONG of all people wouldn't have an opinion in the southern raiders?) the friendship moments we do get in the show are cute!!! she's never had friends before and now she does, let her have friends, let it be cute!

i do think some corners of the fandom try to remedy this but i just. i'm having a moment about toph pour one out for my my girl <33

16. Favorite inside joke the fandom has:

zuko, a man who cannot be killed!

#asks #chowmain-samosa #abuse // #atla #fandom ask games #zuko #toph beifong #ozai #zhao #me: i will try to be normal about this #me: failed step one #jsshsh thanks for the ask ! <3

[sokkastyles]

Examining the way that various characters define loyalty. In “The Storm,” Zuko defines the plan in the war meeting as a betrayal:

Young Zuko[Zuko is shown standing up.] You can't sacrifice an entire division like that! Those soldiers love and defend our nation! How can you betray them?

Then, when faced with his father in the agni kai, defines himself as loyal to Ozai:

Young Zuko[Frontal shot; kneels on his knees and forearms, while looking at the floor.] I meant you no disrespect. [Gazes up at his father, tears shimmering in his eyes as his voice starts to waver.] I am your loyal son.

An idea that Zhao uses to question Zuko later, implying that Zuko’s status as banished means there is cause to question his loyalty:

Zhao: Prince Zuko, the Avatar is the only one who can stop the Fire Nation from winning this war. If you have an ounce of loyalty left, you'll tell me what you found.

It’s also Zuko’s association with Iroh that calls his loyalty into question, as Iroh himself is known as disgraced:

Zhao: General Iroh, why am I not surprised to discover your treachery?

Iroh: I'm no traitor, Zhao, the Fire Nation needs the moon, too; we all depend on the balance.

Iroh defines loyalty in an entirely different way, though.

Ozai: Iroh is a traitor, and your brother Zuko is a failure. I have a task for you.

Again we have the idea that Iroh is treacherous, but notably Ozai does not tell Azula that Zuko is also a traitor, but a failure. If Zuko were branded a traitor, Ozai would have to admit losing his control over him, since Zuko’s belief that he needs to regain his honor in his father’s eyes is what keeps him loyal. Better a failure than a traitor. No matter how much Ozai puts down Zuko, he needs Zuko to be his scapegoat, so he also needs to keep Zuko loyal to him. It also helps Ozai maintain his control over Azula as well, because Zuko serves as the example of what happens if you fail to keep being the golden child, and it’s how Azula defines herself, as not Zuko (until the end of the series, that is). 

Azula: I expected this kind of treachery from Uncle. But Zuko, Prince Zuko, you're a lot of things, but you're not a traitor, are you?

Azula also needs to believe that Zuko wants desperately to come home, to be accepted back into the fold, and that’s part of why she needs him to side with her in Ba Sing Se. Zuko carving a life out for himself (with Iroh the traitor, no less) in Ba Sing Se is a threat to her entire worldview, because in order for her to be the golden child, Zuko has to be the scapegoat. If Zuko chooses to leave that dynamic, not only is it a threat to her superiority, but a threat to her belief that her father is right and good and that there is nothing better than the life she has with Ozai. Azula also tells her mother in the finale that fear is the only way to maintain loyalty, that trust is for fools.

Zhao, Ozai, and Azula define loyalty in similar ways, loyalty to Ozai, loyalty to the regime, unquestioning loyalty in response to control through fear of being branded the other and ostracized by the regime.

Both Iroh and Zuko define loyalty to the people of the Fire Nation rather than the Fire Lord. Zuko was against betraying soldiers who served his nation loyally. Iroh said that the Fire Nation also needed balance to be maintained. This is also why Zuko and Iroh have a better concept of statecraft and a leader’s obligation to the people of their nation than Ozai, Azula, or Zhao do.

#zuko #iroh #ozai #azula #zhao #atla meta

[ao3feed-zukka]

Belatown x Avatar Imagines

Read now on Ao3 at https://ift.tt/EpztUH6 by ScratchdCat_solos A Belatown x Atla Au that I made because I was bored Words: 346, Chapters: 1/47, Language: English Fandoms: Avatar: The Last Airbender Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: F/F, F/M, M/M Characters: Iroh (Avatar), Hakoda (Avatar), Ursa (Avatar), Ozai (Avatar), Bato (Avatar), Kya (Avatar), Zhao (Avatar), Zuko (Avatar), Azula (Avatar), Mai (Avatar), Ty Lee (Avatar), Jin (Avatar), Jet (Avatar), Sokka (Avatar), Suki (Avatar), Yue (Avatar), Aang (Avatar), Katara (Avatar), Toph Beifong, Roku (Avatar), Ta Min (Avatar), Sozin (Avatar), Kyoshi (Avatar), Rangi (Avatar), Appa (Avatar) Relationships: Ozai (Avatar)/Reader, Hakoda/Ursa (Avatar), Ozai/Ursa (Avatar), Bato/Hakoda (Avatar), Hakoda/Kya (Avatar), Ozai/Zhao (Avatar), Iroh & Zuko (Avatar), Azula & Zuko (Avatar), Azula & Iroh (Avatar), Azula/Mai (Avatar), Mai/Ty Lee (Avatar), Azula/Ty Lee (Avatar), Azula/Mai/Ty Lee, Jin/Zuko (Avatar), Jet/Zuko (Avatar), Sokka/Zuko (Avatar), Sokka/Suki (Avatar), Sokka/Yue (Avatar), Aang/Katara (Avatar), Katara/Zuko (Avatar), Roku/Sozin (Avatar), Roku/Ta Min (Avatar), Kyoshi/Rangi (Avatar), Kya/Ursa (Avatar), Aang & Toph Beifong & Katara & Sokka & Suki & Zuko Additional Tags: Iroh Adopts Zuko (Avatar), Azula (Avatar) Redemption, Lesbian Azula (Avatar), Azula Needs Therapy (Avatar), Cheating, Implied/Referenced Cheating, Iroh is a Good Uncle (Avatar), Aang Needs a Hug (Avatar), Bisexual Ty Lee (Avatar), One-Sided Relationship, Reader-Insert, Bad Parent Ozai (Avatar), ", fem! reader, Affairs Read it on Ao3 at https://ift.tt/EpztUH6

#IFTTT #zukka #sokka #zuko #avatar: the last airbender #atla #ao3 feed

[number1villainstan]

AtLA Analysis: S1E3: The Southern Air Temple

Been a while since the last one. I don’t really have an excuse here other than procrastination. But anyways, let’s get into it! (...as soon as this song finishes.)

During the Previously section, it highlights both that Aang is the Avatar and that Aang has been in the iceberg for 100 years (and that there have been no known sightings of airbenders for 100 years among the SWT). Now, the total decimation of especially a nomadic people in one fell swoop is impossible, which is why many fanfics describe airbenders going into hiding or assimilating into other cultures to escape the later ‘clean-up.’ I remember learning about the Rwandan genocide in school, and there were several steps to lead up to genocide (and what comes after), including alienation and dehumanization. The last step, I remember, was denial that the genocide ever happened. And yet, despite what we see of the propaganda in S3, we don’t see denial. Fudging the details, yes, but not denial.

Aang mentions a ‘prickle-snake’ while waking Sokka up. Another animal to add to the roster. It doesn’t seem like strictly a hybrid. What does this one look like, I wonder?

During the conversation with Katara, Aang seems almost in denial about the things he’s heard--that no one has seen an airbender in 100 years, and the Fire Navy ship. Perhaps I as a rewatcher am overestimating the knowledge a new blind watcher would have and Aang does have at this point. After all, this is the episode where the whole of that tragedy is revealed, as well as more of Aang’s backstory. Katara’s careful warnings, vaguely worded, don’t get through to him though, which makes it possible that he’s just denying the implications of what he’s heard. After all, in his mind, he saw the other airbenders just a few days ago. Maybe even just yesterday.

We also see the first bit of the context of Zuko’s situation. He indirectly orders (!) his uncle to get the repairs done as soon as possible, because he can’t risk losing his trail, and says that once word gets out he’ll have a lot of competition, something he can’t risk. Despite his earlier allusions to high, even royal, status (I believe he has been called Prince before), he clearly doesn’t have a lot of resources in his hunt. It makes me wonder what his budget is, and where he gets what money/resources he does have.

COMMANDER ZHAO! The slimy corporate ladder climber himself! Despite Zuko’s setup as the main antagonist during the first two episodes, Zhao is the main antagonist of S1. In fact, while Zuko is an antagonist for a while (S1, and some of S2) he’s only a main antagonist for those first two episodes, and then he’s set up as both an antagonist to the Gaang and a rival to the main antagonists of the seasons. This double-sided tension works very, very well for his character arc, methinks.

Zuko greets Zhao as ‘Captain,’ and is then corrected to ‘Commander.’ In a later episode he’s promoted to ‘Admiral.’ We have three offices in the FN Navy and their order, though said order may be different from real life navies. (Also, what does a captain vs a commander vs an admiral have power over? I would guess that Captain is one ship and we see that Admiral is a fleet, so what’s in between?) Zhao also bows to Iroh, but not to Zuko--a reflection of his dishonored state? Iroh doesn’t bow to Zhao, which seems to indicate that ‘General’ (even retired General) is a greater office than Commander. Not a great surprise. Zhao refers to Iroh as ‘General Iroh’ rather than ‘Prince Iroh.’ Given the immediate clarification that Iroh is Fire Lord Ozai’s brother (rather than Zuko’s uncle on his non-royal side), does that imply that military titles are more important than noble titles within the Fire Nation? It would make sense, given how highly militarized it is. Or perhaps military titles are simply more important to Zhao himself, which would be an interesting point of character (perhaps he values earned merit over birth or socioeconomic status?).

Zhao says it’s his harbor Zuko has docked at, which further hints at the disparity in resources between the two. So a Commander has command (lol) over a whole harbor? Also, this confirms that, despite what many people have said, Zuko was allowed into FN harbors while disgraced. I’m going to need to clarify if he was banished the whole time or merely chasing his honor.

Neither Zuko nor Iroh can lie to save their lives. Definite drawbacks for two royals.

Zhao invites the two, and Zuko attempts to dip out. However, when Iroh agrees for the both of them, he isn’t fearful, he’s irritated or frustrated. Which means that he thinks of Zhao in social situations as an annoyance, but not a threat, in contrast to those who think of Zhao as a creep or a pedo. (To be fair, he does have that slimy, untrustworthy quality to him, even if he seems more of a suck-up or a sycophant than a creep.)

SWT food just dropped: blubber(ed?) seal jerky. Apparently it looks like a fire-starting material to Aang.

The Southern Air Temple is located in or near the Patola (? pah-toll-ah) mountain range.

Katara, again, tries to gently warn Aang about the genocide. It doesn’t really work. This is also the first mention that Katara and Sokka’s mother is dead by the hands of the FN, and further cements the feeling in the early story of the Fire Nation as this constant, oppressive force. He accepts that the Fire Nation would kill the Air Nomads, but not that they did. He says that the only way to get to an Air Temple is on a flying bison, which raises the question of how did the Fire Nation get to the temples for that first wave?

Also, what is holding Appa’s saddle in place? It’s drawn as just there on his lower back.

Nomadic peoples irl, by definition, move around a lot, often following food or water sources. So Aang’s declaration of “We’re home,” while cementing the Temples as gathering places for the Air Nomads, seems to directly contradict the idea that, ykno, they’re nomads.

Zhao says that BSS will fall to the FN ‘by year’s end,’ and that then the Fire Lord will ‘finally claim victory.’ We don’t hear of any other strongholds against the Fire Nation, but we come in at the tail end of whatever that speech was, so it’s likely others were mentioned off screen (such as Omashu). Again, this reinforces the idea that the Fire Nation already has control over much of the world of AtLA.

Zuko actively speaks against his father here, interestingly enough: “If my father thinks the rest of the world will follow him willingly, then he is a fool.” We know that Zuko is loyal to the FN (at this point), so this can only mean that Zuko has seen a lot of the world and paid enough attention to know how the common EK people feel about the FN (not good). The indirect insult is also something of a surprise, if you’re familiar with (reliant on) fanon Zuko.

Also, the difference between how Zuko and Zhao address the same person (’my father’ vs ‘the Fire Lord’). As yet, he remains unnamed and mysterious. Zhao also acts as if he’s not close with the man. My Zhaozai shipper side wants to deny that so bad. Perhaps, if you’re really attached to the ‘Zhao slept his way to the top’ headcanon, you could say he’s just acting that way to hide the fact.

“Two years at sea have done little to temper your tongue.” That implies familiarity between Zuko and Zhao, and also contradicts the usual ‘three years of banishment/dishonor’ that the fandom usually goes off of. Early show weirdness?

Iroh playing with Zhao’s weapons and knocking them over, clearly by accident. Another incident of him being used as the ‘funny man’ during the early show.

During the conversation, Zhao says “[the Avatar] died a hundred years ago, along with the rest of the airbenders.” No mention is made of the reincarnation cycle, which is supposed to be common knowledge. Of course, Zhao also clearly knows about the reincarnation cycle, as shown in later episodes, but it’s odd phrasing.

Zhao invokes loyalty to try and get Zuko to give up the information. Later in S1, when we see the Agni Kai, Zuko shouts “I am your loyal son!” Honor is never explicitly defined during the series, and the implicit definition changes over Zuko’s arc, but loyalty (or the appearance thereof) seems to play a big role in the Zuko’s definition of honor during S1.

Katara implies that she and Sokka are the first outsiders to ever visit an Air Temple. Perhaps she isn’t counting the Fire Nation soldiers, or doesn’t realize that they were there?

Even when faced with an empty Air Temple, Aang doesn’t seem to realize the atrocity that happened. He’s sad, but not angry. Not yet. Surprisingly, it’s Sokka that tries to cheer him up, by asking him about airball, even though he was complaining earlier about hunger.

Katara tries to protect Aang throughout the episode. Sokka warns her when they stumble across the FN helmet that she can’t do it forever. Katara being caring, Sokka being practical.

Aang describes Gyatso as the greatest airbender in the world. Possibly true, possibly just Aang’s childlike admiration of him.

In this first flashback, we see the first confirmation that Aang is too young--he was supposed to be told he was the Avatar when he was sixteen, not twelve. What’s significant about sixteen here? Is it the age of adulthood in universe?

Can we say that Gyatso was a father figure to Aang here? Their interactions seem to point that direction.

As a side note, the animation in these early seasons seems off, sometimes. It’ll get better as it goes along, naturally, but still.

God I want to know how the airbending lock works.

So, I’m still unclear. Did Ozai tell Zuko that he could only return with the Avatar? Or did Zuko come up with that on his own? Because it looks like Zuko came up with that on his own.

Why are the Avatar statues in the Air Sanctuary? What happens if they run out of room? Also, I only spotted one statue (Kyoshi, I think) that was clearly a woman, and the early show at least seems to use ‘he’ as the default pronoun, despite the fact that we know Yangchen and Kyoshi were women.

What is it with past lives? Roku and Yangchen and Kuruk and Kyoshi and Aang are all distinct characters with distinct personalities. Perhaps the only thing in common that they have is that they can all bend all four elements with practice. They’re also treated like separate characters for most of the narrative. What does ‘past life’ even mean here? What is passed on between these people?

I find it hilarious how everybody thought Momo was a firebender at first. Also, Sokka lunging at Momo, a live animal, with the intent to make him into food shows that Sokka knows how to hunt, skin, and then cook an animal, presumably.

Zhao calls Zuko a ‘banished prince,’ so why is he in a Fire Nation harbor? Zhao also says he has ‘hundreds’ of ships under his command as a Commander, as well as a harbor. So what more does he have as Admiral?

Like the animation, the dialogue doesn’t feel totally natural yet. There’s some exposition there that doesn’t feel like what someone would normally say in that situation.

More hints at Zuko’s backstory, with vague references to exactly what happened with the scar. Clearly meant to tease a blind watcher. To a rewatcher, it says outright that Ozai is a master, so everybody who says that he isn’t/shouldn’t be that powerful of a bender can shut up and go think about what they’ve done in the corner.

The room with Gyatso’s corpse has a whole bunch of what look like bodies in armor, and only Gyatso for the airbenders. How many people did that man kill in his final stand? Also, what are they doing to their clothes? The fabric is in fantastic shape after 100 years.

What is it about this specific calling on the Avatar state that makes it so that each temple/holy place picks it up? He was in the Avatar state for 100 years in that iceberg, so why wasn’t that picked up? In fact, why wasn’t it picked up by anyone but Zuko when he came out of the iceberg?

Zhao clearly thinks himself superior to Zuko in firebending. However, given that Zuko won, he’s clearly not, so Zhao isn’t as familiar with Zuko’s firebending prowess as he thinks.

The Agni Kai starts with Zuko attacking and tiring himself out with several attacks, marking him as impulsive and angry, while Zhao keeps calm and blocks all his strikes. It’s only after Zuko turns the tables with a non-bending move, literally sweeping one of his feet out from under him, and defeats him by keeping him off balance that he throws himself into a reckless attack. Zhao is capable of keeping a cool head if he thinks he can defeat someone easily. Firebending is about control and power, showcased well by the fight.

Iroh saving Zuko from Zhao’s dishonorable attack is the first time we see him not as a comic relief but as a mentor or protector. It’s more in line with what we see of him later.

Sokka and Katara call Aang their family. Is this metaphorical, or is it literal? Has Aang been adopted into the SWT or is this just the found family trope?

Sokka talks about being hungry, and finally gets food from Momo, but have the others eaten? Surely Katara and Aang are hungry as well.

Aang says that he, Appa, and Momo are all that’s left of the Southern Air Temple. Are there not any other lemurs around? What is Momo doing alone? Are flying lemurs a solitary species? A pack species? What?

And that’s all for now! A summary of Zhao: smug, arrogant, overconfident, but with an easily wounded pride. Also, we can infer that he has skill in combat, given his position, and (maybe) discount that he slept his way to the top given that he speaks of the Fire Lord in such a formal and distant manner. Also, this took way too long, because I started last night and kept getting distracted while I was doing it today.

#atla analysis #atla meta #katara #atla katara #aang #atla aang #sokka #atla sokka #zuko #atla zuko #avatar: the last airbender #s1e3: the southern air temple #zhao #admiral zhao #atla zhao #iroh #atla iroh

[smilindesperado]

I'm very intrigued by all the WIPs you talked about, especially the gothic romance one! And I will be eagerly awaiting whatever you publish next. For the canon-era Maiko one-shot, do you know which scenes you're going to include, and would you be willing to talk about any of them? I love canon missing moment-type stories that dive into the kind of relationship development the show didn't have time to give us!

Thanks so much!  I love any opportunity to talk about my fics honestly, so thanks for asking!

The one-shot is a mix of missing moments, but I’m also rewriting some canon moments that, for me at least, fell a little flat.  It’s implied that their attraction is mutual to one another, but it always felt way more one-sided from Mai’s side, which was always a bummer for me.

There’s definitely a few pre-banishment moments that I always enjoy exploring. I’m rewriting their moments in between seasons 2 and 3 (the comic was cute, but definitely wish we got a little more on screen), and a few missing scenes in season 3.

One of the big dynamics I try to add onto with it is actually Azula’s insertion in their relationship.  Mai’s “You miscalculated” line is one of the rawest in the show, and it would have been way more impactful if we saw more of Mai’s struggles balancing her obedience behind Azula and her genuine care for Zuko.  So there’s some missing scenes and rewrites that show more of that dynamic, Mai’s loyalty towards Azula and the Fire Nation slowly cracking because she sees Zuko’s struggles and decides to trust him in his decision to fight back.

The addition, though that I’m most excited to share that almost got a one-shot on it’s own is a scene that takes place in book one where Zuko crosses paths with Mai and her family when he arrives at Zhao’s base.  They're waiting for the siege on Omashu to start and he’s docked to get his ship repaired.  Their interaction at first is very stiff, both unsure of how to act around the other, but she eventually let’s her walls down, briefly, and asks him if he’s really found the avatar and then wishes him luck.  I think it would have been a really interesting introduction to her character and to show early on that she was struggling with following fire nation ideals (i.e. he’s banished and disgraced) and her genuine care for him.  Plus, on Zuko’s side of things it would have been interesting to see that there was someone in the Fire Nation other than his uncle that was rooting for him.

Anyway, I could write a whole meta on the Maiko we got in the show and the Maiko that (I personally think) would have been really exciting to see, but that’s for another day.

Thanks for the ask and giving me the opportunity to ramble about canon Maiko!

#asks #maiko #smilindesperado writes #this is probably way more than you were asking for but i got carried away #now i just need to magical ability to actually finish this fic #i have about 5 out of the 10 scenes included drafted out #so we're getting there

[ao3feedzukka-blog]

Belatown x Avatar Imagines

https://archiveofourown.org/works/55073422 by ScratchdCat_solos A Belatown x Atla Au that I made because I was bored Words: 346, Chapters: 1/47, Language: English Fandoms: Avatar: The Last Airbender Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: F/F, F/M, M/M Characters: Iroh (Avatar), Hakoda (Avatar), Ursa (Avatar), Ozai (Avatar), Bato (Avatar), Kya (Avatar), Zhao (Avatar), Zuko (Avatar), Azula (Avatar), Mai (Avatar), Ty Lee (Avatar), Jin (Avatar), Jet (Avatar), Sokka (Avatar), Suki (Avatar), Yue (Avatar), Aang (Avatar), Katara (Avatar), Toph Beifong, Roku (Avatar), Ta Min (Avatar), Sozin (Avatar), Kyoshi (Avatar), Rangi (Avatar), Appa (Avatar) Relationships: Ozai (Avatar)/Reader, Hakoda/Ursa (Avatar), Ozai/Ursa (Avatar), Bato/Hakoda (Avatar), Hakoda/Kya (Avatar), Ozai/Zhao (Avatar), Iroh & Zuko (Avatar), Azula & Zuko (Avatar), Azula & Iroh (Avatar), Azula/Mai (Avatar), Mai/Ty Lee (Avatar), Azula/Ty Lee (Avatar), Azula/Mai/Ty Lee, Jin/Zuko (Avatar), Jet/Zuko (Avatar), Sokka/Zuko (Avatar), Sokka/Suki (Avatar), Sokka/Yue (Avatar), Aang/Katara (Avatar), Katara/Zuko (Avatar), Roku/Sozin (Avatar), Roku/Ta Min (Avatar), Kyoshi/Rangi (Avatar), Kya/Ursa (Avatar), Aang & Toph Beifong & Katara & Sokka & Suki & Zuko Additional Tags: Iroh Adopts Zuko (Avatar), Azula (Avatar) Redemption, Lesbian Azula (Avatar), Azula Needs Therapy (Avatar), Cheating, Implied/Referenced Cheating, Iroh is a Good Uncle (Avatar), Aang Needs a Hug (Avatar), Bisexual Ty Lee (Avatar), One-Sided Relationship, Reader-Insert, Bad Parent Ozai (Avatar), ", fem! reader, Affairs April 08, 2024 at 11:30PM

#IFTTT #Zukka #AO3Feed Zukka #Sokka/Zuko

[hello-nichya-here]

"Azula did NOT torture Suki" But in Suki, Alone didn't Suki get tortured, or at least cruelly mistreated? For the Boiling Rock purposefully starves its prisoners to make sure they can't rebel & Suki does get put into solitary confinement in a very narrow room for 2 weeks. & didn't Azula's taunting at the start of the comic heavily suggest that at a bare min that she knew of these conditions? Also, isn't Azula responsible for the actions of her subjects just like Sozin, Azulon, Iroh, & Ozai are?

The comics are bullshit and retcon pretty much half the show (Zuko being Ozai's son almost was one of those things, even though the fucker was designed to look like an older Zuko). The show literally has Suki being absolutely fine, and Sokka even mocks her for having been captured by Azula - and she only looks bothered that he brought up the fact that she was defeated, not like she's remembering a traumatic experience. The show wasn't perfect, but it was never that insensitive (unlike the comics, and even then it was usually at the "fair targets" like Azula and other villains)

Don't get me wrong, I'm sure prison was still awful without torture, but we see Hakoda stand up to the fucking Wardern and his punishment is being locked up in a cell while the others are "free" to circulate through the place. The only forms of torture we see at the boiling rock are:

1 - The cooler, which is a punishment for firebending. Even if we assume they extended it to other benders (which wouldn't make as much sense, but whatever), that still leaves out Suki.

2 - Guards beating up prisoners despite it being against prison rules. Again, Suki doesn't have a single scratch on her and Hakoda's punishment for disrespecting the Warderns autority in front of everyone was pretty mild. The older guards imply that the only ones who engage in that behaviour are the new guys.

3 - The Wardern torturing a guy he believes was responsible for an escape plan - which is an abnormal situation, that is stopped by Azula.

That's it. And regarding Azula knowing Suki was at the boiling rock, the show never made that clear. The one scene in which she implies she ever "paid Suki a visit" was while she was saying literally anything that came to mind to stop team Avatar from going after her father while he couldn't bend. The one time we see her actually leave the palace is when Ozai tells her to. And on top of that, Suki didn't say "Azula sent me to the boiling rock because I'm the leader" she said "They sent me here because I'm the leader"

Who is "they"? Azula and Ozai? Azula, Ty Lee and Mai? Whoever the fuck is in charge of deciding where prisoners go, which likely has no imput from royalty or nobility because they don't care as long as the prisoners don't cause any trouble? Considering Zuko merely suspected Hakoda could have been sent to the boiling rock, but didn't know it for sure, I'm saying it was probably the third option.

"Also, isn't Azula responsible for the actions of her subjects just like Sozin, Azulon, Iroh, & Ozai are?"

Why is Azula expected to have the same level of maturity as fully grown men when she's merely 14? Why isn't Zuko on this list even though he was older and was on the Fire Nation's side up until the eclipse (and conveniently didn't bring up Ozai's plan to devastate the earth kingdom because he was afraid that the gaang would think less of him since he did not speak out against it because he was afraid of being punished by Ozai)? Why is he allowed to be friends with Suki later even though he knew Azula captured Kyoshi Warriors to infiltrate Ba Sing Se and he had even burned her whole village?

Why is Ty Lee allowed to join the Kyoshi Warriors even though she helped Azula capture Suki and only changed sides when Mai was in danger, not because she had a change of heart? Why is Iroh allowed to be shown as a hero even though he was a grown adult and didn't really change sides until Zhao went "I'ma kill the moon"?

Why does nearly everyone get to have their motives to do bad shit at least understood, while Azula has to be "held accountable" for things she did not even do? (including the ones that were against the rules she was reinforcing?)

So yeah, Azula did not torture Suki, and it's more than time for this fandom to stop pretending she did, and for them to notice that, whether they like her or not, if she is a "monster" so are good boy Zuzu and wise uncle Iroh - aka their sweethearts.

#asks #suki #azula #azula meta #azula deserved better #actual human child azula #azula bias #zuko #iroh #ty lee

[carbootsoul]

anyway no one asked but: yue joins the gaang instead of becoming the moon at the end of season 1 hcs!!

- instead of giving up her life to replace tui as the moon spirit, she gives up tui’s blessing to give them the final burst of strength to escape from zhao. basically yue gives up her blue eyes, pale hair, and waterbending. she never (?) waterbends on the show, and the loss of her bending isn’t too devestating to her.

- also sokka gets a friend who can’t bend either... he deserves it.

- when the gaang leaves after the battle is over, yue decides to come with them and it’s a HUGE thing with her father and begins her main character arc, which is about whether her responsibility to her tribe and the preservation of their culture is more important than her paving her own way and also how those two things can coexist!

- she leaves her betrothal necklace on her bedside table and the last shot of the episode is just of it, lying there. 

- this got rly long so there’s more under the cut

- her traveling clothes are a thing shawl and a tunic similar to sokka’s with pants. she keeps her usual haircut but it’s tied with leather instead of the fancy hair things she used as princess. also she uses a hunting knife as a weapon

- she and sokka continue their weird not-dating-but-kind-of-dating dance for a lot of episodes and it’s generally awkward and easy comic relief. also more shots of yue blushing because she’s just so cuteeee

- there’s a scene of them stargazing where yue tells sokka the story of a pair of lovers who died and then remained best friends in all their future lives (because avatar friendships enduring through lifetimes and also friendship being just as important as romantic relationships)

- yue becomes friends with EVERYONE they meet IMMEDIATELY and everyone falls in love with her because she’s sweet and pretty and has a nice laugh.

- there’s a filler episode that’s just sokka and yue going shopping together and trying on lots of jewlery but the running gag is that yue keeps getting distracted with talking to other people and definitely flirting with every girl she runs into and sokka is always distracted with a pair of earrings or a set of rings and doesn’t notice. finally some random guy is like ‘man your girlfriend has been flirting with my sister this whole time... are you aware.” and sokka is immeditaly like ShE’s NoT mY GiRLfRiEnD and then like wait what

- so maybe yue is a lesbian. sokka is very distressed that he’s been trying to court someone who’s not interested so he talks with katara while she’s sewing or something and he’s like is yue gay?? and katara is like oh i don’t know. lots of people we know are queer. sokka: WHO??? katara: well, zuko. suki. sokka: ZUKO??? SUKI??? and this is when katara realizes her brother’s gaydar is nonexistent. 

- yue tries being a vegetarian (to be nice to aang) but thinks nuts are gross so she and sokka go on hunting trips together. she’s Very Good at archery.

- also the episode where they watch toph wrestle?? she and sokka are SO on her side. it made me angry in the show that sokka wasn’t on her side but yue would convince him very quickly and they are very loud together.

- she also stays to talk to toph on the estate because she doesn’t look as suspect as the rest of the gaang so the guards don’t kick her out immediately (read: she’s good at conforming to elitist ideas of how people r meant to act and passes the rich kid test). she and toph sit in the garden and watch the moon (because the moon symbolizes yue’s perceived failure to sacrifice herself to save her tribe) and talk about how sometimes to live as yourself you have to skirt your responsibilities to your family. yue leaves a few hours later firmly friends with toph.

- she continues to be the one firmly on toph’s side in the toph/katara disputes that are in the first few episodes with toph. katara can’t hold it against her though because literally who could hold a grudge against yue she’s so incredible

- (ok we’re skipping a lot of time here bc i frankly do not remember everything that happened in book 2) her ba sing se tale is her uhhh going to the market to buy herself an iced tea because she’s gay and just having a good time being a no one. a girl she runs into at the cafe asks her to go on a walk around the city with her and it’s very sweet but yue does Not know this is a date so when the girl gives her a kiss she gets blushy and says something dumb

- also at the end of another episode we have a short scene of yue on the roof of their house in the upper ring, staring at the moon and touching the place on her neck where her betrothal necklace isn’t. then the camera switches to zuko, on the other side of the city, looking at the same moon and absently running his fingers through his hair where his topknot used to be

- yue and jet hate each other but yue still advocates for him because she sees how he’s been hurt and thinks that he deserves a second chance. i don’t know the funeral traditions for any of the nations but she does a quick northern water tribe blessing over his body before they run away.

- yue and mai are like.. yes we r gay..... yes we do flirt with each other while fighting sometimes.... yes we r the two knife fighters.. yes we are ALSO narrative foils

- yue looks SO GOOD in fire nation clothes but she keeps her usual hairdo because she deserves it. the fire nation propaganda makes her very angry, as does the institutionalized homophobia. she starts arguing with some guy over it and katara is ready to back her up and start fucking screaming and get arrested and sokka is like.. now. now is when i should talk to her. 

- he drags her away and she’s like fuck dude i can fight my own battles and he’s like no i just.. what you were talking about.... i have something i need to tell you..... and she’s like you’re bi!! good for you, sokka, thank you for telling me. and he’s like :bi shock: no?? you’re a lesbian. anyway yes she is a lesbian they are wlw mlm solidarity. 

- there’s a filler episode where toph and yue rob a bunch of fire nation soldiers and when they get caught (after a While of these robberies) they get out of it by playing the ‘dumb rich kids’ card and run away with jewelry like.. dripping off their hands. katara makes them sell all of it except a choker necklace yue keeps that looks like a betrothal necklace but instead has an etching of a bird flying away.

- skipping again bc this is getting rly long. when zuko joins the gaang he and yue have a tentative conversation about their relationships to their nations and he’s like.. idk sounds like you needed to leave? that wasn’t an environment that you can thrive in. and she’s like but i can change it! i need to be there to change it, and i left. and he’s like well no. some things are just toxic. i went back to my nation and it was terrible. and she’s like i have a responsibility to my PEOPLE and gets mad at him and she and katara r like angry at zuko team. 

- yue’s life changing field trip with zuko is just them leaving on appa to go to a market and be normal teenagers. they both viewed each other as Fire Prince and Water Tribe Princess, but this lets them open up and realize concretely that that’s not all that they are. 

- zuko apologizes for implying that the nwt was irreparable and explains that the fire palace wasn’t something he could fix and that trying just hurt him more. yue says that part of the reason she was angry with him was because he was right and that she felt so much more herself when she was away from her home. they finally reach the conclusion together that they have to become themselves before they can hope to change their cultures for the better.

- yue comes along to boiling rock but is v much background to zukka bromance. she hangs out with suki some (lots more yue blushing oc bc suki is BUFF) and does some dumb gay fighting with mai but they’re both bad at it because yue is busy mooning over suki and mai is busy protecting ty lee.

- ember island players still say she turned into the moon >:(

#yue #yueki #sokka #atla #yue atla #leo.txt #god this is so long #i just have a lot of thoughts and love yue SO MUCH #she deserves SO MUCH #anyway i hope u enjoyed my thoughts #there's probably enough here for an actual fic so like.. maybe someday

[bellatrixobsessed1]

What do you consider demonizing Azula vs objectively describing her less flattering traits and harmful actions?

Honestly, it all comes down to word choice and language at the end of the day imo. If someone’s character analysis is presented with a certain tone I’m more inclined to say that they are demonizing her. For example saying that “ as a child Azula demonstrated red flags for mental illness and should have been helped” is a lot less antagonizing than “Azula was born evil, she liked to tease and bully Zuko from the start.” One of these statements addresses the complexities of her situation (a broken home and several poor adult influences/examples) while the other basically places full blame on a child. Things like that. I really, really do believe that it’s all about the tone an Azula analysis is presented in. 

Personally I would agree that some of her childhood behaviors, like setting Zuko’s pants on fire and burning some of the bushes in the place garden were huge red flags. They are harmful actions. BUT a lot of those could be 1. attention getting antics because her mother usually paid more attention to her when she misbehaved. 2. Her emulating Ozai and his attitude. And stuff like, “dad’s going to kill you.” Is very much Azula mimicking what her father demonstrated as well as her father actively rewarding her for behaviors like that. These are definitely harmful actions that started getting worse as she got older. An analysis like that is fair and not demonizing imo, because it recognizes that Azula is still a kid and it doesn’t write off the possibility for her to unlearn some of these behaviors later in life with the right help. 

While something like, “even child Azula is a insane, look what she did to Zuko! What kind of sociopath sings-songs about someone’s dad killing them!?” Here is an example of using buzzwords and implying that mental illness as something that automatically makes someone evil. It puts all blame on Azula while factoring out the adults in her life that either sat passive or actively taught her these behaviors. This, imo, is demonizing. 

One of my biggest peeves at the moment is when they say that fucking Ozai and Zhao are more redeemable. Zhao was literally seen in the Avatar universe version of Hell. It is canon that he did not get redemption. So by extension it is canon that he is NOT more redeemable than Azula whose fate is still ambiguous. And there is not one argument that can convince me that the grown ass man who burned his own son’s face off while tearing apart his self-worth is more redeemable than a fourteen year old girl. There is not one argument that can convince me that a man who made a weapon out of his daughter and (heavily implied) abused his wife (at least emotionally) is more redeemable than a fourteen year old girl. Usually I try to keep an open mind and be nice about my opinions in these discourses but I just can’t with this one; I think that this particular statement is stupid as hell. Ozai and (especially in canon and in Hell) Zhao are NOT more redeemable than Azula. Bye, miss me with that dumb shit. 

Some more specific examples that come to mind are;

 When people make Azula out to be a murderer and/or a sadist

The turtle duck thing

Baby Azula.  

The murder thing drives me nuts because, first of all, she’s a solider. She’s at war. Her one kill was a combat kill, he came back to life, and he was entering the Avatar state. Now correct me if I’m wrong but Aang killed Zhao in the Avatar state. You can’t tell me that no one died or was seriously injured in the episode ‘The Avatar State’. So of course she’s gonna shoot him down; he could have killed her just as well. He had no control over the Avatar state at the time. 

Furthermore she has the least amount of collateral damage. And one of the smallest body counts. Aang has killed so many background characters via the Avatar state. Sokka killed Combustion man. Sokka, Suki, and Toph killed several soldiers by crashing those war blimps in the finale. I think that you get the point. But none of them get called murders like Azula does. Everyone seems to be well aware that all of those were combat kills. The reason they get called soldiers instead of murders is because they are protagonists. 

Azula is not a murder. She is a solider. Combat kills are different than murder. They are horrible and unfortunate all the same but it isn’t murder. 

And then there’s the sadist claim. At best I think that that’s a misinterpretation of character. At least from my personal POV. I've seen it argued that she’s not a sadist but only because it’s more coinvent not to be; that she would be one if  she had time for it. But I think that a true sadist wouldn’t give a shit if it’s not convenient. If she were a sadist I feel like she would go out of her way to hurt people like Chit Sang even if it’s not necessary. Azula does only what’s necessary and that’s it. I do think that Azula is merciful. Perhaps not conventionally so but she isn’t cruel. She takes prisoners and as far as we’ve seen on screen those prisoners aren’t treated particularly bad (by Azula anyhow). She doesn’t torture her prisoners and she doesn’t kill them. 

Now, I will give more of an open mind to people who say that she is an EMOTIONAL sadist of sorts. I do think that she gets a kick out of scaring people and bullying people. I’m on the fence with this argument though because how much of her getting a kick out of Zuko’s suffering is her also being relieved that it is not her. And how much of it is more run of the mill teenage bullying? This is one thing where I’m more than willing to hear from the other side. 

I think that the murderer and sadism thing is very much an attempt to demonize her. I think that it can be an exaggeration of her unflattering behaviors. I’m not saying that the things she did aren’t harmful but I do think that some people over exaggerate them or make up stuff that isn’t there; I’ve seen people state that she ‘probably killed so many soldiers off screen’. There is no canon evidence to support this? Likewise these are generally the same people who tell Azula fans that they can’t say Azula was abused off screen. 

The other big one is the turtleduck one. Zuko demonstrates how Azula feeds turtleducks. He throws a piece of bread. I don’t know where the rock thing came from. Furthermore I very much think that Azula chucking a loaf of bread at a turtleduck is just a small child being a little shit. When I was like five or six I yeeted a good half a loaf at a duck because, “the more food they get the happier they are, right????” To me that just seems more like a small child who has not learned impulse control than a child who likes hurting animals. This whole argument, at least imo, is actively demonizing a child for actions that aren’t exactly uncommon for children. The problem is when the child doesn’t learn that yeeting whole loafs at turtleducks is a bad thing. THIS is where I see a fair argument forming because (as of late) Azula didn’t seem to have unlearned this behavior. This is an example of one of those red flags I mentioned in the first paragraph. Which is where some nuance and critical thinking needs to come in. The complexities that I mentioned above about how the child isn’t 100% to blame here. The adults in her life should have tried to teach her better and/or Ozai need to fuck on off and stop teaching her to do wrong. 

And finally baby Azula. I’ll just drop a link here because I already talked about this. But the tone of The Search literally tried to demonize a whole baby. The way the narrative decided frame her was really unnecessary. I really don’t see how this scene contributed to the story other than to remind readers that ‘Azula was always evil, see!’ Nevermind that she’s sleeping in a whole crib. Because that’s a literal infant. 

Anyhow I might come back to this later to add more or clarify but I’m about to make lunch so I’ll end this here for now. Feel free to discuss further. I definitely don’t mind hearing from the other side so long as arguments are respectful and open minded.

#Avatar The Last Airbender #Azula #Azula Discourse #Azula Analysis #Demonizing Azula #Fandom

[jaxsteamblog]

This is where I pick apart the plot and say baseless things

I don’t like figuring out things out, which is why my series is so clunky and takes forever to update, and also why I LOVE crackpot and unsubstantiated theories.

(Not conspiracy theories)

This is specifically about crackpot theories that I applied to one of my fics, so PLEASE feel free to disregard.

I was 21 when I finally saw AtLA and had zero interest in shipping. I just really, REALLY liked the show and talking about it. It was because I started hanging out with another fan and we complained about the plot holes (and the fact that she’s a Zutara shipper from her youth) that I ended up following a very, shall we say, intentional pathway. 

One of the things I didn’t understand about the story, is how we had a character like Iroh. He arguably went through an off screen redemption arc that obliterates Zuko’s. People mock him repeatedly for his in show status compared to how he was as the “Dragon of the West.” The man pushed his soldiers into a 600 DAY SIEGE. He was the crown prince, and we (now) have canon proof of him looking exactly as he should. 

There are a few exceptions to his character, and we can feasibly understand that these points were what the White Lotus used to get him to jump sides.

One is his fondness for his family:

Two is his respect for the spirits.

I want to take a quick detour on something I call: Zuko Is Iroh On Speed Run

IDK if the writers ever had this in mind, but Zuko repeatedly repeats (heh) aspects of Iroh’s off screen life.

First: The Case of the Missing Mom

Azulon looks p cute in Legacy of the Fire Nation right?

I bet he had the ladies at the Academy *ahem*

I don’t think he had any problem getting married, and I bet it was a FANTASTIC match. And by that I mean, he probably got a lot out of it and his wife found out quick that there was nothing good looking INSIDE the man.

She kicks the bucket at some point, and I think this affects Iroh as it pertains to how he views his family.

(I have a separate theory that Azulon had two wives, and that he actually loved Iroh’s mother while Ozai’s mother was a necessity.)

Zuko’s mom disappears and Zuko is profoundly affected by how her absence alters his life. He can no longer trust ANYONE at that moment. (Iroh is not there, his grandfather was okay with him being killed and is now dead, his sister straight up taunted him about his impending execution, and his father was going to go through with it.) It causes him to build walls OH MY GOD IF THE CANON TIMELINE TAKES ~600 DAYS THEN IROH HAD TO DO ANOTHER SIEGE AND SUCCEEDED.

ANYWAY.

Let’s look at the new canon Lu Ten btw:

For a franchise that really likes to whitewash its characters, Lu Ten is looking a little........

....colonial?

I think Iroh fell in love with someone NOT from the main islands of the Fire Nation and Azulon did NOT like that. I think from Lu Ten’s letter, there was some tension at the palace that ramped up the expectations. 

Ursa was forcibly married to Ozai, and we see that Azulon wants to use whatever leverage he can in order to win the war. 

And we get to another Iroh/Zuko dichotomy.

I believe that Iroh buried himself in Spirit lore as a way to ensure a Fire Nation victory. Did his wife introduce him to it? Who knows. But I do think there was some sort of Earth Kingdom connection because I have a strong suspicion that Zhao learned about Wan Shi Tong’s library because Iroh wanted General Shu to find it. 

Similarly, Zuko has disgraced himself in the eyes of HIS father, so he goes off in search of the Avatar to redeem himself. 

They both lose everything and make their choice to change because of these things.

There was a crackpot theory that Koh took Lu Ten’s face (which obviously can’t be now that we have the Legacy book) and that it was Iroh’s meddling that brought Koh over.

So maybe it wasn’t Koh, but what if it was another spirit?

In the show, we have Tui and La, Hei Bai, the Painted Lady, Wan Shi Tong, Fang, and I’m throwing in Yue just because. People calling Zuko “the Blue Spirit” implies that people still expect to see spirits from time to time. 

I think that a spirit DID kill Lu Ten, and that Iroh WAS the one to bring it over. 

We watched what happened with Zuko and Aang.

Now, I think the White Lotus was trying to get to Iroh before Lu Ten’s death. Iroh had seen the Sun Warriors and left them alone. I think Iroh was the one to convince Piandao to take Zuko as a student. I bet Iroh and Jeong Jeong had plenty of talks about the meaning of everything before Jeong Jeong deserted. Between the two of them, I think they convinced the White Lotus to go after the Fire Nation Crown Prince.

Iroh wouldn’t be swayed, though, until after Lu Ten died. He questioned everything; the war, his life, what he was actually fighting for.

On his way home, I think that’s when he heard Azulon had died and Ozai had taken over the throne. 

He had a massive army, clearly loyal for staying that long, why didn’t he take them all they way to the palace doors?

Because Iroh had made the choice to humble himself, seek forgiveness, and joined the White Lotus.

Very similar to what Zuko did. 

Canon Zuko closes the circle on Iroh’s life, ultimately appearing as a wise, beloved figure in LoK that is also missing a wife. 

How does this bring me back to Zutara?

I think the canon ending completely topples the comparison of Iroh and Zuko. Lu Ten was clearly the product of Iroh falling in love with a colonial woman, if not a full blown Earth Kingdom woman. Iroh was meant to be the Fire Lord. Iroh was supposed to be happy.

Zuko is meant to be happily married to his non Fire Nation wife and being Fire Lord, establishing a harmony that recognizes the equal parts of every element. 

Zuko is meant to realize all of Iroh’s hopes and dreams. 

Not clear? They are mirrored, so not a 1:1 and more of like a palindrome.

Iroh earns his fathers ire by falling in love with a colonial/Earth Kingdom woman

Zuko earns his fathers ire by speaking out about the loss of life in war

Iroh attempts to redeem himself by using spirits to conquer Ba Sing Se

Zuko attempts to redeem himself by capturing the Avatar and going home

Iroh succeeds in finding spirits but doesn’t take Ba Sing Se, heads home having changed

Zuko doesn’t succeed in capturing the Avatar but goes home, hasn’t yet changed

Iroh abandons his family to join the group he thinks is doing the right thing

Zuko abandons his family to join the group he thinks is doing the right thing

Iroh works to support the Avatar

Zuko reconnects to the spiritual side of Firebending and the elements to find peace

Iroh speaks out against the war

Zuko falls in love with a Water Tribe woman oh sorry, I mean a Fire Nation lady thus maintaining the status quo.

During the show, we see a lot of seeds Iroh plants in Zuko’s mind blossom later on. Zuko follows in his uncle’s footprints, not ever knowing that’s what he’s doing.

And Iroh didn’t marry someone from the Fire Nation, that’s clearly obvious.

#zutara #meta #zutara headcanon

[sokkastyles]

Redemption and Hope

One of the interesting things I think ATLA has to say about redemption is that in order to get redemption, you have to be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I’ve said before that Zuko could not have successfully joined Team Avatar if he thought that being on the good side was the same as being on the bad side. In order to become the best version of yourself, you have to have hope.

There’s a very interesting parallel that highlights this in “The Storm.”

Katara: (to Aang) I know it was meant to be this way. The world needs you now. You give people hope.

Iroh: Things will never return to normal. But the important thing is the Avatar gives Zuko hope.

“The Storm” abounds with parallels between Zuko and Aang, and this is one of the running themes through these two characters’ stories. Aang, waking up after one hundred years to a changed world in which he is the last of his people, will never be able to return to normal. Katara says he gives people hope but in the context of her words, she is trying to give Aang back some of that hope, after he blames himself for running away and getting frozen in the iceberg. Aang can’t bring hope to anyone if he doesn’t have it himself.

Whereas Aang’s world changed after he ran away, Zuko is desperately trying to get back to a place from which he was cast out. Iroh asserts that things will never return to normal, but it’s important that Zuko has hope. Iroh never really wants Zuko to capture the avatar, but what he doesn’t want Zuko to do is give up. To Zuko, if he doesn’t have his mission, then he has nothing. In this episode we are told just how important Zuko’s mission is to him, yet Zuko actually foregoes chasing after Aang in favor of getting his ship and crew to safety. So we are shown that there are limits to Zuko’s single-mindedness, and we actually see him be humble in this episode, apologizing to Iroh for his earlier selfishness. A similar scene occurs when Zuko decides to go rescue Iroh when he is captured by earthbenders rather than chase after the gaang.

At the end of book one, Zuko has braved freezing water in order to sneak into the Northern Water Tribe during the siege, captured Aang, then lost him, almost froze to death in the snow, was saved by his enemy, then tried to save Zhao from an angry avatar-fused moon spirit. All of these events put an additional strain on how he thinks the world works. His hope in his mission is faltering.

Iroh: I'm surprised, Prince Zuko, surprised that you are not at this moment trying to capture the Avatar.

Zuko: I'm tired.

Iroh: Then you should rest. A man needs his rest.

This scene is in contrast to the above mentioned scenes of Zuko choosing not to go after the avatar, because he’s not doing it to save others this time. But the voice acting makes it clear that the events that just transpired are weighing on his mind. He could not save Zhao, but was instead saved by the very person he was trying to capture. Zuko’s mission used to be a simple thing in his mind: capture the avatar, regain his honor, return to the fire nation and his place at his father’s side. But then the avatar was a child who wanted to be his friend and Zhao tried to have him killed and then Zhao was killed in front of him and he realized that he actually did care about other people, even cruel blowhards like Zhao.

When we first see him at the beginning of book two, Zuko is at his most despondent. He and Iroh are now on their own, and it happens to be the anniversary of the worst day of Zuko’s life.

Zuko: Three years ago today, I was banished. I lost it all. I want it back. I want the Avatar, I want my honor, my throne. I want my father not to think I'm worthless.

Iroh: I'm sure he doesn't. Why would he banish you if he didn't care? Uh, that came out wrong, didn't it?

Iroh tries (badly) to cheer Zuko up, because Iroh wants Zuko to have hope. His words here come across as empty, because I don’t think Iroh really believes them. In fact, later in this episode Iroh will give advice that is almost the opposite of what he says here, telling Zuko that despite what Azula says about Ozai wanting him back, he has “never known [his] brother to regret anything.” Iroh wants Zuko to have hope and because of this is willing to sometimes enable him in his hunt for Aang, but when it actually looks like Zuko might go back to the fire nation, or might be in danger (which are pretty much the same thing, whether he goes back as a prince or a prisoner, because it’s not safe for Zuko to go back to Ozai), he tries to discourage him. But in the above pictured scene, at least, all Iroh can do is give Zuko some empty assurance, because worse than Zuko actually achieving his mission to capture the avatar or going back to Ozai is if Zuko believes that nothing he does matters.

This is why when Zuko becomes officially cut off from the fire nation, he becomes anchorless, and resorts to petty thievery in a fruitless hope of regaining some semblance of his former identity as royalty..

Iroh: I know we've had some difficult times lately. We've had to struggle just to get by. But it's nothing to be ashamed of. There is a simple honor in poverty.

Zuko: There's no honor for me without the Avatar.

Iroh: Zuko... Even if you did capture the Avatar, I'm not so sure it would solve our problems. Not now.

Zuko: Then there is no hope at all. Iroh: No, Zuko! You must never give in to despair. Allow yourself to slip down that road and you surrender to your lowest instincts. In the darkest times, hope is something you give yourself. That is the meaning of inner strength.

As much as Iroh might be afraid of Zuko getting lost in Ozai’s toxic ideology, here he looks terrified that Zuko might lose hope completely. What’s kind of interesting here is that the way Iroh links the absence of hope with “surrendering to your lowest instincts” implies that there was a time when Zuko had even less hope than he does now, before the avatar was freed from an iceberg. As much as Zuko is introduced to us as a villain at the beginning of the series, what must he have been like in the years before there was any sign that the avatar had returned, with no direction and no hope, and nothing but hurt and anger to keep him going?

If this is Zuko at his most pessimistic, in contrast he is at his most optimistic at the end of book two, when he nearly comes to accept living a simple life with Iroh in Ba Sing Se. Previously we’ve seen him forego his hope in capturing the avatar in favor of doing the right thing, but this is the first time we’ve seen him put aside his hope in chasing the avatar in favor of putting his hope in something else. There’s a contrast here between Zuko’s hope in gaining Ozai’s approval vs his hope here which is centered around putting work into his relationship with Iroh; the absent father vs the father in front of him.

This newly discovered hope is only briefly realized, though. There’s a lot of dramatic irony in this episode. Zuko and Iroh are found out by Azula after Katara sees them while wandering around Ba Sing Se. Katara runs to warn the earth king that the fire nation has invaded the city, unknowingly realizing that she is talking to Azula who has actually invaded the city, while also alerting Azula to Zuko and Iroh’s presence, after Zuko seems to have stopped chasing the gaang. We don’t know, because it’s not allowed to last, but it’s possible that Zuko might have not even been a threat to Katara and the rest at this point any longer, had she not seen him at the tea shop.

Zuko then gets captured and thrown into prison with Katara, who he doesn’t know is the one who ratted him out. She starts leveling all kinds of accusations at him, and he initially is defensive (”you don’t know what you’re talking about”) then apologetic, then reveals the loss of his own mother in order to empathize with Katara. This new empathetic Zuko is a reflection of his attempts to try to make things work with Iroh, to live the life that Iroh wants for them both. Then when Katara apologizes to him he says that it doesn’t matter, because that life turned out to be short lived after all. Katara offers him another glimpse at hope in the form of healing his scar, but they’re interrupted.

Then Zuko has to make his big choice between Azula and Iroh. Iroh and the gaang represent hope, but it’s a hope that can’t last. As much as we might like to imagine that Zuko and Iroh could live a peaceful life in Ba Sing Se, Azula probably would have found them eventually, and the hope that Katara offers is uncertain - even she doesn’t know that it’s going to work, and it isn’t what Zuko needs anyway, because the physical scar is not the source of his problems, only a symbol of them. That’s why when Azula offers him another choice, the thing that he’s wanted for three years, it’s an offer he really has no hope of refusing.

Of course, Zuko eventually realizes only once he has returned to the fire nation that what he thought he wanted doesn’t make him happy, but he could have continued to live his life as the prince if he didn’t know that Aang was really still out there, alive. This is twofold because the fact of Aang’s survival means that Zuko can’t be comfortable by his father’s side because he’s constantly worrying if and when his father will find out that he didn’t actually kill Aang - which is what leads him to hire an assassin - but on another level, the fact of Aang’s survival is what motivates Zuko to actually oppose his father, which I doubt he would have been able to do without Aang’s presence in the world. When Zuko confronts his father, he tells him his plan to join the avatar and help Aang defeat Ozai. Without Aang, I don’t think Zuko has confidence that he alone would be able to oppose his father - he tells Iroh later that he is the only one other than Aang that could defeat the fire lord, showing that he does not believe it’s something he could have done on his own.

So in the end, what Iroh said in book one was correct. The avatar does give Zuko hope, but in exactly the opposite way that Zuko thought, the hope to become the best version of himself rather than the worst. Which then comes full circle as Zuko makes it his new mission to help Aang restore hope to the world.

#atla #avatar the last airbender #atla meta #zuko #iroh #aang

[ao3feed-zukka]

Blackout

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

by mousedyke

People often are pleased with the illusion of choice, to feel as if they have control over their perception of the world once it turns its back on them. A wounded dog learns to lap at fresh wounds while at its attacker's side, and a hungrier one knows that the hand that can no longer feed it only becomes an opportunity for bloodlust. Once sweetness is detested, bitterness has already made a home on your pink tongue. When you get a taste of it, no one has complete control over that thumping organ that births butterflies of yearning for self-destruction. There isn’t a single person alive capable of easily ridding the pest of intrusive thoughts that chew at the integral wiring of your brain after you’re let down one too many times. No one can accomplish that.

At least, not alone.

Or

What better place to unpack and navigate your previous trauma than Ranshaw's Haunted Attractions? Sokka and Zuko find comfort in each other when they least expect it.

Words: 6546, Chapters: 1/10, Language: English

Fandoms: Avatar: The Last Airbender

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: M/M

Characters: Sokka (Avatar), Zuko (Avatar), Katara (Avatar), Aang (Avatar), Toph Beifong, Jet (Avatar), Suki (Avatar), Mai (Avatar), Ty Lee (Avatar), Ozai (Avatar), Zhao (Avatar), Azula (Avatar), Yue (Avatar), Iroh (Avatar)

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

Additional Tags: haunted house au, Seasonal depression Sokka, Bisexual Sokka, gay Zuko, ADHD Sokka, Autistic Zuko, Protective Sokka (Avatar), two traumatized boys finding security in each other, Zuko Has PTSD (Avatar), Sokka too tbh, sibling trauma, zukka - Freeform, sokka and aang being interchangeable wingmen, Trans Yue, lots of atla background characters involved, Scare Actors, Halloween, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, References to Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet References, essentially about navigating trauma, mentions of transphobia

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

#IFTTT #ao3feed #fanfic #zukka #avatar: the last airbender #atla #zuko #sokka

[watchathon]

Book 3, Chapter 17: The Ember Island Players

In case you’re finding this post just by browsing the tags I’ve used for this post, this is the Watchathon, a blog where I’m hoping to watch an episode of a TV show every weekday, with a short blog post where I write down my thoughts as I watch. Each new thought starts with a hyphen and a bolded first word.

- Like so. Now that the introductions are over with, here’s my thoughts on The Ember Island Players:

- We are literally one episode away from the series finale and Katara in the theme song still says that Aang “has a lot to learn before he’s ready to save anyone.” I could’ve sworn they cut that part out by now. Not complaining, though, it’s kinda funny.

- It’s nice to see Aang and Zuko practicing Firebending. Firebending just looks awesome, even when it’s not actually a fight scene.

- Nice detail that the poster for the play is based on the box art for the Book 1 DVD.

- I never would’ve taken Zuko for the type of person who would have critiques about a specific theater group and how a play’s been “butchered.” And I’m assuming these are opinions he held when he was taken to see the Ember Island Players as a little kid, to boot.

- “This is the kind of wacky time-wasting nonsense I’ve been missing!” I like the subtle leaning on the 4th wall here, referencing how the series gradually got more and more serialized.

- Oh, I’ve got to love the absolute 180 in Katara and Sokka’s reactions just as soon as their fictional counterparts open their mouths.

- It feels kinda weird to watch this episode after having seen countless videos of the Gaang reacting to the live-action movie.

- Toph is just having a blast, ain’t she?

- I just can’t get enough of the Gaang’s reactions to their equivalents in the play.

- Now I can’t help wondering what Peter Pan’s reaction would be to the genderbent casting for him.

- Well, you know what they say, Zuko: “Art imitates life.”

- I get the feeling that the real King Bumi would have as much fun with his interpretation here as Toph is having.

- Nice detail that the Ember Island Players don’t know the Blue Spirit is Zuko. And another thing I couldn’t help but notice: Zuko here takes the place of Admiral Zhao. Zhao’s just been forgotten completely in, what, half a year? For someone as obsessed with glory and legacy as Zhao, it’s an even worse punishment than whatever the Ocean Spirit did to him.

- You can already tell the Gaang’s not gonna end up the heroes of the play when Player Katara is totally supportive of Jet wiping out that Fire Nation town.

- There’s definitely at least a bit of self-deprecation on behalf of the showrunners, with stuff like this joke on how the Great Divide was the only true filler episode.

- I like this scene of the Gaang discussing the play during the intermission.

- This play’s having a lot more luck with its rope effects than that Spider-Man musical did.

- Again, Toph is having a blast. Katara’s waiting for Toph to react the same way the rest of the Gaang did to their portrayals, but Toph is just positively delighted.

- Do you think Toph would want Dwayne Johnson to play her in the upcoming live-action reboot? ...Scratch that, of course she would.

- Added to the list of reasons to get my hands on good video editing software: replace Player Toph’s scream with the audio from the “AHHHHH” video.

- I’ve just come to a realization: this play is the theater equivalent to an abridged series.

- Seems like the audience isn’t all too enraptured by the play, or at least the drill scene.

- I get the meta gag, I think it’s hilarious, and it makes a great meme to boot, but... Jet’s death wasn’t too unclear, really. Sure, they don’t explicitly say “Jet’s dead”, but it’s so strongly implied that there’s very little room for an alternate interpretation.

- This play is hilarious, but it’s clearly bringing back some bad memories for Zuko. He almost definitely doesn’t want to be reminded of how he betrayed the best father figure he had so he could go back to the one who scarred and banished him for speaking out of turn.

- I like the bait-and-switch when Sokka asks Suki if she can get him backstage.

- It’s nice to see Toph chatting with Zuko about Iroh, complete with a callback to when she met Iroh.

- I could’ve sworn there was more mention of the scar being on the wrong side in the play before this...

- I bet Zuko wishes it had been that easy to join the Gaang.

- Y’know what, I’m just gonna say it: the ribbon-bending is also pretty cool. 

- Do you think in like, a few years, the Ember Island Players are gonna revise the play to not only depict how the war actually ended, but also depict the Gaang as definitive good guys?

- You know it was a bad ending when you completely turned around the opinion of even your strongest supporter: Toph.

- You could really just replace the word “play” with “movie” and then you get the general opinion on The Last Airbender...

- I didn’t think this episode would just end there.

#TV #Avatar The Last Airbender #ATLA #Book 3: Fire #The Ember Island Players #Katara #Aang #Zuko #Toph Beifong #King Bumi #Admiral Zhao #Jet #Iroh

[ao3feedzukka-blog]

Blackout

https://archiveofourown.org/works/44048883 by mousedyke People often are pleased with the illusion of choice, to feel as if they have control over their perception of the world once it turns its back on them. A wounded dog learns to lap at fresh wounds while at its attacker's side, and a hungrier one knows that the hand that can no longer feed it only becomes an opportunity for bloodlust. Once sweetness is detested, bitterness has already made a home on your pink tongue. When you get a taste of it, no one has complete control over that thumping organ that births butterflies of yearning for self-destruction. There isn’t a single person alive capable of easily ridding the pest of intrusive thoughts that chew at the integral wiring of your brain after you’re let down one too many times. No one can accomplish that. At least, not alone. Or What better place to unpack and navigate your previous trauma than Ranshaw's Haunted Attractions? Sokka and Zuko find comfort in each other when they least expect it. Words: 6546, Chapters: 1/10, Language: English Fandoms: Avatar: The Last Airbender Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: M/M Characters: Sokka (Avatar), Zuko (Avatar), Katara (Avatar), Aang (Avatar), Toph Beifong, Jet (Avatar), Suki (Avatar), Mai (Avatar), Ty Lee (Avatar), Ozai (Avatar), Zhao (Avatar), Azula (Avatar), Yue (Avatar), Iroh (Avatar) Relationships: Sokka/Zuko (Avatar), Aang/Katara (Avatar) Additional Tags: haunted house au, Seasonal depression Sokka, Bisexual Sokka, gay Zuko, ADHD Sokka, Autistic Zuko, Protective Sokka (Avatar), two traumatized boys finding security in each other, Zuko Has PTSD (Avatar), Sokka too tbh, sibling trauma, zukka - Freeform, sokka and aang being interchangeable wingmen, Trans Yue, lots of atla background characters involved, Scare Actors, Halloween, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, References to Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet References, essentially about navigating trauma, mentions of transphobia January 03, 2023 at 08:20PM

#IFTTT #Zukka #AO3Feed Zukka #Sokka/Zuko